Royal Yankee (Mainwaring Saga Book 1)

Between 1739 and 1748, Britain fought the Spanish and then the French, their fleets and armies clashing in almost every theater of war from America to the Indian Ocean and the battlefields of Europe. "Royal Yankee" introduces Edward Mainwaring, a young seafarer destined to be caught up in this war — in its violent combat, its rough camaraderie, its acts of courage, and its feats of strategy.

Mainwaring is a "provincial," born in Massachusetts, and a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The year 1739 finds him and the crew of his fast Bermudan schooner "Athena" in the Caribbean, preparing to join Vice-Admiral Vernon's attack on the massively defended harbor of Porto Bello.

"Royal Yankee" is the story of Mainwaring's part in a great battle, of his duel of wills with the implacable Frenchman Roche-Bourbon, of his love for the beautiful Anne Brixham — a fighting planter's daughter and a match for most men — and his daring leadership of a loyal crew in a series of perilous adventures.

Written with a terrific verve and a historian's eye for detail, Victor Suthren's fine novel sings with the sense of sea and sail.

About the Author: Victor Suthren is a Canadian writer and historian with a special interest in maritime history. A former Director General of the Canadian War Museum, he has written seven adventure novels about the sea, as well as histories including "The War of 1812" and biographies of James Cook and de Bougainville.