Thomas Kinkade books in order

Thomas Kinkade, called "The Painter of Light "TM"" for his luminescent images of both beauty rendered and values portrayed, has been embraced by Americans nationwide. These core values of Marriage and Family, Children and Future Generations, Nature and the Environment, Spirituality, and Tradition have always been reflected in his artwork and espouse Kinkade's philosophy. Now in "Lightposts for Living". 

Kinkade explains how readers can transform their lives by following 12 simple principles, or "lightposts", that illuminate these core values. These include: Living in the light of simplicity, the light of selflessness, and the light of thankfulness, as well as living in the cozy light of home and living in the light of unfolding miracles.

Liza Martin arrives on Angel Island eager to sell off the rundown inn she inherited and return to her busy life in Boston. Back home await her unstable career as an advertising executive—and a broken marriage. Angel Island is just one more burden…

But as Liza recalls the golden summers of her childhood, she begins to second-guess herself. And she wants to know more about Daniel Merritt, the charming handyman who’s helping repair the inn, but Liza doesn’t have time for romance…or much else. Sometimes Liza sees her life flying by—and, at the same time, going nowhere. It may take a band of angels to mend her broken wings and redirect her soul...

The inn is open for business, and owner Liza Martin has booked her first event—a wedding—even though renovations aren’t completed. This brings more of attractive handyman Daniel Merritt into her life, but as Liza starts falling for him, she learns that Daniel is a man with secrets.

Liza doesn’t have time to dwell on her love life with all the wedding preparations taking place. She wants to make the event perfect, but the growing tension between the couple worries her. On the day of the wedding a storm rolls in—and the groom disappears. Everything is going wrong, and Liza needs a miracle. But, if you have faith and love, Angel Island is the sort of place where miracles can happen…

A movie crew arrives to shoot a film in Cape Light, and Angel Island provides a perfect backdrop. Liza’s inn welcomes the cast and crew, including the famous actress Charlotte Miller. Charlotte is surprisingly down to earth and is totally charmed by the island, especially the inn, where she chooses to stay instead of at more lavish accommodations. But one day, Charlotte nearly drowns and is saved by local fisherman Colin Doyle. Their attraction is instant and undeniable—even though they come from completely different worlds.

As Charlotte spends more time on the island, the relationship seems meant to be. They keep meeting up, by accident at first, then on purpose. But Colin believes he has little to offer this celebrated beauty. He doesn’t realize that Charlotte would give up her glamorous life for him and Angel Island, if only she knew his true feelings. It seems only a miracle could bring them together. Then again, with faith and love on their side, Angel Island is just the sort of place where miracles can happen.

NB: Here are the rest of the books in the series written by Katherine Spencer:

4. The Way Home (2013)

5. Harbor of the Heart (2014)

Nestled in New England is the picturesque seaside hamlet of Cape Light, where everyone knows everyone, and folks still care about one another. But Cape Lighters have their share of hidden dreams, desires, and doubts, too. 

Like Mayor Emily Warwick, who sometimes feels that her job and her identity are inseparable, and her sister and rival, Jessica, who has torn herself away from the big city’s excitement and sophistication to come home and care for their ailing mother. Or Reverend Ben, who counsels and consoles an entire town while coming to grips with his own private sorrows, and Charlie, the owner of the local diner, who isn’t shy about letting the mayor know that he is after her job.

They are friends and neighbors, doers and dreamers. They laugh and love and build their lives together in the town of Cape Light—and they will work their way into your heart…

The charming seacoast village of Cape Light is the kind of place where neighbor helps neighbor and people have the time to appreciate God’s blessings every day. Their lives are not without disappointment—even heartbreak. But there’s something special about this town—and the people in it.

Cape Light’s mayor, Emily Warwick, can’t remember the last time she let herself dream. Her days are consumed by the responsibilities of her job and the incessant demands of her elderly mother. And there’s her younger sister Jessica, who is about to walk down the aisle with a man their mother despises. 

Emily has two months to bring their mother around, but so far—even with their minister’s support—her plan isn’t working. And it doesn’t help that she’s still mourning the husband she lost and wondering what happened to the baby she gave up for adoption twenty years ago. Sometimes she thinks it would take a miracle to fill the hole in her heart.

But miracles do happen here in Cape Light. You just have to close your eyes—and believe in your dreams...

Now that the Cape Light election is over, Mayor Emily Warwick can finally focus on her burgeoning relationship with Sara—the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years ago. Seeing her after all these years has stirred up some conflicting feelings for Emily. 

