by Sarah L. Hawthorn
It’s the 1860s, and your parents have promised you to an abusive tyrant of a man. You refuse him, so he sets his sights on your little sister instead. What do you do? Well, Eleanor was willing to make a deal with the devil to protect her sister, Caroline (Liney). The terms? She killed a lighthouse keeper, and now she must lure ships onto the rocks so the devil can claim their souls as his own. The only trouble is that the man Eleanor killed now haunts the lighthouse and, unfortunately for her, has become something like the voice of her conscience.
Liney has no idea what bargain her sister has struck. She lives a lonely, isolated life, missing the comforts of her old home. Not that she isn’t grateful to be safe, but still. Then one morning a young woman washes up on the beach, the survivor of a shipwreck Eleanor caused, and Liney does more than befriend her. Needless to say, this complicates Ellie’s deal with the devil.
I enjoyed this gothic, ghostly love story. The dynamic between the sisters was compelling to follow throughout, and the relationship between Ellie and the ghost of the man she murdered evolves in surprising ways. And although I didn’t really empathize with any of the characters, the ending still left me sad.
A wonderfully atmospheric read for a cold, rainy day!
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the copy.
