I loved the story of Phoebe and Markus! The addition of Elizabeth was perfect. Watching how Phoebe dealt with falling in love with her best friend's widower was great as well as watching how he handled it as well. I almost cried with Elizabeth's first words! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Phoebe spent the years between age 18 and 23 in the Highlands with her grandmother.  She loved every minute of it and wouldn’t have changed a minute of the time she had with her Grand.  Of course those were her best “courting” years and now she’s considered on the shelf.  She was engaged in Scotland but the man broke it off stating that Phoebe was a “cold fish.”  When she returned home rather than try to find a husband she decides to continue helping people and takes a job at the Everton Domestic Society.  Her family is outraged and her oldest brother, a viscount and head of the family, disowns her.  She’s fine with that.

She is assigned to a job helping the Viscount of Devonrose get his house and family back in order.  Normally Everton ladies don’t take jobs that involve anyone they know but she is specifically requested.  She knows the family because she was very good friends with the now deceased Viscountess of Devonrose.  When she arrives at the country estate she realizes she has her work cut out for her.  When her friend Emma died in childbirth her husband, Markus, chose to kill himself with drinking. He was stuck in his grief and has been drinking practically non-stop for the past two years.  His daughter Elizabeth is being raised by what little staff hasn’t been fired when Markus goes into a temper.  The staff as well as Elizabeth is frightened of Markus and Phoebe isn’t having it.

When Phoebe arrives. Markus wants nothing more than for her to be gone.  He does promise her that he will stop drinking and the longer he goes without a drink he realizes the kind of man he’s become.  Instead of helping his grief, it was only worsening it.  He also realizes he had ignored his holdings and most importantly, his daughter.  He tries to put this to rights the damage he has done and in doing so he starts to notice Phoebe.  He doesn’t want to be he knows that what he’s feeling isn’t just gratitude for her help, but appreciation for the woman herself.  Though they both try to fight it they fall in love.  Unfortunately Phoebe’s circumstances and her brother’s meddling may keep them apart.

This was a cute story.  I really liked Phoebe and loved that she said whatever was on her mind (most of the time).  She was bossy, but the situation called for that.  I wish she had been a little bossier with her family – they were nuts.  Her brother Miles was fine but the rest?  Wow.  Just wow.

Markus was fine after he finally pulled himself out of the bottle.  He tried to make amends and was actually doing a bang-up job of it. Little Elizabeth needed her father and he was finally there for her in a big way.

The parts of the story I didn’t really care for had to do with Phoebe’s suitors.  Markus was having problems coming to terms with his feelings and his thoughts on how he could never love another woman that would replace Emma.  That didn’t make it any easier to see both his secretary and the man who had once jilted her come around to court her.  I think this part annoyed me because Phoebe was so straightforward with everything else and it almost felt like she was leading these two on instead of telling them to take a giant leap.  Yes, she said it a round about way but it bothered me that the author had her personality changing in those instances.  It just was consistent.

Despite my issues it was a good story and I’ll be looking to read more in this series in the future.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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I really enjoyed reading "A Lady's Honor". So many historical novels are about untitled women falling in love with Dukes and Earls and Viscounts but this one (thank goodness) was different.
Phoebe Hallsmith is the daughter of a Viscount -- on equal social footing with the gentry but considers herself "disgraced" because she is 24, single and had been "disowned" by her older brother for refusing to marry the man of his choosing.. As a result, Phoebe considers herself to be less than the titled woman she was when she "came out" many years earlier. She gets a job with the Everton Domestic Society (oh, the shame!) which sends her to the estate of her late best friend, whose husband is drowning his sorrows in drink and ignoring his toddler daughter to the point where she does not speak, to see if she can bring order to chaos and help Markus, (her late friend Emma's husband) start taking an interest in life again. There is so much more to the story including unwanted suitors, a former fiance, the concept of women of quality holding jobs, alcoholism...and of course, an HEA. It's an enjoyable read and one I found myself looking forward to getting back to whenever I had a moment.

