This is the first time I've read anything from Diana Munoz Stewart. I thought The Cost of Honor was an okay read for me.

A non-stop ride!

The Cost of Honor is Tony's story--as the only boy adopted into a family of kick-butt female vigilantes, you know he's going to need an HEA with a woman who can stand up to him and give just as good as she gets. Honor definitely does not disappoint!

Truth time--I hadn't realized that there was a book in between this one and the first ( I Am Justice )--somehow I completely missed the release of The Price of Grace --which did leave me a bit confused at times. I remembered Tony "dying" and all of the questionable choices Justice was making in her book (they made me a little crazy too, so I sympathized with Tony there) but there were definitely things that I missed, not having read the second book. Verdict? Don't be me! Read all the books. I'm going to go back and read the second ASAP, because of course I need all the deets of Grace and Dusty's journey to HEA. :)

I honestly didn't see so many of the twists and turns of this one coming--Ms Stewart is really getting good at misdirection!--and needing to know what was really going on kept me turning the pages. The will-they-or-won't-they issue (wipe Tony's memory, that is; the fear of the possibility is what kept him on the run) added extra stress...and I didn't even mention the sexy bits yet! So, yeah--it's a page turner.

And I did mention the kick-butt female vigilantes, yes? ;)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

I’ve enjoyed the first two books in this series featuring Justice and Grace, and now it’s brother Tony’s turn. Tony is the lone male that was adopted into the Parish family, raised and trained to be vigilante assassins while protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Everyone thought Tony was dead when the takedown of an especially brutal man went sideways, but Tony faked his own death since he’d been wanting out of the family. But he knew they’d come for him, so he’s been on the run for months, looking over his shoulder, waiting for his sisters to catch up with him.

But Tony didn’t think that he’d meet someone who’d catch his eye on the island of Dominica, and he certainly didn’t expect that Honor would desperately need his help. Honor returned to Dominica after her mother’s untimely death to revitalize their family’s farm, but she has offers from an unknown entity to pay a very large sum to purchase the business and land–for way more than it’s worth. And then the accidents at her resort start to happen along with employees not showing up for work, and Tony grows suspicious that something more serious is going on here. As their relationship grows more serious, even though they both know that Tony cannot stay, he finds that he can’t leave her when so much danger lurks around the corner when she has enemies gunning for her from her mother’s past.

I really enjoyed Tony and Honor, from the way he tries to train her to protect herself to the way she can talk to anyone. Tony is guarded–and for good reason–but he falls fast and hard for Honor. He has a protective streak a mile-wide and a heart of gold, and he’s just an all around good guy who enjoys helping people and a good mystery. Honor grew up a bit sheltered, and she doesn’t know who she can trust when things start to go south–but she knows she can trust Tony. She speaks her mind, runs a firm, legitimate business, and is liked by anyone who meets her. She’s a very strong woman and she handles things well on her own, and this leads to struggles between the two of them.

I give The Cost of Honor a 4.5 out of 5. Just as I expect from this series, the third installment was fast paced and well written with plenty of romance and action. The island of Dominica was a fantastic, picturesque setting for this book with it’s lush, humid jungles. I enjoyed seeing Justice and Sandesh from the first book and Grace and Dusty from the second book show up on the island to bring Tony home, and attempted to do so rather forcefully. In the last third of the book, we got an even deeper look at the operations of the Parish compound, and I really enjoyed those chapters. Overall, I highly enjoyed this series, and The Cost of Honor was my favorite of the three.

Great action, suspenseful storytelling right from page one. I enjoyed watching all the drama unfold. I wanted more to the romance part, but the action, suspense more than made up for it.

The only male to be adopted into the notorious Parish family, Tony Parish always did right by his vigilante sisters. But when an attempt to protect one of them went horribly wrong, he had to fake his own death to escape his fanatical family. Tony set sail and ended up in Dominica—face to face with the woman of his dreams. After the death of her mother, Honor Silva moved to Dominica, where her family could help her heal and move on. But her activist mother left her more than money, she left her proof that could take down one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. Tony gave up everything he thought he knew when he fled his family. But when a threat too dangerous for Tony and Honor to fight on their own closes in, he has no choice but to go to them for help. Problem is, they'll demand something in return—something that could cost Tony not just Honor, but also the love that changed him forever.
This read was great on the suspense but fell flat on the romance and interactions between the two main characters. That part just didn’t work for me, whereas the rest was really great. This was the first book I’ve read from this author but I’m not sure if I’ll read another by her.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Love any book from Diana Munoz Stewart!! She is s great storyteller! All her books capture your attention. This book was no different! Can not wait for her next book!!!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Wow, there was non-stop action and so many twists and turns that when the full story is revealed, I was shocked that I was not even close to figuring this out!

