Pirates & Privateers: Sarita Leone's Books

Samuel Fisher hopes to make his way in the world as captain of a merchant ship in 1745. Those dreams are dashed after pirates capture the Henrietta. They chain him and Zeke, his younger brother, to the deck, and then, in the midst of a storm, the ship sinks. He washes ashore at Lobster Cove, where a young widow named Lizzie nurses him back to health. He blames himself for placing Zeke’s life in jeopardy and, each day, he prays his brother will wash up on the beach. If Zeke doesn’t, Sam will be alone and adrift in a land he does not know and where he is a stranger.

Healing comes naturally to Elizabeth Sweet; it is a skill that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. Since Lizze’s husband died at sea, her skill allows her a way to provide for herself and her six-year-old son Ned. While she waits for the stranger to awaken, her neighbor appears with new bruises – a clear indication that Brynn MacDonnell’s husband has been abusing her again. But Brynn is Frank’s wife and there is little anyone can do to help her. So Lizzie lends a helping hand as she can, while praying for Brynn and her family.

Once Sam is up and about, the leaders of Lobster Cove question him. They accept his word as truth . . . until another man washes ashore. Sam identifies him as one of the pirates, but the newcomer says Sam is the pirate. There doesn’t seem to be any way to prove which man is lying. In her heart, Lizzie doesn’t believe Sam is a cold-blooded murderer, and Ned is certain he is not a pirate. But Frank believes the newcomer tells the truth and the two men strike up an acquaintance. When Frank turns up dead, Sam becomes the chief suspect.

The Pirate’s Prize is a mix of romance, intrigue, and mystery, and Leone deftly interweaves these elements into a fast-paced tale that soon captures your heart and transports you back in time to a village by the sea. At only eighty-four pages, the book is a quick, satisfying read that tackles difficult issues without getting bogged down in details or sounding like you’re being preached to. The skillfully-drawn characters soon make you a welcome visitor to Lobster Cove.