Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s been given the post as lighthouse keeper, and the isolation where he can drown in drink and hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s none-too-pleased to be giving up her position. They both quickly realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but Ryan’s unwilling to let anyone close, ravaged by memories and guilt. Caroline’s drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?
My Thoughts:
This book has it all - family drama, romance, crimes, mystery, friendship, and more.
This book opens with the tragic death of the father of the family currently living at the lighthouse. We learn quickly that he has died the same death as their mother a few years earlier. It doesn't take long for the lighthouse inspector to show up, and things really start getting interesting with the story line.
Caroline is doing her best to run the lighthouse and tend to her younger siblings. Each of them continuously cause trouble in their own way, and keep Caroline on her toes and stressed out. When it is announced that the family must leave and a replacement will be coming soon, my heart began to really become attached to this family of siblings and their fate.
When Ryan first comes into the story I really didn't care too much for him. But not long after he arrived at the lighthouse for his new job, I began to fall in love with his character and began rooting for him to make something of himself. Throughout his internal struggles he has with himself we get to see the kind of person he really is and the daemons that keep him from becoming all that he should be.
As this story goes on, there is so much going on and a bit of a "who done it" story line going on in the background as well. The multiple things going on at once kept the book interesting and had me turning pages as quickly as I could to see how it would all resolve. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a historical contemporary mystery romance (is that even a thing, ha!)
Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances including books for adults and youth. She currently makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and their five busy children.
As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.
She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.
