The Rum Runner
The Legend of Captain John Stewart
by Doralynn Kennedy
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Pub Date Nov 10 2025 | Archive Date Oct 15 2026
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Description
A house that eats people, the immortal captain who built it, and a love that refuses to die.
When Case Pharmaceuticals investigator Caroline Oliver arrives at a decaying mansion on the Maine coast just as a hurricane closes in, she expects corporate secrets tied to rumors of eternal life. Instead, she finds a house that is alive… and a man who should not exist.
She came to steal his secrets. He stole her heart.
Edward Kelly is a billionaire of impossible age and rumored to be the long-dead Prohibition-era smuggler, Captain John Stewart. Haunted by a century-old curse, Stewart has spent decades hiding from a past that refuses to stay buried.
A hundred years earlier, along the same storm-lashed coast, a private nurse named Ruth Wilson stepped into a world of passion, smugglers, and secrets, and fell in love with a man the sea refused to drown.
Now the house they built together remembers everything.
As Caroline uncovers the truth of that past, she awakens something vengeful within the house's walls: something bound to betrayal, desire, and the cost of immortality. With a ruthless pharmaceutical company closing in, she and Edward must confront the past, the house, and a force born in dangerous waters.
Because some storms do not end with the water. Some follow a man ashore and wait for him in the dark.
And some loves refuse to die.
The Cliff House Trilogy is a gothic romance with strong horror and fantasy elements that blends dual timelines, supernatural mystery, and an enduring love spanning more than a century.
This omnibus edition includes all three novels, presenting the complete story of a haunted house, a generational curse, and a love that may be the only force powerful enough to break it.
Perfect for readers of:
Rebecca
The Haunting of Hill House
A Note From the Publisher
Booksellers, 1 of 1: 100% suggest purchase by the store. 100% are likely to handsell this book.
Audio Excerpt, 4 of 4 listens: 75% liked the narrator; 100% got a good sense of the book; 100% wanted to hear the rest; 100% will recommend to others.
Gothic Romance, 1920s Prohibition, Influenza Pandemic third wave, Medical Horror, Sentient House, Dark Romance, post WWI Historical Fiction, New England Coast, Immortal Captain, atmospheric, closed-door romance..
Marketing Plan
Ongoing NetGalley review campaign to build visibility for an already published title. Reviews will be shared across Goodreads and Amazon. Additional support includes author blog content, Pinterest presence, and TikTok promotion focused on trailers based on the book.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798224314492 |
| PRICE | |
| PAGES | 595 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 3 members
Featured Reviews
Joanne S, Reviewer
The Rum Runner: The Legend of Captain John Stewart by Doralyn Kennedy was an incredibly gripping read. I found myself deeply invested in the story almost from the very beginning. While the opening was a little confusing at first, and the shifts between timelines were initially a bit disorienting, those transitions ultimately added so much depth to the story and helped explain what was really happening beneath the surface.
As the story unfolded, the tension just kept building. By the end, I was completely captivated. The writing kept me constantly on edge in the best possible way, and the characters felt vivid, believable, and very well developed. They were the kind of characters that stay with you after you finish the book.
The novel has the feeling of a trilogy woven into a single volume, and it’s definitely a story that rewards readers who stay with it and allow all the pieces to come together. If you enjoy books that transport you into another time while weaving past and present together, this is absolutely a book worth reading.
I really appreciated reading the author’s notes at the end of the book. I was especially impressed to learn that the author had once been discouraged from writing this story by her editor. I’m very glad she chose to write it anyway, because the result was a truly compelling and well-crafted novel.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this NetGalley ARC and would highly recommend it.
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