Point Surrender - Anne Carter (Kindle)

There is nothing more romantic, breathtaking, haunting, regal and historic than a lighthouse. As some of you may have deduced from my months of lighthouse photos on Wordless Wednesday, I have a fascination with them that goes beyond owning a coffee table book or wall calendar. These majestic guardians put me in a zen, hypnotic state. When I noticed a recent blog tour of an author that appeared to have the same obsession, I started following her around the tour and her website like a homeless puppy. Turns out, Pam Ripling (writing as Anne Carter) has just released a new novel titled "Point Surrender", where an abandoned lighthouse is the cornerstone of the plot. I grabbed my Kindle, and in 3.2 seconds, the book was mine.

Amy has just discovered that her fiance (and unsuspecting father of her newly-conceived baby) has been cheating on her. She packs her few possessions, and runs from their shared condo in Carmel to her brother's apartment in San Francisco for respite. She learns that her brother has recently become engaged, and has purchased an old abandoned lighthouse, located in a small town a bit north of S.F., that he will refurbish and eventually call home. (Let's just call this one of my uber-fantasies!) Before one can of paint is purchased, though, her brother is involved in a boat accident that leaves him comatose.

Amy takes charge, renting a room in a B&B in the small town, getting a job as a waitress in the local rib joint, and starts to renovate the lighthouse while waiting for her brother to regain consciousness. She meets the handsome Case McKenna, a man who has taken a leave of absence from his work, and is running from demons of his past. The two find chemistry and maybe more, but are fighting an uphill battle of secrets kept hidden, misunderstandings, and bad timing.

And while all of this drama is unfolding around us, subtle mysteries of the lighthouse begin to drift gently through the cracks of the storyline. Tales of tragic lovers leaping into the ocean, an unsettled keeper's wife, deadly accidents, unrequited love, unexplained sightings of a presence on the cliffs, a matchbox car rolling unaided from a closet.

Eventually, both plot threads crash headlong into each other all full speed, in an exploding climax. All is revealed, and though it was a bit predictable, it was thoroughly satisfying.

What we have here is a thoroughly enjoyable and swift read, with equal parts romance, drama and supernatural. The romantic interactions are current and not too sticky sweet, there is a bit of sex but not explicit, there is little (if any) bad language, and the spooky parts are very subtle. This is a one-book-pleases-all comfort read for snuggling up in bed, a day at the beach, or a few hours on a plane.

For those interested, the photo on the front of the book is the Heceta Head Lighthouse on the coast of Oregon. It is this lighthouse, and many others on the west coast, that have inspired Pam Ripling to write about them. Check out her website here.

4 out of 5 stars