For Love or Honor

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ 

EDEN, SARAH M.

FOR LOVE OR HONOR

From the moment they met, Marjie's heart has belonged to handsome Captain Stanley Jonquil, younger brother of the Earl of Lampton. But six long months ago, when Stanley's sense of honor required that he do as he had sworn and return to the Continent to fight in defense of King and country, neither Stanley nor Marjie could have dreamed what the cost of his service would be. It has been ages since Stanley last wrote, and Marjie and the Jonquil family are plagued by his unknown fate -- until the day he unexpectedly reappears. 

Marjie's joy, however, is quickly shadowed by confusion -- the aloof, battle-worn soldier before her is not the man he once was. In the wake of Stanley's blatant disinterest in renewing their acquaintance, Marjie's devastation turns to determination as she vows to help him find peace. 

But his scars run far deeper than anyone realizes. 

Despite his feelings for her, Stanley believes Marjie deserves a man whose hands are not stained with the violence of battlefields and whose mind and heart are not haunted by the horrors he has seen. Honor requires Stanley to return once more to the life he has grown to despise, once he knows will destroy him in the end, even as his heart beckons him to stay with Marjie, the only woman he could ever love, and the promise, at last, of redemption.

My Review:

published in 2017

Are you tired of all my Jonquil fangirling moments yet? Hope not, because we still have two more brothers to go. :-) At this rate I'll have to replace the springs and the ticking of my fainting couch by the time Charlie's turn rolls around. 

One of the striking things about this series is the way each book is both refreshingly different and comfortably the same. The difference comes courtesy of each brother's unique personality which also drives each distinctive plot. And the sameness comes in the form of Eden's trademark banter and wit . Oh -- and cutting dialogue! 

For Love or Honor is, by necessity, the most serious book so far and that's because of Stanley's circumstances as he grapples with what we now know as PTSD. The humour is still here, but it's subtler. And there's a fragile edge to the banter at times. And a heartaching tenderness in all the relationships -- romantical, brotherly, motherly. Quite a few scenes brought me to tears. And then I'd be Cheshire grinning through the next scene.

One of my favourite secondary characters ever is Stanley's scrappy young street urchin batman. Pure comic relief. I hope we get to see more of him in future novels.

And then there's Marjie. Sweet and constant, her devotion to Stanley is the backbone of their story. And sometimes I wanted to purse whomp Stanley for being so stubbornly 'noble' and shredding poor Marjie's heart to bits in the process. There's a compelling push/pull to their relationship that kept me on tenterhooks until the very end...and I do mean the very end!

I listened to the audible edition of For Love or Honor and was completely captivated by Aubrey Warner's narration. I could tell she enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed listening to her.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for an ebook

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Love of Honor, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 10 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!