Customer Reviews

The Lightkeeper's Daughter (Mercy Falls Series #1)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Lightkeeper's Daughter is about a girl who grows up as (you guessed it) the lightkeeper's daughter. When a stranger comes to their home with new and shocking information about her heritage, she decides to set forth on an adventure to find the truth about where she comes from, and the loving family she has always longed for.

I'll admit that I was a little bit leery of reading this book as I've read some other things by Coble and haven't liked them. I'm very glad that I did though, as this book is now one of my favorites! The Lightkeeper's Daughter is full of adventure, intrigue, and romance. The last part of the book especially kept me entranced as the bad guy was found out and the story was finishing. I loved Addie and have decided that I need to be more like her and not be conformed by the world, and to speak the truth no matter what. She is a character that you will be sure to love. John is a wonderful, strong male character with lots of love to offer. I will definitely be reading the next books in this series.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for sending the book to me for reviewing purposes. [...]

The Lightkeeper's Daughter was an incredible story and I loved it. Full of romance and mystery, it kept me reading and I couldn't put it down. Seriously. John was the dreamiest hero ever! I loved him and how he treated Addie. She was a great heroine, too. She loved the Lord and it was evident in her life. The spiritual thread in this book was excellently inserted and made the book just that much better. It didn't feel forced, but very natural. I loved how Addie's respect for the hero made him want to be a better man. Shouldn't our lives and love for the Lord attract people? This story shows that very well. It makes me want to show my husband even more respect and that is what good fiction should do, IMHO. It should inspire us to be better at loving others.

The coolest part of this story was that you just never quite knew who the bad guy was. I changed my mind several times (and my theories) and honestly, it surprised me at the end to find out who the culprit was, yet it also made total sense. The foundation was very well laid and prepared me to accept that twist. This book was so full of surprises, but they were all believable and worked well for the story. This was the perfect historical mystery with enough warmth to make romance lovers like me sigh with pleasure. I truly enjoyed this story and it's making my top fiction for 2010 list. While I've read other books written by this author, this is definitely my favorite book by Colleen Coble. I think she has a real knack for historical fiction with mystery and romantic elements. I plan to read the next book in this series and can't wait for it's release.

This was my first Colleen Coble read and her first historical, so we're both trying something new. Her romance thread is highly enjoyable. I liked how the hero and heroine were "allowed" to build their relationship throughout the story, rather than waiting for everything to come together at the end. Of course, she keeps it wholesome, but it's worth mentioning how she doesn't remain in a formulaic pattern for this thread. One of my favorite aspects.

Her heroine is very likable. She's naïve and outspoken and I rooted for her, both in her goal to find and belong to her family, as well as sympathizing with her pursuit of acceptance. Well done.

I understand Colleen writes suspense, but I felt the tone of this novel didn't strike me as a suspense at first, so when the first threatening situation happens, it seemed forced. Even the book's back cover copy doesn't mention suspense--you know, right there near the bar code and genre specs. However, this thread doesn't detract from the overall story, especially when it kicks into high gear later in the story.

I liked the setting and timing of the story: lighthouses and the early Twentieth Century. Lighthouses, in my opinion, are always a great setting for a novel, especially a historical.

One of Colleen's spiritual themes was trusting God. Her heroine gets into some scrapes, of course, and she chooses to trust God to get her through them. I felt this was handled perhaps a little too simplistically, because of course the situation gets resolved within a few pages. Life isn't always that simple; God doesn't always answer with a "yes." Still, for the sake of a timely story, it worked. And it's a worthy theme.

Finally, the cover. I know, books aren't all about covers, but I absolutely love this cover. The colors and setting, the sky and lighthouse. All of those intrigued me enough to give this book a try. Readers who enjoy suspense, romance and historical settings will enjoy this story. Nicely done.

Addie Sullivan grew up among the salty shores of the Pacific Ocean. The only child of the lighthouse caretaker and his wife, Addie never questioned her life until one day a stranger arrives at her family's door. Addie's quest to unravel the mystery of her past is the premise of this Christian mystery/romance.

