Cover Image: Cost of Honor

Cost of Honor

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Member Reviews

Very mixed feelings about this one. I love the honor and justice series and love them merging... but...

Radclyffe has said this is a romance series, and while the beginning was full of promise the relationship between Oakes and Ari went from"it cant happen' to HEA with nothing in between.. i likes both characters but there was so much else going on there was no time for the actual romance to develop or the characters to deepen. No follow up to a major staffers death, no explanation of an investigation into a murderous hit and run.

I terms of the Honor series it made sense in terms of the Presidents campaign but completely didnt follow from the huge cliff hanger at the end of book 9... the woman about to pull the trigger was written off a 'in the wind' and just another loony.

And then the justice series... weddings, heart attacks, police academy and time served to jump to detective - it felt like there was a whole book missing.

I will always keep reading these series, but this one had more editorial errors than normal and so many lose ends. I hate being disappointed. I enjoyed the read, love the huge cast of major and minor characters but there was so much missing that when you finish you sit back and wonder what it was all about.

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An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I have loved the honor series from the beginning and it is amazing that it is still as captivating as ever! It's amazing to continue getting snapshots into Blair and Cam's relationship. The new characters that Radclyffe introduce every book are amazing as always. I get my favorites and then miss them when we don't see them anymore. I can't wait for more additions to the honor series!

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This book has a lot of moving pieces and quite a few characters. At first, I thought it would be overwhelming but Radclyffe makes it work. She gives us enough of each to balance out the story and keeps you invested all the way through. This book is fun, it's dynamic and it keeps you wanting more till the very last page.

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This is another great addition to a fantastic series. Radclyffe’s writing is superb, her books are always very well researched and the plot always engaging. The main characters in this book were both very likeable yet vulnerable, and had amazing chemistry. You could feel the sparks building, culminating in one particular scene in an elevator that was so well written and sexy. My only negative comment is that the spark kind of fizzled out after that scene, with much of the focus shifting to other characters, which was a real shame. I also thought the ending was rushed and anti-climactic, with a key scene at the end being skipped.

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I was so excited to see a new Honor novel on the release radar. I've been a huge fan of this series and of the Justice series for a long time and it was fantastic to "see" these old friends again. Although the characters are well rounded and exciting to read about, I don't think this is the strongest book in the series. The book could have been quite a bit longer to include more from the likes of Rebecca, Mitch, Sloane and Cam. The ending especially felt very abrupt. Despite all of this, I enjoyed the book immensely and hope there will be another book in the series soon.

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I will first say that I am a huge fan of the Honor Series. Radclyffe developed the characters of Blair, the presidents daughter and Cameron a secret service agent who becomes her wife Who are constants throughout the series and with each series they become more and more endearing to any reader. The other thing that this author does is bring us in secondary characters who also become a part of the series somehow and in this book that is certainly the case . The other important ingredient in all of her books in the series is that there is some type of mystery or threat to either the President of the United States or his daughter it’s . The other important ingredient in all of her books in the series is that there is some type of mystery or threat to either the President of the United States or Blair and Cameron. So there’s always a bit of tension trying to figure out who the target is and if the threat against either of these people will be successful tends to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is such an excellent series and I highly recommend it even without reading the entire series each book can stand alone.

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This is the 10th book in Radclyffe’s Honor series. Readers will find Cam and Blair caught up in a threat against President Powell at the Democratic convention. For those readers who have not read any of the Honor series, you can read this book as a standalone novel. However, I suggest readers should start at the beginning of the series in order to get the benefit of learning about the lives of the characters.

Blair Powell, President Powell’s daughter, has been performing the first lady’s responsibilities since her mother is dead. Blair’s wife, Cam Roberts, is head of Homeland Security. Radclyffe has done a wonderful job of intertwining Blair and Cam’s relationship with their professional responsibilities. In addition, readers will be privy to the development of the relationship between Ari Rostoff, Powell’s new campaign manager, and Oakes Weaver, a Secret Service agent. There is immediate chemistry between Ari and Oakes, and the romance is hot!

In this book, Radclyffe’s fans will find a crossover of many characters from her Justice series. Radclyffe does this in such a seamless way. I love how she mingles these characters because I have enjoyed reading about them over the years. Not many authors can interweave multi-series characters with such skill.

Cost of Honor has a solid plot with a great tempo. Readers will find they are going to want to stay up all night to complete this book. The only negative comment I can offer in this review is that Radclyffe does not have book 11 in this series published yet! Radclyffe is one of the most productive writers, penning almost 4 books a year.

I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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The first Radclyffe book that I read was about Rebecca and Catherine's story and I've been hooked since.

Cost of Honor is a good book with the bonus of suspense.

If you've an avid Radclyffe fan you'll find it great to catch up with a lot of previous characters.

