Books like 'Second to None'
Readers who enjoyed Second to None by Alexander Kent also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical action / adventure military, war & conflict historical-fiction war military nautical
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Africanus: El hijo del cónsul by Santiago Posteguillo
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAt the end of fourth century before Christ, Rome was at the brink of being annihilated by the Carthage army at the command of Hannibal, an inexorable destiny, but one man emerged, a young officer of the legions that transformed the inevitable into what fi..Title: .Africanus..Author: .Posteguillo, Santiago..Publisher: ...Publication Date: .2008/10/22..Number of Pages: .712..Binding Type:...Categorized as:
historical-fiction war military historical fiction audiobook ancient-civilization action-adventure -
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPatrick O'Brian's masterpiece, the Aubrey-Maturin series, follows the friendship between Captain Aubrey, R.N., and Dr. Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against a thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. The series consists of 20 complete and one unfinished novel, the first published in 1970 and the last finished novel in 1999... -
The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (5 Volumes) by Patrick O'Brian
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPatrick O’Brian’s twenty-one-volume Aubrey/Maturin series has delighted generations of devoted fans, inspired a blockbuster film, and sold millions of copies in twenty-four languages. These five omnibus volumes, beautifully produced and boxed, contain 7,000 pages of what has often been described as a single, continuous narrative... -
Sharpe's Assassin by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell returns with his iconic hero, Richard Sharpe.SHARPE IS BACK.Outsider.Hero.Rogue.And the one man you want on your side.If any man can do the impossible it's Richard Sharpe . . . Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe is a man with a reputation. Born in the gutter, raised a foundling, he joined the army twenty-one years ago, and it’s been his home ever since... -
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See You at the Bar by David Black
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Mediterranean, early 1940s. Lieutenant Harry Gilmour, captain of the S-Class submarine HMS Scourge, has been tasked with patrolling the Mediterranean and supporting operations for the Allied forces. Someone, however, is on his tail: Captain Charles ‘the Bonny Boy’ Bonalleck VC, who cannot forget Lt Gilmour calling him out on his conduct during an operation early in the war... -
Marathon by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Battle of Marathon in 490 BC was one of history's great turning points - the first time the Greeks managed to defeat the Persians in a pitched battle, it enabled the rise of classical Greek civilization. As John Stuart Mill famously put it, 'The Battle of Marathon, even as an event in British history, is more important than the Battle of Hastings...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war action-adventure adult ancient-civilization audiobook -
Gone to Sea in a Bucket by David Black
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLike all young men of a certain age, Harry Gilmour had his own notion of how a naval battle should be. This wasn’t it.Norway, 1940: Sub Lieutenant Harry Gilmour’s first encounter with battleship action is not the adventure he had hoped for. Faced with a thankless task and ill equipped to handle it, Gilmour’s inexperience leads to a damning allegation. His future hangs in the balance...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Salamis by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsArimnestos of Plataea has already lived through several lifetimes' worth of adventure, from being a rich man's slave in Ephesus to winning glory at the battle of Marathon against the might of the Persian Empire. But the gods - and the Persians - aren't finished with him yet...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war action-adventure ancient-civilization audiobook book -
Declan O'Duinne by Wayne Grant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith King Richard making war on the French and Prince Llywelyn consolidating power in Wales, peace prevails across England and the Welsh Marches. But bloody strife rages in the north of Ireland, drawing Declan O’Duinne back to his homeland. He’s been ten years gone, but some things never change... -
Legionary by Hector Miller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe year is 225 AD and the Roman Empire is on the brink of a precipice.It will take a man with iron in his veins to set things right and accomplish the impossible.From a humble upbringing, a boy emerges who is destined to change history.This is the story of Lucius Domitius Aurelianus... -
Back to Battle by Max Hennessy, John Harris
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe crescendo of war; a crushing blow; a path to redemption... Peacetime political maneuverings are threatening Kelly Maguire’s ambitions for captain’s rank. But the outbreak of war, and the need for those who are willing to risk everything, changes all that...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Blood Wings by Phil Ward
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTrilogy set with Raiding Forces framework.n this sequel to Dead Eagles, U.S. Major John Randal, commander of Strategic Raiding Forces, returns in Blood Wings, the first book in a trilogy within the Raiding Forces Series about the Abyssinian Campaign. Major Randal parachutes into the middle of Italian East Africa with orders to raise a guerrilla army. Everything that can go wrong does...Categorized as:
