Tom Kydd is master’s mate on a frigate at the beginning of this, the fourth in Stockwin’s excellent wooden ships and iron men series. Kydd courts a married woman, takes part in a secret mission to Venice, gets involved in a fleet mutiny, and fights in a major naval battle. Action, characterization, setting, and technical detail are all present in generous quantities.
This may be the best book ever written in this genre, Patrick O’Brian not excepted.