If I wasn't obligated to read the entire book I would have stopped after the first chapter. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Christian fiction, but I would rather have a flawed heroine than one who is the picture of perfection. The best descriptive phrase I could use to describe this book would be "fluffy cheese." Any book that uses the line "I never lived before I knew you" earns a ten on the cheese scale. There are a lot of people who love this style and there's definitely a market for it, but it's not for me. I found myself saying "Give me a break. No one acts like that in real life." (Yes, I know it's fiction, but fiction needs to be believable, and this book was not.) The plot was reasonably interesting, but the characters were shallow and predictable. I found myself not really caring what happened to the protagonist. Needless to say, this is not a book I will read again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

Colleen Coble is a new Christian fiction author for me. My feeling is that I've discovered a treasure chest of precious books.The LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER is full of excitement, suspense, inspiration and romance. It begins with the life of Addie who has grown up with the keepers of a Lighthouse in Mercy Falls, California. Addie is discovered after a shipwreck. Her mother is dead. She doesn't know what has happened to her father. Her whole life is a mystery. There are a few clues left behind to lead Addie Sullivan to the truth. These clues are like God's light in a dark tunnel.

I loved reading along as Addie searched for the truth of her family history. I realized the empty hole of not knowing our past never goes away. For this reason, gnawing questions followed Addie's every footstep. These questions led her to rely more than ever on God's ability to help us in a time. In the end it stuck in my head that God is my protector from all dangers. No aged puzzle is too complicated for him to piece together from beginning to the end. Also, He is able to send trustworthy people to help us along the darkened paths.

I love lighthouses. At the end of the book, I learned how much Colleen Coble loves lighthouses too. I saw my first "real" lighthouse on the strip of Biloxi's beach. Colleen Coble comes across as a delightful, extroverted lady who loves writing and talking about Historical fiction. This book is truly unforgettable Christian fiction. Oh, I must mention Gideon. What a hero!

Another great read from beginning to end. Coble is one of my favorite writers and once again had me guessing until the very end. I fell in love with the main characters from the start. You won't be disappointed in this fabulous read!!!

The plot in this book is an interesting premise, giving a few unexpected twists and turns as the mystery unfolds. Unfortunately, that is about the only good thing I can say about the book. The characters are pretty one-dimensional, and their decisions are shallow and impulsive. The story lurches along at an erratic rate, sometimes too fast and sometimes without full plot development or even explanation. The romance is too sudden and easy. The surprises are not foreshadowed at all and often out of character for the people as they are described. Sorry to say that the Lightkeepers Daughter is pretty disappointing.

This book has many of the elements, which make a great read -- adorable characters, surprising villians, mystery and suspense, romance, and a conclusion with everything tied-up. It was actually very close to being a five-star, and I would definitely recommend it.

This book is equal parts historical fiction, romance and mystery. I felt that the plot catered evenly to each of these elements but left room for further development if more focus had been placed on one or the other.

The pieces of the mystery puzzle started to come together for me half way through, but the major revelation at the end was a well concealed. If one backtracks and follows the crumb trail of clues it would be easy to deduce the "whodunit," but I just let the plot carry me where it wanted to.

I am not a fan of love-at-first-sight romances, but that is a personal preference. I can get caught up in the emotion and chemistry between characters as easily as the next reader, but I have difficulty placing the label "love" on Addie and John's relationship early on in the story, especially after such a fleeting encounter. The romantic elements grew stronger and more convincing as the story progressed.

I wans't enamored with the dialogue because it sometimes got away from itself in the quest to be historically genuine. Too much attention was placed on being true to the rhetoric of the time period at the expense of relating emotion that the reader could feel. For me, Addie's internal struggle with duty and obligation and finding her true identity was the most interesting aspect of this story. Her quest for identity went beyond discovering a name, but discovering who she wanted to be in spite of that name.

Rating: 7/10

This book ended up being one I anxiously "got back to" when I had been interrupted by my Real Life! I really wanted to know what happened in it. I was glad that I did not guess who was the villian(s) in this story, IE: that it was not easy to guess. I like to have to put forth a bit of effort in the mysteries I read. That said, Addie was almost too perfect- an EXPERT seamstress (despite NEVER being schooled and in fact, hardly ever being allowed off her lighthouse grounds growing up, as she herself states); I found that a bit hard to believe. SHe also had immpeccable manners etc. for growing up so isolated. But if you shove that aside, she is a likeable protagonist. I also liked John North's portrayal. I would definitely buy and read another of Ms.Coble's historical mysteries, and have already ordered The Lightkeeper's Ball...looking forward to it.!