One of the most prophetic novels ever written.

The Great Pacific War tells the fictional history of a war between the United States and Japan between 1931 and 1933.

First published in 1925, Hector Bywater anticipated many of the details of the conflict in the Pacific during the Second World War.

Written in a manner only possible for the most devoted experts of the subject, Bywater presents an eerily plausible account of a war between these two great naval powers.

His account focuses on the naval actions of the war, describing great battles between a technologically-advanced and well-trained, but under-resourced Japanese fleet and an American navy that continues to grow in strength.

Exciting depictions of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, the defence of Guam, and inventive American counter-attacks involving the use of dummy ships fill Bywater’s intriguing narrative.

Bywater makes use of all the conventions of the historian, including the use of quotations from many invented sources from both the American and Japanese sides.

His account is so convincing that at times it is surprising to remember that it was a work of fiction. From the implications of the Washington Disarmament Conference to the specifications of the Denver-class cruisers, his expert understanding of naval affairs shines.

The admirals, politicians and soldiers that drive the plot are a mix of complex, interesting characters, at once displaying great heroism and exasperating recklessness.

At a time when his contemporaries were often dismissive of the abilities of the Japanese military, his work stands as a startling warning of a conflict that would begin soon after his death.

Hector C. Bywater (1884-1940) was a British journalist, military author and spy, primarily focused on naval affairs. His 1925 work The Great Pacific War correctly predicted many of the actions that the Japanese and Americans took during WWII; indeed, it was later revealed that many military leaders had used it as a resource in their strategic planning.

For details of other books published by Albion Press go to the website at www.albionpress.co.uk.

Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Power comes with a price.

Treated like an outcast in her own kingdom, Ariah learned to live in the shadows. But as she comes into her powers, she catches the eye of her life long crush and an unlikely ally. Trusting either of them could help her along a dangerous journey... or could bring her journey to a dangerous end.

When enemies come to light and distrust spreads, Ariah's safety is put in jeopardy. If she places her trust in the wrong people, her hidden powers will be unveiled to those who wish to use them against her.

To survive, Ariah must learn who has her best interests at heart. If she chooses wrong, it could mean not only her own death, but the crumbling of the entire country.

Game of Thrones meets Practical Magic in DAWNING ASCENT, a coming of age fantasy read for adults and young adults alike!

Scroll up and one-click to start this powerful spell-binding journey.

Belvedor and the Four Corners is a recipient of the 2017 Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games or Divergent with all the charms only a true fantasy can provide, you can't go wrong with this bewitching new saga!
 

Each man kills the thing he loves…

Edward Marsham is admitted to the Royal Infirmary having hung himself in his prison cell.

As predicted, he dies.

In the wake of several unexpected deaths at the hospital, however, Dr. Claire Woodforde suspects there is a killer amongst the staff. As Detective Chief Inspector Beverley Wharton and her new sergeant Tom Bayes begin to investigate Marsham’s death, they too start to wonder if it was natural or whether someone…

helped him along.

But as they start to make headway on the case, something much more sinister comes to light.

A body is found in an empty house.

A body without its limbs. And head.

Dr. John Eisenmenger is tasked with examining the torso to uncover clues which will lead to its identity and cause of death; a grisly job even for the most hardened of pathologists.

But as the investigation unfolds, the team discovers that there is much, much worse to come, and in addition, there is growing suspicion that there is a link between the two cases.

This not-for-the-faint-hearted crime thriller shines a light into the darkest recesses of the human soul.

Fans of Patricia Cornwell, Tami Hoag and Tess Gerritsen will be hooked on A Kiss Before Killing.

Keith McCarthy was born in Croydon, Surrey. Educated at Dulwich College and then at St George’s Hospital Medical School, he began practising pathology in 1985 and has done so ever since. Keith is a Consultant Histopathologist in Gloucestershire where he lives with his wife and three daughters.

The instant New York Times bestseller!

Entertainment Weekly’s #1 Must-Read Book for Fall * Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club Selection * #1 Library Reads Pick * September IndieNext Pick
 
“I am loving Little Fires Everywhere. Maybe my favorite novel I've read this year.”—John Green
 
"I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting." –Jodi Picoult

"Witty, wise, and tender. It's a marvel." – Paula Hawkins

From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Little Fires Everywhere is the perfect gift for the holidays!

Named a best book of the year by Harper’s Bazaar •  Esquire • Goodreads • Amazon • Washington Post • Barnes and Noble • GQ • Book of the Month • NPR • Bustle • Apple

Warning: Contains Crude Language, Alien Blasting, and Sex.