While she is grateful to have Sara back in her life, she can’t help but regret their years apart. Typically she would turn to Reverend Ben for guidance, but turmoil within his own family has inspired a crisis of faith for the minister, making him question whether he is qualified to counsel his congregants. 

And then there’s the fact that Emily is slowly falling for newspaper publisher Dan Forbes, who’d been all set to leave for an extended sailing trip until an accident dashed his plans—giving him and Emily more time to develop their bond. But with two grown children of his own, would Dan ever want to start another family? Emily hopes so—because she’s eager for a second chance at life...

Ever since her bitter divorce, single mom Molly Willhoughby has felt disillusioned by matters of the heart. But then she meets newcomer Dr. Matthew Harding, who inspires her to take another look at her life. Matthew is a widower who’s come to Cape Light to make a new start for himself and his teenage daughter. He may be reluctant to risk a new relationship, but he knows if he doesn’t find a way to put the past behind him, he may miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime love. 

And Matthew and Molly aren’t the only Cape Lighters who must find a way to believe in the possibility of miracles. A surprise visitor has turned up on Tucker Tulley’s doorstep—someone not entirely welcome. It will take Reverend Ben’s guidance for Tucker and his loved ones to turn over a new leaf and let the power of forgiveness fill their hearts…

James Cameron, a minister who runs a mission in Central America, has decided to spend the holidays in Cape Light. But when his car collides with another car, a hint of trouble befalls this close-knit community. 

No one is hurt, but out-of-towner Leigh Baxter is forced to stay in town until her car is fixed. What she doesn’t expect, however, is that the charm of this beautiful seaside hamlet and its citizens will soon win her over—and that she will fall in love with James, who has so generously welcomed her into his life. But will James accept Leigh in his heart once her dark secrets come to light? 

In the meantime, Jessica and Sam Morgan’s relationship is put to the test. More than anything else this Christmas, they want a baby to call their own. But soon they’ll discover that life’s most precious gifts often come in unexpected packages...

As the spirit of the season spreads through the seaside hamlet of Cape Light, town mayor Emily receives an unexpected and precious Christmas gift: a baby girl tucked away in a decorative cradle set up outside the church, with a note begging whoever discovers the child to take care of her. 

Emily is granted temporary custody—and realizes that if the mother is not found, she badly wants to keep baby Jane as her own. But the problems and changes an adoption would bring do not sit well with her husband, Dan, who’s already raised children and does not want that responsibility again. 

Now, in the midst of the year’s most joyous season, Emily must come to terms with her duty to her family, her own feelings of regret and loss—and what her heart truly desires...

As Cape Light dwellers get ready to deck the halls for a Christmas to remember, curmudgeonly Lillian Warwick is confined to bed, injured after a nasty fall. Cared for by her daughters, Emily and Jessica, she lets her thoughts drift back to the holiday season of 1955, when she first met Oliver Warwick, the dashing man who would become her husband. Recounting those romantic early days, she is reminded of a time when she had much to be grateful for-and recognizes the mistakes she's made since. And to cap off this life-altering season, there just might be a winter wedding on the horizon.

Molly knows she’s fortunate, but after raising children who are near adulthood, she is pregnant again. With her own life just taking off she can’t conceal her disappointment—and will have to explore what she truly needs to be happy to recapture her Christmas spirit. 

Meanwhile, Miranda has found an unconscious man in her orchard, and while she nurses him back to health, an unexpected attraction develops. Can she let uncertainty back in her life again? And Reverend Ben finds his own mystery, an abandoned wooden angel statue that people believe holds miraculous powers. He’d wished for more visitors, but his church turning into a tourist attraction is more a burden than a blessing.

Christmas doesn’t always bring the things we ask for or expect. But sometimes it brings gifts more wonderful than we dreamed...

With Christmas only a few weeks away, Sam and Jessica Morgan look forward to celebrating the joyous day together. But when they’re awakened by the smoke alarm in the midst of one quiet night, they barely make it outside before their beloved house is engulfed in flames. 

Meanwhile, single mom Julie Newton and her seven-year-old daughter appear on Jack Sawyer’s doorstep, thanks to bad weather, a broken-down car, and a dead cell phone battery. And though Jack, still mourning the loss of his wife, feels none of the holiday spirit, he can’t turn them away. 

As Sam and Jessica become perpetual guests in others’ homes, trying to piece their future back together, and Jack finds his frozen heart melting day by day, it soon becomes clearer than ever that miracles can happen even in the humblest of settings.

