2.75 Stars. I have been on such a good streak of books lately that I can’t be too disappointed that this book didn’t work for me. In my bid to read more lesfic historical-fiction, I had some high hopes for this one. This takes place right after World War 1 ended and I was excited to read about this time period. I think Dahlia had some good ideas but it just didn’t all come together.

The story focuses on two women. Nell who was a veterinarian caring for warhorses on the front lines and Beatrice, the daughter of Nell’s captain from the war. Nell’s privilege and education has left her with control over her life while Beatrice works almost as a servant, to keep her family safe from her abusive father’s wrath. Can two women from such different circumstances find comfort and love in each other?

As I mentioned before I liked the time period a lot. I don’t know if I have read another lesfic book that took place right after the first war ended. Plus I really liked that Nell was part of the European forces as a vet. Not only did the time, setting, and character occupations all appeal to me, but this even had a little mystery going on (I’m not going to go into this but unfortunately this was left only half resolved. The police part was missing from the end.) I also have to give props because the pace of the book was well done and it didn’t drag for me. The book had a lot of promise but it just had some big issues that I could not overlook.

The first thing I realized was how unlikable the character of Beatrice was. Nell could not say two words without it being the end of the world to Beatrice. I found her to have no compassion and to be suspicious and ugly on the inside. Her constantly snapping at Nell was doing my head in. Nell is not perfect but she is dealing with PTSD, and at least should have had respect and compassion for what she went through. Instead Beatrice terrorizes her and somehow Nell falls in love with her? That just doesn’t compute. And because of this, the whole romance did not work for me. I could not find one reason why Nell would be or could be in love with Beatrice. The heart of this book is the romance and if the romance does not work for me, then the book doesn’t work for me. It’s a bummer because this could have been a very interesting story.

This is my third historical-fiction book this week and probably the last for a little while. While this particular book didn’t work for me, I have realized I need to read more of this genre since it is pretty entertaining.

Her desires could be trampled by anyone else, simply because Beatrice was the spinster sibling with no rights of her own. She'd often wondered if being married would give her slightly more power, or if she'd end up as a shell of herself like Mother had.
Her Lady's Honor by Renee Dahlia has a back cover blurb that has been haunting my dreams since I first read it months ago. So I was all set to love this story to the moon and back when I finally settled in to read it. How did it turn out? Well, it was kind of a mixed bag.

Lady Eleanor "Nell" St. George, daughter of a second son, niece to a Duke, used her wits and her family connections to join the war effort as a veterinary assistant. Dreadfully close to the front, it was the job of Nell's unit to tend to the horses, keep them alive, batch them up and send them back into battle. Now the war is over and Nell is delivering on a promise. Her captain, gassed and hospitalized, asked Nell to ensure his horse is returned to him in Wales.

Beatrice Hughes is the captain's oldest, and spinster, daughter, seen as nothing more than a servant in her own home. Her mother is a shell of her former self after her three oldest boys were killed in the war. The captain is an abusive man who beats his wife and sees little to no value in his girl children. Her sister Grace is selfish, still bemoaning the death of her fiance overseas, so it's up to Beatrice to keep the farm running, the smaller children cared for while her mother acts the ghost and her father drinks himself into oblivion. Beatrice's life is not her own - and then in walks Nell, a beautiful, brave adventuress that her father treats respectfully because she's "a Lady."

Dahlia does something interesting things with this book in terms of conflict and the internal character struggles. Class is a very big deal in this story. Nell is a Lady. Nell has privilege. But her years in the war have made her less polished, a bit more crass, to the point where she's almost dreading going home to her family. She misses them terribly, she longs for the comfort of home to process her war experiences, but she also recognizes that she's not "Lady Eleanor" anymore. She's "Nell." The war has changed her and there's no going back. But at the end of the day, even with her baggage, Nell has choices.

