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The Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble
Thomas Nelson Publishing, 19 April  2011

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?

I have read the first two Lightkeeper’s novels (Mercy Falls Series) and enjoyed them a great deal and this installment is no different. In fact, the first Colleen Coble book I ever read was The Lightkeeper’s Daughter and I have been a fan of hers ever since.

If someone were to ask me who my favourite character in this book was, I would say its Harrison Bennett, the hero of the story. I enjoyed seeing the heroine Olivia Stewart grow from a young woman accustomed to wealth and only knowing a distant and impersonal God, to a someone with deeper appreciation of what “wealth” really is and just how personal God is.  But it was Harrison that really caught my attention.

Harrison comes across as a man of integrity and honesty. Though moneyed, he does not care for it, and would prefer to follow his God-given passion for designing and flying airplanes rather than pushing papers around and making boardroom deals. He is passionate about God, ethics, truth and not settling for anything less than what God has to offer.

Coble has given readers an engaging mystery, which clips along at a lovely pace. She has done a great job of providing a compelling romance set in the lovely backdrop of Mercy Falls, California.