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Starlight Cove #1
The Lighthouse Keeper
Dawn Conners’s parents are famous for finding historic treasures, but she has a knack for losing things—her job, her boyfriend, and now, her reputation. Thanks to a mud-slinging exposé, Dawn’s late great-grandfather is assumed guilty of stealing silver from a century-old shipwreck. Hoping to clear his name, Dawn returns to Starlight Cove, her idyllic hometown on Lake Michigan, where the doomed vessel sleeps beneath the beam of a ramshackle lighthouse.
Her plan: remodel and sell the lighthouse while untangling the perplexing family mystery. Neither task is easy, especially once her well-meaning parents and the quirky locals—including nautical researcher and Starlight Cove’s most eligible bachelor, Kip Whittaker—get involved. Despite their attraction, Dawn is reluctant to trust Kip, or any of the close-knit townsfolk. But as she pieces together the truth, Dawn’s once-shuttered heart opens up. And if she’s willing, the lighthouse might guide her to a place she never expected to find, where the past entwines with a bright new beginning.
Her plan: remodel and sell the lighthouse while untangling the perplexing family mystery. Neither task is easy, especially once her well-meaning parents and the quirky locals—including nautical researcher and Starlight Cove’s most eligible bachelor, Kip Whittaker—get involved. Despite their attraction, Dawn is reluctant to trust Kip, or any of the close-knit townsfolk. But as she pieces together the truth, Dawn’s once-shuttered heart opens up. And if she’s willing, the lighthouse might guide her to a place she never expected to find, where the past entwines with a bright new beginning.
380 pages, ebook
First published April 4, 2017
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4899 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 825 reviews
February 25, 2017
I'm a little biased. :)
August 10, 2017
Cover made me download this book.
Good story about treasure hunt and restoration of the lighthouse. Small town at Lake Michigan, close loving family and their hunt to clear the name of the grandfather. Light, enjoyable story.
Good story about treasure hunt and restoration of the lighthouse. Small town at Lake Michigan, close loving family and their hunt to clear the name of the grandfather. Light, enjoyable story.
July 14, 2017
4.5 stars
I love exploring vintage lighthouses. There is something about visiting a part of the past that saved so many lives. The steep stairs, low doorways and thick walls along with the wonder of extreme physical exertion makes me appreciate the lonely life of the custodian.
I was excited to find this contemporary piece of fiction contained a light mystery, some snarky humor, bites of snappy conversation and the 'opposite attract' genre. Color me impressed!
~~~
After a well-meaning fiasco by her BFF, Dawn Conners finds herself taking a chance and bidding on a lighthouse in her parent's town of Starlight Cove, Michigan. She intends to move there -temporarily- to assist her parents, clean the building up and flip it. Her childhood insecurities are along for the ride.
The story covers such a broad area but it works. It is about building new relationships, forgiving and trust. The Lighthouse Keeper intertwines a mystery as it relates to her ancestors, friendship, modern-day pirates and rediscovering her parents. It also includes a light romance. I will keep my eye out for more stories by this author.
I love exploring vintage lighthouses. There is something about visiting a part of the past that saved so many lives. The steep stairs, low doorways and thick walls along with the wonder of extreme physical exertion makes me appreciate the lonely life of the custodian.
I was excited to find this contemporary piece of fiction contained a light mystery, some snarky humor, bites of snappy conversation and the 'opposite attract' genre. Color me impressed!
~~~
After a well-meaning fiasco by her BFF, Dawn Conners finds herself taking a chance and bidding on a lighthouse in her parent's town of Starlight Cove, Michigan. She intends to move there -temporarily- to assist her parents, clean the building up and flip it. Her childhood insecurities are along for the ride.
The story covers such a broad area but it works. It is about building new relationships, forgiving and trust. The Lighthouse Keeper intertwines a mystery as it relates to her ancestors, friendship, modern-day pirates and rediscovering her parents. It also includes a light romance. I will keep my eye out for more stories by this author.
April 11, 2017
I am not one who likes chick lit or straight up romance but this is romantic suspense and I have always loved romantic suspense especially when the mystery is more prevalent than the romance and there isn't a lot of explicit sex and this book is just right and a real treat to read. It even has humor that is actually funny and not forced.
Dawn is a young woman whose childhood as the daughter of treasure hunters who constantly moved, making it impossible to make friends or have any stability has left her seeking extreme stability. She lives in Boston where she works in finance, has a boring but stable boyfriend, and a rigid lifestyle. All of this changes when a national tv show interviews her parents in Starlight Cove, Michigan and brings up her great-grandfather, a ship captain whose ship sank during a bad storm returning with liquor and a fortune in silver in the 1920's which disappeared. He was presumed to have died but the television program suggests he survived, stole the silver, and abandoned his wife and child.