In contract, Beatrice has no choices. She's a heroine trapped in a life that promises nothing but drudgery and uncertainty. Stuck in place by family obligations, nothing to look forward to - not even dreams. Because what good are dreams when your reality is so soul-sucking. She could marry, but whose to say that she wouldn't end up saddled to a man just like her father, and Beatrice is well aware she's a lesbian. There's no questioning of her sexuality. So marriage, even as a possible escape, is out.

Nell has respect for the captain prior to showing up on his doorstep and once she meets his wife and children she has to reconcile the good solider she served under with the abusive man terrorizing his family. Then Beatrice's mother goes missing and the captain's temperament takes an even more unsavory turn.

It's a weighty book with weighty themes and Dahlia does introduce moments of levity, but they don't always work. The tone feels off when she does so. Also, while I sympathized with Beatrice a great deal it's still hard to not find her insufferable at times. Girl, Nell is trying. Nell has issues, and says some callous things that hurt Beatrice. But then Beatrice pouts and throws Nell's apologies back in her face even when, as the reader, you can tell Nell's apologies are heartfelt. That she's sorry, that she'll do better. As for the romance, it's OK but not great. It's very heavy insta-lust and while the chemistry is there, I never quite figured out how they fell in love. Lust, sure. I got that. Love? Not so much.

However the setting is well drawn (the incessant rain, the farm, the small Welsh village...) and the cast of characters vast and interesting. In a genre that tends to ignore class because it's inconvenient (and readers do seem to love Dukes living happily ever after with governesses...) the fact that Dahlia doesn't ignore it, addresses it even, adds compelling and realistic drama to the romance. It wasn't everything I wanted it to be, but there was still plenty here for me to admire.

Final Grade = B-

Her Lady’s Honor is a historical romance book which is filled with different emotions and actions. Eleanor just got back from World War I, straight to her captain’s to deliver his warhorse. She meets with Beatrice, a quite broken, sad woman, who wasn’t in the war but still went through a lot. Both women have their own past which they had to struggle. Nell lived through a terrible war, and now searches her future path, while Beatrice has an abusive father and a recently lost mother. They can find hope and possibilities in each others. A story full with sorrow, sadness, mystery, heartache and love.

Thank you NetGalley and for the Publisher for the free copy.

Lady Eleanor “Nell” St. George has returned to England from France after The Great War, but before she returns home, she needs to stop in Wales to return Tommy—her captain’s horse—to his home. She does not receive the warm welcome she expected; the competent captain she worked alongside in her veterinary duties has become callous and bitter. Nell intended to drop Tommy off and return to her own home, but she feels compelled to stay.

Beatrice Hughes is the captain’s oldest daughter, and her family has experienced unspeakable tragedy—their three oldest sons died during the war, and while the family patriarch has always been harsh, he is even worse now that he has come home. Bea is drawn to the elegant Nell, and doesn’t understand why she insists on staying at the farm now that Tommy has been returned.

The romance, however, is shadowed by another tragedy: the disappearance of Bea’s mother. I thought this mystery part was very well done, and while the resolution was not unexpected, it still came as a shock when the details finally fell into place.

There’s a bit of slow burn; both Nell and Bea are hesitant to act on their feelings because neither is sure that her feelings would be reciprocated, but even when that’s cleared up, there are still obstacles in their path that prevent them from being happy together.

The class differences in this book present a unique perspective; while Nell has experienced hardship during the war, she truly realizes how privileged she is when she stays with the Hughes family and sees how the entire family is beholden to the captain, who is no longer able to provide for his family, but with three sons lost to the war, there are very few opportunities for income. Nell’s perpetual optimism frustrates Bea, who has always been fully aware of her own limitations—since she doesn’t intend to marry, she has no choice but to remain at the house and help care for her younger siblings. That’s another eye-opening moment for Nell: Mrs. Hughes has children ranging in age from almost 30 down to 6 years old, and it comes as a shock to Nell that Mrs. Hughes didn’t have much of a choice in having so many children.

