Customer Reviews

Honor Guards

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In this, the fourth novel in the "Honor" series, author Radclyffe continues the story of the relationship between Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States, and Cameron "Cam" Roberts, the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her. As with each of the previous books, HONOR GUARDS picks up where the last novel (LOVE AND HONOR) left off. When the novel opens, Blair has already given an interview to a reporter revealing her sexual orientation and her lover's identity, and she and Cam are waiting for the story to be printed and for the media blitz that is sure to follow. In the brief time before that happens, they are able to be together as lovers, luxuriating in one another's arms and trying to block out the rest of the world to focus on their relationship.

But little do they know that behind the scenes, malignant forces are at work, including a conspiracy to assassinate Blair. Radclyffe has set this book from August 16, 2001 and onward toward the inevitability of the 9/11 attacks. Interspersing the two lover's daily struggles with politics, privacy, and the paparazzi are brief details of the conspiracy to unseat the government by way of terrorism. Every step of the way, from the racy love scenes to the daily security worries weighing heavy on Cam's shoulders, the reader is aware of the oncoming disasters, even as we root for Blair and Cam to cement their relationship once and for all.

A secondary plot line involving Secret Service agent Paula Stark and FBI agent, Renee Savard, is interwoven into the story. Renee is still recovering from wounds suffered during a previous attempt on Blair's life, and Paula continues to be part of Cam's team protecting the president's daughter. Their relationship unfolds sweetly and delightfully, and Paula plays a critical role in the exciting events that unfold.

As usual with Radclyffe's books, the sex scenes are hot, the twists and turns of the plot are engrossing, and the action scenes build slowly and explode effectively. Best of all, at the end of this fourth book in the series, the reader is left wanting more, and there is definitely room for another novel. 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.

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.

If you've never bought a Radclyffe story, this a good one to spend your money on. Some of Radclyffe's other books are overrated in my opinion, but this one is truly exceptional. It lifts this series to a new level, not just because the writing itself is a whole lot better than most of her previous works but also because her characters and plot are better too. I won't tell the story all over again, since it's been described here by everyone else. But I think one of the best things about Honor Guards is that Radclyffe has made Cameron and Blair a lot more interesting as real people. In some series I've read, this doesn't happen and you get the feeling the author is bored with her characters. Not so this time - Radclyffe seems to have something new to say about Cam and Blair. I'm impressed that after writing so many books, this author has not settled into a groove like you see with some other authors that write a lot of romances. I bought ten books to read on vacation recently, and this one, along with the latest Jennifer Fulton that I also reviewed, are the best two of the bunch by far. I don't know what Radclyffe has done to improve her writing so much between Above All Honor and this new book, but the results are great and I hope she keeps doing it!

This is the fourth entry in the Honor series and the series gets better with each new novel and each re-reading. The 2 main characters have been increasingly captivating with every new book. The subsidiary characters have their own plot that is just as interesting. Excellent story telling.

This is a Keeper !

Don't miss all the novels in the series -

Above All, Honor
Honor Bound
Love & Honor
Honor Guards
Honor Reclaimed

Only the talented Radclyffe could come up with a story like this! The plot is based on the events of 9/11. When the towers are hit, First Daughter Blair Powell is attacked and almost killed by a group of well-trained men... one of whom is a Secret Service Agent assigned to her security team. In walks (or runs) her security chief and lover, Cameron Roberts. Cam shoots the traitor before he call pull the trigger on Blair. After secreting Blair from New York City, Cameron agrees to take them to the home of one of Blair's friends from college. They can't go to any of the established safe houses or let anyone know where they are because of the unexpected breech in security. As Cam struggles to keep her lover safe, Blair struggles with her own feelings about the dangers of Cam's profession.

This series gets better each time I read it (this was my third time). Rad brings the characters to life unlike any other author in the genre. The reader can almost imagine running into Blair and Cam on the street. Rad brings dimension to her book and gives the reader an additional bonus with the development of other character relationships, the most obvious being the one between SS Agent Paula Stark and FBI Agent Renee Savard.

This story is so well told, the reader is apt to believe there actually was a plot to take the First Daughter on 9/11.

A MUST HAVE BOOK.

