The Long Road to Loving Byron: a cosy mystery and slow-burn Gothic romance

A windswept castle. A tarnished legacy. One woman's chance to unearth a truth that love refuses to let die.

When Madeleine Brande arrives at Lorienne Castle on Tasmania's remote Le Froid Peninsula, the sea air tastes like homecoming ... and unfinished business. A century ago her ancestor Elizabeth was cast out under a scandalous cloud as her beloved husband, timber baron Edward Lorienne, was lost at sea. Now Maddie is determined to restore her family's good name.

Beneath the castle's neo-Gothic finery lie shuttered rooms, whispered tragedies, and a portrait with unmistakable Brande topaz eyes that haunt Maddie. Night after night, dreams steeped in brine and candle-smoke pull her deeper into Elizabeth's world, to a grieving woman hinting at a hidden proof, a truth secreted within the castle walls. By night the corridors breathe, guests murmur of cigar smoke and footsteps where none should be, a shaken tourist swears a wraith snarled at her bedside, and Maddie's own clandestine sleuthing turns keys in long-quiet locks.

Then there's Byron McAlister. The castle's modern-day butler and part-owner, he's steadfast, wry, and far too observant. Their sunset motorbike ride and shared cup of perfectly brewed tea were never supposed to matter, not when Maddie's heart still remembers the cost of loving the wrong man. Yet as sparks kindle between them, Byron's family faces a bitter choice: sell the castle or be ruined. To save Lorienne's future and free Elizabeth from history's harsh judgment, Maddie must follow the music of the past into dangers both spectral and all too human, risking her heart on a man who may be the key to everything she seeks.

In this cosy mystery wrapped in Gothic romance, the windswept shores, ballroom echoes, and moonlit secrets entwine with a tender, slow-burn love story. The Long Road to Loving Byron is a stand-alone journey of second chances, where truth must be braved, legacies reclaimed, and love learned the long way ... one unlocked door at a time.

Perfect for readers who love the atmospheric intrigue and heartfelt romance of Susanna Kearsley, Simone St James, and Kate Morton.

'Fantastic [5 star] Read! An ancient castle, a family crippled by debt, and a guilt-filled young woman searching for answers ... and love. What more is needed?' - GoodReads reviewer Heather