Alessandra must escape. Darkness, so thick it threatens to consume everything around it, works as ideal cover, concealing a dauntless young girl as she creeps aboard the pirate ship lying in harbor in seventeenth-century Port Royal. When darkness fades to light, she must find a way to stay safe. She must hide in plain sight. Alessandra must convince a ship full of rowdy, unscrupulous, battle-ready pirates that she belongs. By assuming the identity of a young boy, she learns to sail, fight, and steal, always aware that if she is ever discovered, it could cost her everything. When her path intersects with Benjamin Avery, a man of faith, the life she has built for herself is suddenly at risk. He sees through her charade, but what will he do with that knowledge? Everything seems poised to come to a crashing end as she clings to her secrets, though now it is not only her life but also the life of her crew at stake. Friendships formed through the trials and hardships of life at sea in the golden age of piracy, when danger lurks in every cove, will be tested to the breaking point; and nothing will ever be the same, for any of them.

First published in 1987, The Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware provides, within a single volume, the salient technical and operational details of the most important weapons. The complete range of hardware used in land, sea and air forces throughout the world at the time of publication is covered, from tanks to rocket systems, helicopters to cruise missiles, alongside full details of size, weight and operational range. The book’s main strength lies in the detail it gives of armament and associated ammunition capabilities, and of the sensors and other electronics required for the weapons to be used effectively. A key title amongst Routledge reference reissues, Christopher Chant’s important work will be of great value to students and professionals requiring a comprehensive and accessible reference guide, as well as to weapons ‘buffs’.

The Military Balance has been published annually since 1959. The 2023 edition provides an open-source assessment of the armed forces and equipment inventories of 173 countries, with accompanying defence economics data. Alongside detailed country data, The Military Balance assesses important military issues, region-by-region, and includes graphics to illustrate these as well as noteworthy equipment developments. Maps this year include a focus on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and select China-Russia military cooperation activities. The book draws on the range of data carried in the Military Balance+ online database, particularly the procurement features in each regional section. The accompanying wallchart explores the military use of outer space, an increasingly important element of defence capabilities, focusing on China, Russia and the United States. For those involved in defence and security policymaking, analysis and research, The Military Balance is an indispensable source.

The Military Balance 2013 is the annual assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics of 171 countries world-wide. New features of the 2013 edition include; reorganised and expanded analytical essays. New sections on trends in contemporary armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as trends in defence capability areas, with a focus on equipment, technological or doctrinal developments. There is also an essay on trends in defence economics and procurement, one on European defence industries, and another on anti-access/area denial, detailed analysis of regional and national defence policy and economic issues for selected states, updated graphics feature on comparative defence statistics, with focus on defence economics, and major land, sea and, air capability concerns, tables, graphics and analysis of defence economics issues, additional national capability summaries, additional data on, land forces: combat support and combat service support, new graphics and maps on defence capability issues and additional data on cyber capabilities.