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Rating: Summary: An Unbeatable Combination of Action and Romance Review: "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.
Rating: Summary: One of the best of Radclyffe's books Review: Although her earlier novels were often uneven in quality, Radclyffe's writing has been steadily improving through the years and ABOVE ALL, HONOR is one of her best efforts. The characters are vivid and engaging and the plot is tightly focused, with a forward momentum that keeps you turning the pages. In lesser hands, I would complain about the short length of the novel -- too often a warning you're about to read a lesbian romance that doesn't rise above "girl-meets-girl so who needs a plot?" -- but there are no wasted words, no pointless scenes. The result is surprisingly satisfying -- less fat, more filling. I've never understood why Radclyffe's works haven't been picked up by an established press -- she is easily the equal, if not the superior, of many of the published authors successful in the lesbian romance genre (which is too weak in quality to afford such an oversight). I can only hope that her works, now available in print form, will continue to grow in popularity as readers discover what they've been missing. For those of us who stumbled upon Radclyffe online, the public recognition can't come too soon. I've ordered print copies of several of my favorite titles so I can indulge in the pleasure of re-reading them sitting in an armchair, rather than hunched over my laptop. If you like the books of writers such as Karin Kallmaker and Peggy J. Herring, then chances are very good you'll thoroughly enjoy Radclyffe as well.
Rating: Summary: Classic Romance w/ all the Angst & Action You Could Want Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Very Readable - Full of complex characters Review: I never want to stop reading this author's works once I start. I loved the character Cameron, she is an original like none other in fiction - we need more people like her. For me, Blair was a little harder to love but I am glad I continued to read because by the second book in this series I wouldn't want her any other way. The setting in Manhattan was fun to read. This was well written and a perfect book for a long lazy afternoon.
Rating: Summary: Fast paced read, but it is not her best work. Review: The Secret Service in Radclyffe's Above All Honor has their hands full. They are trying to guard Blair Powell, the daughter of the President of the United States. Blair, a prominent artist in bohemian art circles of NYC, has grown tired of the oppressive consequences of her father's political career. The polished, beautiful, and politically savvy, Blair is willing to play her role within reason -- speaking for special events, sponsoring charities and making appearances in political venues that are all accepted parts of her public persona; however, she is tired of the constant invasion into her personal life. In her private life Blair is unabashedly lesbian. That private life her father prefers she at least keep discrete. Frustration has led Blair to taunt, tease, annoy and evade the security detail whenever possible. She leads them on merry chases through a range of ... bars in the city, particularly enjoying opportunities to lose the easily spotted "straight laced" agents in one of the leather clubs. Much to the embarrassment of the agents, Blair is quite skilled at her disappearing act. Senior Agent Cameron Roberts has just been given a clean bill of health after a near fatal shooting during an undercover operation that went badly. Displeased with her new assignment in charge of a security duty for the President's daughter, Roberts quickly realizes that her own lesbian identity is one of the reasons for it. Roberts is determined to treat Blair with as much respect and professionalism as possible without being stymied by her little games. Despite her handsome ... appearance, Roberts seems immune to Blair's charms. This impression is not entirely true of Roberts, but Blair is quite willing to rise to the challenge of the enigmatic agent. Both women carry painful secrets in their past making the possibility of a romance professional inappropriate and personally difficult. No light romantic comedy, the courtship dance in Above All Honor has an edgy, tense quality, although at times it is predictable. Meanwhile, Roberts' charge to protect Blair becomes more challenging when she begins to receive "gifts" from a stalker. A fast-paced read, Above All Honor has some entertaining and erotic elements. It does not, however, entirely succeed as an "action and suspense thriller" reinterpreted through a lavender lens. The novel is too short in that it leaves too many questions unanswered and too many allusions unexplained. Blair and Robert's pasts are hinted at, but not explored enough for this reader. Blair's behavior almost goes too far for her to be "redeemable" without more background. And one storyline is left hanging in an unfulfilling, even annoying, manner. Because of the weak character development and the incomplete plot, Above All Honor does not hold up to the promise of Love's Melody Lost, Radclyffe's lavender, tongue-in-cheek tribute to gothic romances. Hopefully, Radclyffe will find better ways to express these elements in future stories.
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