military war historical-fiction thriller fiction young-adult historical action-adventure -
The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsNapoleon, escaped from Elba, pursues his enemies across Europe like a vengeful phoenix. If he can corner the British and Prussians before their Russian and Austrian allies arrive, his genius will lead the French armies to triumph at Waterloo. In the Balkans, preparing a thrust northwards into Central Europe to block the Russians and Austrians, a horde of Muslim mercenaries is gathering... -
Magenta by John Payton Foden
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMagenta is a harrowing journey into war-torn Sarajevo, and into the blackest reaches of the human condition. The novel follows a journalist, Silva, as she and her team make their way deep into a city under siege, in order to recover the body of Thierry, an award-winning filmmaker who has been killed there...Categorized as:
historical-fiction war military fiction historical journey law-enforcement violent-conflict -
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The Iceman by P.T. Deutermann
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Iceman is an action-packed World War II military thriller featuring a daring United States Navy submarine commander during the Pacific war in 1942-43.In 1942, off the port city of St. Nazaire in occupied France, a United States Navy S-class submarine assigned to the Royal Navy lurks just outside the borders of the minefield protecting a German U-boat base...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Final Harbor: Volume 1 by Harry Homewood
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA DEADLY GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK She was a monster, sleek and gleaming, designed to strike without warning like the dreaded shark. She was the USS Mako, as fearless and bold as any submarine that ever prowled the blue Pacific. Her mission: seek out and destroy the hitherto invincible ships of the Japanese Imperial Navy — and revenge the earlier defeats of a long and dirty war...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Rome's Lost Son by Robert Fabbri
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe sixth installment in Robert Fabbri's epic Vespasian seriesRome, AD 51: Vespasian brings Rome's greatest enemy before the Emperor. After eight years of resistance, the British warrior Caratacus has been caught. But even Vespasian's victory cannot remove the newly-made consul from Roman politics: Agrippina, Emperor Claudius's wife, pardons Caratacus... -
Harm's Way by James Bassett
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRockwell Terry is a career naval captain who has served since WWI. Now is the dawn of another world war as his ship patrols outside Pearl Harbor. He leads a sheltered life, goes nowhere and sees no one. With the outbreak of the war, his past begins to emerge... -
Command by Antony Melville-Ross
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrozen fingers, broken bones, shattered hearts… the situation could not get worse. Or so Lieutenant Peter Harding thought. The Trigger has just left UK shores and is on its way to northern Norway when the relentless storm hits. Harding’s crew are barely surviving the Artic conditions which face them...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Lion at Sea by Max Hennessy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMidshipman Kelly Maguire has always had a love affair with the sea. And when war clouds gather over Europe, Maguire is put to the test along with the marine might of the Royal Navy. From the Hellish battles of Gallipoli to the barbarous action at Antwerp, Maguire begins to learn the lessons a sailor must face. Glory and danger abound in this sizzling saga of adventure, blood and guts... -
The Generals by Simon Scarrow
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe second in this epic quartet of novels focusing on two giants of European history, Wellington and NapoleonIt's 1796 as THE GENERALS opens, and both Arthur Wellesly (later Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte are making their mark as men of military genius... -
The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower: A Biography of C. S. Forester's Famous Naval Hero by C. Northcote Parkinson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMany know of Horatio Hornblower's exploits during the Napoleonic Wars through the novels of C.S. Forester, but how many know the true Hornblower—the man who rose from Midshipman to Admiral of the British Fleet? Using Hornblower family papers discovered in the 1970s, C. Northcote Parkinson has set the record straight in this authoritative biography... -
The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Final Storm opens a new front in Jeff Shaara’s gripping chronicle of World War II as soldiers, sailors, and marines sacrifice all for one final push toward decisive victory in the fierce maelstrom of the Pacific theater. As the war in Europe winds down in the wake of the Normandy invasion, the United States has turned its vast military resources toward an all-out effort against the Japanese...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Tom Swan and the Last Spartans: Part Four by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe latest instalment of the Tom Swan adventures - the fast-paced serialised novel set in the turbulent Europe of the fifteenth century... -
