Jay Worrall Books In Order

Sails on the Horizon

Sails on the HorizonDientes de Diablo, 1797With 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. From the Hardcover edition.

Any Approaching Enemy

With the stunning high seas adventure Sails on the Horizon, Jay Worrall introduced a bold new hero in the rousing tradition of Jack Aubrey: Charles Edgemont, an ambitious officer in His Britannic Majesty’s navy. Raised to the rank of captain for gallantry under fire, Edgemont proved his mettle in the bruising British victory over the Spanish fleet at the Battle of St. Vincent. Now married and in command of the twenty eight gun frigate Louisa, the young captain sails toward a day of destiny for himself and for England.
The year is 1798. The war between England and revolutionary France has reached a bloody stalemate, with England in the ascendancy at sea and France unchallenged on the Continent, thanks in large part to an unorthodox twenty eight year old general named Napoleon Bonaparte. But the French, secretly amassing a powerful fleet, mean to break the impasse.
When rumors of the French preparations leak, the Admiralty dispatches a squadron of seven ships among them the Louisa under the command of Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson to investigate. Blindsided by a storm of ferocious intensity, the ships scatter across the seas.
After the storm subsides, the damaged frigates limp back to the rendezvous point. But there is no sign of Nelson s flagship, Vanguard, nor of two other ships of the line. Edgemont fears that the pugnacious rear admiral has pressed on with the mission.
Putting his career on the line by disobeying direct orders, Edgemont sets out in pursuit of Nelson and the French fleet on a treacherous voyage along the Tuscan coast. As tensions among the crew threaten to explode into open insubordination or worse, Edgemont makes an unexpected discovery in Naples that may seriously compromise his mission.
When the missing French fleet turns up off the shores of Egypt, conveying an army tens of thousands strong, Edgemont is suddenly thrown into a crisis of conscience. As circumstances grow dire and require heroic action, the fate of the crucial battle effectively lies in Edgemont s hands as does the course of history.

From the Hardcover edition.