Customer Reviews

Above All, Honor - Revised Edition

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The revised addition of Above All, Honor was excellent. I knew there were changes as I was reading but they were so subtle I honestly couldn't tell what they were. They blended in beautifully and stayed true to the original story. The characters seemed to have more depth which seemed to validate their inner turmoil and relationship struggles. The author must have worked incredibly hard on this book to make this work so smoothly. I have read the original several times and enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the revised addition so much more. I had mixed feelings when I read the announcement that Radclyffe was going to write a revised addition of a book that was first rate to begin with but I'm so glad she did. This is a great book.

Blair Powell is an artist living in New York City. She has spent years in the limelight, first as the only child of a governor, then after her father becomes president, as First Daughter to the widowed Powell. She's one of the most recognizable women in the world and must behave perfectly, assist her father, and periodically attend state dinners and international functions. Blair can hardly remember a time when she wasn't trailed by a contingent of Secret Service agents. But she has grown tired of this gig-especially because she has spent years hiding something very important. The daughter of the president of the United States is gay.

How can Blair have a life, a relationship, or any privacy at all with a protective detail shadowing her every move? She becomes adept at slipping away from her protectors, and this becomes a major problem. Every seedy bar she enters, every apartment she sneaks off to, every unscheduled visit to a store or gym could potentially spell disaster for her. But to have freedom is more important to Blair than her own safety.

And then the attractive, honorable, and imminently capable Agent Cameron Roberts is brought in to whip the team into shape and crack down on Blair's incorrigible actions. No longer can Blair be allowed to run free. This doesn't square with Blair's needs and desires. She believes that "the handsome agent saw her only as an assignment-an object to be moved, contained, and controlled on some giant chessboard. Blair might be the queen, but she had been stripped of her power. She was ruled by pawns, and she hated it. Especially when her keeper was a woman so attractive that she felt a twinge of desire every time she saw her" (p. 56).

Chess is a good analogy for the game of feints and dodges that goes on between the two women, one determined to keep Blair safe at any costs, the other determined to maintain her autonomy and freedom. Cameron is honorable and plays by the book. She will not surrender to her own emotions, even as she begins to feel more for Blair than she thinks she should. Neither woman fully realizes the danger that surrounds them, for there are forces at work behind the scenes that could bring death and disaster to Blair and anyone around her. Will Cameron be able to protect Blair? And can she protect her own heart from the growing affection she feels?

This is a classic romance with all the angst, all the action, and all the twists and turns that any reader could want. Not only did Radclyffe nail the Secret Service details and all the procedural issues facing a team responsible for such an important assignment, she is also right on with both of these engaging characters. Cameron and Blair are multifaceted, sexy, bull-headed, and downright fascinating. No wonder the author has been able to write a whole series. I look forward to reading the next book, HONOR BOUND. Highly recommended. -Lori L. Lake, author of lesbian fiction and freelance reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Golden Crown Literary Society's The Crown, The Independent Gay Writer, and Just About Write.

I read this in the first version. Radclyffe is such a terrific author though that I bought this version, too. It's a huge tribute to her that I plan to keep both copies of this book in my library.

This new edition expands the story in a really effective way. It's very visual and visceral, too, so this series would make a terrific TV series or mini-series type movie. Cam and Blair are cool characters, and the taut plot contributes to a smooth and wonderful read.

I can't say enough good things about Radclyffe's work. I should have written reviews for her before this! Kudos to her.

"Above All, Honor", Radclyffe's first in a series involving the President's daughter and the Secret Service agent assigned to head her security team, is a tale of forbidden desire set amidst today's world of political turmoil and public fixation with celebrities. Combining the complex characterization and stark eroticism we have come to associate with Radclyffe's romances, "Safe Harbor", "Love's Melody Lost", and "Innocent Hearts", with the kind of taut, tight plotting required of an outstanding action thriller, "Above All, Honor" fulfills every desire.

Blair Powell, the only child of the nation's leader, resents the intrusion into every corner of her private life of those charged to protect her and will do anything to preserve her independence. With the added pressure of protecting her father's political image in a world where image could determine the outcome of the next election, Blair struggles to keep her true passions from the world. Cameron Roberts, the agent reluctantly assigned to guard her, is tortured by secrets of her own. When a threat to the First Daughter's life brings emotions to a boil, they are forced to confront their mutual desire.

