An excellent story of Blackie before he met Emma Harte, who would go on to be the MC in Barbara Taylor Bradford's mega hit A Woman of Substance. A Man of Honor picks up Blackie's life at 13 as he buries his last sibling. With no family left on Ireland, Blackie would immigrate to England to live and work with his Uncle and Aunt. As he learns the construction business, Blackie will meet Emma and their lives will be intertwined from then on. Novella length but sure to give readers a better feeling for the man they will meet later in AWOS.

Barbara Taylor Bradford has done it again. She has written another wonderful book and I highly recommend that everyone should read it. Thank you Barbara for writing another wonderful story!

I was not drawn into this story - it never felt as if it were moving forward. While the writing itself was very vivid, there was no real substance to the “why” of the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Barbara Taylor Bradford for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Wow, I really loved this prequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance, that focuses on Blackie O'Neill and the challenges he faced in life. Blackie came from poverty in Ireland, he sets forth to create a better life for himself. This novel follows Blackie's path as he moves from Kerry, Ireland, to Leeds, to London. During his personal growth and development, Blackie develops a relationship with none other than Emma Harte, and their paths become irreversibly linked.
Rating: 4/5; Fans of Barbara Taylor Bradford and her novels with thoroughly enjoy this read.

A Man of Honor provides the backstory of Blackie O’Neill’s early life in Ireland and his move to Live with his uncle Patrick Kennedy in Leeds. Having enjoyed the sagas of Blackie and Emma Harte is one of Bradford’s other books, this provided a missing piece of the puzzle regarding Blackie’s earliest years as well as his first encounters with Emma. I enjoyed both the story and the vivid descriptions of life in Ireland and England during this period. I recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed other books about these characters. I thank NetGAlley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A Man of Honor is the prequel to A Woman of Substance. I thought A Man of Honor was a good book but not as good as A Woman of Substance. I guess I got my expectations up from that book. I will read more by this author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Barbara Taylor Bradford is a literary icon and I so admire her and her work! I don't recall if I read Woman of Substance. This novel, a prequel, was about orphaned Blackie O'Neill and his life in Ireland and England from youth into adulthood. The writing was decent but unfortunately this story isn't my favorite. There are way too many characters -- about halfway through the novel, a lot more new people are suddenly introduced. Some storylines remained unresolved. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition that was tedious and frustrating, the author and editors should have caught that and edited it more carefully. Overall, not the best of her novels, but a decent effort that readers might like if they loved the first book.

Years ago, I read A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I wonder if my reaction would have been different had I not read the original. A story about a young, orphaned boy who survives and thrives against the odds holds appeal. In fact, it sounds very much like a Woman of Substance. However, the book is part of the series and cannot be held apart and separate, at least not by me. I think I will let this one go and revert back to the Blackie and Emma of the original.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/01/a-man-of-honor.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

I enjoyed A Woman of Substance and was excited to read this prequel. I enjoyed reading the beginnings of this saga and spending time again with favourite characters. I was not disappointed at all.

I read A Woman of Substance many years ago, but Emma Harte’s saga has always rested nostalgically in my mind.

A Man of Honor is the prequel presenting the backstory of Blackie O’Neill. It covers the death of his family and his move to Leeds to apprentice with his uncle. We see his first meeting on the moor with young Emma, as well as, learning much about his education, drive, and fortitude.

Unfortunately, this story seems a bit long-winded. In my mind, I would have liked to see it written as a novella offering an early glimpse of the young couple. There seemed to be so many superfluous characters introduced that I had a hard time sorting everyone.

The words are rich and descriptive, putting the reader in the midst of the story.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this story. I believe maybe my tastes have changed over the years,not perhaps I needed to re-read A Woman of Substance first to refresh myself on all the early characters and reacquaint myself with the author’s style.

If you enjoy richly told family sagas, including the Emma Harte series, this book will suit you fine.

I received a digital copy of the book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion.

I love a good prequel and while this book was good, at the same time I felt that this authors writing just isn't for me. It felt like an early 2000s novel.

I really wanted to read this but I had trouble in that it wouldn’t download to my app. It appeared on my shelf but whenever I tapped download it said it was already there. It wasn’t.

This was a wonderful book about class, love, friendship, and success. Barbara Taylor Bradford did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and their stories to life. I hope there is another book featuring the characters in A Man of Honor so I can continue to learn about the trials and successes of Blackie, Emma, Patrick, and Laura. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this galley to read and review.

Had a hard time reading this one. It was disjointed and I wasn't drawn into the story and I thought I would be based on the novel description.

I believe this book was written as a prequel to a book called A Woman of Substance. I have not read that one and maybe if I had this book would connect more with me. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but very little drama or conflicts to make the plot interesting. As soon as I found myself skimming I knew this wasn't the book for me. If you happen to be a huge fan of the other book it is probably worth reading, but if not I'm not sure who to recommend this book to. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book.

i tried reading this one but for me it was just slow , i have never read anything by her before and wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe if i had read some of her other books this one may have been easier for me to get into, the cover was what got my attention but this one just didn't work for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Barbara Taylor Bradford does not disappoint! This is the prequel to her novel “A Woman of Substance”. We get to read Blackie O’Neil’s story and how he met Emma Harte. I love how this author truly draws you into the story.This is a standalone book, but I would recommend reading the entire saga. I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

My step mom bought me A Woman of Substance many, many years ago. It was a really wonderful read and when this popped up I thought I would try it. I was super surprised to see that there are lots of sequels that I will eventually have to check out.

Knowing this is the "8th" book in this series, it definitely reads from the perspective of a "well run dry". Meaning, this is sort of a rehashing of scenes from A Woman of Substance and gets very repetitive.

It was a decent read, but not one I would recommend to my students.

DNF. As much as I love her books, this one didn't do it for me. I guess because it was a prequel and the plot was about a male character who I don't recall. I'm not a big reader of male characters to begin with.

At the turn of the 20th Century, young Blackie O’Neill leaves his home and everything he has ever known to start his life anew in England. Orphaned by the cruel fates of poverty as Ireland undergoes its harsh 19th Century, Blackie leaves behind County Kerry to live with his aunt and uncle in Leeds. As the title suggests, the young boy’s honesty and fortitude never falter, even with so inauspicious a beginning. He develops interests, desires, and ambition that drive him to thrive and succeed, eventually landing him work as a tradesman and builder.
Though steadfastly earnest, Blackie encounters his share of drama, notably with beautiful women who cross his path and business opportunities with Yorkshire gentry. Even as the details of his daily life and the struggles of his friends and family span only a few years, the implications of the hardships of his impoverished childhood keep the dramatic encounters grounded in realistic, early 20th Century detail.
The large cast of characters is introduced methodically, allowing the reader to get to know each person individually but also slowing the first portion of the book. Readers of Taylor Bradford’s earlier work will recognize the late arrival of Emma Harte, the heroine of A Woman of Substance. And while this novel features Taylor Bradford’s talent for developing new, likable characters, Emma Harte’s appearance might invite some wistful nostalgia for the heroine instead as the central figure.