Phoebe’s Light

Fisher (The Return) opens the Nantucket Legacy series with this charming tale of a sea-loving Quaker woman in 1767 Massachusetts. Phoebe Starbuck comes from a proud family of whalers—that is, except for her debt-ridden, hapless father, who tends sheep on Nantucket. Anxious to experience the sea for herself, adventurous Phoebe has her heart set on marrying Phineas Foulger, the handsome captain of the Fortuna. Leaving behind her aging father as he tries his hand at yet another risky business venture, Phoebe marries Phineas and sets sail on his whaling ship. When seasickness and loneliness make the journey more difficult than she expected, Phoebe turns to her great-grandmother’s journal for inspiration and discovers a secret that forces her question her safety on the Fortuna. After Phoebe mysteriously becomes ill, comfort comes unexpectedly from crew member Matthew Macy—a friend from her youth whom she rejected for his lack of Christian faith. Matthew cares for Phoebe as she regains her strength, causing her to wonder whether he is a changed man. The story is filled with twists grounded in generations of family history. Fisher weaves together a pleasing romance that sets a high standard for future series installments. Agent: Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary. (Feb.)