The Civil War is winding down when the events of Honorable Mention take place, but there's still plenty for Lt. Peter Wake to do before the final peace is made.

And he won't just be facing his Confederate foes. Honorable Mention, the third book in the series, also exposes Wake and his men to the terrors evoked by yellow fever, the horrors of a slave ship, the perils of a tropical storm at sea and the unthinkable aftermath of a mutiny.

At the same time, Wake -- and the readers -- must adjust to a new normal. In this book, he trades his elegant, wind-driven tall ship for a dirty, smoke-belching, coal-powered gun boat. It's a whole new style of naval warfare, with a new set of strengths and weaknesses to contend with. There will be no more mighty broadsides, either; the Hunt carries just two guns.

In his personal life, Wake also must cope with some significant changes. Somewhat disappointingly, after spending so much effort building up his romance with a Confederate sympathizer's daughter in the first two books, Wake finds himself tempted by the first pretty girl who crosses his path and pays him some attention. He also must adjust to life as a father.

And, even as the war rolls to a close and the people of Florida begin to question their lives without the Confederacy, Wake is sent to Puerto Rico to treat with a colony of southern expatriates, as well as a former enemy and the native rebels there who wish to free the island from Spanish control.

It's a busy book, and author Robert N. Macomber juggles the plotlines seamlessly. The Civil War is not one of my preferred eras for historical fiction, and steamboats are most definitely not my favored type of navy vessels, but I thoroughly enjoyed Honorable Mention and look forward to seeing where Wake's adventures take him in the post-war era.