This was my first Antoinette Stockenberg novel; I read it not long after it was published back in '87. Ages ago, I know, but her writing is so vivid I can still picture some of the scenes from the novel. This is, however, before the ghost or mystery plots were woven into her novels: it is purely a story of life and relationships. I have been a huge fan ever since. I can't wait for her next ...

Liz moved into the small house in hopes of getting contracts for events with the upper class neighbors. But things got strange the moment she found the old trunk in her attic with letters that told of a great love lost a century earlier. Liz began hearing chimes. Then the ghost kept appearing.

Jack Eastman was the most arrogant and stuck up person Liz had ever had the displeasure of meeting. His mansion was connected to her land, but seperated by rusty, age old, barbed wire!

She accepts his contract for a birthday party, which ends in disaster. Then for a picnic. The picnic is sabotaged by ants. It's saved only by fast reaction by Liz. At the same time, someone is also making accidents happen at Jack's ship yard.

Jack finds Liz volunteering at a shelter for battered women one day and the two plan a fund raiser for the shelter. Word leaks out that PRINCESS DIANA MAY SHOW UP. It is to be a masquerade. With that rumor, ticket sales soar.

***Wonderful story. Did the Princess show up? I'm not telling.***

If you like Nora Roberts, you'll LOVE Antoinette Stockenberg. This book was fresh, exciting, and amazingly well written. I'll definitely be back for more.

Antoinette Stockenberg is one of my all-time favorite authors and KEEPSAKE is one of her best. Quinn and Olivia manage to be both admirable and interesting and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. As far as I'm concerned, Ms. Stockenberg is the only writer working today who could be an heir to Mary Stewart's romantic suspense crown.

This book continues Antoinette's insight into what the romance reader wants. Her plot, characterization, and suspense all combine to produce a readable, exciting story that wants the reader to continue reading and wish that the book would never end. I recommend it to anyone wanting a good read.

For a modern romance, it was pretty good. Being in my forties also, I like the idea of a middle life romance instead of the main female character being in early twenties. It has a mature theme and identifies with today's society ( I'm not saying today's society is living right), but the book does reflect issues of today. It is the first Stockenberg novel I've read and I look forward to reading more. I have "Dream a Little Dream" and have heard good things about it. Hopefully, it will further intice me to read more of her novels.

A Charmed Place was a wonderful love story, the characters were so real to me. I had not read any of Antoinette's books before and I do not know how I missed her because I am an avid reader. Anyway Dan and Mattie hooked me on their story and hooked me onto a wonderful author. I have since read all of her books and loved them. I also like the stories of people who are not in their twenties and of course I always like a happy ending for people who go through some very difficult times in their lives. I could relate to Maggie because I also went through some very difficult times with a teen age daughter and also a marriage that ended. It was so neat for Dan to have loved her for all of these years and to try and renew and once again refall in love and of course we all like the happy ever after endings. It may not be like that in real life but to me these characters become so real and Antoinette has a way of doing that. I just finished Beyond Midnight and it was so good I could not lay it down. Way to go Antoinette and of course Dan and Mattie will be with us forever.

I didn't think I could like Antoinette's newest novel, "A Charmed Place" more than I loved "Dream A Little Dream" but I was happily wrong. Antoinette just keeps getting better and better.

In "A Charmed Place," Maddie Regan is still struggling to come to terms with the inexplicable and unsolved murder of her beloved father, when Daniel Hawke, her first and only true love, returns to Sandy Point with an agenda of his own. Family members who are bitter against Daniel, a jealous and volatile ex-husband, and a rebellious fourteen year old daughter stand firmly in the way of reunited love. Toss in a sinking lighthouse, a hurricane, and a goosebumpy touch of Antoinette's trademark mysticalness, and there you have it - a "curl up in your favorite chair and defy anyone to bother you," cover to cover delight.

Antoinette Stockenberg consistently delivers multi-faceted, three dimensional characters with honest, often heartbreaking problems, emotions and reactions. She also delivers a picture of New England that will make you want to pack your bags and hit the road for a visit. You will smell the salt air and honeysuckle, you will envision the lighthouse and Maddie's garden, you will feel as though you would recognize Maddie and Daniel if you passed them on the street. Great characters, snappy dialogue, gifted description, and a clever, satisfying plot all add up to a big A+ for Antoinette Stockenberg and "A Charmed Place."

I am still reading this but I want to let everyone know what a great book this is! It is a romance and a ghost story--two of my favorite things--and laugh-out-loud funny in places. It is something a bit different as it crosses genres.

Emily is a newspaper reporter who sets out to investigate a senator's interest in the paranormal and ends up attending a seance with him. As a result, she unwittingly taking home the ghost of a wrongly executed man named Fergus who demands that she use her powers of the press to prove his innocence and clear his name - a century after the fact! As Fergus hilariously becomes acquainted with modern life (especially television!) , he and Emily begin to develop deep feelings towards each other, seriously complicating her blossoming romantic relationship with the senator she set out to investigate! This book has it all - humor, romance, a great sense of local flavor (action takes place around Boston and in Martha's Vineyard), history, mystery, the paranormal and more. My only complaint? That Fergus is such an interesting and appealing character that he makes Emily's wealthy, handsome young senator look like a wimp in comparison, although that's where the sexual tension comes from. On the whole, an excellen read. I couldn't put it down.

