The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection

by Lena Nelson Dooley, Rebecca Jepson, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Candice Sue Patterson, Kathleen Rouser, Pegg Thomas, and Marilyn Turk

[phyllish]

Weathering the storms of life

We live in an age when the lighthouses that are still working are not manned for the most part. As a result of this, despite the various tours I have taken to lighthouses, (or perhaps because of them), I have thought of lighthouses more as museums to the past than the beacons of safety that they are.

These stories of the men and women who have willingly isolated themselves, working nights and sleeping during the day, enduring the blares of foghorns to warn away ships when the light can’t be seen, and making countless other sacrifices for the safety of others, have changed the way I think of lighthouses, and especially their keepers.

The stories, while all romances, varied greatly. I thought it clever that while they all take place in Michigan, the time period of each one is progressively later than the previous.

I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, which is not surprising with a collection such as this. My favorites were Anna’s Tower and Beneath a Michigan Moon. The rating I gave is based on these stories.

Anna’s Tower was filled with surprises, for the characters and for me. Anna’s secret was a complete surprise and I love the way it influenced the story. Maksim was such a delightful character. The Russian immigrant who had escaped the pogroms despite the fact that he was not a Jew himself. His determination to learn English and to be as useful around the lighthouse as possible made him so endearing, as did the beautiful way the author fleshed out his personality.

Beneath a Michigan Moon was very touching. Ava’s determination to keep the death of her father a secret so she could stay on at the lighthouse placed her in an awkward situation, especially when Ben needed access to the tower. I loved his determined and protective nature and the way he was able to show such kindness and love towards Ava.

I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of Cam's need to forgive. Despite the way he had been wronged, forgiveness isn't optional. It's a command. Not that I think he should have acted differently in the situation at the end of the book - that was truly the choice that made the most sense. It's just that the need to forgive was not addressed at all.

As the fourth book of the Family Blessings series, there were many characters from previous books here - Jules has a big family. While it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story that I don't know the backstories, it was clear that I had missed out by not having read the previous books.


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I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.