Lace & Honor (Love Storm Romance) (Paperback) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sammie Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2009

Lace & Honor is the story of Sergeant Kayla Perry, Specialist Marissa Poe, and Elizabeth Shupe, three close friends assigned to work for Delta Company 32nd Combat Support Hospital (CSH) at Fort Bradley, Maryland. Their friendships, love lives, and relationships are tested when the country goes to war with Iraq

After two years of college, Kayla Perry runs out of money and joins the army to complete nursing school. After submitting her package to become an officer, Kayla is on the verge of making her dream come true. Kayla's focus is on school, and she doesn't have time for a relationship, but faith has a way of stepping in when we least expect it, and she meets Sergeant Paul Lake, a determined soldier who not only plans to go after his own military dream, but also after Kayla.

Specialist Marissa Poe is a white girl from Idaho who dates only black men, and plans to get out of the army in two weeks and attend Penn State in the fall. But when her latest boyfriend treats her less than what she's worth and the army throws a monkey wrench in her academic plans, Marissa goes through a transformation that will change her life forever.

Liz Shupe is from Louisiana, a civilian, and an army wife. She and Kayla are closer than close, but she can barely stand Marissa and no one knows why. From Liz's point of view, there's something about Marissa she just doesn't trust. Liz is ecstatic to find out she's pregnant, but that joy is short lived when her husband is deployed to Iraq, and she's forced to deal with a threatened pregnancy alone.

It's only by facing their demons that the women learn to overcome their shortcomings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pitting the traditional woman's story of relationships and love against the backdrop of war makes Ward's Lace &Honor an intriguing fresh read." --Shonell Bacon,author and owner of Chicklit Guurl

Kayla is a Sergeant in the Army. She hopes to use the Green to Gold program to get into nursing school. She had to quit college when she ran out of money and this program is a good way to get an education. She has a little bit of a crush on her boss, but besides it being against the rules, she has to concentrate on her education and career right now. Paul is a medic in the orthopaedic unit at Walter Reed Hospital. He likes his job, but he has always dreamed of entering the Special Forces like his cousin. He is waiting for word that he has been accepted. Neither Kayla nor Paul are in the right time or place to start a relationship, but love has other plans for them. Despite her misgivings and her crush on another man, Paul works his way into her heart. They are both heading in opposite directions however, and Kayla is not sure that their love is strong enough to survive separation or worse. This is a very good story about the lives of the men and women in the military. The author seems to have a good grasp of the details of their lives and a gift for describing them. Paul and Kayla are very realistic people that you will feel you know personally; their very emotional story is quite gripping. The two subplots of Timothy and Liz and their impending child, and Marissa and her less than happy love life, add another dimension to the story. There are some ethnic and musical references that are directed at African American readers, but they only detracted a little from the story. I really enjoyed Paul and Kayla s story, meeting their friends, and getting a little insight into the lives of military personnel. Contemporary Romance Rating: 4 Cups --Maura, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

About the Author

Sammie Ward is an author and publisher who began writing confessions and short stories on the advice of a friend. She has written confession short stories for Black Confessions, Black Secrets, Bronze Thrills, Jive, True Black Experience, and True Confessions magazines to name a few.

She's the CEO/Founder of Lady Leo Publishing, an independent electronic /print publishing company specializing in publishing Confessions, Short Stories, and Novellas. She's also the author of, In The Name Of Love, Love To Behold, 7 Days, and It's In The Rhythm.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Lady Leo Publishing; Second Edition edition (October 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984107622
• ISBN-13: 978-0984107629
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,045,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sammie Ward has written over fifty short stories in her literary career. A fiction and nonfiction writer. She has written for Black Romance, Black Confessions, Black Secrets, Bronze Thrills, Jive, True Black Experience, and True Confessions Magazine. Born and raised in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She's the author of, In The Name of Love, Love To Behold, 7 Days. It's In The Rhythm, and Lace & Honor.She's also the CEO/Founder of Lady Leo Publishing and independent electronic/print publishing company.

You can visit Lady Leo Publishing at www.ladyleopublishing.org. She loves to hear from fans. Drop her an email at: [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love's Nobility, November 30, 2009

By 

Jennifer Coissiere "The Tough Critic"... (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lace & Honor (Love Storm Romance) (Paperback) (Mass Market Paperback)

The families of those in the military are always on edge while the war is going on. For the soldiers who are not in a serious relationship, they tend to keep love an arm's length away. I understand it is a way for those soldiers to keep from having to leave another love one behind. Sammie Ward's Lace & Honor is a story of triumph over fear and regrets.

