Like the classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Alice Alfonsi’s Eternal Sea tells the story of a contemporary woman who falls in love with the ghost of a crusty sea captain. This novel has many unique elements, including ghost ships and reincarnation, which really make things interesting. Unfortunately, its annoying secondary characters keep it from being a truly good read.

After her father’s death, Miranda Burke is forced to live with a distant uncle and his snobbish third wife, Joan. The overbearing Joan wants Miranda to become a part of the yacht club set and marry her son, Josh. Seeking freedom, Miranda runs away to an abandoned house in a cove.

This house is haunted by Eric Wolfe, a sea captain who died in 1849. Eric spends most of the year on a ghost ship, saving mortals from danger at sea. He relishes his limited time at Blue Nights Cottage, so he tries to scare Miranda away. Luckily, Miranda doesn’t scare easily. Also, unlike most mortals, she can see Eric when he’s on land. They agree to a truce, and as Miranda settles into her new home, they grow closer.

Meanwhile, an evil ghost is at work – Eric’s enemy, Leach Muldavey. Leach has the power to influence people to do evil, including two disconcerting scenes of attempted rape by townspeople. After a confrontation involving Leach, Miranda almost drowns. She is rescued by the Coast Guard and separated from Eric.

The rest of the story takes place ten years later. Miranda had been under the care of a psychiatrist because of her “delusions” about a ghost, and she finally came to believe that Eric didn’t exist. She is now meek and pliable, and worst of all, she is engaged to the slimy stepson, Josh. On impulse, she returns to Blue Nights Cottage. But she is no longer capable of seeing Eric. Will Miranda and Eric ever be together again?

Like her father, Miranda loved sailing, and stories of the sea. She was spirited and brave in the face of danger. So I had a hard time accepting that she could come to believe that Eric didn’t exist. Perhaps this was intended as a tribute to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, where the heroine also forgot about her ghost for a time.

At first, I was prepared to dislike Eric because he was so blustery, but I warmed to him. He talked just like you would expect a sea captain of yore to talk. Like many leaders, he was imperious only out of necessity. He had a caring side, too; he was willing to admit that in the past, he didn’t recognize the importance of love.

Unfortunately, most of the secondary characters were too bad to be believed. The worst offender was Miranda’s would-be fiancé, Josh Cunning. With a name like that, you knew he was nothing but trouble. Some characters, including Josh, were influenced by the evil Leach Muldavey. Since these characters were nasty enough on their own, the addition of the evil ghost seemed extraneous to me. Besides, true villains should do evil deeds because it’s part of their nature, not because of the influence of supernatural forces.

There were other problems as well. I’m sure some laws regarding psychiatry were disregarded. When Miranda started believing in Eric again, Josh tried to have her forcefully committed. I found it hard to believe that her psychiatrist would agree to this. She was wasn’t a danger to herself or others. Also, though this was a ghostly romance, Miranda and Eric did find a way to make love. I did get an unintentional laugh, however, when the naked sea captain said something cockily. Ahem!

The main characters made a great couple, and the maritime background was lovingly introduced. Hang me, if as much care had been spent on the secondary characters, this could have become the modern-day successor to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.