The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

The New York Stewarts have fallen on hard times. News recently came to the prominent family that Mr. Stewart was killed in a diamond mine collapse. Her husband's business partner, Mr. Bennett, says the mine is not producing well. The only way out of financial difficulty is a union of the Stewart and Bennett families.
There was to have been a marriage between Eleanor Stewart and Bennett's son, Harrison, out in California. But now Eleanor is dead under suspicious circumstances. Mrs. Stewart presses Olivia to take her sister's place in the arranged marriage.
Olivia agrees to go to Mercy Falls, CA but uses her titled name, Lady Devonworth. She plans to investigate her sister's death before she reveals her true identity.
There is an attempt on her life before she even reaches the town. She is rescued by Harrison Bennett whom she believes was involved in her sister's death. As she attempts to find out what really happened to her sister she begins to fall for Harrison, and he for her. The situation is complicated as he does not know her true identity. She is dismayed when she hears him say he would never marry a Stewart.
Harrison loves to fly his new aeroplane and Olivia goes for a ride with him. The plane has been sabotaged and it crashes. While the two survive relatively unharmed, it becomes apparent that someone is out to kill Olivia. Is Harrison at the root of all the trouble?
This is a great historical romance and mystery. I was kept wondering until the very end. While this is the third in a series, characters from the earlier books are only minor in this story so this book easily stands on its own. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

I received an egalley of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers for the purpose of this review.

Thomas Nelson Publishers, 304 pages