Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright

Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright
Stand-alone Novel
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers, April 1, 2025

REVIEW BY JOAN HALL

I’ve always had a fascination with lighthouses. When I learned Jamie Jo Wright’s latest release was set in a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I immediately preordered a copy. After all, Lake Superior never “gives up her dead.” (Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is a sad account of that fact.)

Shea Radclyffe is the author of nonfiction books featuring the history and legends of obscure places. She travels to Annabel’s Lighthouse, now a bed and breakfast. The place is shrouded in mystery and lore and said to be haunted by its namesake, Annabel, who died in the early 1850s.

In 1874, a woman wakes up lying on a grave, unable to remember who she is. Her only clue is a pendant bearing the name Rebecca. Battered and bruised, she’s found by Edgar, the keeper of Annabel’s Lighthouse, who takes her there to hide and protect her. He’s assisted in his endeavours by his assistant, Abel, and Abel’s mother, Niina. Because of her failed memory, Rebecca is unsure if she can trust anyone.

She also wants to escape her failing marriage and predictable husband, Pete. She feels an attraction to Holt Nelson, the current lighthouse owner, who seems to understand her better than her husband. She’s a bit perturbed when Pete shows up.

Determined to learn about Annabel, Shea begins to interview local citizens. Many are reluctant to talk, especially about the supposed suicide of the previous lighthouse owner, Jonathan Marks. Shea also learns about Rebecca. Many locals say Annabel doesn’t want people looking into the past or snooping around the lighthouse, and Shea soon finds her own life in danger.

Shea couldn’t help the spark of intrigue that lit her soul. This is what she loved about writing books and gathering old tales—true ones or otherwise. These were the stories that would die someday if they weren’t passed along.

Jaime Jo Wright, Tempest of Annabel’s Lighthouse

I love how Wright wove the stories of Annabel, Rebecca, and Shea together. In chapter openings, she uses lines from Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee. The faith elements are light, but are present.

One thing about Wright’s books is that she always writes surprising endings. I’m still stunned by this one. I never saw it coming!

I give Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse five well-deserved fish.

I purchased the Kindle version of Tempest of Annabel’s Lighthouse through Amazon.