At first, I was a bit confused as I had not read any of the previous books in this series and did not know the whole host of characters and wondered if Tony really seemed like the villain in the previous books as he was definitely not a villain in this book.

Even though he knows that his past is catching up with him and he will have to pay for his alleged betrayal, he is helping Honor as she fights for her life. There are multiple attempts on her life, secrets revealed, and a real villain to defeat.

When Tony to have his memory erased to save Honor, then has no emotions for her, that is so hard to read and you feel terrible for Honor. Even his brother and sisters can see that all is not right and the memory erase did not go well. I really did not like that Tony at all! Good thing all was resolved in the end and Tony and Honor got their HEA.

The Cost of Honor is book three in Diana Muñoz Stewart’s Black Ops Confidential series about a group of adoptive siblings (twenty-eight in total, all but two of them female) who were adopted by one of the world’s wealthiest women and trained in badassery to be warriors in her social justice crusade. The story picks up after the end of the first book, I Am Justice, and focuses on one of the only male members of the Parrish ‘family’, Tony, who has got himself into hot water by going against orders so as to save his sister Justice from the possibly fatal consequences of her own rash actions. Knowing the rest of the family will see this as a massive betrayal, he has only one way to keep body, soul and, most importantly, mind together; he fakes his own death to avoid being hauled back to the family HQ to have his memories altered.

Even though he’s managed to get away, Tony knows it’s just a matter of time before the family tracks him down, so he’s determined to keep moving. Shortly after his escape, he travels to Dominica, where he (stupidly) goes kite boarding during a storm, gets wiped out and is saved by Honor Silva, a young woman who owns a cocoa farm where she manufactures high-grade, boutique chocolate and runs an island tour business on the side.

Having seen Lazarus Graves (as Tony has styled himself) is safe in hospital, Honor returns home to discover that someone has made an offer for the farm, hotel and tour business for an amount way in excess of what it’s actually worth, but she turns it down. She has no desire to sell and besides, such an offer is extremely suspicious – why anyone would want to pay well over the odds for a business that is just about breaking even? But when all but one of her regular tour guides fail to show for work and a number of ‘accidents’ start to occur on the tours, it becomes clear that whoever made that offer is prepared to get their hands on the business by whatever means necessary.

The suspense plot in The Cost of Honor is intriguing, topical and moves at a good pace with clues revealed to the reader at the same time as the characters so we’re able to start to piece things together at the same time they are. But this is (supposedly) a romantic suspense novel, and the low grade I’ve given it is entirely due to the clumsiness of the romance, which is unconvincing and contains more cheese than my favourite fondue recipe. Even the term ‘insta-lust’ doesn’t adequately describe the speed at which things progress; Tony is in the hospital when the mental lusting starts (he’s specifically impressed by Honor’s boobs), and within a couple of days, the couple is pondering the amazing connection they share. (Which isn’t shared with the reader – it’s all telling and no showing.) The characterisation of Honor is inconsistent which made it difficult to get a handle on her. When we first meet her, she’s contrasting her own cautious personality with her late mother’s bold, go-getter ways and told she secretes away her heart and her true desires. But within a day or two of meeting Tony, she’s ordering him to get onto his knees and go down on her, and he’s thinking of her as a ballbuster – which just didn’t fit the initial picture the author paints of Honor as cautious and somewhat reserved.

The novel is full of clichéd dialogue and laughable statements . I made note of many such instances on my Kindle, but here are a few of the highlights:

Tony is turned on by Honor’s driving skills:

“Honor, you catch my breath. The way you drive. The way you pause in the road right before a dip. It’s like you’re one with the earth.”

In an attempt at banter worthy of any Carry On film:

“I can’t wait to get my lips around your recipes.”

(Oooh, er, Matron!)

During a discussion about the level of danger to Honor and trusting each other, Honor says:

“Are you sure, Laz? You barely know me. I mean, we haven’t even slept together yet.”

Huh?

And when they do get busy between the sheets, she says right out that they don’t need to use a condom because she’s on the pill and hasn’t had sex in two years. She’s known the man for a couple of days.

And this made me laugh so hard. After Honor gives Tony the Best BJ EVAH, he asks:

“What can I do for you, Honor? What can I do to show you… to make this moment last forever in your mind? Last for all the days that I won’t be here?”

Hm. Now let me see. What should she ask for? Reciprocation? To be thrown down and taken hard and fast? Breakfast? Diamonds? Nah.

She asks him to DANCE FOR HER.

WTF? I’m pretty sure the response to that request from most blokes would be “are you ‘avin’ a laugh?”