This is where I am going to make a criticism of the story that has to be made. There is a glaring problem. The author has the insurance company that insured the ship almost 100 years earlier see the show and put a lien on Dawn's parents' home, saying that if they couldn't prove the old captain had not stolen the silver nearly 100 years ago within 90 days they were going to seize the house and demand they pay off the rest. Supposedly Dawn felt pressure to prove her great-grandfather innocent to save the house. Anyone 10 and over, however, knows that there are statutes of limitation and in this case, they would have legally had until 1932 to place any liens, sue, etc. No insurance company could or would place a lien for something that happened 100 years earlier. It would have been written off as a tax loss 90 years earlier. Likewise, just asking a lawyer would have solved the issue. Likewise, no big firm in Boston would have fired Dawn from her job because some sensationalist suggestion on a show that her great-grandfather had survived and stolen silver nearly 100 years earlier nor would that even be legal. Her stick of a boyfriend broke up with her over seeing the show and there are people weird enough to do that. I would have preferred to see her take time off work to go try to salvage her great-grandfather's name than this nonsense.
The rest of the book is excellent. Dawn, on a whim, purchases the crumbling lighthouse in Starlight Cove when she discovers it is up for sale and decides to spend the summer with her parents in the small lakeside town to renovate and sell it and to try to clear her great-grandfather's name. This town just sounds like a place I'd love to visit and the author is a master of description, bringing the places and people to vibrant life through her descriptions.
In Starlight Cove, Dawn makes friends of the local real estate agent Kailyn, the 3 Henderson brothers who own the hardware store, and especially sexy Kip who helps her find the truth about her great-grandfather but she makes some enemies as well of people who resent her buying the lighthouse since they had bid on it and another who is dangerous enough to kill for the missing treasure. Her parents run the Shipwreck Antiques and Treasures Shop.
I loved the mystery of what happened to Dawn's great-grandfather and the silver and there were even 2 side mysteries- who kept on vandalizing the lighthouse as Dawn renovated it and who chased her with a knife one morning on the beach. I hope the author writes many more books about the residents of Starlight Cove.
I got this to read on my Kindle Fire through my subscription to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.
Dawn is a young woman whose childhood as the daughter of treasure hunters who constantly moved, making it impossible to make friends or have any stability has left her seeking extreme stability. She lives in Boston where she works in finance, has a boring but stable boyfriend, and a rigid lifestyle. All of this changes when a national tv show interviews her parents in Starlight Cove, Michigan and brings up her great-grandfather, a ship captain whose ship sank during a bad storm returning with liquor and a fortune in silver in the 1920's which disappeared. He was presumed to have died but the television program suggests he survived, stole the silver, and abandoned his wife and child.
This is where I am going to make a criticism of the story that has to be made. There is a glaring problem. The author has the insurance company that insured the ship almost 100 years earlier see the show and put a lien on Dawn's parents' home, saying that if they couldn't prove the old captain had not stolen the silver nearly 100 years ago within 90 days they were going to seize the house and demand they pay off the rest. Supposedly Dawn felt pressure to prove her great-grandfather innocent to save the house. Anyone 10 and over, however, knows that there are statutes of limitation and in this case, they would have legally had until 1932 to place any liens, sue, etc. No insurance company could or would place a lien for something that happened 100 years earlier. It would have been written off as a tax loss 90 years earlier. Likewise, just asking a lawyer would have solved the issue. Likewise, no big firm in Boston would have fired Dawn from her job because some sensationalist suggestion on a show that her great-grandfather had survived and stolen silver nearly 100 years earlier nor would that even be legal. Her stick of a boyfriend broke up with her over seeing the show and there are people weird enough to do that. I would have preferred to see her take time off work to go try to salvage her great-grandfather's name than this nonsense.
The rest of the book is excellent. Dawn, on a whim, purchases the crumbling lighthouse in Starlight Cove when she discovers it is up for sale and decides to spend the summer with her parents in the small lakeside town to renovate and sell it and to try to clear her great-grandfather's name. This town just sounds like a place I'd love to visit and the author is a master of description, bringing the places and people to vibrant life through her descriptions.
In Starlight Cove, Dawn makes friends of the local real estate agent Kailyn, the 3 Henderson brothers who own the hardware store, and especially sexy Kip who helps her find the truth about her great-grandfather but she makes some enemies as well of people who resent her buying the lighthouse since they had bid on it and another who is dangerous enough to kill for the missing treasure. Her parents run the Shipwreck Antiques and Treasures Shop.
I loved the mystery of what happened to Dawn's great-grandfather and the silver and there were even 2 side mysteries- who kept on vandalizing the lighthouse as Dawn renovated it and who chased her with a knife one morning on the beach. I hope the author writes many more books about the residents of Starlight Cove.
I got this to read on my Kindle Fire through my subscription to Amazon's Kindle Unlimited.
November 11, 2017
Really amazed that the reviews for this book are so high. I only made it through an hour or so of the the Audible edition before I quit. I was worried that my eyeballs would get stuck in my forehead because I rolled them up so often during the set-up, which so defies believability that it might be classified as science fiction.
