Dewey Lambdin

"Dewey Lambdin is the reigning master of maritime fiction, celebrated as the heir to Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester. For over twenty years, his devoted fans have followed the adventures of Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, from his days as a midshipman to captain of his own ship and, though on somewhat dubious grounds, a baronetcy. Summer, 1809, and Captain Alan Lewrie, RN, wins fame, glory, and prize-money leading his squadron to victory over four French frigates. Battle damage, though, costs Lewrie his command, ship, and crew. He returns to London a hero, but, as weeks on half-pay turn to months, and no new command is offered, he's forced to lease a house and furnish it, unsure if he will ever go to sea again! At least Lewrie can have his portrait done by Miss Jessica Chenery, an intriguing young lady he takes for his wife, after seven years as a widower. In the midst of newly wedded bliss, an old friend poses a project for landing battalion-sized raids on enemy coasts. Though he never expects it to amount to anything, since it's too novel, Lewrie soon finds himself assigned to lead the proposed raid. Despite the stumbling blocks thrown in his way by his foes in the Navy, it's failure and ignominy, or shining success to prove himself to be won and rub their noses in it!"--

Captain Alan Lewrie of the Royal Navy is ordered to head to Cuba and Spanish Florida to search for French and Spanish privateers who have been preying on British merchantmen and discover if the privateers have been getting aid from the Americans..

Searching for a prize ship that has been stolen along with its crew from war-stricken 1799 Dominica, captain Alan Lewrie finds himself in the infamous pirate waters off of New Orleans and is forced to relinquish his command in order to identify the thieves.

When war breaks out again in May of 1803, Lewrie has fresh orders, a new frigate, and a chance to punish and pursue the French, but it's no longer for Duty or King and Country--now it's personal.

"In Kings and Emperors, the twenty-first book in Dewey Lambdin's beloved Alan Lewrie series, Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, is still in Gibraltar, his schemes for raids along the coast of Southern Spain shot to a halt. He is reduced to commanding a clutch of harbor defense gunboats in the bay while his ship, HMS Sapphire, slowly grounds herself on a reef of beef bones! Until Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of peaceful Portugal and his so-called collaborative march into Spain change everything, freeing Sapphire to roam against the King's enemies once more! As kings are overthrown and popular uprisings break out all across Spain, Lewrie's right back in the action, ferrying weapons to arm Spanish patriots, scouting within close gun range of the impregnable fort of Ceuta, escorting the advance units of British expeditionary armies to aid the Spanish, and even going ashore to witness the first battles between Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon's best Marshals, as the long Peninsular War that broke Imperial France begins to unfold. From Cadiz to La Coruna, Lewrie and Sapphire will be there as history explodes!"--

Participating in the 1805 Battle of Cape Town after the death of Admiral Nelson, Captain Lewrie voyages to South America to assist Britain's campaigns on the Spanish colonies only to confront a formidable adversary.