Snow in Summer by Tess Farraday is another addition to the enchanting Haunting Hearts series published by Penguin Putnam/Jove.

This is the story of Christopher "Kit" Gallatin, Earl of Swanfort, a betrayed soldier who fought for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 1592 and met his untimely death in a battle that named him a traitor for all eternity.

Kit is doomed to haunt the earth until he is reunited with his heart which was taken from his body by his brother and kept in a box made from the hilt of his sword.

Now Kit's search has lead him across the ocean and to the American town of Sparrowgrass, California.

In Sparrowgrass he finds the newly returned outsider Miranda "Andi" Fairfield who is selling replicas of the box that contains his heart.  Little does Miranda know that in the box she takes as payment for her work is also the original box containing the legendary heart of Kit.

Appearing to Andi as a normal man Kit takes up residence in the coach house of Hearts Ease, the house she is looking after, until he can find where she has put his heart and reclaim it.

Unfortunately for Kit, Andi has misplaced his heart and they are not the only ones on the trail to find it.  For also arrived in Sparrowgrass is a man from Kit's past who will stop at nothing to get Kit's heart and will let no one stand in his way.

Andi meanwhile has her own demons to battle as she returns to the town she left many years before.  The town where she is held responsible for the death of a young man.  Now after the death of another man Andi has returned, and she is determined that no more men will die because of her.

This is a touching story of a man without a physical heart who believes that he has no heart at all because of this and a woman who keeps her heart hidden from the world because she is afraid that she is responsible for the deaths of the two men who became closest to her.

An enchanting story with a surprising twist at the end.  The small town of Sparrowgrass was brought to life with expertise and the townspeople and their lives were drawn nicely into the story.

My only problem with the story is that as the tale nears its conclusion Kit becomes more alive and less ghostly.  However there is no clear explanation for why this has happened.  Other than this minor point I found this story engaging and delightful, a welcome addition to the ghostly romance genre.

RATING : 
(if you need an explanation of the hearts ratings see my homepage)

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Also by Tess Farraday :  Sea Spell, Shadows in the Flame and Tumbleweed Heart.

Read an Interview with Tess Farraday.

Visit Tess Farraday's Website.