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The Lightkeeper's Ball (A Mercy Falls Novel) [Paperback]

Colleen Coble
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 19, 2011 A Mercy Falls Novel (Book 3)

At the elegant Mercy Falls masquerade ball, Olivia's hidden identity will be revealed.

It is the dawn of a new century and Olivia Stewart is heiress to an empire. Her family numbers among the Four Hundred—those considered the wealthiest and most distinguished in America. Unfortunately their wealth has nearly disappeared, and now their security rests upon the Stewart daughters marrying well.

Olivia's sister, Eleanor, was engaged to Harrison Bennett, one of the nation's wealthiest men, but has since died. Now the pressure is on Olivia to take her place, despite her suspicions about Eleanor's fiancé. Using her family's long-forgotten English title, Olivia travels to Mercy Falls, California, as Lady Devonworth, hoping to learn more before committing to marriage. There she finds that Eleanor's death was no accident. And Harrison is not the man she thought he would be.

When Mercy Falls holds a charity masquerade ball to raise funds for the new lighthouse, secrets—and truths long hidden—will be revealed. But can Harrison really love Olivia when he finds her true identity? Can she live with the repercussions of failing her family, or will she finally realize that nothing—not money, family, or romance—will ever compare to God's unconditional love?


Frequently Bought Together

The Lightkeeper's Ball (A Mercy Falls Novel) + The Lightkeeper's Bride (Mercy Falls Series #2) + The Lightkeeper's Daughter (Mercy Falls Series #1)
Price for all three: $28.56

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1910, New York socialite Olivia Stewart resists an arranged, socially advantageous marriage, and the mysterious death of her sister Eleanor in Northern California is an unhappy but convenient excuse to go West to investigate. On the way, she is thrown off a Bay area ship and nearly drowned, so she has a number of reasons to hide her identity when she arrives in Mercy Falls, Calif. Her shipboard rescuer turns out to be her dead sister's fiancé Harrison Bennett, about whom she has suspicions. Harrison in turn has his reasons to distrust the Stewart family. In this atmosphere of deceit and suspicion, attraction between Olivia and Harrison grows. Coble spins a tangled web in this third book in the Mercy Falls series (after The Lightkeeper's Bride), with red herrings and oodles of duplicity. Some complications (letters conveniently found) simply strain credibility, as does the revelation of the villain. Coble's fans won't mind that the plotting is a little loosely woven. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review

This Mercy Falls novel has romance, mystery, secrets and a bad guy. Coble wows the reader with a fresh storyline. Readers will enjoy peeling back the layers and discovering this is more than your average romance book. The characters are strong not only in themselves but also in their faith. 4 stars. --Romantic Times

Coble spins a tangled web in this third book in the Mercy Falls series (after The Lightkeeper's Bride), with red herrings and oodles of duplicity. -- Publishers Weekly

Coble's historical series (The Lightkeeper's Daughter; The Lightkeeper's Bride) just keeps getting better with each entry. Coble has a strong feel for the time period (in this case, 1910) and has scripted believable characters in suspenseful situations. Recommend the series to fans of T. Davis Bunn and Marta Perry. -- Library Journal

The Lightkeeper's Ball is a delightful historical romance mixed with healthy doses of both thriller and mystery. Several surprising twists in the plot sustain the tension and keep the momentum moving. Coble increases the feel of authenticity by weaving several historical events into her story, including the San Francisco earthquake and the passing of Halley's Comet. Readers who have already discovered the Mercy Falls series will also be delighted that several characters from the earlier books make cameo appearances. -- Historical Novels

...The Lightkeeper's Ball is a delightful historical romance mixed with healthy doses of both thriller and mystery. Several surprising twists in the plot sustain the tension and keep the momentum moving. Coble increases the feel of authenticity by weaving several historical events into her story, including the San Francisco earthquake and the passing of Halley's Comet. Readers who have already discovered the Mercy Falls series will also be delighted that several characters from the earlier books make cameo appearances. --Historical Novels

