hearts made whole

The publisher describes the book this way:  "After her father's death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren't supposed to have such roles, so it's only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper--even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her. Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He's secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation--the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He's not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who's angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he's in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he's unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope...and possibly love?"

Set in 1865 at a lighthouse in Michigan, this fictional tale is very well told.  As with many good novels, you can practically feel yourself living life alongside the main characters.  You feel their struggles with loss, shame, fear, love, and faith.  There are also several historical contexts highighted in the book, so readers will get a glimpse of community struggles with gender roles, prohibition, and even rooster fighting.  Hedlund quietly weaves scriptures and hymns throughout the story to highlight messages of faith in times of fear and struggle - a great message for us all to remember!  I really liked the tale of self-discovery, overcoming challenges, family loyalty and love.

The story  is part of the "Beacons of Hope" series, so I look forward to reading more!  I would recommend this book to any reader age 17+.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.