A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter

" The most precious gems are forged from pressure. God brings beauty from adversity, when you let Him."






Happy Independence Day Readers!
I have another July 2018 "Must Read" for you to check out and it is perfectly suited for this holiday. A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter is a sweet historical fiction set in and around London in the year 1816. I said earlier that it's the perfect book for Independence day and it is, because in this story Kit finally finds freedom from the guilt that plagued her for many years. I would recommend this book if :

• You have read any of Mrs. Hunters other books (they are amazing)
• You like books by similar authors Sarah E. Ladd, Carrie Turansky or Elizabeth Camden
• You want to read a historical fiction story that when you finish, will make you feel like you time traveled back to 1816. 
• You just want to read a fantastic new book!

Here is the story,

Katherine “Kit” FitzGilbert turned her back on London’s society several years ago and she was sure that she would never step foot in a ballroom again. But that was before she was forced to run for her life and hide among London’s most elite.  Once inside the ballroom, the familiar music played and the sights and smells were the same as before she left and for just a second, she wished that she was still a part of that crowd. As Kit is watching the couples dance from her hiding place among the plants, she is approached by Lord Wharton (Graham) and offered lemonade and asked if she wanted to dance.  She wanted to accept his offer - especially since he had been so kind to her and he had gone out of his way to interact with her, but she had grown to distrust men, especially those in Society, so she politely declined and when he was distracted, escaped through a hidden servant door. Finally arriving back home, she is determined to forget about Graham and London’s society and go back to being “Mama Kit”.  Kit and her best friends Daphne and Jess operated Haven Manor, a home for children that were not wanted by their parents. They had no funding for Haven Manor, so Kit would become “The Governess” and convince the fathers to support their children until they were 18 years old. Things were going well until the day their unannounced and uninvited guest showed up.

Lord Wharton (Graham) was bored. He is tired of doing the same things, day after day. So he is curious about the mysterious girl named “Kit” who would wear an unusual green dress to a ball and spend all evening behind the plants. So after she disappeared from the ball and escaped the “would be” thugs that attempted to rob her- Kit disappeared again and Graham was sure that he would never see her again. However while helping his friend look for his missing sister, he stumbles across a little boy who insists that his friend lives in the trees and that his dad has hidden treasure in the woods. Intrigued and worried that the solicitor has hidden people in the woods, Graham takes off in search for the boy’s friend and the hidden treasure.  While riding through the woods he came across a young boy who was stuck in a tree and his friend Alice.  After rescuing the boy, Graham is given directions to the children’s home so he could make sure they got back safely and was surprised to see that their “Mama Kit” and his mysterious girl in the green dress were the same person. The more that Graham learned about Haven Manor, the more he respected Kit and her friends. It was a great thing they were doing with the kids, however there we things that did not add up, like how did they afford such a place and how did they find enough funds to support all the children? And the biggest question of all was, how did “The Governess” and his best friend's sister connect with the children at Haven Manor?

Kit knows that what she is doing is right. She has to be “The Governess” in order to make sure that the children and their mothers have a future. So why does the guilt of what she has done still weigh heavy on her. Surely all that she has done has been enough to pay for the mistake she made almost a decade ago…

What did I think?
A Defense of Honor is book one in the Haven Manor series and I LOVED it!  I had read the prequel novella A Search for Refuge and was hooked on the series but this book was better then I imagined. I love all the characters in the book especially Kit's friends Jess and Daphne and Graham best friend Aaron. There are so many surprising moments in the story and I love the humor that is sandwiched in between the moments of heartache and love. BUT my favorite part of the story is when Kit finally realizes that she had trusted in herself and Graham more then she trusted God and then did something about it. Overall I loved the book and am excited about book 2 coming out in 2019! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars *****

Readers, if you want to check this book out or any of her other books (my favorite are any of the Hawthorne House books) here is the link!
 https://www.kristiannhunter.com/bookshelf

If you are unsure if you would like the series but would like to read the prequel, You can get A Search for Refuge FREE!!! Here are the links:

For Amazon Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Search-Refuge-Haven-Manor-Novella-ebook/dp/B079V1KN1K

For Nook
 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-search-for-refuge-kristi-ann-hunter/1127687145?type=eBook

Christian Book Distributors
https://www.christianbook.com/search-refuge-haven-manor-novella-ebook/kristi-hunter/9781493412846/pd/95215EB


Happy Reading! :)

I would like to thank Kristi Ann Hunter and Bethany House Publishers for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for a free copy. All opinions are my own.