Would I recommend: Yes, good story that will keep you reading

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A few years ago, Radclyffe and Jae were my gateway drugs into lesfic so it seems fitting that a Radclyffe novel is my first of a new decade. It is a good enough read but I wish it had been better. As the tenth in the honor series, I don't think it would make much sense without having read at least some of the others. Secret Service agent Oakes Weaver is given the job of liaising with the new presidential campaign manager, Ari Rostoff, when the former one is killed in a jogging accident. Oakes and Ari find they have a mutual attraction for each other.

I found their romance a little lacklustre and missing the usual dynamic that I've come to expect from Radclyffe. I think a lot of it had to do with the number of characters and storylines that were pulled into this book. Not only were there quite a few of the Honor series characters, but most of the Justice Series cast was in the mix as well. I would have liked more of my favourite pairing, Rebecca and Catherine, but it was nice to see Dell/Mitch and Sandy again. A cameo appearance by Dr Ali Torveau made its way in too.

Along with the vast cast is the suspense story arc where an alt-right group is planning an attack on president Andrew Powell, which puts many of the players at risk (again). Cam and Blair are pretty central to the story too. Generally, I think that there was too much going on to give any of the aspects the attention they deserved. I didn't feel the nail-biting tension in either the relationship or the risk the extremist attack could cause. The novel may have been better served by being longer or split into two parts.

I still enjoyed it, just not as much as some of Radclyffe's other novels.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

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Full disclosure – I love me some Radclyffe. I look forward to every new book and gleefully settle down for an afternoon or evening to read it. And then I read it again and again over the years. I think Rad’s books are ones that I have consistently re-read because I enjoy them so much. With so many series, and even more so as she seems to be crossing over between series, my OCD tends to kick in and I have to reread all the previous books – which is never really a chore – and get all caught up again in the continuing story lines and all the hot throbbing passion of previous characters who are now secondary characters. There’s no such thing as lesbian bed death in a Rad book. All the characters who have gone before are still just as hot and heavily in love and lust with their partner. There are so many things that should irk me (sometimes they do) – and Cheri will often point them out to me – but I don’t care. I just expect it, accept and enjoy it. I love me some Radclyffe.

Cost of Honor is the tenth book in the Honor series and continues the overarching story line from the previous books – Blair’s father, the President of the United States, is gearing up for the next election and there are darker forces at work to thwart his campaign. Thank god for the cadre of gorgeous, kick ass and brilliant lesbian agents, officers and other sundry professions who will work tirelessly to uncover the dastardly plots and save the day. I sound sarcastic – but I’m loving it, seriously. Rad spins a great tale with lots of intrigue, adventure, action and of course simmering passion. This is definitely a fun and fast-paced read that balances the suspense and intrigue perfectly with the romance (old and new).

Cam and Blair are strong supporting characters; but this novel belongs to Secret Service Agent Oakely Weaver (omigod, it appears that some parents are pretty much guaranteeing their daughters will grow up to be intense and stalwart butch leads in a Rad book) and the driven and successful political adviser, Ariana Rostov who has been dropped into mix after the suspicious death of the President’s original campaign manager. Also woven into the story are key characters (mostly Del and Sandy, but we get to visit a bit with Rebecca, Catherine, Sloan, and Michael) from the Justice series as they uncover chatter and suspicious activity in Philadelphia that may be linked to the Convention where Andrew Powell will be vying for his party’s nomination for the next election.

I think I would classify this more of an action/intrigue with a dash of steamy romance (or a few dashes since the main and the supporting characters are all getting hot and sweaty). It’s interesting to see the evolution of the series – there’s a time lag between the books being published and Rad picks up themes and elements from current politics and events to weave into the story, making it more real and compelling. In Cost of Honor, there’s a focus on the ideas of domestic terrorism and nefarious (foreign and domestic) influence on events and politics. These are obviously sensitive topics, and I have to say that Rad managed them with a tempered hand rather than exploiting them. They worked with the overarching story in the Honor Series and pushed the narrative and overall suspense and intrigue of the series as a whole – I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment to find out more about who and what is behind everything. I liked the way that she worked in the threat of a radicalized sleeper cell being activated demonstrated how insidious this type of thing can be – and how difficult it can be to identify it before its too late. Despite the number of recurring secondary characters in this book, all the characters she included in this book made sense and fit the narrative – there weren’t characters dropped in just so fans could revisit with them.

The romance, as expected, smolders and ignites between the two main characters. Despite everything that was going on in the novel and the different story lines, there was enough time with Oakes and Ari to build a relationship. There’s a great chemistry between the two, and as the book takes place over a longer period of time than a lot of Rad’s novels, the progression makes sense. The connection between them – with the intensity of the campaign and the underlying threats – wasn’t a roller-coaster of angst as some of the other relationships from previous books. Insta-attract is there, but the two actually end up together with little conflict in the relationship which is a nice change of pace as there’s more than enough intrigue and conflict in larger story.