Lee’s too wild for the military, but too good at his job to get rid of. The government's solution is to banish him to the outer planets until he’s deemed civilized. His latest attempt at rehabilitation has him signed on with an outpost colony.

He hates ranching. He hates taking orders from his boss. But he likes shooting aliens. Luckily, the planet he’s on is about to face a full blown infestation.

The Damaged Romance Box Set is on sale for a limited time only.

Betrayed. Used. Broken.

A damaged love story that survives darkness and tragedy.

Through all the horror, they remain strong. Degraded and abused, they have to suppress their fierce nature to fight back.

Thoughts of his brother's safety, keep Jack from giving up.
Wanting to belong somewhere in this brutal life, keeps Sophia's hope alive.

People pay thousands just to have a taste of them. It's the only life they've ever known ... until they're given their freedom.

But freedom is only a word if captivity is all you've ever known.

DIRTY ~ Book 1

Degraded. Ravaged. Dirty

I f@ck. It's all I'm good for.
People pay thousands just to have a taste of me.
I have to obey for the sake of my brother. As long as I'm the perfect slave, David remains safe.

A life of depravity and cruelty is all I've ever known ... until her.

I might be damaged, but I'm not destroyed. I crave revenge for what was done to me. I have a need to kill, to feel their lifeless blood dripping from my fingers.

But I also crave her. She makes me feel. She makes me want. I just have to make her see me. The man. The fighter.

Freedom. No one is ever truly free. She doesn't want to enslave me, but damn, I'll willingly be a slave to her heart.

When my past threatens to take her from me, revenge and wrath burn hot through me.

She's not just worth living for. She's worth killing for.

FILTHY ~ Book 2

Fractured. Unwanted. Filthy.

I'm only good for sex. That's what I've been trained for my whole life. I'm a puppet. I only know how to be your perfect fantasy. It's the only life I've ever known ... until him.

I've been replaced, discarded like trash. Beaten, damaged, treated like an animal, I'm forced to leave the only home I've ever known.

With a warped perception of what life is really like, no dignity, and no one to call my own, I'm on the verge of giving up.

But then he saves me. For the first time in my life I'm given a choice. I can stay and have a purpose again, or I can leave and face the unknown on my own.

I choose to stay. I choose to belong. I choose to become something more than damaged goods.

Hope. It's the one thing that kept me going. At first I hoped that I would be the perfect slave, but now I hope to be the perfect woman. He's my damaged hero.

I want him to see me. The woman. The survivor.

He gives me strength. But all I want is his heart.

Dark romance with sensitive scenes. All books have HEA and no cheating.

(Available in Color or B&W - click both format arrows - or Color Kindle) This beautiful, new FULL COLOR second edition is now one hundred pages longer, filled with additional fresh stories, artwork, photos, and adventures.

Howard Miner never expected to contract the first documented case of the mumps in Guadalcanal history.   

As a Navy Black Cat, he took his share of chances during the ten-hour, night long flights in darkened PBYs painted entirely black, searching the seas for enemy ships and downed fliers ~ the original stealth aircrafts.  But wartime was unpredictable, and whether landing on an exotic tropical isle where the women he saw from the air turned out to be topless, or dropping wing tanks containing a strange new substance called “Napalm,” this was clearly a very different world than he had known as a college student in Indiana.

His is a tale of seven buddies, all pilots who flew at night, slept and got into mischief by day, then repeated. Their PBY Catalina odyssey stretched from the Solomon Islands to the northern tip of the Philippines and included a full range of missions, from search, attack, and bombing runs, to daring sea rescues. Howard’s journey through training and tours of duty is skillfully captured in his art and narratives, framing a wartime drama with a personal coming of age story. The descriptive verse from the artist’s viewpoint gives us a creatively told and intriguing portrayal of WWII’s Pacific Theater.

* * * * Miner combines his father's writings and interviews with WWII veterans to craft a loving tribute to the young men who fought in WWII...He does his father and other WWII veterans proud. ~Publisher's Weekly/Booklife

* * * * "Sketches of a Black Cat" is a unique and fascinating memoir of a World War II combat aviator ~ with original and previously unpublished sketches and photographs. This artfully crafted book is a must read for anyone in search of a new and completely different view into the world of war in the Pacific and on the home front during America's greatest conflict." ~ Larkin Spivey, military historian and author.

