Spirit of the Heart

ISBN 1-57343-034-X (Paperback)
ISBN 1-57343-013-7 (Ebook)

Under The Covers Book Reviews - Very Highly Recommended
Scribes World - 5 Stars
Sime-Gen - 4 Stars

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Lindsay Jackson of Chicago has returned to her family homestead on a resort Island in Washington State to preside as maid-of-honor for the marriage of her only cousin Sarah to Seattle architect, Kent Stuart. She wants to be happy for Sarah, but knows that will be impossible because she is hopelessly in love with the groom.

Kent Stuart knew he loved Lindsay when she swept into his life and swept him off his feet in four short days the previous August. But misunderstood intentions, unspoken fears, and a four-month two-thousand mile separation doomed their fledgling relationship. Discouraged and disheartened, Kent abandoned his long distance pursuit of Lindsay, and found comfort in the undemanding love of Sarah Emerson.

As the wedding day approaches, Lindsay and Kent both realize they still want, need, and love each other. Yet their mutual care and concern for Sarah keep them silent and apart. Neither is aware that another love, a spirit of the heart stronger than death and infinite as time, has a scheme of its own that will forever change destiny for both of them.

Book Reviews

Affaire de Coeur
Unusual is the word to discribe Spirit of the Heart. This haunting tale is of two cousins. One loves the fiancé of the other, and the bride is in love with a ghost.

Lindsay Emerson returns home to Washington's Olympic Peninsula to be a bridesmaid for her cousin, Sarah who is wedding Kenton Stuart with who Lindsay had spent four glorious days the previous summer.

Lindsay is surprised to see that Sarah is literally skin and bones. Sarah has bought the LeCoeur Cottage reputed to be haunted by old Jacob LeCoeur, and Kent is renovating it as their home. Renewed passion flares between Lindsay and Kent.

Fantasy Romance with a twist, Spirit of The Heart is for Dreamers and Lovers. The stuff of warm evenings beside the hearth curled up before the fire. A sheer pleasure to read.

Romance Communications
LionHearted steps out on a limb with this one, a uniquely told paranormal tale.

Lindsay Emerson visits her family home on a small resort island to be a bridesmaid to her cousin, Sarah. Lindsay is unsure if she will be able to survive the event because she loves the groom, Kenton Stuart. Last summer she and Kent spent four glorious days together. Distance and fear of commitment broke them apart.

Fragile and ethereal, Sarah Emerson has always been drawn to the tumbledown LeCoeur cottage. She had bought it and hired Kent to renovate it, and during this collaboration fell in love. Sarah is confused by her feelings and the presence of the spirit of Jacob LeCoeur who woos her.

Filled with well planned twists and turns. Great premise and excellent dynamic tension. Ms. Cary carefully crafted this romance filled with the ghostly presence who steals into dreams foretelling the future. Unusual as in ground breaking, new and refreshing. I am in awe of such an imaginative presence in writing.

Barbara Cary should garner a major readership with this unusual romantic ghost story. Talent and imagination abound.

The Romantic Bower
Lindsay Emerson is dismayed to realize that her feelings for Kenton Stuart have not dimished since their four day fling last summer. The problem is that Kent is engaged to her dear cousin, Sarah and Lindsay is back home to help with the wedding. She is determined to keep her feelings under wraps.

Kent is busy finishing up the repairs on the house Sarah had bought. LeCoeur Cottage is transformed from a tumbledown shack to a honeymoon cottage. He, too, realizes that his feelings for Lindsay are as passionate as ever but does not wish to hurt the frail Sarah.

Within LeCoeur Cottage is an entity waiting. He has been patient, even saving Sarah's life when she fell climbing inside the decaying structure as a child. Now she is grown, and Joseph LeCoeur is ready to fulfill his desires.

A uniquely told tale of paranormal romance. Barbara Cary offers a romance that goes one step beyond in this LionHearted Romance. One of the better ebooks available. Different, breaking new ground, Spirit of the Heart makes for a delicious read.

Under The Covers Book Reviews - Very Highly Recommended
A contemporary paranormal romance with a twist, Spirit of the Heart is set on a resort island off the coast of Washington State. Dreading the deed, for reasons of her own, as much as she loves her cousin, Lindsey Jackson goes to the island to be maid of honor at her cousin's wedding--and doesn't dare admit she is in love with the groom. But the tangle goes beyond that. The groom, Kent Stuart, is in love with Lindsey (but has given up on her) and the bride-to-be, Sarah Emerson, is in love with Jacob LeCoeur--and he loves her. It sounds simple enough to straighten out, doesn't it? It would be except for a major complication: Jacob is a ghost and he is bound and determined to have Sarah as his own. And she is far from unwilling.

