Review and Q&A: "The Trouble with Honor"

"The Trouble with Honor"
by Julia London

Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: Jan 28, 2014
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Summary from the publisher:

Desperate times call for daring measures as Honor Cabot, the eldest stepdaughter of the wealthy Earl of Beckington, awaits her family’s ruin. Upon the earl’s death she and her sisters
stand to lose the luxury of their grand home—and their place on the pedestal of society—to
their stepbrother and his social-climbing fiancée. Forced to act quickly, Honor makes a devil’s
bargain with the only rogue in London who can seduce her stepbrother’s fiancée out of the
Cabots’ lives for good.
An illegitimate son of a duke, George Easton was born of scandal and grows his fortune through
dangerous risks. But now he and Honor are dabbling in a perilous dance of seduction that puts
her reputation and his jaded heart on the line. And as unexpected desire threatens to change
the rules of their secret game, the stakes may become too high even for a notorious gambler
and a determined, free-spirited debutante to handle.

My Review:

This book was a fun and fluffy historical romance that I think fans of the genre will really enjoy. The heroine, Honor, is a bit on the stubborn side, but I think the storyline is fun and different enough to overlook that issue. The almost 'love triangle' storyline with Monica was well done and seemed real and three dimensional instead of just a plot device.

The author's writing style does take some getting used to at first, but I think it will really appeal to fans of the regency romance genre. The he said/she said banter is very reminiscent of the regency queen herself-Jane Austen.

In some ways, Honor's youthfulness is appealing, but unfortunately she crosses over into 'immaturity' at some times. However, it is quite believable that a lot of young women in that time especially with her family and security would act the very same way. It is so easy to get caught up in her somewhat fluffy and frivolous drama though, because the author's writing style captures the regency dramatics so well! Honor's sisters were a great addition to the story and I can see readers wanting to devour the upcoming books in series and read all about all of the Cabot sisters.


Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: This is a fun, fluffy regency romp that will appeal to fans of regency romance at it's best.

Q & A with Julia London: (questions provided by HQN)

1.       Historical fiction requires so much detail. How do you research your books?

I minored in history and took several classes in British history.  And now, I’ve written so many historicals set in Regency London—which is essentially a 10 to 15 year period of British history (depending on who defines it), that at this point, I feel like I’m my own mini-expert.  I have a pretty good reference library, sources picked up through the years when travelling or just running across them in bookstores.

2.       Tell us about a typical day in the life of Julia London.

Prepare yourself for wild ride.  I start the day by reading email and social media.  That sounds like it could be work-related, but nine times out of ten, I find myself going down the Huffington Post rabbit holes.  I also look over my agenda for the day.  This is nothing fancy, but usually something written on a notebook that says. “You must kill yourself if you don’t write ten pages on X project.  Don’t argue.”  Once I’ve done that, I take my fat dog Moose out for a run in the mornings or there will be hell to pay.  Then, at last, I settle down to work on whichever book needs the work that day.  It just so happens my creativity usually subsides right around lunchtime.  How convenient!  I’ll stop there, grab some lunch and check my emails, voicemails and social media sites at the same time.  After lunch I’ll work some more.  I try and get to yoga a few times a week in the afternoons.  I take care of the business part of writing—answering emails, answering Q&As like this, etc., in the evening.  After that?  Probably some reality TV, and then rinse and repeat.  I am boring myself.  Have I bored you yet?

3.       The women in your book all have very strong personalities and tend to break out of the mold society has set for them. Do you draw on personal experience when writing about this?

That’s an interesting question.  I left home at 18 and went out into the world, putting myself through college and then moving to Washington, DC for a job.  My parents were ranchers/farmers and they were very upfront about this:  at the age of 18, you go to college, or you get a job—but one way or the other we were leaving the nest.  So I chose college, having a very strong aversion to work, haha.  I had a confident personality, too—I had to, or I never would have had the courage to go out and tackle my life.  So I guess I do relate to women who go out in the world and follow their hear.  However, the women I write about had an advantage over me—they came from privilege and etiquette classes.  I think occasionally I could be a bull in a china shop.

About Julia:
Julia London is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly best selling author of more than a twenty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Desperate Debutante andScandalous historical romance series, including the upcoming The Last Debutante, the fourth and final book in the Secrets of Hadley Green series. She is also the author of several contemporary women’s fiction novels with strong romantic elements, including Summer of Two Wishes, One Season of Sunshine, and Light at Winter’s End.
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Julia’s website: http://julialondon.com/about/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliaFLondon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuliaLondon
Book Info:
Title: The Trouble with Honor Author: Imprint:  Price: $7.99 U.S. / $8.99 CAN. Release: March 2014 Format: PBMM ISBN: 9780373778454 E-ISBN: 9781460327098

Purchase links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Honor-Hqn-Booksebook/dp/B00FBZKZI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392751599&sr=8-1&keywords=the+trouble+with+honor
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-trouble-with-honor-julialondon/1116240444?ean=9780373778454
Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373778454
Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=50817

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.