Review - Someone to Honor

Title:  Someone to Honor
Author:  Mary Balogh
Series:  Westcott #6
Genre:  Historical Romance
Publisher:  Berkley Books
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages:   400
Date of Publication:   July 2, 2019
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

First appearances deceive in the newest charming and heartwarming Regency romance in the Westcott series from beloved New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

Abigail Westcott's dreams for her future were lost when her father died, and she discovered her parents were not legally married. But now, six years later, she enjoys the independence a life without expectation provides a wealthy single woman. Indeed, she's grown confident enough to scold the careless servant chopping wood outside without his shirt on in the proximity of ladies.

But the man is not a servant. He is Gilbert Bennington, the lieutenant colonel and superior officer who has escorted her wounded brother, Harry, home from the wars with Napoleon. Gil has come to help his friend and junior officer recover, and he doesn't take lightly to being condescended to—secretly because of his own humble beginnings.

If at first Gil and Abigail seem to embody what the other most despises, each will soon discover how wrong first impressions can be. For behind the appearances of the once-grand lady and the once-humble man are two people who share an understanding of what true honor means, and how only with it can one find love.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Abigail Westcott, her siblings and their mother, were all displaced with her father died. It was only then that it was discovered that parents were not legally married. They lost everything, their money, respect and dignity. It is now six years later and Abigail is finally enjoying her independence. When she visits family when her injured brother returns home from the war to recuperate, she happens upon a man chopping wood. He is without his shirt, and Abigail feels that, as a servant, he is taking liberties with his appearance.

The man is Gilbert Bennington, and has accompanied her brother home while he heals. Gil is a lieutenant colonel, a superior officer and friend to her brother Harry, and is a man determined to see Harry to better health. Gil is no servant, but is also not of the gentry.  

Along with Gil coming home to help Harry, he had his wonderful dog, who was a fine addition to this story. As in each story in this series by Mary Balogh, readers are reintroduced to the large Westcott family, their significant others, and their respective children. Even so, this story would do well as a standalone if readers are invested in watching Gil and Abigail form a close relationship while dealing with misunderstanding that eventually become clearer. 

This wasn't one of my favorite stories in the series, because I sensed a bit of repetition from time-to-time. What I did enjoy was watching Gil fight for custody for his daughter Matilda. That was a very warm addition to a story that I was able to enjoy. I look forward to the series continuing, and really hope that we get Harry's story next.

The previous titles and their review links are listed here:

Series list:

*Someone to Love (2016)

  - review link: https://robinlovesreading.com/2018/10/review-someone-to-love.html

*Someone to Hold (2017)

- review link: https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/10/review-someone-to-hold.html

*Someone to Wed (2017)

- https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/10/review-someone-to-wed.html

*Someone to Care (2018)

- https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/11/review-someone-to-care.html

*Someone to Trust (2018)
- https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/11/review-someone-to-trust.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I grew up in post-war Wales as Mary Jenkins. It was in many ways an idyllic childhood even though Swansea, my home town, had been heavily bombed during the war, rationing was still on, and material possessions were few. If anyone knew how to stretch a penny to do the work of two, it was my mother.

My sister, Moira, two years older than I, was my constant playmate and soul-mate. We both have a hard time convincing people who did not know us then that we were almost inseparable yet never quarrelled. Our few dolls became our family. They had names, personalities, histories. We used to lie awake in bed at night–until our mother would call up, promising dire consequences if we did not stop talking–inventing stories about our dolls’ antics. On summer days Mam would construct a tent out of blankets, string and clothes pegs attached to the clothesline and the garden fence, and we would play “house” all day. The neighbours must have cringed when we took our dolls for walks in the strollers Dad made for us, complete with solid–and excruciatingly noisy–wooden wheels.

Moira and I both used to fill notebooks with stories. We read voraciously–especially every book of Enid Blyton’s we could get our hands on when we were younger, the classics when we were a little older. We both used to say that we wanted to be authors when we grew up, though the word we used then was authoress. We both fulfilled our dream, though we both financed it with careers as high school English teachers.

Much more about this talented author can be found on her website at: http://www.marybalogh.com.