The story starts with Dawn Conner, who would have been called a Yuppie in my day, watching a TV episode about a old shipwreck in Lake Michigan involving her great grandfather, who was rumored to have escaped with the ship's valuable cargo instead of dying with the rest of his crew.
A few of the story items that I found most difficult to gag down. (All of these are in the first part of the book, so I wouldn't call them spoilers.)
1) As a result of the TV program, her employers at some kind of financial firm decide they have to fire her because of this scandal that happened about 100 years ago. Huh? First, how in the world would anyone have known she was any relation to the ship's captain. She had the last name "Conner", for God's sake. How many clients would even be remotely aware of any of the lower-level employees's names anyway? Or give a flying flip? And since when would a scandal involving one's great-grandfather be something that would taint the grandchildren? Not to mention the lawsuits that would be flying all over the place.
2) Her boyfriend, like her employer, decided he couldn't be involved with someone whose great grandfather might have done something bad. Um, sure. Well, I could sort of buy that one. The more the reader got to know Dawn Conner, the more you could believe the boyfriend would use any excuse to escape, no matter how implausible.
3) The insurance company for the long-ago shipwreck decides to put a lien against her parent's property claiming they owed the money their grandfather had possibly absconded with. There's some casual rationale for why the statute of limitations wouldn't apply, but it was not remotely believable.
4) Dawn decides to buy an old lighthouse in the town where her parents live in her great grandfather's old house. The towns people keep referring to her as an "outsider". Really? The people who spent summers there in the house owned by her great grandfather were the Outsiders? Um, sure.
5) Dawn endlessly goes on about how poor she was as a kid with itinerant parents who traveled around looking for sunken treasure in shipwrecks. She complains the family "had to eat tuna out of the can." That's her definition of poor? Tuna? Tuna's kind of expensive compared to the things a lot of really poor kids eat. (I remember eating macaroni sprinkled with sugar for breakfast.) And what was the deal with eating it out of the can? They could afford tuna but couldn't afford to buy a plate for a nickel at a garage sale? Did they use kitchenware for anything?
I could go on, but you get the picture. Oh, one last thing. Dawn carries around a wide variety of condiment packets in her purse. Tabasco sauce, honey packets, tea, etc. She pulls them out in restaurants if the restaurant doesn't have what she wants. I think this is meant to be a cute rom-com type of affectation, but it had the opposite effect on me. It turned her from merely a whiny, self-pitying dishrag into a whiny, self-pitying, finicky, compulsive dishrag.
The story starts with Dawn Conner, who would have been called a Yuppie in my day, watching a TV episode about a old shipwreck in Lake Michigan involving her great grandfather, who was rumored to have escaped with the ship's valuable cargo instead of dying with the rest of his crew.
A few of the story items that I found most difficult to gag down. (All of these are in the first part of the book, so I wouldn't call them spoilers.)
1) As a result of the TV program, her employers at some kind of financial firm decide they have to fire her because of this scandal that happened about 100 years ago. Huh? First, how in the world would anyone have known she was any relation to the ship's captain. She had the last name "Conner", for God's sake. How many clients would even be remotely aware of any of the lower-level employees's names anyway? Or give a flying flip? And since when would a scandal involving one's great-grandfather be something that would taint the grandchildren? Not to mention the lawsuits that would be flying all over the place.
2) Her boyfriend, like her employer, decided he couldn't be involved with someone whose great grandfather might have done something bad. Um, sure. Well, I could sort of buy that one. The more the reader got to know Dawn Conner, the more you could believe the boyfriend would use any excuse to escape, no matter how implausible.
3) The insurance company for the long-ago shipwreck decides to put a lien against her parent's property claiming they owed the money their grandfather had possibly absconded with. There's some casual rationale for why the statute of limitations wouldn't apply, but it was not remotely believable.
4) Dawn decides to buy an old lighthouse in the town where her parents live in her great grandfather's old house. The towns people keep referring to her as an "outsider". Really? The people who spent summers there in the house owned by her great grandfather were the Outsiders? Um, sure.
5) Dawn endlessly goes on about how poor she was as a kid with itinerant parents who traveled around looking for sunken treasure in shipwrecks. She complains the family "had to eat tuna out of the can." That's her definition of poor? Tuna? Tuna's kind of expensive compared to the things a lot of really poor kids eat. (I remember eating macaroni sprinkled with sugar for breakfast.) And what was the deal with eating it out of the can? They could afford tuna but couldn't afford to buy a plate for a nickel at a garage sale? Did they use kitchenware for anything?
I could go on, but you get the picture. Oh, one last thing. Dawn carries around a wide variety of condiment packets in her purse. Tabasco sauce, honey packets, tea, etc. She pulls them out in restaurants if the restaurant doesn't have what she wants. I think this is meant to be a cute rom-com type of affectation, but it had the opposite effect on me. It turned her from merely a whiny, self-pitying dishrag into a whiny, self-pitying, finicky, compulsive dishrag.
