Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Paramour is a love story. Is it a love triangle? Does it count as one when one of the people is a ghost? Not sure, you tell me!

Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years, she’s been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedroom’s previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.
Caustic and cranky, Frank has one soft spot—Cam. Over the years, their feelings for one another have evolved from grudging friendship to an enduring love that burns white-hot until Frank puts his feelings for Cam on ice.
When she suffers the loss of her beloved father, Cam returns home to say good-bye, and confront her feelings for Frank. She finds an unexpected shoulder to lean on in neighbor, Bradley Mitchum. Cam falls hard and fast for the handsome ad man’s charming smile and passionate nature, but Brad’s easy-going exterior masks a steely backbone tempered by adversity.
Two men: one living, one dead, and both vying for her love. Now Cam must determine if her heart is strong enough to choose which dream could lead to a love that will last a lifetime.

Frank DeLuca, never much for book learning, drops out of high school on his 18th birthday to work on cars, which he loves. A couple years later, he ends up getting shot (through the heart) and dies in 1978. Somehow he ends up as a ghost linked into the wall sconce of his bedroom. He doesn’t know any of the hows or whys, just that he came to with his mom sitting on his bed afterward and unable to see him. He can’t do or affect anything and is tied to the wall light; when it is on he can see and ‘manifest’ in the room. His mom, believing she has nothing left, sells the house.

Camellia Stafford has lived in the house since she was four. She saw Frank her first night there when her mom turned the light on to read her a bedtime story. He looked different then, younger, as she did. He was there for her then, a couple of years later when her mom died, and over the years as she grew. They were best friends. He was always there, in her room. Even when they fought and he “went away,” not showing himself, she could still sense his presence in the room. She started to fall for him, and even asked him to be her first kiss (which he refused). That brought her first full year without seeing him. When she went off to college, part of her wondered if he was even real or just an imaginary friend. After college, she ended up getting an apartment in the city. She has come back to handle the arrangements now that her father has died. And Frank can’t help comforting her.

Bradley Mitchum loves the neighborhood and his house so much that he bought it from his parents when they retired to Florida. He remembers Camellia from before she moved to the city, even though he was a few years ahead for her in school. He has always had something of a crush on Cam. His having helped her dad with lawn work gives Brad a “foot in the door” and he hopes to get to know her now. He supports her during the services and asks her out on a date. Things go well between them and they do start dating.

However, Frank is still somewhat in the picture. Frank is pushing Cam to let go, since he can’t be in her life. Frank can’t feel her, literally! Once they have a big fight, Cam goes back to her apartment and Brad follows during the week, since he works in the city. But over the weekend, Brad gets Cam to come home to work on clearing out the house. Cam finds out Brad use to have heart problems, and starts to run scared. She feels like everyone dies/leaves her and doesn’t want to go through that again. Brad had surgery when a kid & teen to fix everything, but Cam can’t get over her fear. And Frank is pushing her to leave (the house) for her own good, even staying “gone” from her sight. Will she be able to overcome her fear of loss to be with Brad, and be able to let go of Frank?

Paramour is heart wrenching and warming! I don’t know how the author did it, but I really felt for Frank! Okay, I will admit I am a big sap for the under-dog stories and cry sometimes can too easy, but she got me with this one. Not being able to feel the touch of the only one your heart has ever loved and having died and being stuck in one room to wait for her to come back to that one room you are stuck in… It just got to me. And I sat and read Paramour straight through. The story between Camellia and Bard was great too. I couldn’t even decide who I wanted Cam to be with. Or once I decided, how could it be fair to the other guy? I have to admit something here that I have not really said before: I don’t really like love triangles all that much; I mean, who wants someone else’s love(r). But this time is different! Brad doesn’t know he is getting another’s girl; the girl REALLY can’t have her first choice; and Frank would stand up for his girl if he could but is letting go since he can’t have her. Frank’s plight just about broke my heart; it just seemed so cruel for him.

Paramour is so well done! I loved this one (and yes, I cried at parts). This is one I am defiantly recommending. I just want to say one other thing: What is with the last page?? Arrhhh!