SEAL ISLAND

At the start of newcomer Brallier's gentle paranormal romance, Cecilia "Cecil" Hargrave learns that a distant relation, "Aunt Allegra" (in fact her late mother's younger cousin), has bequeathed her a business and a house. Cecil abandons her empty life in Manhattan for Seal Island, Maine, an isolated community rich with intertwining lives and mystical legends of "selkies" who move between seal and human form. While settling in, she discovers that Allegra has been murdered amid mysterious financial dealings. She must also contend with island curiosity and the lure of three very different men: the affable editor of the local paper, a mysterious lobsterman and an odd neighbor whose animal magnetism sweeps her away. Full of expressions like "glory of glories" and "heaven forfend" and oblivious to e-mail, computers and cell phones, Cecil rings false as a contemporary 28-year-old. Instead, she—and the novel—echo the mode of Mary Stewart, whom the narrative mentions fondly. Still, the book's slightly old-fashioned take on love exudes a leisurely and timeless charm. Agent, Kay McCauley. (Mar.)