In this third installment of his No Man Is Her Master series, Lee Swanson again explores the public world and private aspirations of a gutsy woman pretending to be a man, braving the seas while longing for a permanent connection with her true love.

Christina Kohl has already traveled far. After her father was killed and her brother Frederick presumed dead in an attack by pirates as described in a previous volume, circumstances array so that Christina, who has become strong, bold and skilled in the arts of sailor and warrior, takes on Frederick’s identity. This disguise follows her into these latest adventures.

"HER DANGEROUS JOURNEY HOME comprises a panoramic view of historical fact and neatly imagined fiction into which are woven the lives of men facing fear with indomitable grit, and a tender love story that sometimes sinks into the darkness of despair."

As HER DANGEROUS JOURNEY HOME opens, Christina is in London and has fallen in love with Lady Cecily. It’s a mutual but seemingly impossible relationship; Cecily has to stay in England, while Frederick, who has been knighted recently, must sail away. Her voyaging, ostensibly to pursue international trade, is also poised on avenging the death of her father. She has the zeal for this challenge, though leaving Cecily causes pangs of sadness.

The ensuing escapades will include harsh combat, meetings with former allies, and a subterfuge instigated by her enemy, Katharine Volker, who is bent on destroying Frederick at any cost and dragging Christina’s cousin in on the plot. But more crucial is the discovery of someone Christina never thought to see again, and whose very existence could change her destiny and destroy her hopes for happiness.

Swanson, who holds a master’s degree in European history, has clearly delved deep to create this most recent portion of his epic series. Descriptions of Christina’s donning of men’s clothes, with all the detail carefully set forth, prove his efforts at research, as does his wide knowledge of language and accent --- from German to Scotch and English, from royalty to simple folk like Wig Reiniken, who offers salty and often humorous advice to his fellow sailors.

Swanson presents aids to his readers with a lengthy list of the characters in this gripping yet poignant story and some historical background concerning medieval maritime action, including piracy and plundering, as well as attempts on the part of national players to invoke some sense of law and order on the treacherous seas.

HER DANGEROUS JOURNEY HOME comprises a panoramic view of historical fact and neatly imagined fiction into which are woven the lives of men facing fear with indomitable grit, and a tender love story that sometimes sinks into the darkness of despair. Readers will hope for a final, bright dawning in episodes yet to come.