Friday 21 February 2014

The Honor Trilogy by J.P Gridor

The Honor Trilogy: Books One, Two, and Three by J.P Grider

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: January 24th, 2014
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-honor-trilogy-jp-grider/1118261732?ean=9781495228490
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Honor-Trilogy-Books-Three-ebook/dp/B00HZYK7MK/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1392246340&sr=8-2-fkmr2&keywords=The+Honor+Trilogy%3A+Books+One%2C+Two%2C+and+Three+of+The+Honor+Trilog
WHAT WOULD YOU RISK TO SAVE THE ONES YOU LOVE?
Honor Stevens feels the pain of the people around her. She thinks she is sick, that there must be something wrong with her, until she meets Ethan.
Ethan comes to town to find the empath that he knows is there. He never counted on falling in love with her. Now that he has, he regrets telling her what she can do with her gifts. He knows that with her empathy, using her gifts could cause her death.
Storm is Ethan's morally corrupt half-brother who has a dark past. But when he meets Honor, he can't help but fall in love with her as well.
Together, they will fight to stop a group of evil empaths who are after Honor, as they also try to hide their gifts from the Government. But...
Who will make the ultimate sacrifice to save Honor?
Book 1


What They Say:
A Touch of Honor (The Honor Trilogy #1)
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Fated Hearts Publishing
Published: March 13th, 2013
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17616651-a-touch-of-honor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Honor-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00BTQ9JQ0
Honor hurts…all the time. The doctors say she’s fine – it’s all in her head. But Honor feels pain. What she doesn’t know is…it’s not her pain– it’s everyone else’s.
Seventeen year-old Honor Stevens is not an ordinary teenager. Sure, she looks like one on the outside…but on the inside, there’s a whole world of pain going on. Honor is an empath. That means she can feel other people’s pain – like that of the girl who is about to be raped in the woods, or the girl who is dying of cancer, or her mom…who is suffering a heart attack. What she doesn’t know is what Ethan Sutherland comes to town to tell her – she can save these people. But at what cost? For every life Honor saves, she knocks years off her own.
When Ethan comes looking for her, he isn’t counting on falling in love. Now that he has, he wishes he hadn’t told her about her abilities. Though he tries his best to talk her out of saving every soul, Ethan loses the battle – Honor’s too nice for her own good.
Then there’s the matter of Ethan’s estranged, morally corrupt half-brother, Storm – he loves Honor too. And because Honor is intrinsically empathic, she’s aware of Storm’s softer side and begins falling for him as well.
When the two brothers are forced to work together against a group of evil empaths who are after Honor, they need to put their differences aside and focus on saving the one girl they both love.
A Touch of Honor is a paranormal love story of a different kind. In a world gone mad with vampires and werewolves, A Touch of Honor tugs at the heartstrings with a girl out to heal the world…one person at a time.

What I Say:

At first glance Honor is just like every teenage student going through every day teenage worries, but Honor is different she feels everyone else's pain.  Honor doesn't realise this until the hot 6ft something Ethan comes along, Honor had always thought that it was her that was ill, she is infact an empath, not only can she feel their pain but also remove it from them.

Honor and Ethan soon become an item as he tries to help her deal with her emotions, this doesn't run smooth especially when Ethan's evil brother Storm turns up (this bit reminds me of the Vampire Diairies), Honor is torn as she doesn't believe Storm is as evil as Ethan makes out.  Storm also brings news that a mysterious empath wants something that was left to Honor by one of her relatives.  This starts Honor, Ethan and Storm on a course to find the item left to Honor.

As this book is told from Honors point of view in parts of the book I did feel sorry for her as she struggled with her powers and with her selflessness of wanting to make everyone better, in other parts she was annoying and I just wanted to give her a slap, but I guess all teenagers are annoying at some point.

I liked Honors quirky friend Tamsin, Ethan and Storm were both likeable characters, I like complexity of Storm and felt sorry for him as his story unfolded.

It didn't quiet grab me as much as Twilight or The Vampire Diairies, I was disappointed at that but it really started getting interesting at the end, building the story up of not just the love triangle between Honor, Ethan and Storm, by the end I had to continue to find where the story went.

3.5/4.0 out of 5 stars.

