The Lightkeeper

Jesse Morgan, isolated by sense of duty and years of self-imposed penance, is lighthouse keeper of Cape Disappointment in Washington territory, ca. 1876. A simple log entry, ""Recovered one survivor, a female...,"" will change his life forever. With mythic styling, Wiggs (Beauty and the Beast) creates a tempest-tossed, illiterate, pregnant young Irishwoman, Mary Dare, who will teach Jesse that life is for friendship, forgiveness and compassion. To build trust, each must share secrets and confront fears, romance tropes that Wiggs choreographs masterfully. Charming secondary characters add vitality with their tales and sea legends, but most assertive is the captivating sense of place, one that creates an atmospheric energy from start to finish. (Oct.)