The Cost of Honor doesn’t work as a romance or as a standalone, as so much of Tony’s backstory is obviously tied to previous books in the series and the opening of the novel is quite confusing as a result. The suspense plot is decent (ish) although towards the end, it’s overstuffed with both characters and plotpoints. But what really sinks the novel is the complete lack of romantic chemistry and the poor-execution of the romantic storyline. I keep picking up romantic suspense novels by new and new-to-me authors in the hope of finding something to really capture my attention and sadly, am disappointed more often than not. Give this one a wide berth.

The Cost of Honor is fast paced and hard to put down. I enjoyed getting to know Tony and Honor and thought the author did a good job telling their story.

‪✦Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: THE COST OF HONOR by Diana Muñoz Stewart https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-blH
Publication Date: November 26, 2019
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4 Stars

I was glad that I liked Honor and Tony right away, and that they just went with their desires instead of fighting it. Yes, he had his secrets, but that didn’t stop either of them. This romantic suspense had a lot going on – constant danger, mysterious murders, and sexy romance. I enjoyed almost all of it. My main problem that was not resolved for me, was the reason for his faked death. If he was that close to his family, why was there the need for his action….and why oh why was there a need for their actions. It made no sense to me and frankly, it ticked me off. It shows how much I liked the rest of the story with all it’s twists and turns, to rate it a 4, because one of my favorite things in books is a group dynamic. A closeness with those around them. I did not get that from this book. I hope there is a book 4 in this series, as I liked the writing style and all other parts of this story.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle https://amzn.to/2Cuiu5n ‬

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance

This is Tony's story. I was excited to see his story because he was always trying to get everyone to follow the rules. But when something goes wrong, Tony doesn't have a choice. He has to fake his own death in order to escape his family.

Honor is trying to get her business to stay afloat. When a strange offer to buy her business, her mom's brand, and her property comes in, Honor isn't sure what's going to happen. But when things start to go wrong with her business and her life is put at risk a few times, she knows that something is amiss with the offer. Plus, with the people around her trying to keep her the naive girl she grew up as, she isn't sure who she can trust.

Laz aka Tony is just trying to live his new life. But when he's rescued by Honor, he can't help but be a little smitten. She's beautiful, strong, and says what she's thinking. Tony grew up around strong women, so he knows that Honor is just as special. Tony knows how to protect Honor, but he'll have to decide if protecting her is worth his memories.

This was fast paced, had more of a romance component than the other stories, and was overall a really well-developed story. I did feel that the ending was somewhat rushed though. There was all of this work put into the buildup of their relationship but in the end, it didn't really end in a well-planned manner. And while it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the book, it did make me somewhat sad to not like Tony's ending.

Triggers: Murder, Pedophilia, Stalking, Experimental medical procedure

Return to the crazy, dangerous world of the Parish family for THE COST OF HONOR, the third title in the Black Ops Confidential series. Tony’s story is one that I’ve been waiting for, knowing what happened previously in THE PRICE OF GRACE. While you ‘could’ read each title on its own, I really believe that this series should be, if possible, read in order for there are some crossover events, some background that flows through them all. I know that’s not always possible, but it’s still my recommendation for this particular series.

Tony and Honor’s romance is extremely fast-paced, full of action, sensuous sizzles, a growing love, and danger all around them. Tony is a strong character, raised by strong women who he now must flee from only to discover that in order to save the woman he’s come to love he has to ask for help from people who will take every single thing that’s important to him from him – mainly his memories of Honor. Danger faces this couple on two fronts as they discover who is behind the threat to Honor, and find a way to save them both.

The Parish family is such a paradox. They live in a very gray world where right and wrong live side by side and maybe slide to one side or the other on ocassion. Their stories have been filled with passion, danger, righting wrongs in unusual ways and surviving. I’ve been hooked on this series and would not hesitate to recommend THE COST OF HONOR or any story in this series to Romantic Suspense readers who enjoy an involved story, compelling characters, and those blurred lines. I always enjoy myself in this world and I believe you would as well.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

4 stars!

Romantic suspense at its best! Everything you would expect and more.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Thanks goes to the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the opportunity to read and review The Cost of Honor, book 3 in the Black Ops Confidential series, in advance of publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

This is the first book I’ve read by Diana Munoz Stewart. Her writing is quick and sharp, making this an action-packed reading experience. There are quite a few secondary characters, which had me shaking my head in confusion a few times. The plot is fast paced and the writing flows nicely.

Honor Silva’s character is full of energy and determination. She runs a cocoa farm she inherited when her mother died. She cares about her employees, and at times, it blinds her to issues within her business. She is fiercely loyal and can’t understand who could want her to fail.

Tony Parish, aka Laz, is an exciting hero. He’s bigger than life and is able to do a multitude of things at the same time. He carries a great deal of guilt regarding a failed project with his sister, which caused him to fake his own death. This part was a bit fuzzy for me, and I believe it would have been helpful if I had read the prior two books in this series.

