Hearts Made Whole

Caroline Taylor has helped her father tend the lighthouse at Windmill Point on Lake St. Clair for years, but when her father drowns in a storm, she and her younger siblings—Tessa, just turned 18; Sarah, who is 13 and critically ill; and 10-year-old twin brothers—must leave the lighthouse and the job she loves. When a man arrives to take her position, she knows right off he is in no shape to care for the light. Ryan Chambers is fresh from the Civil War’s Iron Brigade, wounded in body and spirit and hoping the lighthouse job will help him heal. Caroline and Ryan’s first meeting doesn’t bode well, but as they begin to know each other, each finds a kindred heart in the other. But throw in Ryan’s addictions, an unlikely suitor for Caroline, dangerous happenings around the lighthouse, a bully’s threats, and an intimate betrayal, and the road to wholeness is nearly ruined. Readers will find a tangle of plot lines that may cause whiplash, but Hedlund has gathered fans since her career began with The Preacher’s Bride, and this third in the Beacons of Hope series will surely add to her base. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary Management. (June)