Freedom's Light by Colleen Coble {Book Review}

I have been a fan of Colleen Coble's books for quite awhile. She is one of the few contemporary fiction authors that I enjoy reading. She only has a few historical fiction books, so imagine my surprise when I was sent Freedom's Light, an inspirational historical fiction book set in the Revolutionary War, to review. I hoped that it would have the intriguing plot that I have come to love in her books. Join me today, as I share my review of this new release!

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Book Synopsis

Freedom's Light is set in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War. The lead character is Hannah Thomas, the lighthouse keepers' wife  Hannah is a passionate Loyalist, doing her best to keep the lighthouse fire's burning, while her much older husband Thomas is at war. Her life changes when she receives word that her husband is killed in one of the first battles of the war. Now determined to fulfill the job she was given, she decides to remain in Massachusetts and keep the lighthouse working to help her fellow Americans. Because of the isolation of the location, she writes to her parents asking if her younger sister Lydia would be able to come and stay with her. Little did she know this would change everything.

Lydia is in love with Galen, the man that Hannah chose to leave behind when she ran away to marry John Thomas. Galen is still obsessed with Hannah and wants her back, especially since her husband is now dead. But Lydia is sure that Galen will see that Hannah is nothing compared to her. And decides to do everything in her power to have Galen for herself--little knowing that Hannah would give everything to keep Lydia from being touched by the evil she herself discovered in Galen. 

One stormy night, a shipwreck off the shore of the lighthouse brings sea captain Birch Meredith to Hannah's door, and although he's a hated Tory, Hannah cannot prevent herself from being drawn to this dark-eyed man. 

Set in the middle of the events of the Revolutionary War, this book will weave the stories of Hannah, Birch, Lydia, and Galen all together in a tumultuous story of obsession, betrayal, revenge, freedom, redemption, and love. 

My Thoughts on Freedom's Light

I am happy to say that Colleen Coble's style of suspense and drama kept this book from being "just another love story" in the way I've come to expect. Bad things happened to the characters that made me just cringe. It was so hard to not want to just shake Lydia for her stupidity and obsession. So many times, I kept saying to myself that I was sure the author had based HER Lydia off the Lydia in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I wouldn't be surprised if she did--the two Lydias have MUCH in common. 

My heart hurt for Hannah, as she tried so hard to keep Lydia from making mistakes that would ruin her life. How many times do we ourselves try to "save" someone who unfortunately has to learn the hard way time and time again? 

I loved Birch, even in his weakness, and abhorred Galen in his vileness. At least there was a really really good villain in this book. LOL. 

While the novel is an inspirational fiction, the message it is trying to lead you to is woven very well into the story, so I think that even if someone wasn't a huge fan of the Christian fiction genre, they would still enjoy the book itself. This is NOT a fluffy book. The characters are very flawed in their humanity and that is one of the things I love most about this author's books. 

Finally, I will admit that the book brought me to tears at the end. While I had a sneaking suspicion of how it was going to end, it still moved me when it finally happened. And because I was moved to tears, I happily will give this book...

Freedom's Light earns 5 ★

One last thing...while it doesn't talk about it inappropriately, this book DOES make mention of sex in the sense of "giving" of one's self to someone else. Or it takes you to the point where the door would then be closed. Words like "doxy" and "mistress" are used. Because of that, I would NOT recommend this book to a younger reader. Now again, there isn't anything risque by my definition, but I just wanted to mention it so someone could be forewarned. I would rate the subject matter of the book itself more...hmmm. PG-13. 

*****

I'm very happy that Colleen Coble brought this manuscript out of its 18 year hiding place so that it could be published. It is a delightful collection to her few historical fiction novels...and if you love historical fiction AND love Colleen Coble's style, you will enjoy this book. 

Freedom's Light

by Colleen Coble

Available in Print and Kindle on Amazon

Would you like to explore more of Colleen Coble's books?