This was my first Stockenberg and WOW! The story kept me anxious to turn the next page and see what came next. The plot was good, the characters excellent.

I picked up this book as I was headed on vacation to Martha's Vineyard. I chose it because the setting of the book was Martha's Vineyard, which I thought appropriate. I like to read books of the island, because it is so easy to assimilate the setting. However, I found the book to be filled with just the right amount of intrigued and suspense, filled with turmoil and tempestuous feelings and attractions, that it kept the book alive and moving. I could feel the anquish of the woman whose husband left her for the conniving younger woman...especially as she destroys everything he treasured that he had left behind. You can feel for the daughter who feels betrayed by her father, but torn apart by her mother, and used by her sister who relies on her to handle it all. I felt like hitting the father over the head for the sap that he was, and shaking the potential lover the his stupid lies. Overall, a nice book, set in a wonderful place!

Holly is a local artist in Martha's vineyard. Her father has just left her mom for another woman. A woman half his age and her ex-tenant in her loft apartment. Enter Sam Steadman, a man on a mission. He too wants the woman Eden that stole Holly's father's heart. Follow me so far? Eden is his wife and she has something that doesn't belong to her and he wants it back. Together Holly and Sam search for Eden for different reasons. During their search can they help that they fall for each other. Book starts pretty slow but picks up towards the middle. Enjoy

Once again Stockenberg has produced an entertaining and suspenseful narrative. The conflict and secrets between Holly Anderson and Sam Steadman lend themselves to another absorbing story from the pen of this author. How the pitfalls are resolved make for an interesting tale. Those who have been to Martha's Vineyard where the scene is laid will easily be transported back to the island via the descriptive prose. A good summer read! Can't wait for her next book!

I love Stockenberg's work.. it is usually 4 stars.. but this one just couldn't get off the ground. I read 2 other books in between this one. But once you get past the middle.. it speeds up very fast.. and the second half is definately worth it.

I have read all of Antoinnette Stockenberg's novels and have generally enjoyed them. "Tidewater" should really get 3 and 1/2 stars, but she is a writer of substance and ability, hence 4 stars. The problems between Sarann and Rodger were telegraphed without any subtlety on the writer's part. However, the ending, even with all the hints throughout the book, was blatently shocking, but did not have the appropriate build up. Ben and Abbey were the most appealing characters in the book, although Ben's transformation was also lacking appropriate development.

Antoinette Stockenberg can always be relied upon to deliver a quality product that will keep you in your reading chair long past your bedtime. This latest gem, Tidewater, has a great plot and is peopled with finely drawn characters, all of whom come packed with their own intriguing baggage - in particular, her hero, Ben McElwyn. I have one word for Ben - Whew! What woman can resist the idea of a scruffy, hunky loner who has carried a torch for his lost love for years? Lucky, lucky Sarann. :) Another particular skill of Ms. Stockenberg is her ability to completely nail the voice of her younger characters; in this case, spunky, rebellious Abby. Congratulations to Ms. Stockenberg for another triumph.

This book was nothing special. The story could have been better. There were several typos in the book. It really affected the story when the wrong type of SUV was noted (made me wonder if they bought a new one and I missed a memo). It again affected the story when the wrong person was named looking for the key. I guess I just expected better.

This was a real page turner for me. The book is written wonderfully and will keep you up late at night. The twists and turns at the end of the novel, make it hard for you to put it down. This is a great beach book.

Ms. Stockenberg is a maestro when it comes to creating realistic characters...I am certain I'll run into Wendy at the grocery store tomorrow! This book has it all--suspense, heartbreak, romance--and a setting that makes me want to pack up and move to New England tomorrow!

I really tried to read this but couldn't. Maybe it was the ghost. I probably got to the part where it was getting really good when I quit. There are too many other books out there for me to spend time on a book that is just okay.

A good story mixing American and British personalities. The romance developes as many other romance novels, but the storyline is much different.......who heard of moving a castle......across an ocean, no less! There is also a mystery and ghosts. Enjoyable.

"I put off reading this one because of the reviews posted here and I just want to say read it, you won't be disappointed. It has all her usual humor, suspense and smart dialogue. You don't have to like ghosts, they don't get in the way of a really fun read. I loved it, especially the second half!"

I loved the setting and the way the author wove the Nantucket scenery, folklore, and history into the plot. I felt almost like I was on the island. But the reason I didn't give it more stars was because of the constant strife and antagonism between the two lovers Jane and Mac. It just didn't make a good heartwarming lovestory. They should have been trying to solve the Judith mystery together, finding themselves falling in love as they worked side-by-side at something... I don't know. Maybe if she HAD gone to work for him, that would have been a nice romantic scene. But I did enjoy the book and would recommend it as beach reading ... especially for someone vacationing on Nantucket.