J.D. Davies - Book Series In Order (2024)

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J.D. Davies is a historical fiction novelist who was born and raised in southwest Wales in the town of Llanelli. Even though it was known as a rugby hotbed and industrial town, Llanelli has a history of being an active port for hundreds of years.
It was known for its notorious shipwrecks and treacherous coast that had claimed the life of Josephine, who was Napoleon’s niece.

Brought up in the town, it is not surprising that he always felt a strong pull toward the sea. He spent much of his childhood exploring the South Wales coast and the old docks in Llanelli, thanks to his grandparents and parents who had a wanderlust.
He was also fascinated with naval history and warships which goes back to when he was nine years old and took a family holiday to Portsmouth. When he began teaching during the 1970s, he ended up in Poldark country in Cornwall, as he loved exploring the fascinating maritime heritage of the area.

It was in Cornwall that J.D. Davies’ academic interest in the seventeenth-century navy began to grow, as he visited libraries in Plymouth, where he used to spend most of his time in the naval section.

He had always been interested in the 17th century ever since he was in school but had never seen much literature on the naval side of the period. Going back to the 1920s, there had been very little published and most of what was available was accepting of bad evidence and opinions about the issues of the time.

It was not long before he had the idea of going back to Oxford and getting a doctorate on Great Ships. For the three years between 1982 and 1985, he worked full-time on a thesis that would be published as “Gentlemen and Tarpaulins” his first novel.
In 1987, he got a job at the “Bedford Modern School,” where he was expected to be very involved. Since he was Welsh, he was chosen to coach the under-15s rugby side even though he was terrible at the sport in his younger days.

In 1988, his naval interests led him into the Combined Cadet Force where he served until 1994 and rose up the ranks to become a Sub-Liutenant RNR. It was a seminal experience that also made it possible for J.D. Davies to learn how to sail.
Navigating the passages of Gibraltar to Portsmouth aboard the HMS Jupiter in addition to being a divisional officer for several shore-based courses provided first-hand perspectives into the traditions and mores of the Navy.
He stepped down in 2005 as deputy head which made it possible for him to initially pursue a part-time career as a writer that would then become a full-time.

Wendy Berliner his partner was instrumental in helping him change direction given that she was a well-known and established educational author and journalist who supported his efforts at becoming a fiction author.

“Gentleman Captain” by J.D. Davies is a work set in 1662 where Charles II is presiding over an uncertain court while Cromwell is dead.

In the Scottish Isles, there are rumors of treason and the king is badly in need of people he can trust. Some of these are people such as Matthew Quinton a young man who is an inexperienced but loyal sea captain.

He lost his first command at sea but this time around he will do anything to complete his mission. But he will need a young mariner named Kit Farrell who has promised to help him and In return, he will teach the marine how to write and read.
There is also the unpleasant and surly Phineas Musk and together they will take on a growing conviction that treason could hit closer to home in addition to a very resentful Cornish crew.

Focusing on one of the most neglected periods of military history, it is an entertaining and engaging novel with authentic period detail and excellent plot and characterizations that had often been compared to C.J. Sansom.

J.D. Davies’ “The Mountain of Gold” is a work that continues to follow Matthew Quinton, the young British naval captain. The man is on his third mission as he goes after Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean when he spots a crippled galleon with a Maltese galley in hot pursuit.
Quinton and his men rescue the galley only to learn that Omar Ibrahim the captain of the galleon happens to be Brian Doyle O’Dwyer, an Irishman, and that the Maltese are after him and not his cargo.

He brings the Irishman back to England where he is to be tried for treason but the man tells the king that he knows of a massive gold mountain deep in Africa. Charles II who has just been restored to the throne and is strapped for cash decides to go after the treasure.
The king orders Quinton to escort O’Dwyer to the Gambia to find the gold. However, Quinton is incredulous about the mission and thinks O’Dwyer cannot be trusted. He also begins to doubt Charles when he orders his older brother to marry a black widow who has killed two husbands.
It is a story rich in historical detail in addition to an exotic setting, family drama, and political intrigue.

“The Blast that Tears the Skies” by J.D. Davies is a work set in 1665 where the sovereign is back on the throne following the ousting of the Puritans. England is still reeling from divisions between the followers of Oliver Cromwell and the Cavaliers. London has been afflicted with the plague and soon will suffer the Great Fire.

It is also a time when the king can sleep with just about any woman despite most people frowning on it which adds religious tension into everything.

England is at war with the Dutch over commercial differences and with most land ships decimated by disease, even those that are leaving to go fight are seen as safe havens. The Navy remains a place where people earn their rank from family connections rather than ability and is a place where there is a lot of money to be made.

In this outing, Matthew has been stripped of command only to be given command of an ancient and massive man of war. Quinton has to deal with an alleged curse on his ship, fractious ministers of state, and a rebellious and raw crew as he heads to the Battle of Lowestoft.

Book Series In Order » Authors » J.D. Davies

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