A Defense of Honor (June 5, 2018) by Kristi Ann Hunter.*
After willingly
turning away from London society over a decade ago, Katherine “Kit” FitzGilbert
finds herself in the type of place she swore never to return to. A ballroom. In
so doing, she has promised a dance to a potted shrubbery and encountered
Graham, the Viscount Wharton, heir to the earldom of Grableton. She has not
heard of him, which is to his credit, as she has spent these years avoiding
ballrooms by dedicating herself to helping women escape the same wrath and
disdain that fell upon her and her best friend, and they raise the innocent
children that resulted. Kit has her ways of obtaining funds to raise the
children at Haven Manor, and she isn’t alone in charge of the children. Daphne is
the nurturing one, while Jess is the tough one. When Lord Wharton is stranded
at Haven Manor because of flooding, he becomes the father figure all of those
children are missing, and Kit sees he is not the despicable, wanton type of
gentry she is accustomed to dealing with. Is it worth it to tell him
everything, even as she knows he suspects the origins of the youth?
After meeting Kit in a random
ballroom, he cannot seem to get her out of his mind. But where does one begin
to look for one who does not want to be found? It turns out, do not try at all.
One of his best friends, Oliver, Lord Farnsworth, is desperately trying to
locate his missing sister, Priscilla. It’s apparent that their father knows why
Prissy is missing, but he has set a stubborn line and will reveal nothing. The
only piece of information Oliver has is a strange, albeit legitimate, contract.
Graham embarks on a search with Oliver and eventually finds himself at Haven
Manor. The more Graham learns about Kit and the children, the more his eyes are
opened. He wants to help, though he’s unsure exactly what he should do. But he
doesn’t know Kit’s entire story. If he did, would he be repulsed by her past?
Or the person she is now?
Having enjoyed the previous book I
read from this author, I was curious to see where this new series would go, and
I was not disappointed. I felt this first story in the Haven Manor series read at a steady clip. I enjoyed how well Hunter
introduced her main and supporting characters; they are well fleshed-out to be believable
individuals and not carbon copies of other characters. I appreciate that flaws
are visible even while characters are faithful. For example, Kit’s heart is in
the right place, but the way she goes about obtaining and maintaining funds is
misguided. No one likes a bully, after all. But flaws give her room to grow,
just as our flaws give us endless room to grow.
* Disclosure of
Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I
was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,
Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising.”