After serving in Iraq, David has returned home to find that his widowed father has remarried. Jobless and dealing with physical injuries that may never heal, David doesn’t have much Christmas cheer, especially when Christine, his ex-girlfriend, comes to work at his father’s tree farm. Trying not to seem bitter or discouraged is even harder than the physical therapy he must undergo, and David realizes that he not only needs to heal his body but his heart as well.

Meanwhile, Lillian Warwick’s daughters are concerned about their elderly, yet fiercely independent, mother living on her own. Even her old friend, Dr. Ezra Elliot, can’t get through to her. When the tables are turned and Ezra is in need of her help, they are both surprised to find they value each other beyond just friendship. And Lillian begins to wonder if it’s still possible to let love into her life...

With the new found confidence that comes with her nursing career, Lucy realizes she doesn’t need to put up with Charlie’s nonsense anymore. But just as she’s about to call it quits, a lost looking teenager crosses her path. Seeing that the girl is sick and alone, Lucy takes her in despite Charlie’s protests. This can be the thing that makes or breaks their frayed relationship, but right now, Lucy’s main concern is getting the girl’s real story and helping her—if she’ll let Lucy in...

With a grown son embarking on his own life, and an ex-husband starting a new family, Betty realizes she’s been too busy to find her own life partner. That is until Santa bears an unexpected gift at the Rotary Club’s Christmas party—himself. Has the holiday cheer gone to her head, or is she really attracted to a struggling magazine writer who plays dress-up? Betty can tug all she wants on Santa’s beard, but unless she believes that goodness comes in different packages, she risks Santa passing her over this Christmas.

Reverend Ben has been ignoring his health recently, and it’s finally caught up with him in the form of a heart problem requiring bypass surgery. Since Ben will need six weeks of recuperation and rehab, an interim minister is assigned to the congregation. 

Reverend Isabel Lawrence is young, yet she has a quiet but steady way of connecting with the members of the church. While most of the congregation was troubled by the absence of Reverend Ben, Isabel has ultimately reassured them with her warmth and understanding.

Meanwhile, Ben has secretly been considering when he should retire. Is this health setback a sign that it’s time to start a new phase of his life? As Ben grows stronger, he starts to wonder if he’s really ready to celebrate his final Christmas as pastor. After all, Christmas is a time for giving, but retiring and presenting Isabel with his much-treasured job might be the biggest test of faith Ben has ever had to face...

Adele Morgan has made mistakes in her life. After a serious medical scare, she realizes her greatest regret is that she sat idly by while a petty dispute tore her family apart. She has returned to Cape Light determined to mend broken relations and bring everyone together for the holidays. But Adele’s arrival elicits little delight. Neither Molly Willoughby nor Sam Morgan has time for their grandmother’s plan to reconcile. It will take a miracle to unite Adele’s family. Luckily for Adele, miracles can happen at the Inn at Angel Island.

Meanwhile, there’s another visitor, a skeptic determined to debunk Angel Island’s legend. Grad student Jonathan Butler plans to prove the angel lore is nonsense and leave with a grand “bah humbug!” Stuck on the island for Christmas, he spends his time doing research in the Historical Society where he meets local undergrad Tess Wyler. It’s only a matter of time before he too falls under the island’s spell and realizes that the proof of Angel Island and Cape Light’s magic lies within.

It’s the happiest time of year, but the Christmas spirit is lost on Lillian Warwick. Her beloved Ezra’s failing health requires the help of an aide. Estrella Salazar quickly wins Ezra’s admiration, but drives Lillian absolutely crazy. When a brutal storm forces Estrella’s family to take shelter under Lillian’s roof, her humbuggery is pushed to its limits.

Amanda Harding, a recent graduate and accomplished musician, reluctantly comes home to Cape Light and hopes to find a seat in a big-city symphony. In the meantime, the job of music director at Reverend Ben’s church seems good enough. 

Unfortunately, she must share her practice space with Gabriel Bailey, the rough-around-the-edges craftsman. But something rare and wonderful flourishes between them. When Amanda is offered an opportunity to perform far from Cape Light, Gabriel encourages her to pursue it. But must she choose between her music and losing Gabriel forever?

As Christmas nears, Lillian and Amanda both hearken to the sound of their favorite carols, but soon learn that sometimes the sweetest songs of Christmas are still waiting to be sung…

NB: Here are the rest of the books in the series written by Katherine Spencer:

15. All Is Bright (2014)

16. Together for Christmas (2015)

17. Because It's Christmas (2016)

18. Christmas Blessings (2017)

19. A Christmas Secret (2018)

20. When Christmas Comes (2019)

21. One Bright Christmas (2020)