March 18, 2021
The cover of this book with a lighthouse on Lake Michigan pulled me in. This story was unusual as it included people / family (the Conners) who were real life treasure hunters. There is a mystery behind captain Fitzie, a relative, whose ship went down not too far from the lighthouse and rumors abound about illegal liquor on board, lost silver coins, etc.
Starlight cove is your typical insulated small town. Tourists are welcome, outsiders settling in are not easily tolerated. Dawn Conners’ parents live there (the treasure hunters) and after losing her job, her boyfriend, and her bearings after a TV expose of her parents that was supposed to be positive but turned accusingly ugly, their family fate and reputation are at stake.
Dawn makes a rash decision and comes to Starlight Cove for the summer to be with her parents, provide support, help untangle the family mystery that still haunts them, and remodel the dilapidated historical lighthouse she impulsively bought. Well, she sure has her work cut out for her!
Her parents are charming, loving free wheeling characters. The story of her relatives was very interesting. She made friends and enemies by purchasing the delapidated lighthouse and ruffling some town feathers. Dawn was a great character, her story was well done. As she fell in love with the lighthouse and a guy named Kip, their chemistry and flirting were fun to witness.
Close calls abound with someone out to get Dawn. They spray paint unwanted messages in the lighthouse door. They are sinister, even threatening to her. Modern day pirates? She continues with her remodel work inside with the help of some hunky town hardware store owners. Her father helps out too and she reconnects with him snd he apologizes for her up and go childhood as they travelled here and their hunting for treasure. Because of that constant uprooting or living on a boat, she’s never felt solidly in place. So you see why she’s attracted to water and the lighthouse and being able to see her relatives’ shipwreck from the top of the lighthouse. I loved hearing about her hard work in restoring the lighthouse. Pretty much everyone be thought it was a mistake and she would leave end run back to Boston or wherever, but she persevered. She even won over the local historical society ladies who came to her aid.
There is a true historical connection, a love story, a maturing of self, a seafaring mystery, and some treasure hunting and then some, all rolled into one in a small town on the shore. It’s well written and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A feel good book; these types of books are always much needed and wanted! You bet I will read more of this author!
5 shining lighthouse stars!!
Starlight cove is your typical insulated small town. Tourists are welcome, outsiders settling in are not easily tolerated. Dawn Conners’ parents live there (the treasure hunters) and after losing her job, her boyfriend, and her bearings after a TV expose of her parents that was supposed to be positive but turned accusingly ugly, their family fate and reputation are at stake.
Dawn makes a rash decision and comes to Starlight Cove for the summer to be with her parents, provide support, help untangle the family mystery that still haunts them, and remodel the dilapidated historical lighthouse she impulsively bought. Well, she sure has her work cut out for her!
Her parents are charming, loving free wheeling characters. The story of her relatives was very interesting. She made friends and enemies by purchasing the delapidated lighthouse and ruffling some town feathers. Dawn was a great character, her story was well done. As she fell in love with the lighthouse and a guy named Kip, their chemistry and flirting were fun to witness.
Close calls abound with someone out to get Dawn. They spray paint unwanted messages in the lighthouse door. They are sinister, even threatening to her. Modern day pirates? She continues with her remodel work inside with the help of some hunky town hardware store owners. Her father helps out too and she reconnects with him snd he apologizes for her up and go childhood as they travelled here and their hunting for treasure. Because of that constant uprooting or living on a boat, she’s never felt solidly in place. So you see why she’s attracted to water and the lighthouse and being able to see her relatives’ shipwreck from the top of the lighthouse. I loved hearing about her hard work in restoring the lighthouse. Pretty much everyone be thought it was a mistake and she would leave end run back to Boston or wherever, but she persevered. She even won over the local historical society ladies who came to her aid.
There is a true historical connection, a love story, a maturing of self, a seafaring mystery, and some treasure hunting and then some, all rolled into one in a small town on the shore. It’s well written and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A feel good book; these types of books are always much needed and wanted! You bet I will read more of this author!
5 shining lighthouse stars!!
December 5, 2017
Enjoyable, although in spots dragged just a tad. Liked the lighthouse element and its renovation. Mystery was light but interesting.
February 7, 2018
I chose this book to mark off an item in a reading scavenger hunt, but soon found myself almost as obsessed as the characters in finding out what really happened all those years ago!
July 5, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5
The full review can be found on my blog too !here!
There is something undoubtedly charming about lighthouses. I’ve never seen one in real life, but I want to. Kind of envied Dawn every time she went up to the top, sitting looking out to the lake. In her place I would totally have my library/study up there with a spectacular view.
