Synopses & Reviews
SAILS ON THE HORIZONDientes de Diablo, 1797
With his first historical high-seas adventure chronicling the exploits of Naval Commander Charles Edgemont, Jay Worrall sets sail in the rousing tradition of C.S. Forester and Patrick O’Brian.
The year is 1797. Napoleon Buonaparte is racking up impressive wins in the field against the enemies of revolutionary France. On the seas, England is putting up a staunch resistance.
When a modest fleet of British ships off the coast of Portugal encounters a larger force of Spanish vessels on their way to rendezvous with the French, the English are quick to seize the opportunity for a victory–even at the risk of a calamitous defeat.
Twenty-five-year-old Charles Edgemont is second lieutenant aboard the HMS Argonaut, the smallest ship in the British line of battle. When orders come for the Argonaut to engage in an all-but-suicidal maneuver to cut off the escape of the Spanish ships, he leads his gun crews bravely–until the death of the captain and the first lieutenant elevates him to command of the stricken vessel. In the chaos that follows, his defiant refusal to yield under enemy fire earns him a permanent promotion.
Thanks to the purse awarded him by the Admiralty after the fight, Charles is wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. But there are challenges when he returns home after years at sea. His newfound riches will prove no help when it comes to winning the heart of Penelope Brown, the feisty Quaker with whom Charles falls in love. Even more of a hindrance is his profession, for Penelope regards war as sinful and soldiers as little better than murderers.
Changing Penelope’s mind may just be the hardest battle Charles has ever fought–at least until fresh orders send him back to sea, where he faces a more traditional and equally formidable adversary in a series of stirring battles of will and might.
Synopsis
It is St. Valentine's Day, 1797, and the Napoleonic Wars are raging, pitting western Europe's most populous nation--France--against its richest--Britain. And on this wintry morning, twenty-seven Spanish ships are sailing from Cadiz to join the French at Brest, when they encounter a small fleet of His Britannic Majesty's vessels. On the deck of HMS Argonaut is twenty-five-year-old Second Lieutenant Charles Edgemont. As the cannons erupt, the Argonaut--the smallest of the British ships present--proves to be the only one in position to halt the Spanish retreat. Charles is forced to order a nearly suicidal measure that puts his crew directly under the guns of a far superior Spanish man-of-war. So begins Sails on the Horizon, Jay Worrall's explosive and charming fictional exploration of the Napoleonic Wars. But the changes are only beginning for the capable and charismatic Charles Edgemont. Charles returns home for the first time in years to find that his father has passed away and the family farm is failing. But it isn't until he meets a feisty and intelligent Quaker woman named Penelope Brown that Charles confronts his greatest challenge: winning the heart of a woman who doesn't believe in war. This task grows immeasurably harder when duty calls Charles abruptly back to sea.
Synopsis
With his first historical high-seas adventure chronicling the exploits of British Second Lieutenant Charles Edgemont, Worrall sets sail in the rousing tradition of Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.
About the Author
Born a Quaker into a military family, JAY WORRALL grew up in a number of countries around the world. During the Vietnam War he worked with refugees in the central highlands of that country, and afterward he taught English in Japan. Worrall has worked in developing innovative and humane prison programs, policies, and administration. He is married and the very proud father of five sons, and he currently lives and works in Pennsylvania.