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Tom Swan and the Last Spartans: Part Five by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe latest instalment of the Tom Swan adventures - the fast-paced serialised novel set in the turbulent Europe of the fifteenth century.Available exclusively in eBook... -
Somewhere in the South Pacific by John J. Gobbell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsInspired by the true story of John F. Kennedy's daring naval mission at the height of World War II, this historical thriller brings the unanswered question of the past to life with fast-paced action and vivid detail... -
Tom Swan and the Head of St. George Part Five: Rhodes by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA young Englishman, Tom Swan, has been ordered by his Cardinal to find a spy-a traitor. At the same time, a rich merchant has offered him a great deal of money to-well, to steal something. Something that belonged to Alexander the Great.Suddenly he's not a thief or a merchant or a scholar-he's a 'donat' or volunteer with the knights of St...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical historical medieval fantasy fiction violent-conflict -
Tom Swan and the Head of St. George Part Six: Chios by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA young Englishman, Tom Swan, finds himself in the midst of the Turkish siege of one of the riches islands in the Genoese Empire. Swan's biggest problem is that he hates the Genoese a good deal more than he hates the Turks. Despite which, he has to catch the spy, steal the ring, kill the traitor, and if possible rescue the princess. Or maybe just bed her.All duty, of course... -
The Wren and the Swordfish Pilot by Stella Hutchinson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHeart-warming, courageous, and ultimately uplifting – for all lovers of World War Two historical fiction.When Cathy’s twin brother is called to serve in the Royal Navy, she leaps at the chance to join the Wrens, which by 1942, has grown into a strong force of over sixty thousand women. But she longs to be at sea and prove herself – to fight alongside her brother... -
The Captain's Nephew by Philip K. Allan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter a century of war, revolutions, and Imperial conquests, 1790s Europe is still embroiled in a battle for control of the sea and colonies. Tall ships navigate familiar and foreign waters, and ambitious young men without rank or status seek their futures in Naval commands. First Lieutenant Alexander Clay of the frigate Agrius is self-made, clever, and ready for the new age... -
The King's Marauder by Dewey Lambdin
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe year 1807 starts out badly for Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy. His frigate HMS Reliant has a new captain, he’s living at his father’s estate at Anglesgreen, among spiteful neighbors and family, and he’s recovering from a wound suffered in the South Atlantic. At last, there’s a bright spot... -
Ghosts of Bungo Suido by P.T. Deutermann
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA thrilling WWII adventure set in a submarine in the Pacific, by the Boyd Award-winning author of Pacific Glory In late 1944, America's naval forces face what seems an insurmountable threat from Japan: immense Yamato-class battleships, which dwarf every other ship at sea. Built in secrecy, these ships seem invincible, and lay waste to any challengers...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Enemy in Sight by Alexander Kent, Douglas Reeman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAboard the Hyperion, Richard Bolitho sets sail with an untrained crew for blockade duty off France. Unfortunately, his superior, Commodore Mathias Pelham-Martin, is an incompetent egotist whose petty hostilities jeopardize the operation of an entire fleet... -
Sharpe's Ransom by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShort Story Originally written for the The Daily Mail newspaper in 1995 and also published as one of two short stories in Sharpe's Christmas.'Sharpe's Ransom', is set in France, after the wars, when old enemies take Sharpe's woman and child hostage... -
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Collapse Depth by Todd Tucker, Graham Halstead
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLieutenant Danny Jabo is a young officer onboard the USS Alabama, a Trident submarine. When a mad man tries to stop the ship's vital mission, it's up to Danny and the rest of the heroic crew to stop him... -
To Glory We Steer by Alexander Kent
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAlexander Kent is the pseudonym of Douglas Reeman, a contemporary British writer. Reeman joined the British Navy at 16 and served on destroyers and small crafts during World War II, eventually rising to lieutenant. He later worked as a London detective and has served as a script advisor for television and film. He travels extensively, scouting locations for his books... -
Sloop of War by Alexander Kent, Douglas Reeman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe year is 1778, the ship is the 18-gun HMS Sparrow, England's finest sloop of war, and the Captain is Richard Bolitho, sailing his command into the fury of battle... -
Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell, William Gaminara
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAn adventure novel set in Napoleonic France, where Richard Sharpe finds himself leading a small force of riflemen in support of an ambitious and inept naval Captain's schemes. From the author of SHARPE'S BATTLE and BATTLE FLAG... -
