Over by Christmas

Two stories in parallel...It is 1914. As war engulfs the British Empire, Royal Navy gunner, George Royal awaits his next ship in his home port where his best friend has fallen in love with beautiful Carrie, a woman with secrets. When she is attracted to George, she brings the two men into conflict. Unprepared for war, Britain's leadership is being severely tested. Even during Cabinet meetings, at which his bickering warlords make fate-changing decisions, the Prime Minister is preoccupied with his love for a young woman. George Royal epitomises the young men who collectively brought Great Britain safely through the conflict and never questioned or knew of the circumstances of the warlords who worked in white stone buildings in London and placed them in danger every day throughout the war. Through the personal lives of Britain's leaders and George's coming-of-age, love triangles at home and ferocious battles at sea, the story reveals how the machinations of leaders influenced the course of the Great War and the fate of those fighting it. Puppet masters, puppets, through tragedy, bravery, life and death, the message they all carried was that it would all be Over By ChristmasReviewers' Comments:-"Written by an ex Naval Officer this well researched book brings fact and fiction together and I would suggest also his own naval experiences. The battle scenes are first class." (CB)"An engrossing novel about cataclysmic events" (RNM)"A very absorbing read, which held my attention throughout" (RRJ)"A superb novel in which real events, imagined histories, human relationships and politics intertwine" (PS)"Highly recommended" (RNM)