A Lady's Honor is I believe, my first book by A.S. Fenichel. What a great surprise. Ms. Fenichel has delivered a book that is well-written and packed with fantastic characters. After a broken engagement, Phoebe goes to work for the Everton Domestic Society, which causes her brother to disown her. Markus lost his wife during childbirth, turning him into a father that buries himself in alcohol. Markus and Phoebe's story is filled with drama, humor, sizzle and a bit of action. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from A.S. Fenichel in the future. A Lady's Honor is book 1 of the Everton Domestic Society Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beautifully written, this emotional Regency romance pushed all the right buttons for me. Phoebe is no shrinking violet and when she is disowned by her family after a disasterous rejection by her fiance, she decides to take the road less travelled and join the Everton Domestic Society. Through them, she learns that she has friends who care about her and she earns her place with them. Not afraid of hard work, Phoebe also learns that she doesn’t need to rely on her family to meet her needs when she puts her organisational skills into operation. Called on to carry out an assignment at her deceased best friend’s home, Phoebe arrives with the flamboyant lady Honoria Chervil to take over the running of Markus, Lord Castlereagh’s home. They find chaos of the worst kind and the Lord himself is heavily under the influence of alcohol. Whilst Phoebe is shocked at what she finds, nevertheless she has a duty to perform and immediately sets to work. She very quickly earns the respect of the few remaining staff and eventually the Lord himself, but working in such close proximity with an already wounded man comes with risks. One would expect the male of the species to be able to cope with pain and loss albeit stoically, but one forgets that every individual is different and Markus loses himself in the bottom of a bottle. Bit by bit Phoebe makes inroads into the mess and with Honoria’s sense of humour to lighten the darkest moments, she solves all of the problems, except for the one involving her heart. Sticking to the rules, Phoebe chooses to leave Rosefield behind and return to Everton House. Apart from Phoebe’s obnoxious brother and ex fiance, I loved the characters in this book and the way the story came together. The last chapter was hilarious and joyous and exciting, bringing all the main players together in a delightful way. Some of the characters in this book appeared in another series, however this is a standalone and comes to a very satisfactory ending. I receiveed a copy of this book through Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review

Phoebe Hallsmith spent years caring for her ill grandmother. A short-lived engagement with a fiancée who tarnished her name led Phoebe to enter the Everton Domestic Society of London causing estrangement with her family.
Returning from assignment she is met with a woman from her past. The Countess of Castlereagh demands Phoebe assist her son with regaining his life after the death of his wife two years previously. Initially reluctant to agree as Emma was a dear friend of hers, she is persuaded to take the assignment.
Markus Flammel is lost in grief at the loss of his wife in childbirth. Drowning his grief in alcohol he is blind to the needs of his daughter and his estate. When is wife’s old friend takes over his home he is shaken at the strong reaction he has to the strong-minded woman.
With the re-emergence of Phoebe’s ex fiancé and difficulties with her family, the task is not an easy one.
This was an enjoyable read with compelling characters. The plot had a nice blend of romance, drama and intrigue. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book after reading the dedication, I know this was a Work of Love, perhaps even a work of catharsis for the author. I could sense the underlying pain and emotions of the author, but I couldn’t feel the passion of the relationship. They spoke of their feelings in working through the situation, of finding love after loss, but they didn’t engage me. Our h is a bit of an organizer for people who have lost their way, in some form or another. The H is the widowed husband of her best friend, drinking away his grief. The h shows up, tells him to stop drinking and he does. Obviously the author has never dealt with a true alcoholic or there would have been some changes to that portion. Both resist their attraction, feeling it a betrayal of the lost loved one, which is fitting. But the ongoing insistence of the h that she is an “Overton lady”, and thus she will ever be, became redundant. Fortunately, there is a HEA, but by then I didn’t even care. Not for me. I received a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

"A Lady's Honor" by A. S. Fenichel
I just finished reading my copy of this story... and I LOVED this story. Oh, to be as wise and capable as Phoebe... But I am ever so glad I have not had her life. If you like Regency Romances. I am sure you will devour this story. I found it very difficult to put the story down, even when my eyes were begging to take a rest. I was gifted an ARC by the author.. and I truly feel very lucky to have had this opportunity for an early read. I hope there will be an unabridged audio book version available in the future... my eyes would enjoy the rest and my ears would love to share the story with me once again. And yes I laughed and I cried, and I cheered for my friends.. I say this is a 5-star story for sure. Happy reading.

Great story! Loved the characters. Another winner from this author. Already looking forward to next in series.