The Lighthouse at the Cove - Book Review

Amy Clipston has quickly become one of my favorite small town romance authors over the past year. Her newest book, The Lighthouse at the Cove, is much like her other contemporary romances - sweet with a whole lot of heart. If you enjoy Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor series or Clipston's Second Chance at Sunshine Inn, you'll love The Lighthouse at the Cove.

Plot Summary

When travel writer Kaiah Ross's car breaks down in Coral Cove with no hope of being repaired any time soon, she accepts Reid Turner's offer to stay at his garage apartment. The firefighter and his adorable daughter quickly invite her into their lives and she's charmed both by the family and the town they live in. For the first time in years, she feels like she's at home.

Reid Turner never intended to fall in love with the vivacious writer, but Kaiah fits seamlessly into his life and steals his daughter's heart faster than he can blink. When Coral Cove's annual fundraiser festival is in danger of being canceled, he and Kaiah team up to save a historic lighthouse and promote the festival. While Kaiah seems to care for his family and community, would she be willing to change her life in order to be with him? As Kaiah pitches in to help the town pull off the festival, she has to choose between her potential new family or a job choice that could bring her career to the next level.

Personal Thoughts

Kaiah and Reid were such a fun couple. I loved all the little, everyday things they did together like making breakfast, taking walks, and watching movies. While their romance wasn’t full of grand gestures, it was sweet and understated. All their moments with Piper (Reid's daughter) made it seem like they were a family.

Clipston nailed the small town feel in this book. It was cute seeing the whole town pitch in so the festival could go on. While I personally feel like there was more "telling" than "showing", it didn't detract from the story.

(And I know this is dorky, but I’m so happy Kaiah got George back in the end!)

Notes

Steam Level: 💋

Ramblings Inspired by the Book

At the core of this novel is the classic message "home is where the heart is", but Clipston highlights it in a unique way. Kaiah hasn't felt at home since her mom passed and she isn't close with most of her family, so she has focused a lot of time on her career. When she comes to Coral Cove and integrates into the tight-knit community, she starts to feel like she's found home again. It wasn't because she caught a cute fireman (though that certainly didn't hurt), but she became involved in Coral Cove's residents.

I think this points to a vital aspect of home. So often home is construed as a carefully decorated house or a perfect family and social group that has fun together on weekends. But there's more to home than the physical building and the activities everyone participates in. It's the people we spend the time with and invest our time in that makes a place feel like home.

Kaiah found out that at the end of the day, while careers are nice, what's really going to enrich our lives is the people in it. If she ever really wanted to feel at home somewhere, she would have to invest herself in a community and in the people God put in her life. The same is true with us. Home truly is where our hearts are - a place where we connect with the people around us and get involved in a community.

For those of you who have read The Lighthouse at the Cove, what did you think of it? For those who have not read it, would you? Tell me in the comments below!