BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Man of Honor by Sarah O'Rourke

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.

"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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Sonja's Review

I was both excited and nervous to read Man of Honor. I was excited because I've come to really love this series and I also wanted to see Honor and Zeke finally get their happy ending, but on the other hand, I was nervous because I knew it wasn't going to be an easy road to get there. I was not wrong, it's hard and heartbreaking to read, but there's also so much love and laughter and light in it too that made it worth the read. Man of Honor was an outstanding read and I positively loved it. 

I'll admit that I wasn't exactly Honor's biggest fan when I read some of the previous books in the series, I hated that she was being stubborn and wouldn't accept that her and Zeke were meant to be together, but at the same time, I couldn't really hold it against her after everything she endured and I went into this book with an open mind and heart and I'm glad I did. She definitely has her stubborn, difficult, painful moments, but I truly couldn't help but love Honor McKinnon, just like everyone else. She's funny with her sweet and gentle, prim and proper ways, but can then turn into a complete fiery, sassy woman. That wasn't my favorite thing about Honor though, what I really loved and came to admire and respect was how much she grew into such a strong, fierce, amazing woman. Honor McKinnon did me proud and I have no doubt she will do you proud too. 

But while I might have come to love Honor, it was nothing in comparison to my love for Sheriff Ezekiel Monroe. That man is without question one the best heroes I've read about - he has a heart of gold. He's beyond sweet, thoughtful, understanding, and patient. He's so confident, devoted, and unwavering in his love for Honor - it was absolutely heart melting. I can't possibly tell you about Zeke and do him justice, you just need to experience this incredible lawman for herself because I know he'll steal your heart like he stole mine. 

Man of Honor is a long book, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. This book will make your heart pound, it will break it and crush it and make you so furious you want to yell and scream and hit someone and then at times it will have you seething and simmering with a rage so deep that your calm but shaking at the same time and if you could reach though the pages, you would be right beside Zeke and help him punish his woman's tormentors when he finds them. But for every negative emotion, every tear or sting or ache, this book will also make you laugh and smile and sigh and make your heart swell with warmth, light, love and happiness. Man of Honor is by no means an easy read, but it's so beyond worth it not only once you make it to the end, but all those good moments in between. It was inspiring, beautiful, moving, extraordinary and one of my best reads this year. 

Man of Honor can be read as a standalone, it's told from Zeke and Honor's POV, and they get their hard-fought, well-deserved happily-ever-after. 

~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars