Book 41 - 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Book 41

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Sails on the Horizon

A Novel of the Napoleonic Wars

Jay Worrall

2005

Exciting times at sea with the British Navy!

A bit of background from the Foreword:

"The era often thought as the napoleonic wars covers a period of roughly twenty-two years, from February 1, 1793, when Revolutionary France declared war on Britain, to June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo.  This was a titanic struggle - arguably the first worldwide war - between France, western Europe's most populous country, and Great Britain, the world's richest.  Napoleon Bonaparte, whose personality and abilities came to dominate the period, does not become a prominent figure until about 1799."

This story features twenty-five-year-old Charles Edgemont, a second lieutenant aboard HMS Argonaut, the smallest ship in the British line of battle in 1797.  Sent into an all-but-suicidal maneuver to cut off the escape of Spanish ships, Charles leads his gun crews bravely - until the deaths of the captain and the first lieutenant elevate him to command of the stricken vessel.  

Thanks to the prize purse awarded him by the Admiralty after the fight, Charles becomes wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. While home on medical leave from his injuries during the battle he's able to help his brother save the family estate, heavily in debt after the recent death of his father. He also meets a young woman, Penelope Brown, with whom he falls in love.  Penelope is a Quaker who regards war as sinful and soldiers as little better than murderers, so Charles has a hard time convincing her to marry him! He is also elevated to the rank of Commander and given charge of another ship, which leads to further battles and adventures. 

Looking forward to the second book in this series: Any Approaching Enemy: a Novel of the Napoleonic Wars.  Alas, from what I've found, there is no third - at least not yet!