My Favorite Lost Cause by Elizabeth O'Roark
Contemporary romance meets paranormal historical fiction in Elizabeth O’Roark’s latest book, My Favorite Lost Cause. This is a follow-up to My Favorite Bad Decision, an adventure romance, but it can certainly be enjoyed as a stand-alone. This is my first foray into paranormal romance, and I have to say it may become my go-to for spooky season.
And did I mention it has a bit of a taboo element for readers who like a little extra spice in their books? Our main characters, Maren and Charlie, are step-siblings. Don’t worry, it’s not that far out of an average reader’s comfort zone. Their parents met and married when Maren and Charlie were already in college. It’s not their fault sparks flew right away — even if they never acted on it.
The Cracks Beneath the Vows
When we meet Maren, she is drowning in her marriage to a narcissistic and emotionally abusive man who blames her for their difficulty getting pregnant. According to Maren, their marriage troubles started before the ink was dry on the marriage license, leaving her questioning if she is strong enough to leave or so desperate for the family she always wanted that she’ll stay.
Maren has always felt like an outsider with her biological father leaving when she was a baby, her step-dad adopting her but never truly feeling like a father until her sister was born, and her boyfriend leaving her because he was in love with said sister.
It seems the only person in Maren’s life who’s always there for her is Charlie, her step-brother. His innate need to protect her — even from her own family — has led him to loving her in secret while knowing they can never be together.
The House at the Edge of Memory
When things started to feel almost too heavy, O’Roark changed direction — having our main characters head out of town to renovate a house built in the early 1900s, left to Charlie by his recently deceased mother.
This is where things got very interesting. I got the feeling right away that the house would bring Maren back to life while she did the same for the house. Her life was in a rut, and she needed a way out. As an amateur designer, it gave her something to sink her creative energy into. Turns out the house’s former resident, Margaret, needed Maren to handle some unfinished business.
Margaret was the youngest child of the family who built the original house. As a teenage girl surrounded by brothers at the start of WWI, she faced the pressure to marry while knowing whomever she ended up with could very well die in battle alongside her brothers. Maren was drawn to Margaret’s journal and love story that shared eerie similarities to her own story with Charlie.
When the Walls Begin to Breathe
“The stale air seems to rustle, a hostess straightening her skirts as callers enter.”
This felt like the start to a romantic horror movie — the house almost beckoning Maren in. She feels the history and is drawn to it. O’Roark captured the paranormal aspect in a subtle, not scary way. I got lost in the prose and felt like I was in Maren’s head.
“The trees hang heavy with Spanish moss, and the warm air is soft as velvet on my skin. There’s so much noise, but none of it is manmade — a whisper against my ears rather than a bruise.”
As I read on, I realized My Favorite Lost Cause is like nothing I’ve read by O’Roark in the past. This paranormal romance feels mystical and spooky in a fun, upbeat way while still holding onto O’Roark’s writing style that I’ve come to love.
A Love Written in Ash and Stardust
There was a heaviness to this book. Maren was mourning a relationship with Charlie that could never really happen. Even after they got together, they both knew it was temporary. You’d think that would make it more special, knowing time was limited, but they both yearned so deeply for one another while being unable to compromise on their fundamental differences.
This is contemporary romance, and a happily ever after is expected, but O’Roark’s writing had me questioning everything I know about the rules. While we relived Margaret’s story of love and loss through old journal entries, we read about Maren and Charlie’s journey to being together regardless of their roadblocks. I shed more than a tear and felt completely satisfied when I turned the last page.
About Elizabeth O’Roark:
Elizabeth O’Roark has a bunch of degrees she does not use and gave up working as a medical writer to craft grumpy, alpha heroes and the flawed women who love them. When not writing, she likes to spend time with her three kids, who are now teenagers and wish she’d find a different way to spend time. She can be found on Facebook feverishly debating whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie and telling people to read “The Hating Game”, which she did not write but wishes she had.
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