Sophia Rose Reviews Gentlemen of Honor by Summer Hanford

 

Gentlemen of Honor by Summer Hanford

Narrated by Carol Beth Anderson, Benjamin Fife, Rosy Fife

#2 Bennet Gang

Historical Romance

Publisher:  Summer Hanford

Published:  1.20.26

Time:  11 hours 44 minutes

Rating:  5 stars

Narrator Rating: 5 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Narrator

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

VOLUME TWO of The Bennet Gang Gentlemen of Honor

Elizabeth Bennet is giving up her secret life as a highwayman in favor of her next great adventure...being courted by Fitzwilliam Darcy. But when new guests arrive at Netherfield Park, they bring danger and tumult with them. Can Elizabeth and her sisters contend with the evil Hargreaves while still successfully navigating matters of the heart, or will they be forced to choose between love, honor, and family?

Fitzwilliam Darcy is enamored with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Unfortunately, making her mistress of his beloved estate, Pemberley, would require embracing a scandal that could ruin the Darcy name. If he could make her see that she must give up her mad ways, she could be his. That is their only recourse, their single path to happiness, because it couldn't possibly be the case that he needs to change.

Gentlemen of Honor is the high-stakes conclusion to The Bennet Gang Duology. This fast-paced, action-filled Pride and Prejudice Variation finds your favorite characters faced with all new reasons to be uncertain in love. If you take delight in Summer Hanford's distinct, entertaining tales, enjoy Gentlemen of Honor today.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

After the dramatic events of the first half of the dualogy, Dishonorable Gentlemen, I was primed and ready to complete this fabulous tale featuring Summer Hanford’s writing talent and the capable team of narrators now including Rosy Fife along with Carol Beth Anderson and Benjamin Fife.

 

Gentlemen of Honor opens with the fallout of Darcy discovering the truth of the Boney Bandits and that the woman he has just proposed a courtship to is part of this conspiratorial secret.  His decision is to swiftly leave all this behind to protect his family honor- and his heart.

But Elizabeth is having none of it.  If he’s going to turn his back on her and a chance at love, she wants him to say it to her face so she is hot on his trail.  She gets help from Darcy’s own conscience, his sister and cousin’s pointed observations, and Elizabeth’s genteel relations in trade.  However, it’s the principle of the matter and she wants him to squirm a bit before she is ready to have a candid conversation with him.

 

In the meantime, forces of fate may not give them the time to smooth out their courting issues because Caroline Bingley’s determination to host the relations of an earl and discover Charles’ Jane Bennet has distinguished aristocratic relations brings deadly danger to the Oakwood-Bennet family’s doorstep.  The Oakwood extended family are schemers and don’t hesitate over a spot of murder to advance them into the earldom so Thomas and Matthew Oakwood, true heirs to the earl are now being menaced by the Oakwood cousins Caroline is now hosting.  Only young Lydia seems to have the proper amount of wariness when that group comes calling, but a young girl not even out or liked by her mother can prevent what eventually takes place while Jane and Mary are distracted by their courtships.

 

This time when Elizabeth, Lydia and their sisters face a foe; they are up against those ruthless and cunning enough that once again, the law can’t touch them.  Promises were made and her very future happiness with Darcy may be on the line, but Elizabeth must choose her young vulnerable brothers and resurrect the Boney Bandits once again, ‘when’ not ‘if’ that becomes needed.  Darcy must do some serious soul-searching about what is truly most important.  Lydia wants to prove she is ready to join her sisters in the clandestine world they work when injustice can only be thwarted by masked avengers in the shadows.  Will they all be in time to save the young boys?

 

Gentlemen of Honor was every bit as swashbuckling, suspenseful, and riveting as the first book, Dishonorable Gentlemen.  It is the second half of that tale and, if anything, is a stronger story now that the introduction to world, character, and relationships are done and it can just get on with things.  I loved seeing the character growth in Darcy and in Lydia most of all.  Elizabeth is a tower of strength and works well in a team with her sisters, but it is when Lydia and then Darcy step-up that the team is at its most efficient and strongest.

That said, some new characters into the mix including a young man not much older than Lydia who may or may not be trustworthy and Darcy’s amusing, but very handy military cousin add their own panache. 

 

I loved that Gentlemen of Honor ratcheted up the danger and added a time element that is ticking down while the Bennet Gang works to thwart the villains and save the Oakwood boys.  There are no easy answers and they stumble a few times, but the taut suspense is at its height near the end and kept me listening long into the night to get to the satisfying denouement.

 

As to narration work, there were three narrators taking turns.  Carol Beth Anderson took Elizabeth’s POV, Benjamin Fife was on Darcy’s POV, and Rosy Fife had Lydia’s POV.  This could have easily been too distracting for me, but it was not after I got settled back into the story near the beginning.  I found each narrator took an already fabulous story and fired my imagination, drawing me even deeper into the story.  The immersive listening experience heighted this story for me whether it was a young girl’s high energy, an introspective and analytical Darcy or a decisive and capable Elizabeth’s thoughts I was getting.

 

All and all, this was an abso-fab experience that I know I will return to again.  Swashbuckling, colorful and full of life this tale that was very loosely based on the Pride and Prejudice original is one I highly recommend to those who love exciting sweet historical romance.

 

Author Bio:

Summer Hanford writes best-selling Pride and Prejudice retellings, swashbuckling Historical Romance, and gripping Epic Fantasy. She lives in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of New York with her husband and compulsory, deliberately spoiled, cat. The newest addition to their household, an energetic setter-shepherd mix, has been trying, and failing, for eight years to gain acceptance from the cat, but is adored by the humans.

Since the moment she read her first novel, Summer’s passion has always been writing, and epic adventures. As a child growing up on a dairy farm, she built castles made of hay and wielded swords made of fence posts. She is also passionate about animals, travel, and organizing her closet. Nothing pleases her more than a row of tops broken down by sleeve length and ordered by color…except working on her latest novel with her cat in her lap, her dog lounging on the rug dreaming of squirrels, and a cup of tea at hand.

For more about Summer, visit www.summerhanford.com.

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose