True Love by Jude Deveraux

Just as Alix Madsen is finishing up architectural school, Adelaide Kingsley dies and wills her, for one year, the use of a charming nineteenth-century Nantucket house. The elderly woman’s relationship to the Madsen family is a mystery to the spirited Alix—fresh from a romantic breakup—but for reasons of her own Alix accepts the quirky bequest, in part because it gives her time to plan her best friend’s storybook wedding.

But unseen forces move behind the scenes, creaking Kingsley House’s ancient floorboards. It seems that Adelaide Kingsley had a rather specific task for Alix: to solve the strange disappearance of one of the Kingsley women, Valentina, more than two hundred years ago. If that wasn’t troubling enough, Alix must deal with the arrogant (and extremely good-looking) architect Jared Montgomery, who is living in the property’s guesthouse.

Unbeknown to Alix, Jared has been charged with looking after her while she lives on the island—an easy task for him, considering the undeniable chemistry between the two. But Jared harbors secrets of his own, which, if revealed, may drive a wedge between the pair.

With a glorious Nantucket wedding on the horizon, sparks fly, and the ghosts of the past begin to reveal themselves—some of them literally. Finding their lives inextricably entwined with the turbulent fortunes of their ancestors, Alix and Jared discover that only by righting the wrongs of the past can they hope to be together.
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I love reading a romance that has me smiling 90% of the time and while it's been a while Deveraux definitely delivers. As the beginning of a trilogy True Love reminds of all that's great about her books: fated love, small towns, interesting characters - they all work together to create an intricate story featuring two people with a lot (maybe too much) in common. Where in other books Jared and Alix's perfect love might be cloying, Deveraux writes two imperfect enough characters that even when they start playing house it's not too much.

My only complaints came near the end, but that's the the rub with quirky characters: sometimes they do what you want, sometimes you feel like they're derailing a romance that's doing JUST FINE on its own (*cough*). Regardless I can't wait for the next two books because I think this series is going to turn into one of those great comfort reads I go back to again and again because of its lighthearted, heart warming soul. 

Oh - one more thing. Ghost relative alert!

Overall Feeling - A-

Series -1) True Love (Nantucket Brides Trilogy)

*Title requested from NetGalley*