Life’s been rough lately for Noelle Payne, but she’s not one to let negativity rule. So, she lost her job? She’ll find another one. The bank foreclosed on the house? Well, she can live out of her car for a while. There’s always an upside to be found…but now Noelle needs to find something to give her life meaning. She owes it to the universe to figure it out, too, because a stranger just saved her life.
When Liam Kallen’s wife died, his goal-scoring ability died with her. After a trade from the only pro hockey team he’s ever played for, he’s now playing for the NHL’s Portland Storm. Everyone said he needed a change of scenery, but nothing changes until he rescues Noelle. All of a sudden, the world once again looks bright and he’s lighting the lamp like he used to.
Noelle’s cheerful disposition is just the bit of sunlight Liam needs in his life. He wants to give her everything she needs because she’s everything he wants. The problem? She doesn’t believe she needs anything…at least nothing material. The one thing they both know she truly needs—a real purpose—also happens to be the one thing he doesn’t know how to give her. If he can’t help her find that, she might walk away and take all her sunshine with her.
My review:
In Light the Lamp, Liam and Noelle are both grieving major losses in their life in different ways. Liam lost his wife almost 2 years ago, and Noelle lost her parents about 6 years ago, and more recently, she lost her home. Liam and Noelle meet under the most unusual of circumstance, and Liam saves Noelle from suffering the same fate of his wife.
Throughout the development of the relationship between Liam and Noelle, we find two people whose biggest struggle is learning the love language of the other. Liam's love language is clearly giving gifts and Noelle struggles because she feels that she is taking advantage of Liam as a result. What Noelle needed him to give her wasn't gifts - but himself. Noelle's need to feel needed is deep rooted and her struggle with accepting help goes much deeper than her relationship with Liam. It creates a stubbornness in her that frustrates the reader as she doesn't accept fundamental help that she clearly needs. Thankfully her friends, and her brothers, finally got through to her.
I loved Liam's all encompassing feelings and emotions in his relationship with Noelle. Despite her continued accusations about his holding something back, the emotions he showed her, and us, were real.
I did feel that the action that brought Noelle back was a bit "contrite" - because Liam could stand up in front of a group and tell a story, she decides to take him back. Her demands for "his everything" was a bit much and frustrating to this reader as a result.
I continue to love Jamie (Babs) in this story. He often demonstrates a maturity much more than many of the older characters in the story. He is the comic relief, and the grounding influence on many players / characters in these stories. I would say he has an "old soul" and I look forward to continuing to get to know him in subsequent stories.
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