I would absolutely recommend Her Lady’s Honor. Nell and Bea have amazing chemistry, but more importantly, they work so well together. The war has brought permanent changes to their world, but they are both determined to find happiness amidst so much tragedy. This was such a lovely book, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Dahlia in the future.


I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press for the ARC.</i>

Her Lady's Honor made me feel very mixed things. If from a side I loved the chemistry and the development between the girls, from the other I was so frustrated with Beatrice that I was more annoyed at their relationship than anything else.

I appreciated the themes: privilege is a very important topic at the moment - and always - so it touched very points that I agreed with. But it's not possible to have a character thinking something and then acting the entire opposite.
And it was really annoying how everything Nell did was not accepted and highly fought againsy by Beatrice. I do agree that some actions Nell did went from privilege and should've been called out but when everything she does even if it's done for a good cause drags and it's only fighting, it get's tiring.

The only thing that stand out was definitely the writing. Renée Dahlia can totally write scenaries and scenes really well. So I'm going to keep an eye out for this author, but this unfortunaely was more a miss than a win for me.

Even if I liked the detailed historical background the MCs grated on my nerves and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Nell worked at the front lines as a veterinarian during WW1. During the war she worked under The Captain and is tasked with returning his horse to his home when the war ends. When she arrives at his house she meets his daughter, and is surprised to see that how a person acted during wartime isn't always telling of how he behaves on the home front. All in all this is a well written book, with lost of tidbits which ties it very well with the period which it is written in.

Nell: Nell grep up as a baroness daughter and have studied along side one of the top scholars in veterinary medicine. Nell grew up with highly educated parents who despite their social standing have liberal thoughts.

Beatrice: Having grown up with a dominant father with anger management issues, Beatrice is used to trying to remain invisible. When he was gone for the war, the family had a reprieve from him ruling the family, and Beatrice took care of the household. When he returns from the war injured and hardened, the family has to return to follow issued orders.

Pro:
Realistic portrayal of the huge impact of the losses of war - The book directly adress the loss of all those men who left for war and how this effect the civilian life after the war. It also visit the amount of people who returned home with mental and/or physical issues.
Being a woman in a mans world - Nell got her placement in the war due to connections and letters of recommendations. As she's a woman she's unavailable to get a degree which proves her worth as a veterinarian. The book also show how vulnerable women were in society, as you discover more and more about Beatrice life.
Being a lesbian in the early 20th century
The anxiety about returning home after a life changing event - Nell is hesitant to return home, as she's unsure of how her changes will be accepted among those who ner her before hand.

Con:
Sometimes the progress plot-wise feels very slow.'

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

Post WWI sapphic romance. Set in Wales.

Before returning to her upper-class home after serving as a veterinarian in WWI France, Lady Eleanor St. George (Nell) has one more task to complete, returning her Captain's horse to his farm in Wales. Upon getting to the farm, Nell is struck by two revelations: she is completely smitten with the Captain's eldest daughter Beatrice and the Captain is an abusive alcoholic who grinds his family - and particularly his wife and daughters - down.

Beatrice is also struck immediately with an attraction for Nell, but she has resigned herself to a life of near servitude in her father's house. Beatrice doesn't see why Nell could love her or how such a relationship would be possible. Nell wants to make it happen but comes up against both Beatrice's reluctance and her own wartime wounds. Both women must overcome their holdups to take a chance on a future together.

I’m always eager to devour a romance that takes place between the wars because I find it to be such fertile ground. There are so many different directions those romances can go and yet there aren’t that many romances that take place during the twenties. I was excited that this wasn’t only a romance that takes place in the 1920s but it’s FF as well!

The two women come from very different worlds but as in most romances fall in love anyway. The pacing and overall writing is very good and I came to enjoy Nell and Beatrice, for me it hit a decent amount of what I needed from a romance.