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (April 19, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 159554268X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1595542687
  • Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Colleen Coble is the author of more than forty books, most of them bestsellers. Some of her most recent novels are Lonestar Angel, The Lightkeeper's Ball, Blue Moon Promise, and Anathema, an Amish suspense. One of her most popular series is the Rock Harbor mystery series featuring Bree and Samson, a search-and-rescue dog team. She has won the Carol Award numerous times as well as romance and mystery awards. She lives in Wabash, Indiana with her husband Dave.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lightkeeper's Ball April 10, 2011
Format:Paperback
Eleanor Stewart leaves her home in New York to marry Harrison Bennett, but when her mother gets word that Eleanor is dead, a drowning no less, Olivia, Eleanor's sister thinks something isn't right, her sister was afraid of water so why would she have drowned. She thinks the fiance might have had something to do with it and decides to take hop a ship to Mercy Falls to get some answers. When she is pushed off the ship before arriving at Mercy Falls she begins to think someone is out to get her. The man that saves her turns out to be Harrison Bennett, but he has no idea who she is because she is using the families formal English title of Lady Devonworth. As the story unfolds its obvious that Olivia's life is in jeopardy, can she figure out the truth before its to late?
The author weaves together suspense, romance, action and mystery along with several plot twists which held my attention until the final pages as I tried to guess who-dun-it. While there is a definite christian message it isn't preachy or overwhelming.
While I enjoyed the mystery in this story, but the historical flavor of the book was what drew me to the story, that and the beautiful cover. Sometimes you can judge a book by the cover, and this one is a real winner!
Even though this is the third book in the Mercy Falls series it can easily be read as a stand alone work, I didn't read the first two and had no problems jumping right into this story, but I liked the story so well I will be checking out the first two in the series.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder AGAIN near the Mercy Falls lighthouse March 29, 2011
Format:Paperback
1 cup suspense + ľ cup romance + ˝ cup mystery + dash of action = recipe of new murder mystery in Mercy Falls. This third in Colleen Coble's series is as compelling as 1 & 2. Although the stories from Mercy Falls do have a few characters carrying over, the primaries involved are new and this can be read as a stand-alone book. After reading "The Lightkeeper's Ball," expect to return to the scene of the crime for the two earlier murder/romance mysteries, "The Lightkeeper's Daughter" and "The Lightkeeper's Bride."

Coble's recipe for murder mystery gets spiced up with history. Haley's Comet visits (April 20, 1910 for real) and plays a part in Harrison's bi-plane adventures. He desires to defy the commoner belief that the comet will bring the worlds end, by flying through the comet's tail. Well before any of this can happen, Harrison's father attempts to have him wedded to Olivia, an arranged affair after Olivia's sister is drowned. Sis had been engaged to Harrison, but to his status-seeking dad, either sister will gain him the society influence he craves. There is a tangle of family members in NYC and California society, Mercy Falls locals, and even among the servants. And a beach-full of secrets.

Olivia travels to Mercy Falls and the family's Stuart Hall, under a different name in an attempt to look into her sister's suspicious death. Murder almost takes her own life, and Harrison proves to be as suspect as anyone. She is saved and housed at the lighthouse, till a gale & disaster strikes. Here you get reacquainted with the Jesperson's and North's. While sleuthing for her sister's murderer, Olivia plans "The Lightkeeper's Ball" to replace what was lost in the storm. But can she ever find out the truth about Harrison? And in Coble fashion, a touch of romance begins to burn as bright as the Haley's Comet tail.

A delightful novel look at the northern California redwood coast at the end of the 20th century's first decade. The books descriptions of aeroplane flight action and surroundings are as vivid as any Victorian DVD. Mystery is paramount (good news for us guys), but love (her joy) is wedged in this fast-paced story that includes financial espionage, revenge, envy, and greed. Enough for every reader, from an author who seems to defy classification into a single genre.