Dawn lost her job, her boyfriend and her family’s reputation in a day, after a disastrous TV programme about her family, and treasure hunting. On top of it, her family might lose their house, the only real home she ever had during her adventurous childhood. To get her minds off of things and to help out her family, she decides to buy and remodel Starlight Cove’s lighthouse during the summer. In the small town, which is bustling with tourist in the summer season, not everyone welcomes her. Some shun her because of her family’s past, some doesn’t trust her intentions and think she stole their right to own the lighthouse. Fortunately he finds some friends too in Kailyn the real estate agent, the three handsome Henderson brother who own the hardware store, and of course Kip Whittaker, the heart-throb bachelor everyone wants.
While doing the restoration, Dawn also has to find out what actually happened to his great-grandfather Captain Fritzie, whose ship drowned in a storm not far from the beach, with a huge amount of silver and whisky stored on it. The treasure never was found and its whereabouts is still unknown almost a 100 years later. Dawn and her family has to find the treasure and clear his great-grandfather’s name before the bank takes away their home. All this while keeping away other, more ruthless treasure hunters and revealing the tragic events of that night, and the next few days.
As the plot goes, it’s pretty simple – despite the fact that we actually read two different story lines – , and quite predictable. You can see the twists coming from a mile, but despite that it manages to be an enjoyable read. Dawn is less annoying than I expected, at least in the beginning, when she decides to suck it up and for once go for her instincts and do something reckless: buying the lighthouse.
“Maybe it was just a matter of letting life happen to me a little bit more and planning for it a little bit less.”
She is determined, willing to work hard, clever and doesn’t let anyone talk her down. She holds her ground no matter what, believing all the time in her great-grandfather’s innocence and his love for his wife. Troubles start when she forms a friendship with Kip, and she starts to act more like a stupid schoolgirl than a mature 32-year-old what she is. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when she threw a tantrum because of some misunderstanding, and without trying to talk it out and solve the problem she decided to give a cold shoulder. Classy.
While Dawn is the big-town-woman and the local enemy for the time, Kip is the prototype of the perfect guy: he is good looking, kind, friendly, rich, athletic, intelligent and single oh and loves romance movies. No kidding. This guy practically has no flaws, which makes him a bit boring. Although if you are into the kind, romantic type, you’ll probably be head over heels in love with him.
A lighthouse is the perfect place for brining together generations, and witness history as it did in this book. All the while the mystery keeps you reading on and you find yourself wondering where the treasure might be, feeling the thrilling of the search. For someone like me, who doesn’t like the romance genre much anymore, this book was a nice surprise. Didn’t make me want to go back to read more of these, but it was perfect for a weekend read between all the dark fantasy books I’m reading lately. Actually, this is a perfect summer read for those who like to read romance books, while lounging by a pool, drinking cocktails, and pointedly not acknowledging the world around them. The Lighthouse keeper blends romance, mystery, past and present loves together nicely. I recommend this book for everyone who looks for a nice light romance book, with a summer feel, and the vibrant life of a small town.
The full review can be found on my blog too !here!
There is something undoubtedly charming about lighthouses. I’ve never seen one in real life, but I want to. Kind of envied Dawn every time she went up to the top, sitting looking out to the lake. In her place I would totally have my library/study up there with a spectacular view.
Dawn lost her job, her boyfriend and her family’s reputation in a day, after a disastrous TV programme about her family, and treasure hunting. On top of it, her family might lose their house, the only real home she ever had during her adventurous childhood. To get her minds off of things and to help out her family, she decides to buy and remodel Starlight Cove’s lighthouse during the summer. In the small town, which is bustling with tourist in the summer season, not everyone welcomes her. Some shun her because of her family’s past, some doesn’t trust her intentions and think she stole their right to own the lighthouse. Fortunately he finds some friends too in Kailyn the real estate agent, the three handsome Henderson brother who own the hardware store, and of course Kip Whittaker, the heart-throb bachelor everyone wants.
While doing the restoration, Dawn also has to find out what actually happened to his great-grandfather Captain Fritzie, whose ship drowned in a storm not far from the beach, with a huge amount of silver and whisky stored on it. The treasure never was found and its whereabouts is still unknown almost a 100 years later. Dawn and her family has to find the treasure and clear his great-grandfather’s name before the bank takes away their home. All this while keeping away other, more ruthless treasure hunters and revealing the tragic events of that night, and the next few days.
As the plot goes, it’s pretty simple – despite the fact that we actually read two different story lines – , and quite predictable. You can see the twists coming from a mile, but despite that it manages to be an enjoyable read. Dawn is less annoying than I expected, at least in the beginning, when she decides to suck it up and for once go for her instincts and do something reckless: buying the lighthouse.
“Maybe it was just a matter of letting life happen to me a little bit more and planning for it a little bit less.”
She is determined, willing to work hard, clever and doesn’t let anyone talk her down. She holds her ground no matter what, believing all the time in her great-grandfather’s innocence and his love for his wife. Troubles start when she forms a friendship with Kip, and she starts to act more like a stupid schoolgirl than a mature 32-year-old what she is. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when she threw a tantrum because of some misunderstanding, and without trying to talk it out and solve the problem she decided to give a cold shoulder. Classy.
