First, in a series, Destiny's Tide leads us to Jack's tortured life as he takes up his family's destiny ahead of the Dunwich fleet. Every turn is filled with dangerous political games and war is around the horizon. An emotional page-turner.

Once a vibrant town, Dunwich’s importance dwindles because of Mother Nature and because of its rivalries with other Suffolk towns. Jack and his father, Peter Stannard, are English traders whose ships make them important merchants in Dunwich. But growing up in Peter’s shadow is fraught with peril, for Peter is abusive and Jack never measures up to his deceased older brother. His father’s penchant for drink and strange affliction only worsens the abuse that Jack endures.

Jack has high hopes to reclaim his town’s stature by answering King Henry’s summons to first teach the Scots a lesson for reneging on a promise to wed their infant queen Mary to Prince Edward and then attack France. Jack commands the Suffolk contingent of ships, much to the chagrin of Raker of Southwold and Maddox of Walberswick. The rivalry between the three towns is an ancient one, but there is bad blood between Raker and Peter. Jack doesn’t understand why, but he definitely experiences the results. No sooner do they arrive at the gathering spot for the king’s ships than he is arrested. When he finally faces his accusers, he also learns the serious charges they have brought against him.

Once a soldier, Thomas Ryman set aside his sword to take holy orders. After a decade with the Grey Friars of Dunwich, he and his fellow brothers are turned out of their home upon the king’s dissolution of the Catholic Church and its monasteries. Having last fought the Scots at Flodden Field, he decides to take up his sword once again and sail with Jack, his former student. Thomas’s familiarity with soldiering and his past contacts provide him with a means of rescuing Jack after his arrest.

This first book in the Jack Stannard of the Navy Royal series occurs between 1537 through 1547, although the principal portion of the story takes place from April 1544 through July 1545. It is a mix of life in England during perilous times and battles at sea in which ingenuity and fortitude play equal roles. Davies’s vivid and poignant portrayal of the capture of the Scottish warship Unicorn, the rescue of a Genoese captain, and the sinking of the Mary Rose keeps readers on the edges of their seats while holding their breaths. Equally compelling are scenes involving the ongoing religious changes that begin with the dissolution and climax with the partial destruction of a Dunwich church. Destiny’s Tide is also a tale of secrets, jealousy, and betrayal. Since most naval stories focus on later historical periods, it is refreshing to be to an earlier era when a temporary navy safeguards the realm and we see it begin to evolve into the royal navy we are familiar with today.

An engrossing, engaging and well written book I couldn't put down.
I loved the well researched background, the style of writing and the fleshed out characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

16th century England: Dunwich is a town in decline - figuratively and literally. Once a town that rivalled London strong winter storms at the beginning of the small Ice Age have blocked the harbour by dumping shingle and the changing sea current is now eating away the cliffs the town is built on. Of the many prosperous churches several have already crumbled and vanished under the waves. But with King Harry dissolving the monasteries the income from the Iceland Fisheries has also disappeared. With his father in the leper hospital and his wife dead Jack Stannard has to manage their shipping industry and surviving not only Big Harry's wars in Scotland and France but also scheming neighbouring villages.

I have to admit it took me a very long time to start to identify with the main characters in the story. But what the book makes so very interesting is that it feels like we as a reader time travel. The writer states that he has been teaching Tudor history for many years and that shows in all the details.

This is a story not of mighty kings but of the civilians: the greyfriar who looses his livelihood as a monk and is forced to pick up his sword as a soldier once again, the beggar who must have once been educated and prosperous but now sits begging in the street blind, the child who thinks her new stepmother must be a witch because as old as she is (I believe 26) she still has all her teeth.

It also illustrates the big changes that happened in those days. Ships are at first fighting with arrows and boarders but later on the first cannon is introduced. While the mighty orders like the Benedictines were given a pension, later on the Franciscans were just evicted what meant old monks died in the gutter and not only abbeys but also schools and hospitals were closed. The common folks saw their church rituals changed bit by bit like removing dooms and introducing English liturgy. That close look of day to day life in that era makes this novel so interesting.

And the more I read about Henry the 8th the more I think he was a sociopath. Like how he executed someone for treason in such a gruesome way that the father of that person who was wrongly convicted lost his mind.

I was a little worried that this book would come across as a recycled version of the author's Matthew Quinton books. I couldn't have been more wrong! While there are some similarities (both are naval historical fiction stories after all) this book was a fresh and refreshing look at a time when the now-famous Royal Navy was in its infancy and not the all conquering machine it later became. Although the main character is fictional, he seems real and I felt invested in his story and could not put the book down once I had started. While I still like the Matthew Quinton books slightly more than this one (mostly because Matthew and I are very similar personality-wise) I eagerly look forward to future installments in this series.

This was an interesting read, I liked Jack somewhat, he was an interesting character. I was happy when he reunited with Alice, his wife and their child .. he just seemed so happy and calm. But when he was ripped away from her even though it was some years later, my heart broke in a million pieces and it made me so sad… He had his son and daughter with him, but I knew and understood that he felt sad and alone…. Without her. But Jack had to move on, with his children, with his life and the sailing for war. Another thing I liked, was Jack’s Sarcasm, found him to be more likable when he could be sarcastic.

But the only problem I had throughout the book was that some latin sayings that come up here and there, and for me who don’t speak latin it was a hazzle to google those sentences. I’d like to have an explanation in the book what it said. Plus I got confused here and there for what was happening and that he’s called Jack but also they use his name as John and it’s a little confusing I wish they’d use only one of them.

As I’ve stated I liked Jack, but I didn’t care for the rest of the characters mostly and after 50% in, I was a little bored, it was interesting but not too much as I had hoped.. But because I liked the main character, Jack I gave it 3/5 stars, I think this is a case that the book just isin’t for me, but it was nice to get to read it anyway.