I was drawn to the book because I am huge fan of lighthouses. The story of Hannah taking care of the lighthouse by herself was fascinating. She worked so hard to do the right thing and be the person God wanted her to be. But tough situations kept pounding on her door. This made for a constant test of her faith. Colleen's book portrays the realities of the Revolutionary War times. An extremely trying time for so many reasons. The history of the times caused me to make a reality check and realize life now is filled with difficulty, but not the kind poor Hannah had to face. Birch Meredith adds a whole other dimension to the story. I'm pretty sure he'd be swoon worthy in person. This story has several layers that all intertwine perfectly. I learned that this is a book Colleen wrote years ago. How exciting that it's finally published. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ms. Coble is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint with Freedom’s Light. This book has a great plot, characters and setting. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC. This is my unbiased review.

Freedom's light is a historical Christian fiction romance set in the Revolutionary War time frame. Hannah Thomas is a young girl who has married a lightkeeper, John Thomas. John is called to war and leaves Hannah to care for the light and their home. When John does not return, Hannah is left to care for the light and try to find God's path for her life. Many people come into Hannah's story that help direct her life and path.

I have not read a Colleen Coble book before this one. I started reading this one afternoon and finished it within a day. The author wove together an intriguing tale that had mystery, love, and faith. I could not put this book down. I love to read Historical Fiction but this is the first time I have read any stories that were during the Revolutionary War. What a great time period for such a tale. I love to read about lighthouses and lightkeepers so this book was right in my wheelhouse.

Hannah is a strong character and her past and present wove together into such a lively tale. I love how her character was able to face many challenges with the grace of God and continues to display her faith for those around her. I truly can't wait to read more from this author. Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Freedom's Light
With the backdrop of the Revolutionary War we have a tale of romance, spies, illicit love and religion. Set in Massachusetts Hannah becomes a widow and is now the lighthouse keeper on a lonely piece of land. Her sister Lydia has come to stay with her, to keep the loneliness at bay, but Lydia has other ideas. With her love for a British soldier, Galen, who himself is interested in Hannah, she manages to throw herself at him and gets banished from Massachusetts. Finding Galen in New York, she rushes to his side hoping to marry him. But Galen is not the man she thought he was. Then we have Birch, posing as a British soldier, yet actually a spy for the colonials. We see the strict orthodoxy of the Puritans, the soft romance of two people coming together and the illicit love and treachery of another. Love, faith and integrity were equally tested. This is a book that once I started reading I couldn't put down. Methinks you will enjoy it too!
My thanks to Thomas Nelson through NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was NOT required. These are my honest opinions.

The beginning of this book swept me into the Revolutionary War time period. Unfortunately, the book lost my interest once the lead male began using profanity. He wasn’t the only one to do so, either. And the expletives! They came almost regularly in the second half of the book.

This homosexual comment was inexcusable for the Christian genre: “Birch, are you a lover of men instead of women?” It felt wrong for the time period as well. This comment is the reason this book didn’t even get two stars from me.

While I thought, from the back-cover copy, that Hannah was to be the lead, her sister Lydia completely stole the show with her obsessive, bold, and immature personality. Galen also took over the main male perspective with his psychopathy. Neither character were likable, so the plot became a real struggle for me when it became clear the story was more about them than Hannah and Birch.

I also really had a difficult time with all the sexual content. This story was saturated in it, featuring unwed sex and pregnancy and lewd comments and lost reputations and mistresses. It’s been a long time since I have read a story that made me feel this dirty when I was finished with it.

Of course, this line didn’t help at all, as it was gross and very dirty-minded: “Nevertheless, he enjoyed the press of her lithe young body and only grudgingly let her go.”

I really hope someone gets something good out of this book, because I had a hard time digging through all the sludge to unbury it.

I did like Hannah, though. She stuck to her moral code throughout the story, and I loved her protective heart. If it weren’t for the weighty amount of other things that bothered me, I would have given the book another star just because she was such an enjoyable character.

Rating: 1 star

Freedom's Light is different from the romantic suspense that most people are used to reading from Colleen Coble. This book is a historical romance that takes place during the time of the American Revolution. No mystery as to who the villain is in this novel. You know from the very start who this person is. There is a tiny bit of suspense at the end. I predicted how it would end and I was right.
You will not regret reading this book if you enjoy historical romance. You will love Hannah and Birch's story. Freedom's Light will be released on September 11, 2018.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A stirring tale with plenty of drama and romance! Set during the turbulent time of the American Revolution on the Massachusetts coast, with a colorful cast of characters, it had the feel of a classic novel. A brave, loyal young woman takes on the duties of lighthouse keeper as her husband goes off to war.

“Sometimes. I would love to sail to exotic ports, to see how others live.” She sighed. “Instead God has put me here on this rocky coast for some purpose.”

Hannah is a great character whose circumstances test her faith, loyalty, personal strength and integrity. She rises to the challenges presented, stalwartly holding to her faith, though others around her continually seem to test her. I love how she shares her faith, honestly living it out, despite the critics and the consequences. I really hoped she would get a happy ending. The romances were quite a contrast and source of drama-- love vs lust, sacrificial vs shallow.

Recommend for mature readers due to adult subject matter. Historical romance fans will probably enjoy this the most.

FREEDOM'S LIGHT by COLLEEN COBLE is an historical suspense novel which takes place in America in the late 1700's during the War of Independence.
Hannah Thomas is only eighteen when she is left alone to tend the lighthouse at Gurnet Point on the coast of Massachusets. Her husband, John, leaves her to go and fight for his country, and she is widowed almost straight away. She is very lonely and sends for her younger sister, Lydia, to come and keep her company. This has a profound influence on her life as Lydia is headstrong and opinionated and is enamoured with everything British!
Hannah's life changes again radically when captain Birch Meredith is washed up on shore and she literally saves his life.
Things are not always as they seem, the plot is complicated and exciting, and I am not going to tell you any more about the story as I do not want to spoil the read for you.
The difference between Hannah's simple, yet sincere, faith in God, and the rigid, legalistic, cruelty of the church elders, is well brought out. The subject of forgiveness is also addressed.
I was given a free copy of the book by Thomas Nelson from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are completely my own.