While Dawn is the big-town-woman and the local enemy for the time, Kip is the prototype of the perfect guy: he is good looking, kind, friendly, rich, athletic, intelligent and single oh and loves romance movies. No kidding. This guy practically has no flaws, which makes him a bit boring. Although if you are into the kind, romantic type, you’ll probably be head over heels in love with him.
A lighthouse is the perfect place for brining together generations, and witness history as it did in this book. All the while the mystery keeps you reading on and you find yourself wondering where the treasure might be, feeling the thrilling of the search. For someone like me, who doesn’t like the romance genre much anymore, this book was a nice surprise. Didn’t make me want to go back to read more of these, but it was perfect for a weekend read between all the dark fantasy books I’m reading lately. Actually, this is a perfect summer read for those who like to read romance books, while lounging by a pool, drinking cocktails, and pointedly not acknowledging the world around them. The Lighthouse keeper blends romance, mystery, past and present loves together nicely. I recommend this book for everyone who looks for a nice light romance book, with a summer feel, and the vibrant life of a small town.
August 8, 2022
Lighthouse Mystery
This book hooked me from the first page to the last. Just a simple but intriguing story. Romance, laughter, as well as the mysterAlso and maybe most important to me is the PG rating.
This book hooked me from the first page to the last. Just a simple but intriguing story. Romance, laughter, as well as the mysterAlso and maybe most important to me is the PG rating.
March 19, 2017
I haven't read anything by Cynthia Ellingsen before but I was intrigued by the title and description of this book. I have a real affinity for all things concerning the sea, so the lure of a story set around a lighthouse and a seafaring community was very appealing.
Dawn manages to lose her job and her boyfriend in rather quick succession. It did feel slightly unbelievable when she lost her job but that was the only minor point in the whole book where I lost a little belief in the plot. I realised that it was only a small plot device for giving a compelling enough reason for the main character to move back to her hometown. After that, the rest of the read was plain sailing.
It was easy to feel sorry for Dawn as she struggled with moving back to her hometown of Starlight Cove and felt opposition from some of the local community because they were wary of her reasons for buying the lighthouse. Some people disliked her just because of who she was related to because her late great grandfather had been branded a thief and considered guilty of piracy. So it was easy to like Dawn against all the opposition.
This book has just the right amount of romance but not enough to detract from the main story which is to discover what really happened to a treasure hoard of silver from a century-old shipwreck and to clear the name of Dawn's late great grandfather.
It is a really good adventure story for grown-ups and I sat up late at night just to finish this off because I could not wait to see how it all ended. I loved the journey of Dawn's relationship with her parents, with forging new friendships and a new love interest. She went from being pretty uptight and reserved to letting herself trust other people and live a little.
Starlight Cove, which is a fantastic name for a location, is an idyllic place to live and the descriptions of the place with the beach, the lighthouse, the Shipwreck Antiques and Treasures shop and the places to eat with the amazing pancakes at Towboat makes me dream of going to live there. Perhaps Dawn's story is finished but I'd really love to read another book based on this beautiful place. I hope Cynthia writes another someday.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book and have given my honest opinion of it.
Dawn manages to lose her job and her boyfriend in rather quick succession. It did feel slightly unbelievable when she lost her job but that was the only minor point in the whole book where I lost a little belief in the plot. I realised that it was only a small plot device for giving a compelling enough reason for the main character to move back to her hometown. After that, the rest of the read was plain sailing.
It was easy to feel sorry for Dawn as she struggled with moving back to her hometown of Starlight Cove and felt opposition from some of the local community because they were wary of her reasons for buying the lighthouse. Some people disliked her just because of who she was related to because her late great grandfather had been branded a thief and considered guilty of piracy. So it was easy to like Dawn against all the opposition.
This book has just the right amount of romance but not enough to detract from the main story which is to discover what really happened to a treasure hoard of silver from a century-old shipwreck and to clear the name of Dawn's late great grandfather.
It is a really good adventure story for grown-ups and I sat up late at night just to finish this off because I could not wait to see how it all ended. I loved the journey of Dawn's relationship with her parents, with forging new friendships and a new love interest. She went from being pretty uptight and reserved to letting herself trust other people and live a little.
Starlight Cove, which is a fantastic name for a location, is an idyllic place to live and the descriptions of the place with the beach, the lighthouse, the Shipwreck Antiques and Treasures shop and the places to eat with the amazing pancakes at Towboat makes me dream of going to live there. Perhaps Dawn's story is finished but I'd really love to read another book based on this beautiful place. I hope Cynthia writes another someday.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book and have given my honest opinion of it.
July 5, 2019
Rating: 2.0/5.0
This was a disappointing read. The whole story was not convincing and the characters while being in their 30s they acted and behaved like immature teenagers! The main character (Dawn Conner) was thinking about how good the male protagonist (Kip) looked all the time and how it would feel to be in his arms!.
