I love "Diane Chamberlain" books so this was no surprise that is was another hit. I found it a little hard to get started but then it just kept getting harder to put down. This is the second book in her trilogy and I can't wait for the last one.

The Kiss River lighthouse off the North Carolina Outer Banks has deteriorated to the point that the Fresnel lens lies beneath the water. Outsider Gina Higgins wants to raise the lens over the objections of most of the locals.

However, siblings Lacey and Clay O'Neill support Gina in her endeavor. The disturbed Lacey, an artist, takes Gina into her home, the former lighthouse keeper's residence, hoping that the enthusiast visitor will awaken the grieving Clay, a widower mourning his wife, out of his stupor. As Gina pursues her quest, she digs into the history of the small town that links to her family's past.

The second Lighthouse novel, KISS RIVER, is a well-written contemporary romance that uses an American heritage as a focal point for the tale. When the tale stays in the present, the audience receives a strong plot as debate ensues over the merit of raising the lens along with a delightful romance between two deserving individuals. When a subplot that occurred during WW II takes center stage, this tale seems diverging from a powerful robust story in which either subplot could have stood on its own but not together. Still Diane Chamberlain furbishes an intriguing novel that will send the audience seeking the debut story (see KEEPER OF THE LIGHT).

Harriet Klausner

Gina has made it her quest, her very life's work, raise the Fresnel lens that lit up the lighthouse beacon on the historic and beautiful Kiss River, despite the fact that most of the local residents believe it belongs at the bottom of the sea. She does find allies in the form of the O'Neills, Lacey, a troubled artist with a promiscuity problem, and her brother, widower Clay, who is lost in grief for his late wife. Lacey takes Gina into their home, hoping against all odds that she will be the one to light up her brother's darkened soul.

Gina's quest to raise the beacon involves not only locating it, but delving into the secrets of the small town's past, that tie in with her own heritage. Long buried truths are to be painfully revealed, and the true nature of her desperate search will bring about pain and healing both. It is a race against time, for a child's life is hanging in the balance.

**** Interspersed with the main plot in the present is the diary of a young woman who lived and loved over half a century ago. To some, these entries will be tender and insightful, adding richness and color to the already moving story. Others will find them distracting and hard to integrate into the main story. In either case, the primary characters are ones to agonize with and whose hurt screams across the pages, so vividly are they drawn. No one can be unmoved by the all too real tale herein. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

I read Breaking the Silence and I loved it.So I bought Reflection and I really struggled to finish it.It was nothing like Breaking the Silence in style at all.I was very disappointed!

This was a great book, with many-faceted characters and some surprises along the way. My only quibble is that the main character, Rachel Huber, still goes by her maiden name even though she has been married twice. Why doesn't she use her husband's name now? Other than this point, I enjoyed the book a great deal.

I will preface this review by first saying this book has an aspect which sometimes bothers romance readers, but I will also say this book will go in my top five of all-time favorite reads. If you are adamantly opposed to infidelity in the novels you read, in any way, shape or form, you might want to skip REFLECTION. However, if you're like me and can forgive infidelity in certain circumstances read on. And remember, this book is marketed as "Fiction" rather than "Romance" probably more because of its broad range but also because of the sensitive issues. However if the concepts of lost loves, putting the past behind, forgiveness, and learning to live again appeal to you, run -- don't walk -- to find this fabulous book ASAP.

Schoolteacher Rachel Huber has returned to her hometown of Reflection, Pennsylvania, deep in Amish country, to care for her ailing grandmother. She had fled the area 21 years earlier, immediately after being involved in a horrible tragedy. Her return is bittersweet as she is not exactly made to feel welcome by many of the town members who blame her for the terrible event occurring over two decades earlier. However there is at least one very big exception - her childhood friend, Michael Stoltz. Michael, Rachel, and Luke Pierce had been inseparable in childhood. It was always known that Luke and Rachel would marry but shortly afterwards, Luke was drafted and sent to service in Vietnam. Michael, a conscientious objector, and Rachel join the Peace Corps and are sent to Rwanda. Michael and Rachel have always shared a deep friendship and love but have never acted on their romantic feelings. Michael eventually marries another woman from their town, Katy, who he doesn't love but needs to forget Rachel.

Michael lost touch with the widowed Rachel after she fled Reflection. Her family would not reveal her whereabouts. Soon he, with Katy's urging, goes to school and becomes a Mennonite minister. When Rachel arrives back in town, Michael is a much loved part of the community while Katy is in Russia working as a medical missionary as part of a trial separation between the two. It takes only one meeting between Michael and Rachel to find they still have feelings for each other. But still, both are strong and although they renew their friendship, that's as far as it goes.

Meanwhile, Rachel's octogenarian grandmother, Helen, is recovering from the injuries she suffered when she was struck by lightning while tending her garden. The widow of famed classical composer/pianist who even is the subject of a statue in the town, Peter Huber, Helen has several secrets of her own.

Diane Chamberlain skillfully layers the many facets of this spectacular novel. Readers soon have a myriad of questions which will be answered as the story progresses including what is Helen hiding in the boxes in the attic? What secrets are Rachel's former student Lily and former school principal Jacob Holt hiding? Why did Rachel's parents keep her from her grandparents for many years? And what is Marielle Hostetter's relationship to grandfather Huber? It is a testament to the talent of the author that she is able to tie things up so neatly at the end.

For a compelling read, one readers will be hesitant to put down once started, please give REFLECTION a try. Richly textured and beautifully written, it is truly a very special story and a real keeper.