Reading Guide Questions provided at the book's end for group discussions or personal contemplation. Coble's Mercy Falls is to Christian Murder Mystery, what Karon's Mitford is to quirky small-town life. Hopefully the series will continue to a similar number of books.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars I really tried, but I can't read any more August 16, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I chose this book because I thought it sounded exciting and interesting and it had a beautiful cover. When I received it in the mail saw it had less than 300 pages, I was almost disappointed. I was sure the story would be over too soon.

Unfortunately, once I started reading, the ending couldn't come soon enough.

The best way to describe how this book made me feel, was like watching an old movie where they jerk and jump between scenes with no warning. There was just no flow. The characters felt like puppets to me, and the author pulled their strings in often contradicting directions.

page 1) deliver devastating news to heroine that her sister has drowned

page 2) cut to heroine standing by boat railing, a mysterious assailant pushes her overboard

page 3) heroine is saved by hero

page 4) after being rescued, heroine decides not to reveal her true identity and thereby creates a major plot point

page 5) hero takes heroine to a jewelry shop

*cue record scratching* Wait, what? Why are they in a jewelry shop? Didn't they just wash up on a beach?

It just jumped around and struggled between wanting to be a murder-mystery and wanting to be a romance/feel-good tale of a woman making new friends and helping them plan a charity ball to rebuild their lighthouse. I felt like the author was throwing every plot device she could think of at me, and none of them were working.

*warning: potential spoilers*

There was a murder attempt, a big storm, a sprained wrist, a picnic, a kitten in a tree *gag*, an airplane crash, a sprained ankle (by this time the heroine should have been hospitalized just to save her from herself) and even with all that, after 150 pages, I just didn't care and could not continue.

Based upon the variety of reviews this book is receiving, I suppose it will entirely depend on your tastes whether this book is for you. I'm a Christian, but I don't like preachy fluffy Christian romances. In fact, I avoid them at all costs. I like stories with grit and heart and characters that convince me they are real, such as Francine River's Mark of the Lion series.

That was not this book.

I suggest that you read the five star reviews before you decide whether this book is for you, because it takes all kinds and obviously somebody is enjoying this book, but for me, the lack of good characterization and the choppy scenes and the muddled plots and the terrible cliches just turned into one big hot mess. I wish I could rate it higher, but I just can't.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
I read this book in one afternoon and had a hard time putting it down!the whole series was awesome...time to download some more of colleen Coble's books
Published 16 days ago by katie bederka
4.0 out of 5 stars great book!
Intrigue, romance, suspense, history, truly a great story. It wasn't preachy, just honest good storytelling. I read it all in one day, I couldn't put it down.
Published 17 days ago by jen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story to End the Mercy Falls Trilogy!
This story incorporated the main characters from the first two Mercy Falls series. I loved how this main character came to town under assumed identity and all that transpires... Read more
Published 26 days ago by JuJu
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lightkeeper's Ball....
This was an excellent book. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a book you didn't want to put down. Colleen Coble you are an excellent author. Read more
Published 1 month ago by DeDe
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
THIS WAS A GIFT REQUEST FOR A FRIEND AHE ENJOYS THIS TYPE OF NOVEL AND WAS VERY PLEASED TO GET THE BOOK SO FAST
Published 1 month ago by albertelliott213
5.0 out of 5 stars good read
Anything she writes is very good reading.I have almost everything she has written and have never been disappointed.Her mix of romance and suspence is a page tuner for sure.
Published 1 month ago by Teedee
5.0 out of 5 stars The series is wonderful
I have read all the Mercy Falls Novels and couldn't wait to pick up the next book, because they were so very addictive.
Published 1 month ago by Retiredarmymom
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read!!!!
The Lightkeeper's Ball is the story of Olivia Stewart. Olivia heads to California from New York City to try to learn the cause of her sister's death. Read more
Published 2 months ago by K. J. Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars Best in the series.
Fun story, love the time period. I thought it was the best book yet in the series. Probably didn't help that I had read the rest of them so long ago I didn't remember the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Meredith Mclain
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Romance, mystery, light hearted fun. All the things I adore about Cobel's writing. This is my second book by her and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Erna S. Atkins
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