I have rolled my eyes a lot while reading this novel for so many reasons. In the beginning, Dawn is watching a TV program along with her friends about her great-grandfather and how he has escaped with some sort of treasure when their ship sank. Dawn leaves her guests and locks the door in her room to weep!! I would not do that even if my grandfather was Hitler. Lol
The next day her employer fires her because of the scandal!! Why would a company fire someone because of something that their great-grandfather might have done or not? And how did her employer know that the man is a relative of the same Conner that works for them? Isn't Conner a regular name?
After that, the boyfriend decides to dump her for the same reason!! This is a very silly reason.
So what happens next is that the protagonist decides to buy an old lighthouse in the same town where her parents live but of course, the people of the town are not happy to have this family with their treasure scandal! She tries to clear her great grandfather's name with the help of the new love interest.
I did not like this book neither as a mystery thriller and nor as a chick lit. I feel it was a waste of time.
I have received this book in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest unbiased review.
This was a disappointing read. The whole story was not convincing and the characters while being in their 30s they acted and behaved like immature teenagers! The main character (Dawn Conner) was thinking about how good the male protagonist (Kip) looked all the time and how it would feel to be in his arms!.
I have rolled my eyes a lot while reading this novel for so many reasons. In the beginning, Dawn is watching a TV program along with her friends about her great-grandfather and how he has escaped with some sort of treasure when their ship sank. Dawn leaves her guests and locks the door in her room to weep!! I would not do that even if my grandfather was Hitler. Lol
The next day her employer fires her because of the scandal!! Why would a company fire someone because of something that their great-grandfather might have done or not? And how did her employer know that the man is a relative of the same Conner that works for them? Isn't Conner a regular name?
After that, the boyfriend decides to dump her for the same reason!! This is a very silly reason.
So what happens next is that the protagonist decides to buy an old lighthouse in the same town where her parents live but of course, the people of the town are not happy to have this family with their treasure scandal! She tries to clear her great grandfather's name with the help of the new love interest.
I did not like this book neither as a mystery thriller and nor as a chick lit. I feel it was a waste of time.
I have received this book in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest unbiased review.
February 4, 2019
This was such a cute story! The Lighthouse Keeper by Cynthia Ellingsen, was a story about Dawn Conners, a girl that grew up with treasure hunting parents and a family secret that had yet to be solved.
After losing her job, and her man, she returns to her home town of Starlight Cove to refurbish a lighthouse that she admired since she was a child. Planning to restore it and resell it she soon gets swept into the quaint town life and considers staying put.
After her family is disgraced on national television, people start believing that her great-grandfather truly stole a treasure he was transporting on his ship before it was wrecked, which in turn tarnished the town’s reputation. So, while Dawn is restoring the lighthouse she tries to restore her family’s name by solving the century old mystery.
The Lighthouse Keeper was a charming read with beautiful details, a tinge of old-fashioned mystery, and a love that withstands all elements. Cynthia is a new author, one I haven’t read before and I really look forward to her novel The Winemaker’s Secret that comes out this spring!
After losing her job, and her man, she returns to her home town of Starlight Cove to refurbish a lighthouse that she admired since she was a child. Planning to restore it and resell it she soon gets swept into the quaint town life and considers staying put.
After her family is disgraced on national television, people start believing that her great-grandfather truly stole a treasure he was transporting on his ship before it was wrecked, which in turn tarnished the town’s reputation. So, while Dawn is restoring the lighthouse she tries to restore her family’s name by solving the century old mystery.
The Lighthouse Keeper was a charming read with beautiful details, a tinge of old-fashioned mystery, and a love that withstands all elements. Cynthia is a new author, one I haven’t read before and I really look forward to her novel The Winemaker’s Secret that comes out this spring!
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June 18, 2023The author lost me at "his collection of muscles rippling with irritation". I thought I could put up with the constant "electricity" between Dawn and Kip (and his always rumpled hair and glowered demeanor), I really did try. Dawn is supposed to be an adult, but acts like a 13 year old. The book is filled with "fillers" (what people are wearing is a big theme) and the characters are one dimensional. This is my first book with a book club...I feel sad.
March 23, 2020
Loved this! A fun, quick read. And it was more about the family secret and the relationship with her parents than about her lovestory, which I appreciated!
The only thing that really bothered me was that Dawn jumped to conclusions the minute she saw the name of the person that came in second in the auction. That was unnecessary, if I'm being honest.
The only thing that really bothered me was that Dawn jumped to conclusions the minute she saw the name of the person that came in second in the auction. That was unnecessary, if I'm being honest.
June 22, 2025
I was lucky to get an Advance Reader's Copy of this book and omg it was fantastic. Family drama, a very fun mystery, and romance all rolled into one. This was a great escape and I enjoyed every minute of it! On the recommend list for sure.
September 25, 2017
I was immediately absorbed in this book. I love lighthouses and the small town the author wrote about. The characters were wonderfully depicted. A touch of mystery and a story that held me until the end--a perfect escape for a dreary rainy day.
