A looming invasion. A doomed voyage There’s blood in the water.
Philippe Kermorvant, unfairly dismissed from the French Revolutionary Navy, accepts command of a privateer from its enigmatic owner. Having ignored his early misgivings, the mission quickly takes a dark turn, endangering the lives of everyone on board.
Meanwhile, the British prepare for an assault on the French mainland. Lord Wilden, Philippe’s cousin, is charged with overseeing the mission.
As the revolutionary forces savagely clash with the combined strength of the British naval power and the French royalist rebels still harkening for the return of the monarchy, defeat for either side will prove utterly devastating.
And Philippe, stuck far away from the action, will have to contend not just with the impending destruction of his own future, but the risk of losing everyone he holds dear.
An utterly compelling Age of Sail adventure told in fascinating detail from each side of the conflict from a renowned naval historian.
Legendary warriors, devastating sea battles, and a chance, finally, for vengeance.
After a daring escape from a British prison, Philippe Kermorvant returns to France and gains command of a frigate in the Mediterranean, where France is trying to rebuild its decimated fleet.
Facing overwhelming odds, the fleet is forced to flee for refuge to a fortified bay. The prospect of an interminable blockade looms, but Philippe is given leave from his command to meet an enigmatic young general, who has a mission for him.
What follows is a shocking murder, a siege, a whirlwind romance and a duel to the death on the high seas, as Philippe contends with threats from every side. And amidst all this chaos, a terrible face from his past threatens to uproot everything that he has built for himself.
A fascinating naval adventure of the Age of Sail told from the French perspective, perfect for fans of Hornblower and Sharpe.
The call of the republic, the weight of destiny. A new legend takes to the seas.
‘A thrilling new adventure series that rivals the immortal Patrick O’Brian’ Angus Donald1793. The infant French republic is assailed on all sides, by enemies within and the combined might of the great European monarchies without. A fanatical regime has taken power in Paris.
In the midst of these upheavals, Philippe Kermorvant, son of an English aristocrat and a French nobleman, arrives in Brittany, his father’s homeland, for the first time in his life.
He gained experience of brutal warfare as a young officer in the fledgling United States, and Russian, Navies. Now he has three reasons for making his new home in France: his fervent belief in the ideals proclaimed by the new French Republic, his desire to revive the ancient estate of his family, and his wish to fight against those whom he has always regarded as his enemy
The English.
But with the core of the French fleet on the verge of mutiny and the horrors of ‘Madame Guillotine’ at their peak, Philippe will have more than warfare, politics and family entanglements to contend with.
From a toxic homecoming welcome to an arbitrary spell in gaol, Philippe’s loyalty to the republic will be tested to breaking point. Everything will come to a head in a life-or-death battle on the high seas, which will leave him with an impossible choice. One that will change his life forever
The thrilling introduction to the newest star of Napoleonic naval fiction, Philippe Kermorvant, from award-winning naval author and historian J. D. Davies, perfect for fans of C. S. Forester, Patrick O’Brian and Julian Stockwin.