* * * * “From boxes of notes and drawings comes a book illuminating a WWII pilot’s experiences as part of the Black Cat Squadron…accounts of support missions, rescues of airmen and interactions with indigenous island peoples told in vivid but unembellished detail…a handsome volume that reads breezily and is punctuated with photos and drawings from Howard’s war years. ~ Mike Francis
the Oregonian

* * * * "Wonderful and beautifully real stories such as this are dying every day as we lose our WWII veterans. Kudos to Ron Miner for preserving and sharing with the rest of us the gold of his father's journals, photos, and drawings to bring us such a compelling look at life during the war. This is not only a valuable and insightful historical document but a dramatic and warm personal story." ~ Don Keith, WWII author

* * * * “... Howard Miner’s memoirs are a wonderful view into the world of a patrol squadron at war. Miner sees the war through the eyes of an artist, revealing details of day-to-day life that are often overlooked in war time narratives. A wholly enjoyable story!” ~ Stewart Bailey, Curator, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

* * * * " “As a former flight engineer aboard a PBY in WWII… I can truly say I felt as though I was on Howard’s Catalina…so many similarities to my own experiences. I can almost hear the drone of the engines in synchronization. Many episodes were warm and compelling. I highly recommend this book to vets, historians, and students. You won’t put down Sketches of a Black Cat till you’ve read it cover-to-cover!” ~ Win Stites, VP-91, VP2-1 served in both Atlantic and Pacific regions during WWII, Former President PBY Memorial Foundation and Museum
 

Alex Meyers, a dynamic, global entrepreneur, has an advantage that no other human has ever had: he is protected by Aranes, the Superior of the Angels. While he is skiing, he dies in an avalanche, but his all-powerful protector breaks one of the ethereal world’s most important Rules and brings him back to life. Alex falls head over heels in love with the beautiful Angel, who appears to him in human form. But she disappears just as suddenly as she had appeared.

While he searches for Aranes, Alex discovers her true identity and that he actually might be the high-ranking Celestial Abaddon, who is mentioned in the Revelations prophecy as the one who will defeat Lucifer.

The man who fate has thrust among the world’s superpowers is now living a nightmare. He wants to evade Lucifer’s pursuit, find out who he truly is and once again see the only being he has ever loved. And the only way to do it is to make the ultimate sacrifice.


Angels' Whispers is the beginning of an epic tale set in modern times. The eternal war between Light and Darkness is at a critical turning point: Angels and Demons, invisible to mortal beings, battle for dominance in the physical world, while Guardians, vampires and werewolves, who live among the humans, find themselves on opposing sides in a deadly power game.

Just outside Los Angeles, a prisoner hidden away for 70 years sits up, gets off the bed and disappears through a solid wall.

In Australia, a magician impresses audiences by producing real elephants. Nobody realizes it's not an illusion.

Across the world, individuals and ancient organizations with supernatural power suddenly detect the presence of something even they can't understand.

At the center of it all, Seb Varden, a 32-year old musician with a secret in his past, slits his wrists, is shot dead and run over on the freeway. He's had better days.

Seb is about to discover the universe is a far more complicated place than he'd ever imagined.
***Please note, this book can be read as a standalone, or as the first in a planned series developing elements and characters from The World Walker.

A young woman is found brutally murdered, and the main suspect is the victim’s fiancé, a hideously scarred Iraq War vet known as the Burned Man. But railroad police Special Agent Sydney Rose Parnell, brought in by the Denver Major Crimes unit to help investigate, can't shake the feeling that larger forces are behind this apparent crime of passion.

In the depths of an icy winter, Parnell and her K9 partner, Clyde―both haunted by their time in Iraq―descend into the underground world of a savage gang of rail riders. There, they uncover a wide-reaching conspiracy and a series of shocking crimes. Crimes that threaten everything Parnell holds dear.

As the search for the truth puts her directly in the path of the killer, Parnell must struggle with a deadly question: Can she fight monsters without becoming one herself?

Losing the trial of his life could mean losing everything.

When a young reporter is found dead and a prominent Philadelphia businessman is accused of her murder, Mick McFarland finds himself involved in the case of his life. The defendant, David Hanson, was Mick’s close friend in law school, and the victim, a TV news reporter, had reached out to Mick for legal help only hours before her death.

Mick’s played both sides of Philadelphia’s courtrooms. As a top-shelf defense attorney and former prosecutor, he knows all the tricks of the trade. And he’ll need every one of them to win.

But as the trial progresses, he’s disturbed by developments that confirm his deepest fears. This trial, one that already hits too close to home, may jeopardize his firm, his family—everything. Now Mick’s only way out is to mastermind the most brilliant defense he’s ever spun, one that will cross every legal and moral boundary.

The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

Before they became The Greatest Generation, they were young men and women in love . . .

Three heartwarming, award-winning romances from USA Today bestselling author Barbara Bretton


Where or When

It is 1941 and Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu is as close to paradise as you were likely to get. Golden sunshine, sweet ocean breezes, secluded beaches made for romance.