November 4, 2024
I am giving this book 5 stars because it made me smile. I loved the interactions with the characters. The dialogue between the characters was fun and easy to visualize. Overall, a fun easy enjoyable escape!
September 2, 2017
I bought this because it's about a Michigan lighthouse and I've been to most of those open to the public on land in the Lower Peninsula. I thought it would be a mystery but there's far too much chick-lit involved in gushing over guys's muscles and whatnot. And so obvious from the first time they meet that Dawn and Kip will hook up. It's the cliche thing where they hate each other at first so obviously they end up together. I wish the author realized a strand of hair is traditionally A hair, thus no one brushes back a strand and certainly they don't pull on a spiky strand, which would be impossible. Was the editor asleep?
February 4, 2019
Great suspense and love
I am obsessed with lighthouses. I chose this book to get Insight on the operation of a lighthouse. I felt received so much more because it brought me into the mystery of shipwrecks and treasure hunting. Then among all the chaos there is a beautiful love story several in fact I absolutely enjoyed the book.
I am obsessed with lighthouses. I chose this book to get Insight on the operation of a lighthouse. I felt received so much more because it brought me into the mystery of shipwrecks and treasure hunting. Then among all the chaos there is a beautiful love story several in fact I absolutely enjoyed the book.
August 20, 2017
This book captured my imagination right off the bat. Treasure hunting, exploring an old family scandal, falling in love, renovating an old, decrepit lighthouse, being menaced by a group of modern day pirates-it's just a day in the life of Dawn. It takes place on Lake Michigan in the small town where her treasure hunting parents have finally settled down.
Originally I bought this because the author is from my hometown and that intrigued me. But I quickly realized that I would enjoy this no matter who wrote it or where it takes place.
It features a romance that was interesting and only a bit steamy,but still good and a mystery that kept me guessing. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the writing and pace were pretty perfect.
It was a listen for me and that was a 5 star narration by the wonderful Kate Rudd. She's quickly became one of my favorite female narrators.
Highly recommended for romantic suspense or contemporary romance readers.
Originally I bought this because the author is from my hometown and that intrigued me. But I quickly realized that I would enjoy this no matter who wrote it or where it takes place.
It features a romance that was interesting and only a bit steamy,but still good and a mystery that kept me guessing. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the writing and pace were pretty perfect.
It was a listen for me and that was a 5 star narration by the wonderful Kate Rudd. She's quickly became one of my favorite female narrators.
Highly recommended for romantic suspense or contemporary romance readers.
November 15, 2017
This is not my type of read, i do like mysteries and treasure hunters, but i think this book was aiming more of a female audience, i got boring for time to time like i said before im not the targeted audience.
This book is about a girl raised in a treasure hunter family, she spend her hole life caught in boats and dives while her parents look for treasures, her hole life changed when she was old enough to live by her own and she left the treasure hunting and adventures in the past, but all of that changed when her current bf breakup with her due to a miss information on one of the treasures of her ancestors her new life came tumbling down and a bold move of purchasing an old lighthouse of her childhood uncovered the lost story and treasure of her great grand father.
If you grab that concept it doesn’t sound that bad, but is not the book that i was looking for, lets be clear is not bad just a little heavy on my taste, its nice just nice.
This book is about a girl raised in a treasure hunter family, she spend her hole life caught in boats and dives while her parents look for treasures, her hole life changed when she was old enough to live by her own and she left the treasure hunting and adventures in the past, but all of that changed when her current bf breakup with her due to a miss information on one of the treasures of her ancestors her new life came tumbling down and a bold move of purchasing an old lighthouse of her childhood uncovered the lost story and treasure of her great grand father.
If you grab that concept it doesn’t sound that bad, but is not the book that i was looking for, lets be clear is not bad just a little heavy on my taste, its nice just nice.
May 19, 2017
Suspense. Mystery. Romance. Three of my favorite things. The Lighthouse Keeper is perfectly paced with just enough intrigue, danger & sexual tension to keep you turning the pages late into the night. A well-written journey of self discovery and familial redemption. The big screen is calling for this one!
March 23, 2018
This book was cute and fluffy. Definitely what I would consider a "feel good" book. The mystery was fun and the charcters are endearing. By the end everything is tied up in a nice and neat HEA.
Audio: I enjoyed the narrator.
Preferred 1.5x speed.
Audio: I enjoyed the narrator.
Preferred 1.5x speed.
January 18, 2018
Loved this book! Lots of Mystery, Romance and Danger. Also there was humor. The audio seemed a bit dry.
June 24, 2021
This one has everything you need in a good summer story. A little mystery to solve, a little summer house fixer upper, and of course a little romance ♥
April 6, 2017
Read my thoughts on this book and listen to my interview with Cynthia Ellingsen at
http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb...
http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb...
May 4, 2019
I loved this book!
March 24, 2020
3.5 - A nice romantic suspense book.
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