I’m kind of enjoying the fact that Rad is mingling characters from different series – building a larger universe and consistency between the various novels. If you read Rad’s books, you’ll notice that lesbians are a bit like a invasive species that settles into an east coast city or town and takes over. Slowly but surely, everywhere you look, there’s a hotbed of broody lesbian intrigue or ridiculously attractive women with tragic backstories. With the number of ongoing series and books that she writes, it’s nice to get a glimpse of some of your favourite characters while you wait for the next official book in the series, especially those from the Justice Series which seems to have its central story line fizzle out. Rather than dropping the characters, we’ve seen Del and Sandy popping up in the Provincetown, First Responder and now Honor series. Personally, I would like to see more of Rebecca and Catherine – but Del and Sandy seem to be more active in investigations and there’s an interesting gender fluidity that Del/Mitch brings to the table – even though I often wonder if one of them will end up with an aneurysm from all the hot, sweaty and mind-blowing sex they seem to have.

Not that I’m biased or anything, but I would recommend reading the entire series to fully enjoy this one. You can probably get away with not reading the Justice series – but why deny yourself the fun of reading that one as well. I’m really not sure how well Cost of Honor would be enjoyed without the context of the other books, but I suspect that there’s enough of backstory for context that you could pick up the story pretty easily but it won’t have the same impact (or enjoyment) as reading the whole series.

Definitely Recommended – if you love Rad, and I know you do.

Thank you to BSB and Netgalley for an advance copy for review.

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I was supremely excited when I saw this advertised as I'm a big fan of Cam & Blair and have been since the word go. It has been a while since Radclyffe has had a really good book, i.e. one that hasn't just been a rehashing of previous plots with a vaguely different setting and giving the characters different names (there's always a dark haired butch, someone with a stupid androgynous first name and someone with a ridiculously tragic past).

This was meh. The Cam & Blair scenes were really good as they are still excellent characters, Oakes (told ya) and Ari aren't bad but the constant flicking between Rebecca Fry and her team, Ali Torveau etc feels more like lazy writing and attempted crowd pleasing, rather than necessary plot points. My notes on many of these sections consist of *eyeroll*, vom, ffs, and "this is really too much".

If you are a hardcore Blair and Cam fan you will probably want to read this and it is a cut above Radclyffe's recent dross.

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I didn't get into Cost of Honor as much as I expected. It does seem to be a woman's novel first as so many of the characters are women. Most of the reviews here are from women as well, which kind of proves my point. The novel is interesting. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

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Review of cost of honor by Radclyffe
Cost of Honor the latest in the honor series from Radclyffe tells the story of Oakes Weaver a secret service agent who has to deal with the death of one of the president’s inner circle, a possible threat of mass violence and the introduction of Ari Rostoff the new campaign manager for the president who might be part of the mystery or maybe the love of her life.
The novel also features the return of fan favorite characters first daughter Blair Powell and her spouse Cameron Robert.

First off, I have to say that Radclyffe writes great love scenes and not just Love scenes but also love scenes, we get many views into a happy long term couple that still love and cherish one another, something we don’t see enough of in the romance genre. The characters are great and well developed, from the initial verbal sparring and undercurrent romance between Oakes and Ari all the way to the High-profile crimes unit in Philadelphia (who if they do already have a series of their own needs to have one started immediately). The plot revolves around a white supremacist attack on a president’s campaign that seems all too real in this day and age, but it does not detract from the interactions of the characters which where the book really shines.
The only thing I would say is a negative is that I probably did not catch all the references and characters who have appeared in other volumes of the honor series but that is on me for not having discovered this series sooner and fans of the series will get bonus thrills the story stands strongly on its own merit.

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The gang's all here. Yikes. This may have been entitled Cost of Honor, but, it was a ton of different Radclyffe universe serieses combined. Whew. lair and Cam of course are there, but, also Frye and Sloan too. And I probably missed a couple of the other references too (Ali?) It's always fun to read an author's expanded universe, all interconnected, and in this case also very intense.

The main story in this, though, is of Oakes and Ari. Oakes is a Secret Service agent who is the advance Agent in charge of the Blair's Dad's trip to be nominated to be on the next election. Ari is a new campaign manager for Blair's Dad Andrew. And they both (as well) have to deal with a disturbingly real sort of possible terror plot to harm the President.