Book 2


A Man of Honor (The Honor Trilogy #2)
Genres: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Fated Hearts Publishing
Published: September 5th, 2013
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18472457-a-man-of-honor?ac=1
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Man-Honor-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00F0WQE8U/ref=la_B006MXVOWM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392245929&sr=1-4
The second book in The Honor Trilogy finds Storm contending with his feelings for his brother’s girlfriend, while formulating a plan to finish off the evil empath out for Honor’s blood, once and for all.
Storm Sutherland is still trying to ignore the fact that he’s fallen for Honor Stevens. And now that she’s gone and brought him back to life, it’s even more difficult to get her out of his mind. With Ethan and Honor still going strong, Storm battles between his impulses to win her heart, regardless of his brother’s feelings, or walk away, leaving the only girl who’d ever breathed life into him.
But before he walks away, he must find a way to stop the man who is out for Honor’s blood, the result of a two-hundred year old vengeance against her grandfather that Honor must pay.
Will Storm come up with a plan to end this war before she pays the price?
What I Say:
This book is written from Storm's point of view and I must say I enjoyed it a lot more than the first book.  Storm soon begins to understand that his empath powers had gone and in a way he welcomes this.
He realises in this book just how much he loves Honor, it's also shows his softer side.  As the story continues you begin to learn how much Storm went through when he was young and you could feel the attraction in the words between him and Honor.
Storm needs to join up with his brother  Ethan to protect Honor, as Ethan had thrown away an elixir that would possibly save Honor's life, Storm decides to throw the gaffer off Honor by making his own elixir.  They need to break into a blood band and also enlist the rest of their family and a new brother Eli.  Add to the fact there is a new teacher you just don't trust but don't know why, the story compels you to keep reading towards a dramatic end.
3.5/4 out of 5 stars
Book 3
A Heart of Honor (The Honor Trilogy #3)
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Fated Hearts Publishing
Published: December 25th, 2013

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20257276-a-heart-of-honor

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-
Honor-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00HGW03MU/ref=la_B006MXVOWM_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392245929&sr=1-5
What They Say:
In order for honor to survive, who will make the ultimate sacrifice?

When confronted with Honor’s mortality, Ethan finds his rusty empathic powers are no match for the damage that's already been done to Honor’s heart - if she doesn’t find a donor, Honor will die.

In the third and final book of The Honor Trilogy, teenage empath Honor Stevens is fighting for her life, while her first love Ethan Sutherland and his half-brother Storm Sutherland are fighting to keep her alive. But even if a donor is found before Honor’s heart gives out, Ethan’s worst fear has come true – the government has been made aware of Honor’s healing abilities and now they have come to take her away.

Both Ethan and Storm have to make sacrifices to save Honor from both her fates, but who will make the ultimate sacrifice?

What I Say:

Again this book switches to Ethan's point of view, Honor is seriously ill after ignoring  Ethan's warnings and he is angry at the world because of this, especially Shelby who he blames as she was the first one Honor helped.

Confused by his feelings for Honor and with a growing attraction to Shelby, Ethan doesn't know which way to turn.  Then his brother Storms disappears when he can't cope with how ill Honor is and doesn't want her to be able to feel his feelings.  Honor is left devastated. It soon becomes clear to Ethan that Honor doesn't feel the same about him as he does her, she is in love with his brother.

With the CIA on Honor's case for saving people in a plane crash, Ethan makes the ultimate sacrifice for her of giving up his own freedom then the CIA will leave her alone.

A perfect ending to the book, that leaves it open to find out more about Ethan's life after Honor.

3.5/4 stars out of 5

About the Author:

