Review: The Lightkeeper

The Lightkeeper
Susan Wiggs
Historical Romance
1876/Washington Territory
MIRA/October 1, 1997
Re-issued/MIRA/March 1, 2002

When his pregnant wife dies in a shipwreck, Jesse Morgan gives up his wealth and place in Seattle society. He relegates himself to a tiny community where he dedicates his life to protecting others from the ocean. As keeper of a remote lighthouse along a dangerous coast in the Pacific Northwest, Jesse rejects all social contact so that he can brood about his loss. When the sea tosses up a beautiful pregnant woman, the lone survivor of another shipwreck, Jesse finds he has a second chance at life and love.

Mary Dare is an outspoken Irish woman who takes poverty, single motherhood, and death in stride. She brings vitality, passion, and joy to Jesse's life and forces him to face his guilt and unhappiness. Mary's honesty and compassion transform Jesse, and together they find beauty in a simple life.

Growing up in the Midwest, I always wanted to live on the coast. The idea of living in a lighthouse was truly amazing to someone whose only experience with a large body of water was Lake Michigan. Yes, there are (or were) lighthouses on the Great Lakes but I when I envisioned living in a lighthouse, it was always on the ocean. Through Jesse and Mary's story, I was able to live out my dream. Many years ago, when The Lightkeeper was first published I was lucky enough to read it and get lost in the beautiful world Susan Wiggs created. It was enjoyable to renew the love of the sea and of Wiggs' writing.

Jesse Morgan chooses to live his life as hermit and he's found a good place to do it. At the lighthouse, Jesse is able to more or less keep to himself and avoid interacting with most of the locals. He has lived this way for twelve years and has no desire to change. Then, the sea grants him the precious gift of Mary and her unborn child. He does not want this gift and tries to make Mary leave the lighthouse. There is such sadness and loneliness in Jesse. You can feel it in his actions, in what he says and what he leaves unsaid. Wiggs makes you want Jesse to find happiness. He has stayed in the dark for too long. Mary is the light to show him the way out.

Mary Dare is a woman who has survived so much and yet she still has this bright outlook on life. It wasn't difficult to share in Mary's enthusiasm for life. She is quite stubborn, which fits with her character. A woman without Mary's sheer stubbornness would not have made it as far and through as much as she has. Mary still has her insecurities and fears and she has every right to fear what she is running from.

Wiggs evokes strong feelings of love, loss and hope and within the pages there is also humor. Mary teases Jesse, helping to bring him back to the world of the living. I found myself laughing out loud at certain parts, sometimes at Mary's teasing but often at Jesse's self-deprecating comments. It lightened the more serious moments.

Those serious moments do conclude into a dramatic finale. It was easy to get caught up in the moments with just the right amount of tension and danger. A wonderful romance about surviving and learning to live life to the fullest.

Rating: A

Review: Hard Time

Hard Time
Cara McKenna
Contemporary Romance
Penguin/April 15, 2014

My pounding heart went still, eerie as birds fallen silent in the wake of a gunshot.

He was big. Tall frame, wide shoulders-but not burly. His near-black hair was due for a cut, curling under his ears. Dark brows, dark stubble, dark lashes and eyes.

And he was handsome. So handsome it broke your heart.

A deck of cards was split between his hands, paused midshuffle. Some of the men wore navy scrub tops and bottoms, some navy tee shirts, a few white undershirts. This man wore a tee, with COUSINS stenciled on the front, above the number 802267. Those digits imprinted on my brain, burned black as a brand.

He watched me. But not the way the others did. If he was trying to picture me naked, his poker face was strong, though his attention anything but subtle. His entire head moved as I passed through his domain, but his eyes were languorous. Lazy and half-lidded, yet intense. A hundred looks in one. I didn't like it. Couldn't read it. At least with the horny jerk-offs, I knew where I stood. I wondered what the worst thing you could do and still only get sent to a medium-security prison was. I hoped not to ever learn the answer.

And I hoped to heaven inmate 802267 hadn't signed up for any of the day's programs.

