With lighthouse romances, ships aren’t the only ones that have to weather the storm. Love is tested as secrets from the past threaten to tear relationships apart, much like the rocky waves. The only thing guiding them is the light from the shore and their trust in each other.
For books like those, here are seven romances set in lighthouse towns.
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter by Colleen Coble
The first in a lighthouse-themed trilogy is about Addie Sullivan, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, whose world is turned upside down when a stranger shows up at the door claiming that she is the long-lost daughter of a wealthy family.
Wanting to learn more about her biological family, Addie enlists as a governess for the young boy in the family. She loves the family and finds herself falling for the young boy’s widower father, John. But as secrets of her family come to light, Addie must decide if the love she’s found is worth risking.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Adapted into a 2016 movie of the same name, the novel centers around Tom and Isabel Sherbourne, who run a lighthouse on a tiny island in Australia. The two wish to start a family, but after Isabel suffers two miscarriages and a stillbirth, it seems hopeless. Until a rowboat washes up on the shore carrying a dead man and a living baby girl.
Against Tom’s better judgment, the couple takes the girl in and christens her Lucy. When Lucy turns two, the family travels to the mainland, only to discover that their choice to keep Lucy has devastated a family.
Galaxies and Oceans by N.R. Walker
In this romance novel, a man running from his past falls in love with a grieving lightkeeper. Running from his ex-boyfriend, Ethan Hosking, walks into the path of a fire and emerges as Aubrey Hobbs. Carrying only his grandfather’s telescope, he embarks on a journey following the Southern Cross.
Aubrey crosses paths with lighthouse keeper Patrick Carney in Australia, and the two fall in love. But the two must deal with the past in order to be together.
Dauntless by Lisa Henry
In this romance mystery novel, the community on the tiny Australian Dauntless Island has lived a peaceful life with a mutinous history. Lighthouse keeper Joe Nesmith has been content with his life on Dauntless Island until the arrival of a grad student with a diary throws everything off balance.
Eddie Hawthorne came to Dauntless Island with a historical diary, exposing the community’s long, bloody history. Unless Joe and Eddie stop it, that history is destined to repeat itself.
One Man’s Art by Nora Roberts
This romance novel centers around Grant Campbell, a lighthouse keeper content with his solitary life. Until Genevieve Grandeau shows up at his doorstep seeking shelter from a storm.
While Grant is not the friendliest of hosts, there is a kindness to him that Genevieve is drawn to. Soon, the two of them might find themselves falling in love.
Far Harbor by JoAnn Ross
After discovering that her perfect marriage was anything but, Savannah Townsend returns to her hometown of Coldwater Cove in Washington. She decides to turn a lighthouse into an inn, but runs into some issues.
In addition to dealing with her grandmother’s memory loss, Savannah has to deal with the lighthouse owner, who is against the idea. Also, her sudden feelings for a man from her past.
Pelican Point by Irene Hannon
In the fourth novel in the Hope Harbor series, Army doctor Ben Garrison is disappointed to find that he has inherited a crumbling lighthouse in Hope Harbor. All he wants to do is decompress from his army career and begin his civilian life, starting with tearing down the lighthouse.
Hope Harbor Herald editor Marci Weber has begun to call this town home and is determined to save its crumbling landmark. As Marci and Ben go head-to-head over the lighthouse’s fate, unexpected sparks ignite between the two.
Follow along these stories as love shines like a beacon of light in rocky waters. Happy reading!
For more themed romances, click here.
These romances and more can be found on our Love is in the Air: Contemporary Romance shelf at Bookshop.