Some of it was a little close for comfort, considering what goes on every day in the United States of America *sigh*, which made it a little uncomfortable to read. But, the characters, the plot, it was all its usual great self, and was a fun read despite being seriously thrillingly intense at some points.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046273-cost-of-honor" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Cost of Honor (Honor, #10)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569688110l/45046273._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046273-cost-of-honor">Cost of Honor</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19666.Radclyffe">Radclyffe</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3063258901">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I am an unabashed follower of Ms. Radclyffe and looked forward with anticipation to the latest instalment in the Honor Series. Wow, I was not disappointed. Deftly mixing characters from the Justice Series and uncanny political scenarios, added to the author's storyline. Cam and Blair are featured but the main characters for this romance laced with intrigue and action are Ari (campaign manager) and Oakes (secret service agent). I found the ending somewhat abrupt but that paled somewhat in the satisfaction I got reading another hit from Ms. Radclyffe. Highly recommend with 5 stars.<br />I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

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Radclyffe's Honor and Justice series are among my favorite books of all time. It's been awhile since we've had a new installment of either, and I was worried that because I didn't have time to go back and reread both from the beginning that I'd forget some of the key background points. But it all came back. Dell and the adorable Sandy, Rebecca and Catherine, and of course, Cam and Blair starring as an old married couple still as much in love as ever. The crossover between the President's appearance at the Democratic convention and a group of nuts being watched by The PPD led by Rebecca Frye, was pure brilliance. I loved every second of this book, including getting to know Ari and Oakes. I feel like there's a lot of material to mined in the background of Ari's father, so I'm looking forward to seeing this crew again hopefully soon.

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Honor combined with Justice makes for an amazing novel by Radclyffe

It’s a book written by Radclyffe, what more can I say. The tension throughout this book never falters and you are kept on the edge of your seat. Cam and Blair’s relationship is still as sexy as ever and even though they are part of the novel not everything centres around them. I love Oakes and Ari. Their differences compliment each other. Oakes’ sense of duty in her work is clearly conveyed as is Ari’s determination to be her own person separate from her father.

Another wonderful bonus is the crossover of characters from Radclyffe’s Justice Series which are able to bring so much depth to the novel. I hope the series continues with more crossovers!

The connection between Cam and Blair is so strong and sex…well yes there is lots of hot sex! Ari and Oakes have a chemistry which is undeniable for either of them. Hot!

I loved this series and from the first book I couldn’t wait to know more about the world where Cam and Blair existed. Now with Radclyffe merging her two of her main series through crossover characters in the Justice Series such as Dell Mitchell, Sandy, Lt Rebecca Frye and Sloan the result is brilliant.

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This book is fast-paced and captivating--it tells the story of a threat to the President of the U.S., a campaign leadership shake-up, and the agents in charge of protecting the first family and other key players. It also is a sweet romance between the campaign manager and a secret service agent. I liked how this book dealt with Alt-right groups and the threat to the president felt very grounded in reality. I did find the ending to feel a little rushed and the main action scene was fade to black, I would have enjoyed a little more of the action of the main event.

This was my first Radclyffe book and I really enjoyed it. It was light on the build-up of the romance, but that story was really secondary to the political intrigue story. As someone who reads a lot of contemporary romances, it did take some getting used to in order to follow so many groups of characters and their missions. I'm definitely going to go back and read the series in order. One thing I really loved was all the other queer couples besides the main romantic pair in Cost of Honor. Blair and Cam warmed my heart.

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This read parallels what is currently going on in societies around the world. There are some people not happy or satisfied with how various factions are being treated. Either too well or not well enough. Although I read to "escape" from the "real" world, this story is about individuals that are not happy with the current administration. The ever present and interesting Blair Powell and Cameron Roberts are in the read along with other secondary characters that we know about from previous books in the series.

This read focuses on Arianna Rostoff, campaign manager for the re-election of President Powell and Secret Service Agent Oakley Weaver responsible to organize security during the tour of his re-election campaign. Much detail is provided from both women's perspective as to the weight put on them due to their position responsibilities. I appreciated the self-talk as Ari and Oakley wrestled with their feeling for each other in light of their careers. Although in my opinion, the ending was rushed, I look forward to the next book in the series.

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Here we are in the 10th book of this series. I can still pull up the amazing moments of book one in my mind. Blair and Cam will always be one of my most treasured couples in romance. They have that special something. They had it in book one and it is still as powerful as ever in the tenth. I will forever treasure the Honor series.

While Cam and Blair are amazing as ever in Cost of Honor, you also get introduced to a new couple and all our old friends from the Justice series. Oakes Weaver is a Secret Service agent that is assigned to POTUS and is organizing his trip to the Nation Convention. Ari Rostof is our other new character. Ari comes in to take over for the former campaign manager who was killed in a hit and run “accident”. These two hit it off immediately and the romance begins.

This book has a lot of moving pieces and quite a few characters. At first, I thought it would be overwhelming but Radclyffe makes it work. She gives us enough of each to balance out the story and keeps you invested all the way through. This book is fun, it's dynamic and it keeps you wanting more till the very last page.

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