As always, Radclyffe's prose is lean and sharp, lending itself well to the staccato pace of an action thriller shot through with the soaring romance which is the hallmark of her fiction. Timely, intriguing, and ultimately satisfying to both the intellect and the senses, "Above All, Honor" is a fitting entree into the world of politics, forbidden passions, and hidden dangers inhabited by an unforgettable cast of characters.

Being given an assignment that United States Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts felt was beneath her she retorts to her superior officer, "I'm an investigator, not a goddamned baby-sitter." She is after all, a senior agent with ten years of impeccable service and should have a say what her next job should be. Once the headstrong woman is resigned to the fact that she has no choice but to be the next Agent in Charge of protecting the safety of an equally strong-willed woman, who happens to be the daughter of the President of the United States, Commander Cameron Roberts is willing to put her life on the line for those in her care and lets nothing stand in her way in Above All, Honor by Radclyffe.

Cameron Roberts thinks she's getting an easy job until she meets the stunning, willful, elusive, caged bird, Blair Allison Powell. Cameron's predecessor tells her that, "She's an angry animal in a cage, and you're the new zookeeper." He also informs Cam that the "high-profile subject" has a "problematic lifestyle." Blair's mission is to elude those who are hired to protect her in order to maintain some sense of freedom. Cameron's mission is to protect her while maintaining her privacy-if possible.

The USSS Agent in charge before Cam steps in and gives the President's daughter an apropos code name: Egret. According to the New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an Egret is "any of various herons that bear long plumes during the breeding season." Blair barhops from one seedy place to another and most of the time she goes unnoticed. Who would expect the respectable first daughter to be frequenting bohemian gay bars? When on official White House business, Blair is quite the fancy diplomat. She rightfully yearns for a private life, which is virtually impossible, and until Cam Roberts comes along, nobody has any sympathy for her. She is not only trying to escape her life in a birdcage, but she has some painful memories of the past that have her haunted as well.

Cam demands respect from those under her command and she gets it. She's shrewd, smart, has integrity, and strong work ethics-all of which result in glowing performance records. She has sharp gut instincts, amazing self-control, and is an expert at undercover work. Cam does not tolerate homophobia on her team. More to her credit, she has no qualms accepting the resignation of any officer who has a problem with the fact that Blair is gay. Cameron Roberts is an admirable hero worth emulating.

Radclyffe's reference to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" did not escape notice when Cam's report from her last assignment held all of her merits and facts without any of the story behind it. They noted the fact that her female partner was killed in action during the last sting, but it was not up for discussion that the partner had also been Cam's lover. Even though there were rumors that Cam was gay, they didn't ask and she didn't tell.

Cam works hard to ignore Blair's advances. While Blair tries hard not to allow Cam to get under her skin. Is it possible for Cam and Blair to find love? According to Radclyffe, the essence of the entire Honor series is "the conflict between private and public lives, the balance between duty and love, and the incredible power of passion between strong-willed but sensitive people."

Above All, Honor is the first in the series of Honor books. After reading Above All, Honor, there is no doubt in my mind that I must read all of the sequels: Honor Bound, Love and Honor, and Honor Guards. I found Above All, Honor to be extremely fast reading, exciting, titillating, and realistic-especially the technically correct medical scene that one would expect from a surgeon. She equally and adeptly captures the essence of the secret service/police drama in her finely researched work. Radclyffe is a very talented, prolific, award-winning author who creates a believable and interesting story that will make you happy to become a "part of the team."

One of the things I like best about Radclyffe's writing is that even though she creates sexual tension and longing between the two main characters, at least she gives us tidbits-juicy ones I might add-along the way to quench our desire. The build-up is beautifully done and quite delightfully explicit, as is the climatic ending. A truly satisfying experience for all.

I couldn't praise or rave about Above All, Honor any more than I am. It is a five plus star action/adventure/love story that will leave you breathless and hungry for more.

[...]

Whether you read Radclyffe's series books, like the Justice series or the Honor series or the Provincetown series, or you read one of her stand-alone romances, you can not go wrong.