So very different and so very good! It's not often romance readers get to see and experience the inside of a prison. As the story opens, librarian Annie Goodhouse is on her way to her first day at Cousins Correctional Facility. She, of course, is nervous. Who wouldn't be, knowing you will be in a room full of convicted criminals with only a handful of guards to protect you? But Annie wants to help and she's curious about the inmates. It's an environment not many outsiders have access to so there's bound to be some curiosity. There is also fear and trepidation. Annie has some doubts as to what she is doing and if she can really help any of these men.

Inmate 802267 catches Annie's eye right away. He stands out in a room full of dangerous men. It's the way he holds himself and the way he looks at her. Annie is very aware of his presence as Eric, inmate 802267, is very aware of her. Eric Collier has been locked up for five years on a ten year sentence. He's quiet, thoughtful but can be dangerous if pushed. I found Eric to be an interesting character but the interest, at the beginning, is more of how Annie reacts to Eric than Eric himself.

The first part of the story takes place at the prison while the rest takes place outside prison. I found the beginning to be more tense and intriguing. After the prison, the romance became far more similar to other "good girl/bad boy" romances. Annie believes in the good in Eric while Eric is still very aware of the bad in himself. It's not so much that he apologizes for himself but he doesn't think he's good enough for Annie and there were times when I agreed. He became less alpha and more subservient to Annie towards the ending.

The insight Annie give gives to her experiences in Cousins is revealing not only in what goes on in prisons but what an outsider is exposed to. Annie realizes some of her preconceptions are accurate while others, not so much.

Rating: A-

Review: Going Over

Going Over
Beth Kephart
Young Adult/1983
Chronicle Books/April 1, 2014

It is February 1983, and Berlin is a divided city - a miles-long barricade separating east from west.  But the city isn't the only thing that is divided.  Ada, almost 16, lives with her mother and grandmother among the revels, punkers, and immigrants of Kreuzberg, just west of the wall.  Stefan, 18, lives east with his brooding grandmother in a faceless apartment bunker of Friedrichshain, his telescope points toward freedom.  Bound by love and separated by circumstance, their only chance lies in a high-risk escape.  But will Stefan find the courage to leap?  Will Ada keep waiting for the boy she has only seen four times a year for a long as she can remember?  Or will forces beyond their control stand in their way?  

Told in the alternating voices of the pink-haired graffiti artist and the boy she loves, Going Over is a story of daring and sacrifice, choices and consequences, and love that will not wait.

For those not very familiar with the Berlin Wall or maybe you only know what you learned in history class, Going Over gives a fascinating look at what life was like for those living within sight of the famous wall.

Ada and Stefan have known each other for years, ever since Ada was two years old.  They are able to meet four times a year when Ada travels to East Berlin.  This doesn't stop them from falling in love.  It is that love that keeps them going, keeps Ada hoping and gives Stefan a reason to try for freedom.

Ada is a gifted story teller.  During the day she tells stories to the children at the daycare where she works.  At night, she tells stories with her graffiti, sprayed across the wall for Stefan to see.  With her stories she tells the children not to be afraid and encourages Stefan to escape.  Ada never gives up.  It's what makes her such an endearing character.

Stefan is left with a legacy of sorrow but a life still filled with hope thanks to Ada.  He is practical, he's had to be, living as he does.   He sees the logistics in the plans Ada proposes.  His point of view comes from someone who has already lived his life in the prison of East Berlin and wants to start a new life of freedom but must wait until the time is right.

The writing is filled with vivid descriptions and strong emotions.  Kephart does well in bringing the reality of life in both the East and West Berlin of the early eighties.  The plot moved a long quickly but I would have liked greater development of the secondary characters.   Going Over is a story for both young adults and us older adults who may have forgotten what it was like when there was a Berlin Wall.

Rating:  A-

ARC Review: Crash Into You

Crash Into You
Katie McGarry
Contemporary Young Adult
Pushing the Limits/3
Harlequin Teen/November 26, 2013

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

What an emotional, wild ride Crash Into You proved to be!  It flew by at breakneck speed and I found myself trying to slow down towards the end because I didn't want it to be over.