The secondary characters are interesting, some likable, some not. Grams is a keeper, but Eleanor, Sarah's mother, is the epitome of ill-will, ill-temper, and a control freak. The plot moves right along, has some great love scenes, and is totally unpredictable to the very end. If you like romance, complications galore, well drawn character, ghosts, and dislike domineering mothers who are intent on having their own way regardless of the consequences, then Spirit of the Heart is the book for you. Great book, Ms. Cary.

Scribes World / Lisa Ramaglia - 5 Stars
Love at first sight--that was the only thing that could explain Lindsay falling so hard and fast for Kent last summer. She prized having control over herself and her life. Four days with Kent, and she lost it, utterly, completely, and that scared her. It scared her so badly that she left Kent hanging with their relationship unresolved. Kent had obviously gotten over her, because Lindsay had just flown back to the island to stand up in her cousin Sarah's wedding--to Kent. How can she spend the entire week before the wedding in their company with him looking at her as if he still loves her as much as she loves him? How can she watch Sarah marry the man she loves come week's end? And what's this about Sarah's cottage being haunted? What happened to Lindsay's well-ordered, controlled life?

Barbara Cary did her job well with Spirit of the Heart. She sets the reader up with one question after another (What's with the dreams? What's going on with Sarah? Can Lindsay stand aside? etc.) and keeps the reader's eyes glued to the screen, anxious to see how it all turns out. And wow, what an ending! (No, I won't tell.) And I barely touched on the ghost, who's an integral part of this well-drawn story. If you like a good paranormal, read Barb Cary's Spirit of the Heart.

Sime-Gen / Bea Henson - 4 Stars
This is my kind of romance... a great read... don't miss this one.

Midwest Book Review / Harriet Klausner
Last year, Washington State resident Kent Stuart and Illinois citizen Lindsay Jackson fell in love during a short summer fling. However, geography proved stronger than their feelings and their relationship ended with no recriminations. Kent turned his attention to fellow Northwesterner, Lindsay's cousin Sarah Emerson, who had hired him to renovate a cottage she purchased.

Kent and Sarah are to marry with Lindsay serving as a bridesmaid. However, when Kent and Lindsay see each other, they realize they still love one another, but neither want to harm Sarah. Unbeknownst to Kent or Lindsay, Sarah has fallen in love with the ghost who haunts her cottage.

Spirit of the Heart is a warm paranormal romance that will provide much enjoyment for sub-genre fans. The story line is invigorating as the two pairs of couples struggle to sort out their feelings and a "minor" disability. The feelings of the four characters and their interrelationships seem genuine which is quite an accomplishment when one realizes that Barbara Cary manages to make ghosts seem real. This enchanting novel is a delight that the audience will appreciate.

The Romance Readers Connection / Roberta Goldie - 4 Hearts
When Lindsay Jackson agreed to be in her cousin Sarah's wedding, she never realized how hard keeping her promise would be. Sarah is marrying Kent Stuart, the man Lindsay fell in love with last summer. Practical, hardworking, career minded Lindsay never thought that she could fall in love with a man in just four days. When the demands of her career called her back to Chicago Lindsay was sure that the relationship could withstand the test of time and distance. Over the next four months as Kent pressed for a closer, more permanent relationship, Lindsay's doubts about giving up her career and her independence increased until she finally pushed him away.

Kent thought that he was over Lindsay. Sarah is everything he has always wanted in a wife. A woman that will be there to support and care for him, make a home, and raise a family. He knew that it would be difficult seeing Lindsay again, but he didn't think that the attraction between them would be stronger than ever. Or that after talking to Lindsay he would realize that some of the fault for their break up was his, that he had pushed too hard, too fast.

With the wedding only days away Kent and Lindsay realize that they still love each other. Struggling to find a way to be together and not hurt Sarah, they receive help from a most unexpected source.

This is not your run of the mill romance. Combining a love triangle with the paranormal makes this story intriguing. But Ms. Cary has written her characters with such emotion and strength that they sweep the reader along to the plot's unusual end. Spirit of the Heart is a different romance not to be missed.

Barbara Cary

Barbara can't remember a time when she didn't love to read. But it wasn't until seventh grade, when she had to write a single paragraph action scene for English class, that she became hooked on writing. That was also the last time she wrote anything "short."

She began writing "romantic" stories as a pastime in high school for an audience that consisted of her sister and a friend in Minnesota. After attending college near her home in north central Illinois she married, raised two children, lived in several regions of the United States, and pursued varied work experiences. All the while she wrote for her personal enjoyment until family and friends convinced her to share her stories with a wider audience.

Barbara currently resides in Illinois with her real life hero-husband, Craig. Readers can email her at Serraine@aol.com.