I have been reading lesbian fiction for many years, and can honestly say that I have never come across a writer that has so affected me. Her characters are strong, intelligent, and romantic. Naysayers will say that Radclyffe's characters are too perfect almost never flawed - either in looks or character. That may be true, but aren't you tired of the genre's penchant for ordinary? Radclyffe's characters are always enchanting, intoxicating, enticing, and intense. The stories, particularly in the series books, are all first class. Most of her series books are page-turners. And in two of the books, I actually turned to the last page to make sure that the main characters survived - something I never do.

Radclyffe let us believe, at least for the duration of each of her books, that the grand passion, the true love, the happy-ever-after are all possible. She lets us believe that being a strong, intelligent woman does not mean that we will be alone and/or isolated.

The only caveat I have is to read the series books in order. And if you enjoy watching a writer grow, then read the non-series books in the order they were written and watch Radclyffe's talent grow before your very eyes.

Other reviewers are right -- there isn't really anything like the Honor series out there and when I want to escape into a fast-paced action world, I will pick up the Honor books to take me away. I am glad the author revised this book (though it irritates to buy multiple versions of the same work in the same way that it irritates to have bought a DVD only to discover a short time later that a "director's cut" is going to be released) because this version *is* better than the first. I think it reflects a new artist's creative energy honing itself over time. Let's face it, some of our best writers in romance have gotten better over time, especially those with a number of books already produced and more on the way.

Since the other reviews of this book are accurate I didn't see a point to adding my 5 stars, but I was surprised that anyone would suggest that if I happen to like another writer then I haven't read Radclyffe. Well, I have read Rad, plus lots of other writers. I see no reason to pick between them, or refuse all others just because I might have a favorite. That's just plain silly. Rad isn't my favorite, sorry my heart belongs to another, but she's on the list of writers I will *always* buy, and that's a pretty short list.

Given the struggles of our bookstores and publishers and writers today I think everybody should buy as many books by as many writers as they can afford. Why be exclusive? I think it's great to have a number of talented writers in the romance genre, each giving different flavors. Radclyffe writes an action-thriller-romance-sexy tale with a blend that is all her own (and this series is the best example of that) and sets her apart from the banal. Other writers do what they do in their own way equally well. If you limit yourself to just one writer you're missing out on some great books and wonderful entertainment.

Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts is assigned to protecting the presidents daughter Blair Powell after recovering from being shot. Struggling to overcome her loss, her only way to deal with it is to shut it out of her life completely and to focus on her job. When Cameron meets Blair, something about the presidents daughter ignites feelings inside-feelings she has tried so hard to forget.

Cameron empathises with Blair, the way she feels trapped in this public life longing for her freedom. Frequently used to out-witting the agents assigned to her protection, Blair meets her match with Cameron Roberts. Unable to escape from her watchful eye, she attempts to use her sexual charm to get at her.

Blair is perturbed to find that her feelings towards Cameron become more than the playful game she originally had planned. She had always been in control and now she finds herself completely drawn to the secret service agent. Cameron successfully maintains a cool exterior rejecting Blairs advances while inside she battles with herself to keep a clear state of mind.

When a stalker threatens Blair, Cameron must protect her at all costs even if it means conforming to the very same people who have taken away the presidents daughters freedom.

A compelling story and worth every penny!

This is my first time with a Radclyffe novel and to to say that I was pleasantly suprised is an understatement. I loved this book. My only complaint is that it was over too soon. Luckily I have already ordered the 2nd and 3rd book in this series and I anxiously await their arrival. The escalating tension between the president's daughter and the secret service agent who is sworn to protect her is nothing short of steamy. The writer also provides us with just enough background that we are able to understand the motivation behind these two women. I literaly could not put this book down. Radclyffe has just got herself another fan.

Rad is the best lesbian writer out there. I've read them all and she just can't write them fast enough to satisfy me. I have to say that Cam & Blair are my favorite characters. Cameron - the noble, grounded, self-sacrificing secret agent and Blair - the headstrong, independent, first daughter - object of her protection. Such an incredibly volatile, passionate and strong couple of women thrown together in an almost intolerable position. You suffer their pain and celebrate the disintegration of their defenses. You care for these ladies. Yup! Rad is the master! Buy all her books. I promise you won't be disappointed.