The King of Ballooning — Jane Browne

This is a heavily-researched, two part fictional biography of James Sadler, pioneer of flight in the Age of Enlightenment. Part 2: King of Ballooning. James is looking forward to raising a family. He hears of an invention by the brothers Montgolfier, correctly perceiving their static balloon as the first step towards man-made flight. The mysterious Grey Men hear of his plans to design build and fly his own balloon, sending agents to prevent him. Will a place in history tempt James to desert his new wife, risking the loss of his business and ruination of his family?