Rachel Young may seem like perfection in a pretty dress but she is flawed, just like any other teen, trying to find her way and the direction she wants her life to take.  She has some serious obstacles to overcome, mainly her parents and their strict expectations for her.  When she meets Isaiah, Rachel is looking for an outlet for her rebellion in the form of street racing. She gets more than she bargained for and lucky for her, Isaiah is there to help her out.  It was so emotional, seeing Rachel attempt to live up to the unrealistic expectations her parents had placed on her.  She tries so hard to overcome her fears that I couldn't help but be angry at her parents for not seeing how much pressure and stress they put on her.  McGarry did well in bringing such strong emotions out in the the characters and this reader.

Isaiah Walker knows everyone thinks Rachel is out of his league.  She is not someone he would hang out with or date but he still has this overwhelming need to hang out with her and wants to date her.  I loved how Isaiah takes a huge leap of faith with his feeling for Rachel.  He could be setting himself up for a world of hurt but he takes that chance.  Isaiah is a hero you wish the best of everything for.  He has been through so much and still has a way to go but he doesn't give up.  The mom side of me wanted to give him a home where he would be wanted and loved.  The teenage girl in me would have taken Isaiah as a boyfriend in a heartbeat! He definitely left an impact on me.

The character development is well done not only for the main characters but with the secondary set.  Also, the pacing matched between the suspense, developing romance and the conflicts at home Rachel and Isaiah are dealing with.  The suspense and dangerous situations Rachel and Isaiah find themselves in are made believable because McGarry takes the time to create the framework of the situations.  I loved how nothing is glossed over - neither the brighter moments nor the darker hours. Within those tense situations are reminders that Rachel and Isaiah are teenagers who are facing circumstances not every teen must face.

Even if you don't usually read Young Adult, I encourage you to give Ms. McGarry's Pushing the Limits series a try.  It's more than Young Adult, it is exceptional story telling.

Rating: A

Pushing the Limits Series ~

Pushing the Limits
Crossing the Line (novella)
Dare You To
Crash Into You
Take Me On (May 20, 2014)

TBR Challenge: The Navy SEAL's Bride

The Navy SEAL's Bride

Soraya Lane

Contemporary Romance

Harlequin/August 7, 2012

Ex-navy SEAL Tom Cartwright is struggling to return to civilian life. His little niece is his only ray of sunshine and he agrees to be the "show" in her school show-and-tell.  Teacher Caitlin Rose knows all about past disappointments—once, she danced in the spotlight but now she shows others how to. She's learned the hard way to rely only on herself. Yet as soon as Tom looks at her with those big brown eyes, she's done for….

Can Caitlin crack the walls around this soldier's battle-worn heart?

This year's challenge is off to a good start!  I totally flaked out on last year's challenge but not this year!  A big thanks to Wendy for once again hosting the challenge.

The suggested theme for January is short stories or novellas. Since I have an abundance of Harlequin romances on my TBR pile, that's where I searched out and found one of Ms. Lane's contemporary romances.

It's because of a little girl, Gabby, that Caitlin and Tom meet.  Gabby is Tom's niece and when Tom first sees Gabby's teacher Miss Caitlin Rose, he has a hard time keeping his eyes off of her.  For Caitlin, it's a similar reaction but she has a history with military men and it's not a good one.

The romance moves along quickly, with Caitlin and Tom acting on their mutual attraction.  Caitlin and Tom each have difficulties in their past to overcome.  Tom is learning to accept that he will never go out in the field again but will instead teach recruits.  He doesn't feel like he has anything long-term to offer to a woman. Caitlin thinks she can't trust a man with a military background.  Neither Caitlin or Tom showed much conflict or resistance when it came to overcoming their pasts.  I would have liked to see more conflict and resistance to dating each other since much emphasis was place on these two reasons.

Tom dated Caitlin, slept with her but was not willing to listen to her when she tried to sympathize with him about his loses.  It felt very unreasonable of Tom to brush Caitlin off so quickly, demeaning to a certain extent.  He became angry and scared Caitlin with his reaction to her trying to simply talk to him about his losses.  I didn't like this side of Tom and thought he overreacted.  Turned me off the hero.

There are some words and terms that sounded a bit off.  Since the author lives in New Zealand, perhaps the odd words and phrases are more specific to that region and why I'm not familiar with them.  Nothing really major but the hero is a U.S. Navy SEAL and it did cause me to pause a few times.

Rating:  C