Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman

From the author of Wildflower Hill, this breathtaking novel travels more than a century between two love stories set in the Australian seaside town of Lighthouse Bay.

In 1901, a ship sinks off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The only survivor is Isabella Winterbourne, who clutches a priceless gift meant for the Australian Parliament. This gift could be her ticket to a new life, free from the bonds of her husband and his overbearing family. But whom can she trust in Lighthouse Bay?

Fast-forward to 2011: after losing her lover, Libby Slater leaves her life in Paris to return to her hometown of Lighthouse Bay, hoping to gain some perspective and grieve her recent loss. Libby also attempts to reconcile with her sister, Juliet, to whom she hasn’t spoken in twenty years. Libby did something so unforgivable, Juliet is unsure if she can ever trust her sister again.

In these two adventurous love stories, both Isabella and Libby must learn that letting go of the past is the only way to move into the future. The answers they seek lie in Lighthouse Bay.

Lighthouse Bay starts with three women who are emotionally broken.  They are all trying to deal with the loss of loved ones (one a baby, one a lover, one a fiancé).  There are a lot of dark times at the beginning of the story, which are represented by the many storms that occur.  Every character that is introduced seems to have a secret and a sorrow.  Libby and her sister, Juliet, try to rebuild their relationship which has been broken for 20 years.  Isabella tries to recover from the loss of her baby and the shipwreck.  Through the mystery of the shipwreck, Libby finds that she is able to overcome her grief, but it is forgiveness and reconciliation that are hard to achieve.    When Libby meets Damien at the lighthouse, he sets in motion the path to happiness.  By finding Isabella’s story, Libby and Juliet find that they can finally move forward.  Isabella finds that by finally finding love and talking about her grief, she is able to move on.   

The topics that are dealt with in this book are all ones we can relate to - death, guilt, sorrow, grief, forgiveness and finally love and happiness.  Kimberley Freeman deals with all of these topics in a vivid and descriptive manner.  I could actually see Isabella carrying her burden over the sand.  I could see Libby panicking while diving to the Aurora wreck.  I could smell Juliet baking scones as she talked to Damien about the death of her fiancé.  This book was a page turner and I actually wanted to read faster to find out what was happening to each character. I loved this book and would highly recommend it!!! Actually it is on my must read again list!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Stephanie