Title: Starlight Bridge
Series: Harmony Harbor, #2
By: Debbie Mason
Author’s Website: http://authordebbiemason.com/index.html
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary: 
Hidden in Greystone Manor is a book containing all the dark secrets of Harmony Harbor, and Ava DiRossi is determined to find it. No one-especially not her ex-husband, Griffin Gallagher-can ever discover what really tore her life apart all those years ago. With Griffin back in town, it’s more important than ever that she find the book before someone else does. Because her ex is still angry with her for leaving him. And he still has no idea Ava never stopped loving him.
Ava is no longer the vibrant, happy woman Griffin had once loved and married, and he would do anything to bring back the sparkle to her brilliant green eyes. But what’s never changed are the sexy sparks of attraction between Ava and Griffin, and he won’t give her up again without a fight. He knows there’s the real possibility of a future together… if the truth doesn’t burn the bridge between them forever.
Review:
First let me say that Debbie Mason can certainly tell a story. I was enthralled from the very beginning and captivated until the last word. The Harmony Harbor series is just that…a series….but each individual story acts as a stand-alone title. With the characters in one story after another, it may just persuade you to read the entire series in due course….I know I want to ☺
Griffin and Ava used to be husband and wife. When they split up, Griffin left town while Ava remained. She is working at Greystone Manor as a chambermaid. Greystone Manor (built in the early nineteenth century and fashioned after a medieval castle) is the Gallagher family legacy, the family to which Griffin is a part of. With the passing of Colleen (the Gallagher matriarch), a book of secrets kept by Colleen is at risk of being discovered and this could lead to trouble for Ava for the book contains her biggest secret, which led to her walking away from Griffin.
I love how Griffin remembers his and Ava’s previous life together:
“She might be as stubborn as she used to be, but she was at least thirty pounds lighter. When they were together, she’d been all soft, lush curves……he caught a whiff of the same perfume she used to wear – sweet and sultry. It brought back memories of all the times he’d held her in his arms. Seven years of memories, most of them amazing.”
Colleen is still around, in ghost format. Her goal is to get Ava and Griffin back together again (they did make the cutest couple after all – they are soul mates in Colleen’s eyes). With the help of Simon, the cat who’d arrived at the manor just a week before Colleen passed, no end of shenanigans take place in an effort to keep hidden the book of secrets from Ava. There were other ghostly interventions which added a certain levity to the story.
There certainly was no end of additional story-lines to keep this reader interested – some not so uplifting, others quite comical. I found the storyline about Ava and her father VERY emotionally moving. It certainly added depth to this contemporary romance novel. Given the intensity I would rather you read it as opposed to me trying to quickly explain – you will understand once you have finished reading this book.
Another story-line had me totally giggling. As you learn, Ava’s goal is to become the chef at the manor. With Griffin back in town, she may never get the chance. You see, the manor is in imminent danger of being sold unless it can turn its fortunes around. One way to accomplish this is to win a cook-off against a rival manor. Unbeknownst to Ava, Monsieur Gaston St. John as just been offered the job as the manor’s new head chef. The sabotage that ensued (both towards and from Gaston by Ava and crew (which definitely includes ghosts) is hilarious. If you are not laughing at their antics….I don’t know what will make you laugh.
The story-line involving Griffin’s other ex-wife started out less than stellar for me but as time went by, I found I liked Lexi more and more. All I have to say on this front is…why don’t people communicate more? Of course, that is a given with any of the relationships in this book. So many misunderstandings could have been avoided by plan ole fashioned communication.
All in all, I found this story a very satisfying read. There was sufficient depth of the characters to pull me in and keep me fully invested in the outcomes for each and every one of them. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. Really, not much else I can say except that I cannot wait for the next book in the series, Primrose Lane.
