I have read a couple of books written by Jude Deveraux over the years. Someone to Love is the 28th book in the series of Montgomery/Taggert. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, so I read this one as a standalone. While reading the book, it didn’t seem like I was missing anything, which I am glad about.
The story of Someone to Love focuses on Jace Montgomery who is struggling to cope with the death of his fiancée three years prior. He doesn’t completely understand the circumstances of her death officially a suicide but he always feels like there is more to the story. Jace’s search for answers brings him to a village in England, Margate where he buys a big, gothic-looking type of house called Priory house. He encounters a ghost in that house, Ann Stuart, whom he must deal with if he wishes to find the answers he is looking for. Jace meets a former war correspondent now working at a local newspaper Nightingale Smythe, Nigh for short. Nigh starts helping Jace uncover the secrets of the house and the circumstances of Stacey’s death.
Nigh falls for Jace pretty hard, but she is aware that he is not in an emotional place, to reciprocate her feelings because he has not healed yet. The story is a mix of romance and paranormal, although, at times, the romance takes a backseat. The mystery element keeps you intrigued, so overall it does not hamper the reading experience. The main focus of the story, I felt it was the journey Jace Montgomery goes through. In the beginning, he is clearly struggling to accept Stacey’s death and keeps looking for answers that might explain what exactly happened to her. He is not in a good place when he comes to Margate, but slowly he starts unraveling the mysteries of the house and events related to Stacey’s death, and he starts healing.
Nigh is an ex-war correspondent, and she has become jaded because of the things she has seen naturally. The way she carries herself throughout the story, her drive to help Jace, and her chemistry with him; all of it is so natural. I liked how the paranormal, and mystery elements blend with the romance in the story. Neither of the elements seems completely out of place. The characters are very likable and realistic, and you cannot help but root for them. The story moves ahead at a good pace, so it kept me engaged. I do wish there was a little more focus on Jace and Nigh’s love story because there are such well-written characters. I loved the unexpected twist at the end, I didn’t see that coming.
This book was exactly what I expected it to be. This is a good story with nice, and likable characters, and the combination of romance and the paranormal is done well. Once I started reading this book, I finished it in a day or two. I wanted to know how things panned out, and it kept me interested. This book was a perfect pick for a weekend read.
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