Kayla Perry is a friend to Elizabeth Shupe and Marissa Poe, two women who do not get along. When she is not trying to be the peacekeeper, she is busy being the best that she can be as an army sergeant. In her heart, there is a desire burning deeply for a man who does not show any signs of feeling the same. Will he ever notice her?

Elizabeth is married to a military man. While trying to overcome a major obstacle, her husband, Timothy, is deployed, leaving Elizabeth behind to handle it by herself. Elizabeth believes she will be fine because she has Kayla to depend on; even though she might also be deployed. Will Elizabeth be able to handle everything on the home front, all the while worrying for Timothy's safe return?

Marissa hopes she will get out of the Army before they send her off to war. As she counts down the days until she heads to the next step in her life, something unexpected occurs turning her life 180 degrees. She uses the time to rethink some of the choices she made when it came to the type of men she was accustomed to dating.

These three women have a vision of how they expect their lives to go and how love should feel. Unfortunately, each of them has emotions they need to let go in order to move forward. Ward provides a look into the conflicting lives of soldiers a civilian would have no clue exists. In their lives it is more than whether or not they will be deployed. I thoroughly enjoyed the realness of the characters and the situations they lived in. I recommend Lace & Honor, a book that I received from the author for review, to readers of military stories and/or romance.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Lace and Honor is a gripping story...", November 18, 2009

By 

Books2Mention Magazine "Editor" (www.Books2Mention.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lace & Honor (Love Storm Romance) (Paperback) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Lace and Honor is a gripping story about three friends who work at Delta Company 32nd Combat Support Hospital in Fort Bradley Maryland. This remarkable story provides a glimpse inside the life of soldiers, revealing their issues with love, family and their dedication and commitment to serve their country."

"Sergeant Kayla Perry joins the army with hopes of furthering her education in Nursing School. She is very focused and determined not to let anything get in her way. Including any potential relationship that could prevent her from fulfilling her dreams. Until Sergeant Paul Lake enters her life and everything changes."

"Specialist Melissa Poe has two weeks before her release from the army. She's currently dating Randall, and their relationship has hit a few bumps. She's anxious to move forward with her release from duty to attend Penn State in the fall. Unfortunately, her plans are changed and her rocky relationship with Randall becomes more than she wants to handle."

"Elizabeth Shupe is married and expecting a baby when her husband Timothy is deployed to Iraq. There is concern with her pregnancy since she has suffered a miscarriage in the past."

"All of their lives are intertwined as they face potential deployment and deal with their personal challenges that will define their futures."

4.0 out of 5 stars Lace & Honor, July 18, 2010

By 

Urban Reviews "Your Source for the Best in AA... (Online) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lace & Honor (Love Storm Romance) (Paperback) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sergeant Kayla Perry does not have time for a relationship. Her ultimate goal is to go to nursing school. That is the main reason she joined the army. She does have a thing for her staff sergeant, but she knows that she can't do anything about it because of army rules. Nevertheless, she is content on getting into the green-to-gold program so she can attend nursing school. That is until she meets Sergeant Paul Lake. He isn't looking for a relationship either since he is waiting to hear if he has been accepted into the Special Forces Unit. But sometimes the heart doesn't listen to what the mind is trying to convince it of.

Specialist Marissa Poe is a mess. She thought she was getting out of the army to start college at Penn State. She also thought she was in love with a fellow solider, and he would join her when he got out and they would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, neither of those things happened. Marissa was devastated when she was told that her getting out of the army was put on hold. Her and Randall had been on and off their whole relationship, so them being off when she told him she was staying was not as much as a surprise, but the guy she fell for after him certainly was.

Liz Shupe was married to an enlisted soldier and was best friends with Kayla. Marissa was too, but she did not get along with Liz did not get along for some reason. Just when everything was going good in her life, like her finding out she was pregnant again after her miscarriage, she finds out that her husband is being deployed to Iraq. She is trying to be strong so Timothy won't worry about her, but she is scared to death.

Lace and Honor is a good read by Sammie Ward. There were actually three different stories going on simultaneously. Ward does a great job of connecting them and keeping the story flowing. The plot was one that many people can relate to, and Ward did an excellent job of portraying the emotions that go along with a loved one being deployed. The character development for the primary and secondary characters were also well done and made the characters relatable. Good read!

Reviewed by Tenecia for Urban Reviews