The romance between Honor and Tony/Laz is fast and furious. This is a perfect story for readers who like plenty of sexual action because there’s lot in this romantic tale. The emotions run high at times, but not quite as deep as I enjoy. I missed the sexual tension in a story where something is keeping them from each other. Nothing interferes with this couple’s time between the sheets!

If you enjoy a fast-paced romance with an intriguing hero and a heroine with a huge heart, then you will enjoy The Cost of Honor. While this wasn’t a top pick for me, I did enjoy the suspenseful scenes. It certainly kept me engaged. Happy reading!

This is the third book in the series about the Parish family and this is Tony's story. After trying to save one of his sisters went terrible wrong Tony faked his own death he has reinvented himself as Lazarus Graves but danger can still find him. He has headed to Dominica where he is saved after a kite boarding accident by Honor Silva, but Honor has her own problems someone wants to buy her cocoa plantation and they aren't taking no for an answer As danger gets closer to her can Tony keep the woman that has captures his heart safe and what happens when his own past returns. Can these two have a future together

Packed full of adrenaline and pulse-pounding action, this book kept me turning pages with anticipation. The complex relationships between the characters held my interest throughout. This is a great suspense with some steamy heat, too.

Black Ops Confidential #3, An absolutely gripping story, from start to finish it is unputdownable. Tony and Honor are great characters you really feel for them and root for them. I love how at the beginning of each of these books the Parrish Family always seems like it's bad but as the book goes own the perception of the family changes as the main character learns the truth. Tony faked his own death to avoid punishment for something he did and he thought he didn't deserve it, they memory wiped his sister and he didn't want those memories taken from him. So he's been sailing around his latest port is Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean, that's where he meets Honor.

Honor is the daughter of a movie star turned activist. Honor was looking for a distraction from the anniversary of her mother's death when she saw a kiteboarder wipe out. She was always the cautious one the safe one but when she saw the kiteboarder hit some rocks she didn't give a second thought to going in after him. Tony was instantly swept away by her but seeing that Tony Parrish was dead he told her he was Lazarus Graves, he even told her a half truth he was running away from family and had changed his name. Tony really should have kept on sailing but Honor asked a favor and he didn't want to let her down, he didn't want to leave her; it then became obvious that Honor was in trouble and needed his help and he really didn't want to leave her. By the time the family had tracked him down he was so in love with Honor and she was in so much danger he would risk getting caught by his sisters to save her.

Honor inherited her families cocoa farm, when she moved to the island after her mother died she decided to run an adventure tour on the cocoa farm. Someone has recently been trying to buy it she keeps refusing to sell and recently a series of accidents have her business being threatened. Tony is doing his best to help around with tours and teaching her self defence whenever they aren't having sex. Once they figure out what's happening and the threat has escalated Tony is willing to turn himself into the family just to safe Honor.

Overall, I loved this read. It's a great series that you can read as a stand alone. There was probably more sex in this book than the others, so depending on if you like that or not, I found myself just skimming those parts after the third it just felt like filler after that. But the story was exciting and I love the Parrish family and Tony is so broken it was nice to see Honor not quite fix him but make face his past and the truth and turn out better for it. Honor is a great character she is so much stronger than she realizes. I can't wait for more, this series is awesome.

Although this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone.

This opens with action, where Tony Parish, finds himself in a bad situation and fakes his own death to escape his family. If they get to him, they'll take his memory. Tony reinvents himself, calling himself Lazarus Graves, and on a stormy night while Kiteboarding crashes and is in danger of drowning. He is saved by the woman of his dreams, only to know, it can never be.

Honor Silva walking along the beach is feeling melancholy over thoughts of her Mom, whom she lost two years ago, when she spots a Kiteboarder, and watches entranced. After seeing the man crash, she dives into the ocean and saves him.

Honor owns a cocoa farm with a lodge and runs tours to help bring in money; aside of making chocolate. After several of her tour guides do a no show, Honor asks Lazarus to step in. That one request, turns both their worlds upside down because Lazarus no longer wishes to leave, knowing that Honor's life is in danger. But, when he receives a message telling him to RUN, he's out of time.

I loved this story! There were layers to peel back and trying to figure out who was trying to hurt Honor. Bits and pieces were revealed slowly about Tony, who finally entrusted Honor with a secret he'd been carrying around with him since he was a little boy.

If you enjoy thrillers with lots of action and chemistry, this is the book to read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via SourceBooks Casablanca and I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Nov 26, 2019

I received an ARC of The Cost of Honor from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my fair and honest review.

This was my first book from this author, overall I found it very well written and action packed. The storyline was certainly original, I loved Honor she was certainly a go-getter an a hard worker. Yet someone is out to destroy her business and her, Tony enters her life and wow did things heat up quickly. I would recommend this book to others, I enjoyed it a lot.