Liberty or Death by David Cook
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt is May, 1798, and Ireland is a country at war. One hundred thousand peasants have risen up against the Crown to the tales of men, women and children butchered as traitors. It is whispered that the feared and despised ghosts of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model army have returned seeking bloodshed, and no one is safe... -
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part Three: Constantinople by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1450s France. A young Englishman, Tom Swan, is kneeling in the dirt, waiting to be killed by the French who've taken him captive. He's not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns... -
King Henry's Champion by Griff Hosker
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Empress has given England a male heir but that single action unleashes rebels in Scotland and in Normandy who try to wrest Normandy and England from King Henry. When the Earl of Cleveland becomes his champion it unleashes a storm of murder and treachery at the very heart of the Earl's world, a world heading towards anarchy and civil war...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military war action-adventure adult anthologies fiction historical -
Brutal Valour: The Tragedy of Isandlwana by James Mace, Ian Knight
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt is December 1878, and war looms on the horizon in South Africa. British High Commissioner Sir Henry Bartle-Frere seeks to dismantle the powerful neighbouring kingdom of the Zulus and uses an incursion along the disputed border as his justification for war. He issues an impossible ultimatum to the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, demanding he disband his armies and pay massive reparations... -
The Three Generals by Martin Tessmer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings210 BCE. The Roman Republic battles the empire of Carthage for control of the Mediterranean. Mago, Gisgo, and Hasdrubal hold Iberia and its riches firmly within their grip, preparing to send Hannibal the Great enough resources to destroy Rome forever...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military war fiction thriller historical young-adult action-adventure -
Rome by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA young Englishman, Tom Swan, is badly wounded in a desperate sea fight. When he wakes in a hospital, he's in one of the last towns in Greece holding out against the Turks. And there aren't any women to be found. Rich men vie to hire him, and they all seem to want the same thing-a fabulous jewel made for Alexander the Great.He's not a professional soldier... -
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To Risks Unknown: an all-action tale of naval warfare set at the height of WW2 from the master storyteller of the sea by Douglas Reeman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMulti-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman is the master of naval fiction and this action-packed, high-octane WW2 historical adventure is no exception. Jam-packed with tension, drama and all-guns-blazing warfare, it's perfect for fans of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith... -
Caribbee by Julian Stockwin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs the captain of a useful frigate, Thomas Kydd is claimed by the Leeward Islands station, exchanging the harsh situation in South America for the warmth and delights of the Caribbean. It's a sea change for Kydd, who revisits the places and people that figured in his time as a young seaman. Some are nostalgic and pleasing, while others bring challenges of a personal nature... -
The Nugget by P.T. Deutermann
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA novice naval aviator grows into a hero in this gripping and authentic World War II adventure by master storyteller P. T. Deutermann Lieutenant Bobby Steele, USN, is a fresh-faced and eager naval aviator: a "Nugget," who needs to learn the ropes and complex procedures of taking off and returning safely to his aircraft carrier...Categorized as:
historical-fiction military nautical war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Nino's Heart: A story of love and suspense set in WW2 italy. by J. D. Keene
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Bronx, 1934. Nino DiVincenzo, the son of a mafia crime boss, witnesses a gruesome murder that alters the course of his life forever. Forced out of his home as a teenager, he grows into a man on his own terms. Under the guidance of trusted mentors rather than a ruthless father, Nino’s deep faith and compassion for others ultimately lead him to Rome on a journey to become a Catholic priest... -
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part Two: Venice by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratings1450s France. A young Englishman, Tom Swan, is kneeling in the dirt, waiting to be killed by the French who've taken him captive. He's not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns... -
Havoc's Sword by Dewey Lambdin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDewey Lambdin's lovable but incorrigible rogue, Captain Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, is back to cut a wide and wicked swatch through the war-torn Caribbean in Havoc's Sword, an entirely new high seas adventure.It's 1798, and Lewrie and his crew of the Proteus frigate have their work cut out for them. First, he has rashly vowed to uphold a friend's honor in a duel to the death...
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