Pearl is a dream come true for Rick Byrne. A poor kid from the south side of Chicago, Rick joined the navy to see the world -- and maybe one day own a piece of it. When the chance to drive for Admiral Forrester falls into his lap, he grabs for the brass ring even if it means squiring the admiral's spoiled and beautiful daughter all around Honolulu.

Eden Forrester dislikes the brash young sailor on sight. For five weeks now she has been forced to rely on her father's underlings to drive her around town while she waits for her broken leg to mend. A first-class flirt, she is accustomed to getting her own way with men of all ages, but her new driver seems immune to her charms . . . until one magical moment on a moonswept beach when the future is theirs for the taking.

But the world around them is growing more dangerous every day and on a beautiful Sunday morning in December, not even Paradise can save them from their destiny . . .


Sentimental Journey

It's June 1943. From New York to California, families gather to send their sons and husbands, friends and lovers off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor seems a long time ago as America begins to understand that their boys won't be home any time soon.

In Forest Hills, New York City, twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all about waiting. She's been in love with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since childhood, and if the war hadn't started when it did, she would be married and maybe starting a family, not sitting at the window of her girlhood bedroom, waiting for her life to begin.

But then a telegram from the War Department arrives, shattering her dreams of a life like the one her mother treasures.
Weeks drift into months as she struggles to find her way. An exchange of letters with Johnny Danza, a young soldier in her father's platoon, starts off as a patriotic gesture, but soon becomes a long-distance friendship that grows more important to her with every day that passes.

The last thing Catherine expects is to open her front door on Christmas Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on the Wilsons' welcome mat with a heart filled with new dreams that are hers for the taking.

A Desert Island Keeper - All About Romance
Harlequin Award of Excellence
4.5 stars - RT Top Pick!


Stranger in Paradise

The year is 1953 and London is throwing the party of the century.

Even though the ravages of World War II are still visible throughout the kingdom, the world is gathering on the Mall to celebrate the coronation of England's beautiful young queen.

For almost ten years, journalist Mac Weaver has been far from his New York home. America has changed since the war ended and he wonders if there's still a place for him in the land of backyard barbecues and a new Ford in every driveway.

However, a chance encounter with beautiful English reporter Jane Townsend is about to change his life forever.

As the new monarch waves from the window of her fairy-tale glass coach, a homesick Yank and a lonely Brit fall in love.

One week later, Mr. and Mrs. Mac Weaver board the Queen Mary for New York and a guaranteed happily ever after future in the land where dreams come true.

But there are dark shadows on the horizon that threaten Mac and Jane's happiness and family scandals that just might tear them apart . . .

A Desert Island Keeper - All About Romance

In the years following World War One, Europe remains in turmoil…

As if the war to end all wars was not enough, now revolution is bringing an end to the remnants of the old ways. Monarchs, princes and grand dukes all tumble.

Only Rheingoldstein, a duchy so small as to be forgotten, remains untouched.

Even when the Grand Duke foresees the inevitable, and removes himself from the situation, his steely widow presses on regardless.

In her eyes, their daughter Margarethe must carry on the ducal tradition. But the choice is not hers to make.

In the years that follow, Margarethe and her mother forge a new type of existence, a peripatetic, hand-to-mouth lifestyle that horrifies the mother but affords her daughter a degree of freedom.

Margarethe, who lacks subtlety and elegance but has an abundance of courage and initiative, decides to make the most of that freedom.

Her subsequent adventures take her across Europe, into the company of struggling artists and dubious companions.

Then, somehow, she finds herself back home. And as she gives birth to what should have been the next Grand Duke, Margarethe senses that a new political movement may be stirring in Rheingoldstein…

An epic tale that traces events in a momentous period in European history, Unicornis bound to appeal to lovers of both historical and character-driven fiction alike.

Marguerite Steen (12 May 1894 – 4 August 1975) was a British writer. Very much at home among creative people, she wrote biographies of the Terrys, of her friend Hugh Walpole, of the 18th century poet and actress (and sometime mistress to the Prince of Wales) Mary 'Perdita' Robinson, and of her own lover, the artist Sir William Nicholson. Her first major success was Matador,for which she drew on her love of Spain, and of bullfighting. Also a best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic was her massive saga of the slave-trade and Bristol shipping, The Sun Is My Undoing. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1951.

Warlocks before their time ...

Fourteen-year-old Augum and friends Bridget and Leera dream of becoming warlocks. But with a kingdom in total chaos, it will take courage, sacrifice, and an iron will to make that dream come true.

