Title: Man of Honor
Series: Passion in Paradise
Author: Sarah O'Rourke
Genre: Erotic Romantic Comedy
Published: July 25, 2016
Sheriff Zeke Monroe loves one woman...Honor McKinnon. He is willing to stake his entire future on protecting her...no matter what the cost.
Honor McKinnon knows she is broken. Her body and soul had been shattered by a violent attack years ago, and no one...not her sisters or anyone else in the tiny town of Paradise, especially the Sheriff...can change that. Rather than dealing with her wounds, she chooses to protect herself from any further damage, even if that means that she avoids the one chance at love. But Zeke is determined to break down Honor’s walls...and to find the persons responsible for hurting her and make them suffer.
He’s already killed for her once...and is willing to do it again if it means she'll know safety and happiness.
What happens when Zeke refuses to allow Honor to ignore her past? Will Zeke’s love be passionate enough to break down her barriers? And can Zeke save Honor when her life is in danger once again?
Join Sarah O’Rourke in this epic culmination of the Men of the McKinnon Sisters stories...and find out how the Passion in Paradise series is always scorching hot! Standalone, romantica suspense.
The story deals with rape. In case you didn't know, Honor's character was rapped and left for dead years prior. She never really dealt with it. Instead she seemed to build tall walls that were virtually impenetrable, even by her family. Honor throws a lot of sass at everyone. It's a defense mechanism. A way to keep everyone at arms length. If they can't touch you physically and emotionally, then they can't hurt you. I loved that the author put this behavior in the book. So many times people tend to write characters as almost accepting to the assault that happened to them. Here the author doesn't do that. She shows the pain, the fear that Honor feels. It makes it almost real to the reader.
The author also shows Honor's struggle. Instead of having her move on with a guy so soon after the attack, she cuts herself off from having a relationship with a guy. This becomes a struggle with Honor and Zeke. He loves her but understands her hesitation. I appreciate that the author does this. It's another factor that gives the book a little bit of realness.
5 out of 5 Stars!!
If you've been reading and following the Passion In Paradise series, you know this is the book we have been waiting for. Honor and Zeke. There has been so much chemistry between these two since the beginning. Finally we get some relief and get them together. All this doesn't happen until at least a few years fall. Those tears will be by you the reader because Honor's story is a dark and emotional one.
The story deals with rape. In case you didn't know, Honor's character was rapped and left for dead years prior. She never really dealt with it. Instead she seemed to build tall walls that were virtually impenetrable, even by her family. Honor throws a lot of sass at everyone. It's a defense mechanism. A way to keep everyone at arms length. If they can't touch you physically and emotionally, then they can't hurt you. I loved that the author put this behavior in the book. So many times people tend to write characters as almost accepting to the assault that happened to them. Here the author doesn't do that. She shows the pain, the fear that Honor feels. It makes it almost real to the reader.
The author also shows Honor's struggle. Instead of having her move on with a guy so soon after the attack, she cuts herself off from having a relationship with a guy. This becomes a struggle with Honor and Zeke. He loves her but understands her hesitation. I appreciate that the author does this. It's another factor that gives the book a little bit of realness.
Everything comes full circle in this book. Everything that has happened and mysteries that were left unsolved are revealed here. The big reveal is worth the wait. I loved this series. I think the author did a fantastic job with it. I hope that we get to see more of these characters in the future.
Rating:
"WOW!!! This made me an emotional wreck." ~MsMe28
"This is a beautiful story of love, loss and moving forward. I would recommend this book and all books in this series!" ~Sassy Southern Book Blog
"OMG WOW!! I have been hooked on this duo as writers for a while but with this book they absolutely outdid themselves." ~Book Happiness
Man of Honor – Excerpt
“Not necessarily, but I wouldn’t mind,” Zeke replied truthfully. “Honor, darlin, you’re a gorgeous woman.”
“Not without my clothes,” she mumbled, bending her head to stare at her clenched fists. “Ugly,” she muttered. “I’m ugly.”
Tensing, Zeke’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know why the hell you’re saying that, but there’s not a single ugly thing about you. Not when you’re naked. Not when you’re tryin’ to bring yourself to release. Not ever, Honor Grace. You do not ever have to be ashamed of your body.”
Honor slowly lifted her mortified gaze to him. “You’ve never seen me without my clothes, Zeke. There are scars. So many scars. They’re raised and bumpy. Some are red and raw. It’s disgusting, Ezekiel.”
“Bullshit. Every single one of those marks remind me of one thing, Honor. One,” he growled, holding up a finger between them. “You lived. You survived. When all the odds were stacked against you, you defied modern medicine and every one of those damned doctors predictions, and you lived. And all those scars will ever do is remind me of how lucky I am to still have you. Don’t you ever tell me you’re ugly because you’re the most beautiful thing in my world. You wanna be scared to share your body with me because of what happened to you? I get that. I can accept that. But worrying about some marks on your flesh? I love you, baby, but that’s insane.”
Honor stared at him a long time, gauging his sincerity. “It doesn’t feel silly,” she finally grumbled.
“You need to reassess your feelings then because I assure you, it’s one of the silliest concerns you ever had. Christ, baby, how long have you been agonizing of a worry as pointless as your scars?” he asked, shoving a frustrated hand through his dark hair. “I could have put these fears to rest ages ago, Honor, if I’d known about it.”
“It’s hard to talk about,” she revealed in a low voice as her head twisted to look at him.
“Yeah? Is feeling like shit alone better than talking it over together with me?” he returned calmly, reaching up to tenderly tuck her hair behind one ear. “Baby, you gotta start getting this. When you hurt, I hurt. When you suffer, I suffer right along with you. Don’t make either one of us feel that way needlessly, Kitten. Just talk to me. I know you have scars. You’ve got them on your body, and you’ve got them on your soul. I’ve sat by your hospital bed too many times to count and watched you while you did your damnedest to heal them both. Those wounds are not new information to me and they don’t change shit. I still love you, and I don’t allow those scars to do anything other than remind me to treasure every day I have with you. Okay?”
Honor’s eyes were soft as they locked with Zeke’s. “You really do love me a lot, don’t you?” she asked in a small voice.
“So much that I ache with it, Honor.”
Sarah O'Rourke is the alter ego of two best friends who have taken their passion for romantic fiction and erotica to the publishing world. Born and raised in the southern United States, one lives near Louisville, KY, while the other resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither is ever very far from a tall glass of sweet iced tea, their dog-eared copies of Gone With the Wind, or their Steel Magnolias DVDs!
Formerly an accountant and a chemist, they are now overworked, stay-at-home moms who adore their children, their husbands...and writing about love in every way possible!
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