‘Bennett R. Coles rates among my go-to list in SF. Entertaining and smart storytelling and terrific people. In Winds of Marque, Coles may well have invented a whole new subgenre which has me scrambling for any description–Steam Space? Whatever you call it, a blast to read. Here’s hoping that lots of more adventures are in the offing for Blackwood and company.’ -Steven Erikson, NY Times bestselling author

The first novel within an exciting science fiction series- about Winds of Marque: Blackwood & Virtue Grasp and Commander in space-a swashbuckling space adventure in which a crew of misfit individuals in the king’s navy are sent to dismantle an unhealthy ring of pirate raiders.

Within a dense star cluster, the solar winds blow fiercely. The superstar sailing ship HMSS Daring is normally running at complete sheet having a letter of marque allowing them to catch enemy vessels involved with unlawful trading. Sailing under a fake flag to protect the ship and its own mission, Daring’s staff must gather cleverness that will cause them to the pirates’ bottom.

Posing as investors, Daring’s dashing second-in-command Liam Blackwood and excellent quartermaster Amelia Virtue infiltrate shady civilian merchant networks, believing one will cause them to their quarry.

But their mission is threatened from within their own rates when Daring’s enigmatic captain makes a series of questionable choices, and rumblings of discontent start bubbling up from below decks, placing the crew on advantage and destroying morale. Together with everything, Liam and Amelia must grapple using their growing feelings for each other.

Facing danger from unexpected quarters that could steer the expedition off training course, Blackwood and Virtue must recognize the real enemy threat and find out the reality about their commander-and their mission-before Daring falls prey to the pirates she’s designed to be tracking.