J.P. Grider (1966 – ) born in Paterson, New Jersey as Julianne Pellegrino, was raised in Haledon, New Jersey, the oldest of six siblings. Her love of writing started early in her childhood, when she started writing poetry in-between homework assignments. As part of a school work program as a Journalism major in High School, J.P. Grider worked as a freelance reporter for a local newspaper, writing feature stories about exceptional high-school classmates. She studied Television Production and Film Writing at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.
Two of J.P. Grider’s novels have won awards in the Textnovel Writing Contest, with her first published book – Unplugged (A Portrait of a Rock Star) – reaching Semi-finalist position. Though Unplugged is not her first novel written, it is the first to be published. Her second novel, Maybe This Life, published in 2012, was actually her first attempt at writing a novel. After completing the whole manuscript, Grider decided to scrap the whole thing and rewrite Maybe This Life from scratch. In Grider’s opinion, the difference between the two was night and day.
After writing in the Contemporary Romance genre, J.P. wanted to try her hand at the Young Adult Romance genre – the result, The Honor Trilogy.
Always looking to challenge herself, J.P. Grider is now working on writing in the New Adult Romance genre with a novel called Calling California which should release in the Fall of 2014.
Promo Material:
Chapter Six Excerpt from A Man of Honor
Honor’s skin is so pale that I swear I can see the violet from her eyes breaking through beneath her fragile eyelids. Her breath is shallow, and her sleep appears restless. If I were a normal empath, I’d touch her and make it all better. But since I’m a defective one, I’d end up killing her. I wonder why Ethan doesn’t just make her better. He’s certainly capable. Now my blood is starting boil. Honor can be cured with a single touch by her boyfriend, yet she’s here in the hospital, suffering from pain and exhaustion. My breathing picks up its pace, and I feel the need to break something. Preferably Ethan’s head. But since he’s not here at the moment, I stand up to leave and go outside before I find something to break. I never reach the door. Something rustles behind me.
“Storm?”
When I hear her call my name, I can’t help but close my eyes and smile. Turning around, I see her soft pink lips turned up at the corners.
“Princess,” I whisper, choking out the words. It hurts so much to see her like this and know I can’t help.
“It’s early,” she says, implying I probably shouldn’t be here.
“Yeah.”
I pull the chair up next to her bed, sit, and take her hand for just a second.
“Shouldn’t you be like sleeping or something?” she asks, reaching out to touch my hand again after I’d pulled it away. But I set them on my lap.
She frowns…but only briefly.
“Nah,” I respond. “I don’t need sleep. Sleep’s for wusses.”
Honor tries to laugh, but I can tell it takes more energy than she has.
“Honor, sweetheart, why do you do this to yourself? Look what helping somebody else does to you.”
She sighs, but says nothing.
“You gotta learn to let their pain go. Please, angel. It kills me to see you like this.”
After a slow blink, she opens her mouth. “She was hurting. She was depressed and…I think she was having thoughts of suicide.”
“Who? The girl in the bathroom?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
“Wait. You could tell what she was thinking?”
“Well, not exactly, but I kind of felt what she was thinking.”
“And you thought you could take away her sadness?”
Honor nods.
“But…you fainted. I don’t get it.”
“Me neither. I got, like, so sad that my heart really hurt. I actually wanted…to die.”
My heart stops a beat. “What?”
“After I touched her…I wanted to die.” Honor leans her head into her shoulder.
There was nothing either one of us could think of to say after that. We sit there silent until Honor whispers my name again.
“What is it, princess?”
“It must be terrible to feel so helpless that you want to die.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Honor doesn’t say anything, but I’m sure she’s feeling what I’m thinking. I’ve been there before. After I killed Summer.
While Honor slips back to sleep, I gently toss my feet on the edge of her bed and relish in the sweet sound of her steady breathing. Then I close my own eyes, slink back into the chair, and concentrate on figuring out how to put my new plan into action.
***
Sleep must have found me as well, because the sound of Ethan’s voice startles me awake.
“I asked you a question,” he says in a loud whisper.
“Excuse me? You can’t be talking to me.”
“Um, yeah…I am.”
Remaining in my reclined position, so as to piss him off a little more, I stare him down.
“Why are you here, Storm?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Same reason you are, I guess.” I try keeping my voice low.
“She’s not your girlfriend, she’s mine.”
“I never claimed she was. You just must be really threatened by me to keep repeating that.”
“Go to hell,” Ethan commands.
“Yeah, yeah.” I put my feet on the floor and sit up. “You really have to come up with a new line. Go to hell is gettin’ a bit old.” Still keeping my voice down, I look to the bed and see that Honor is still sleeping. My heart is screaming “Stay with her, don’t leave,” but my head knows better. Ethan deserves some time alone with her, if only for Honor’s sake.
I inconspicuously blow my sleeping angel a kiss with my fingertips and walk out. Ethan doesn’t need a good-bye from me.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your review and thank you for reading The Honor Trilogy. I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great reviews! Thanks for being on the Honor Trilogy tour!

    -Nichole

    ReplyDelete