The Lord of the Legion, a vicious tyrant, has overthrown the king in a relentless and murderous quest for seven mythic artifacts--and Augum's mentor, the legendary Anna Atticus Stone, possesses one. While Augum struggles with demons from a painful childhood, a betrayal puts him, his friends, and his mentor through a harrowing ordeal that threatens to destroy them all ... and change the course of history.

Arcane, the debut novel in the fantasy coming-of-age series The Arinthian Line, follows three friends as they navigate an ancient abandoned castle, endure grueling training, challenge old mysteries, and learn that a bond forged in tragedy might just be the only thing to save them from a ruthless enemy.

Sage Holdsworth is a gifted painter with a terrible secret. One thing Sage cannot conceal is her infatuation with the handsome and charismatic Dorian Gray. Sage creates a lifelike painting of Dorian and a small wolf pup, but there is more to the painting than meets the eye.

As Dorian unlocks his inherent darkness, a werewolf is spawned that begins killing in the streets of London. The lycanthrope turns to killing Dorian's enemies, but who is the real monster here?

Sage never imagined her passion would give birth to a vicious monster that could cost her everything.

Can Dorian and Sage save their souls? Or will the beast consume them all? 

Graham Castle. Hot single dad.
Arrogant, filthy rich, and cocky as h*ll.
We couldn't be more different.
But being stranded in a blizzard has a way of bringing people closer.

Holly
All I want is to run away, escape.
Then Graham Castle barged into my life.
Big ego. Bulging muscles. Ruggedly handsome.
He awakened my deepest desires.
I gave him a precious gift. My virginity.
Now what I want is to escape into his arms.
But will our winter romance outlive the storm?

Graham
Even billionaires have a Christmas wish list.
My only wish is to see my son - Charlie.
Then walks in the most gorgeous green eyes.
Fiery red hair, seductive curves, and full of sass.
I knew she was meant to be mine.
To taste. To touch. To command.
Now we're stranded together.
She can't escape me or this blizzard.
I'll claim her sweet innocence, and please her in every way.
But she left me with no explanation...
Will I get her back and give my son the family he deserves?

*** This is a full length novel with a happily ever after, no cliffhanger, no cheating, and plenty of steam. ***

Napoleon was one of the world’s greatest generals.

He conquered from Spain to the borders of Russia and dominated the international scene of early nineteenth century Europe.

But what were the factors that changed the young Corsican boy into a powerful leader?

Just over two hundred years ago as Napoleon was defeated by the Allied forces at Waterloo there lay a packet of papers on his desk in the Tuileries, sealed with the Imperial arms.

This packet fell into the possession of Cardinal Fesch who took it to Rome, but he never had the curiosity to open it, and it remained sealed and tied up till his death, on 13 May 1839.

A great many years later it was eventually opened and the astonishing documents revealed.

They were a collection of papers that Napoleon had covering his boyhood and youth.

Using this remarkable source material Oscar Browning was able to produce the first English language account of Napoleon’s formative years, from his birth in 1769 through to when he made himself known on the political map of Europe at the siege of Toulon in 1793.

There he had led his men over the earthworks guarding the city and had been instrumental in the capture of the city by using his artillery to destroy several warships anchored in Toulon’s harbour, forcing them to retreat.

It was the first of many victories for Napoleon.

‘Valuable addition to Napoleonic literature’ The Guardian

Oscar Browning (1837-1923) was housemaster at Eton College before lecturing at King’s College, Cambridge from the 1880s. He was an editor of political memoirs and dispatches of the late eighteenth century, and also wrote about Peter the Great and Dante. After writing his biography of Napoleon’s early years, he retired to Rome. More than this, he is infamous for his inclusion in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Bulldog is the NINTH mystery in the Dev Haskell Private Investigator mystery series.

Mike Faricy once again proves himself to be Minnesota's Master of the Bizarre.

When corner cutting, back slapping Dev Haskell loses his friend, Dermot Gallagher in what appears to be a random shooting he takes it personal. But the more he learns, the more questions seem to go unanswered. His old nemesis, local crimelord, Tubby Gustafson seems to be involved or is he? Then there's 'Fat Freddy' Zimmerman, a criminal of underachieving and dubious reputation if ever there was one. Swindle Lawless enters, stripping up a storm under her new stage name, 'Cougar.' Jackie Van Dorn, Tubby's attorney adds a special brand of polished sleaze to the entire affair. And, just when you think things couldn't possibly get any worse, Tubby's psychopathic enforcer, Bulldog shows up and seems to have more than a passing interest in Dermot's death. Dev ends up with only one option, the question is; Will he take it?