A sequel to "Love & Honor", and fourth in the "Honor" series, I keep half-expecting to get tired of this series, but each installment continues to be strong by focusing on the emotional impacts events have on the relationship between Blair and Cam, and how their partnering evolves and they grow closer together in response to conflict, stronger together than apart. Ultimately this book gives an interesting fictional twist on the events of 9/11, with the terrorism used as an interesting back-drop for the main plot that was handled well, with little need of artistic embellishment in order to provide emotional impact. Blair is attacked simultaneous to the planes being hijacked, and the events set in motion are tense and revealing, and clearly a set up for another book in this series. But this comes at the very end of the book, and meanwhile there are plenty of other things to focus on as Blair travels through Paris, finally opens her own art exhibit at the Bleeker Gallery, and endures a medical scare with Cam ever by her side.

Still, the ability to weave supporting characters and their story lines in still seems to be in its infancy here, particularly when compared with the strength of Lonely Hearts Club, though the seeds are there. Mostly it's a little jarring to me to read about the other characters when we really don't know anything about them. With Cam and Blair we've had the benefit of getting back-story and more depth in their motivations, but with characters like Stark and Renee we don't know anything about them outside the direct Blair sphere. Radclyffe explains in her foreword how when writing a series and introducing supporting cast everything revolves around and draws energy from the main pair: Cam and Blair in this case. And Radclyffe does a good job of keeping that connection there: most actions Cam and Blair take affect the lives around them in a material way. It's an interesting perspective to get.

I like reading about the exciting lives of these idealized characters. They seem 3-dimensional and human. And I'm enjoying reading this series again, and watching Radclyffe grow as an author in its progression.

In the third of Radclyffe's Honor Series, Cam and Blair's love continues to deepen. It becomes more difficult for the Secret Service Agent to protect the president's daughter in the days preceding 9/11.
Against the backdrop of real life events, Radclyffe weaves a gripping page-turner. Blair Powell and Cameron Roberts' story begins in France where events are set in motion that will shatter the world around them.
Radclyffe's third in the series is the most suspenseful and the most sensitive. Those around Cam and Blair become players in this plot. We do not know who the good guys are all of the time. The author does an exceptional job of weaving the days preceding 9/11 into the plot. She subtly intertwines those events in snippets as to keep it in the background. The book is about Cam, Blair and the blossoming love of two previously secondary characters and how they "live" through these events.
As always, it is amazing that even in Radclyffe's action series, she can create the right blend of romance and suspense. In this book it is the love that the four main characters share that keeps them strong and may just keep them alive. Everything about Honor Guards is subtle but powerful. The fast paced action does not overpower the romance nor does 9/11 become the focus.
This book shows us why Radclyffe is the leading lesbian romance writer of our time. And we know that there will be a fourth in the series because the book does not really end. We know there must be more to the story.

This is a good read. A page turner as most of Radclyffe's books are. Her writing is fascinating and literate.
I waited eagerly for Honor Guards, thinking that things would get tied up, but she's left me wanting more. Again!
I like the way Rad ties 9/11 into this book especially the way she uses the time line to hatch the plot to kill Blair.
the characters continue to develop as their love relationships blossom.
I'm really beginning to like Andrew Powell and hope that Rad can continue the story and find some answers without having him blunder into Iraq. He's quite a father. What kind of president is he?
The parallel romances flower naturally. My questions:
Will Blair and Cam find some peace? Will they be able to live together?
Will Stark and Renee stay together? How does her investigation of the assasination attempt impact their relationship and Renee's growing friendships with Blairs SS cadre?
Will Mac survive and come back to the team? If he does, will Felicia back away from her "no dating rule"? (It's a good one, especially since he's her supervisor and she's black and he's white, but it seems as if something special is happening between them.)
does Grant ever come back to the team?
Good job, Rad!

Fourth in a series that begin with Above All, Honor; Honor Bound; and Love & Honor; Honor Guards continues chronicling the daily lives of Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and First Daughter, Blair Powell. As they continue to live their lives, forces unbeknownst to them begin to hatch sinister plots. What plots are being planned and for when? How many plots are there? Who will the plots be directed at? And why, all of a sudden, does someone feel the need to "out" the women's personal relationship?

When an unexpected attack is launched on Blair will Cameron be there to save her? How did no one know or see the clues pointing to the events unfolding? And how did no one in the Secret Service or the FBI know a traitor was in the midst of it all?

Told using a backdrop of the events leading to September 11th, 2001, Honor Guards is a tremendously fantastic, spellbinding story of life, love, heartbreak, and the devastating cost of loss of human life.

Blair and Cam are thrust even further into the spotlight at a dangerously inconvenient time when a reporter jumps the gun and outs them in a news story that's released too early.

At the same time, terrorist groups plan to coordinate the 9/11 attacks as well as the assassination of the president's daughter. They are successful on one front, but Agent Roberts and company thwart their other plans, at great cost to their security team.