Freedom’s Light

Coble (The Inn at Ocean’s Edge) weaves a suspense-filled romance set during the Revolutionary War. Before the war, 18-year-old Hannah Thomas rejected loyalist Lieutenant Galen Wright’s offer of marriage—instead marrying an older lighthouse keeper who she viewed as a safe option. When her husband leaves to fight for the revolutionaries, Hannah Thomas is left in charge of the lighthouse on the rocky Massachusetts coast. Lonely, she invites her younger sister, Lydia, a Loyalist who dreams of marrying a British soldier, to come stay with her. En route from New York, Lydia searches for Galen, determined to win him for herself—even if it means compromising her virtue. But after Hannah’s husband is killed in battle, Galen uses Lydia’s interest to lead him to Hannah. Meanwhile, British Captain Birch Meredith is a spy for Washington’s army. He has lost his faith in God and is determined to avenge his brother’s death at British hands. After Birch’s ship crashes near the lighthouse, Hannah rescues him and nurses him back to health, even though she believes him to be fighting for the British. Coble’s fine historical novel introduces a strong heroine—both in faith and character—that will appeal deeply to readers. (Sept.)