Beacon Beach

by Maggie FitzRoy

Cape May, NJ, 1886. A grand, Gilded Age love story, set in America’s first seaside resort. A spellbinding tale of reinvention, redemption and riveting romantic attraction…


Beautiful, young Jacy James summers in glorious Cape May, NJ in 1886. Grieving the loss of her fiancé, a boat captain lost at sea, she climbs the lighthouse every morning to look for his ship.

Spunky and determined, at a time when women are expected to be prim and proper, Jacy attracts attention at the oceanfront hotel where she is staying. She catches the eye of handsome convalescent Cole Stratton, who has come to the seaside to regain his health.

Jacy and Cole become friends—and then much more—amid the glittering, glamorous Victorian social whirl of the town. Until jealousy, collusion, and a secret from Jacy’s past threaten to destroy her newfound happiness, and all hopes for her future.

346 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2019

About the author

Maggie FitzRoy is a former journalist and magazine editor turned romance novelist. Her stories whisk readers into the past, where love is an adventure. Her first novel, "Mercy's Way," takes place in 1845 on the Oregon Trail. It was published in 2018. Her second, "Beacon Beach," was released in May, 2019. Set in 1886 Cape May, N.J., "Beacon Beach" is a grand, Gilded Age love story with mystery, reinvention, redemption and riveting romantic attraction.
Maggie is also the author of two nonfiction books: "Images of America: Ponte Vedra Beach," and "Images of America: Jacksonville, Beach."
Maggie lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Reviews

[Janet Yunghans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beacon Beach is a great book for people who love historical romance. I got lost in the romance of Jacy James, and the men in her life in Victorian Cape May, New Jersey in 1886. This book was the perfect blend of romance and suspense, with plenty of interesting characters, suspense, and plot twists. The location is the real town of Cape May, which is known to us locals as “America’s First Seaside Resort”. The Cape May or today has preserved its historic Victorian homes and hotels, and I enjoyed finding many of them in Beacon Beach. Great beach read!

[Caren Burmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beacon Beach and its colorful characters will make you laugh, shake your head, and whoop for joy! The story takes the reader back to the summer of 1886, when women were held to strict decorum and unreasonably prudish standards.
Protagonist Jacy James bucks the trend as she grows confidence and overcomes her naivete at a prestigious Cape May resort, where jealousy and collusion threaten to undo the love that has blossomed there.
Author Maggie FitzRoy transports you to the scene of America's first seaside resort as she carefully depicts the music, windswept landscape, fashion and etiquette of the day. Beacon Beach is a delightful read and I highly recommend it.

[Lee Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense around every corner!

I like to read historical fiction that is accurately researched and presented so realistically that I feel like I am there, and Maggie does that. In addition, this book has a witty plot that kept me on the edge, full of surprises as the pages turned. But what I loved the most about this novel were the characters, their challenges, dreams, and approaches to life that led them on to accomplish the nearly impossible, time after time. Can hardly wait to open Maggie’s third!

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupidity reigns in this story!@!!

Stupidity reigns in this story!@!!
Not remotely believable! Just read her story about the Oregon Trail was great!! This one so stupidly unbelievable and the characters not remotely real. Skip this one!!!

[hannah rosenberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of cringy and definitely forgettable lol. I did really enjoy the historical Cape May settings but I’ve decided I just can’t deal with historial fiction where the plot relies on dumb antiquated ideas, esp in romance. 2.5⭐️ for being an easy read but it’s a no from me lol

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit slow, but really enjoyed all the cape may details and imagining what it would have been like back then.

[Amyc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluffy romance novel.

[Wendy Devereaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

A old-fashioned love story. Sweet yet predictable. A disappointing ending.

[Sam Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this because I wanted to read something local. This kept my attention but the end felt rushed and anticlimactic.

[Donna Colarulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good easy beach read.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little slow at times, and it took me way longer than it should have, but I did like it, all in all.