<i>Confident women didn't exist in Aberystwyth; they only existed in books or in Beatrice's dreams.</i>

It pains me to rate this so low, especially after how excited I was to read it. It's a good book with a great premise and really interesting characters that I could have loved, but all of that was unfortunately stymied by the fact that it wasn't very well-written at all. <i>Her Lady's Honour</i> follows a female vet (both veteran and veterinarian) who comes home from WWI, escorts her former Captain's horse back to his home, where she meets and becomes involved with his eldest daughter.

The good:
- Examines inter-class relations in a way that historical romances seldom do, which always sort of frustrates me. I appreciated that the class differences between Nell and Beatrice were examined and talked about, and Nell was forced to take stock of her privilege and place in the world, and change some of her attitudes.
- Highlights the contributions that women made in WWI, and also looks at the involvement of people of colour.
- I liked the atmosphere and setting, especially as described in the first chapter of the book. There's something about historicals that's always so appealing, and this nailed it.
- Had some good stuff to say about the treatment of women in society.
- Some parts were super swoony and really sexy.
- Butch/femme! <3

The bad:
- Not very well written at all. I appreciate when books talk about important issues, but it was all very bland and stark, all tell and no show. I don't think writing needs to be wreathed in metaphors and subtlety to make a good point, not at all, but... I don't know, this wasn't very enjoyable to read.
- The structure was kind of weird; chapters started and ended in unlikely places, and contributed to an uneven pacing/flow that stuck throughout the entire book.
- The major plot point of the book was a really important issue that just... didn't seem to be taken very seriously? In the way that it was written about, or the way that the characters reacted to it? Relatedly, characterisation was all over the place; characters would say things completely unsuited to the situation and what we knew of them, and while some of it was explained by the plot happenings, it often felt tonally weird.
- This isn't insta-love (which I seldom like) but I didn't particularly like the fast pacing and how the relationship moved.
- Could use a closer edit; I noticed some word choice issues and errors.

I do think this book has good bones, and it definitely hits a spot that I wish more authors would explore: historical f/f romance. But the writing and the execution left a lot to be desired. 2.5 stars. Would be willing to try more f/f romance from this author.

Such a disappointment. The premise was so intriguing but the heroines have so much conflict/antagonism that I simply could not believe in their love by the end. The book forgot that it was a romance novel by the end because it focused on everything but the romance.

While part of me enjoyed Her Lady's Honor by Renée Dahlia, a bigger part of me found Beatrice to be truly exhausting. She just isn't worth it, Nell.

I read a number of lesbian romances, but not many historical ones, and since I have a deep, deep love for HR, I was pumped to give this book a go. Also, I haven't read any historicals that take place in the time period of setting of Her Lady's Honor so that was interesting for me.

I appreciate that the author addressed class disparity in her book, and I think it was important for Beatrice to speak up when Nell was being blind to her privilege, but Nell couldn't say anything without Beatrice taking offence. It was insane. I started bookmarking each page where Beatrice criticized and made Nell feel in the wrong because it was so frequent. I get that Nell made some blunders, but she was a good person who didn't deserve the treatment that she got from Beatrice.

I actually enjoyed the storyline, and I found the plot pretty engaging. I only put down the book twice while reading, and I think the author had very good pacing. However, the actual romance and dialogue was lacking. Both felt stiff and forced, without any joy or energy.

Though Renée Dahlia does a number of things right with Her Lady's Honor, I just couldn't get behind these two as a couple.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I rarely clarify my stars, but this one is a 2.75 stars for me. There's a lot going on here that would be amazing, but I think there's a little bit too much forced emotion. Her Lady's Honor is more of a twist, as it focuses on Lady Eleanor St. George's eventual quest to help her love interest, Beatrice Hughes find her own agency. Her quest is hindered by Beatrice's cynicism about her lot in life, which is enforced by her abusive father, who was Eleanor's boss on the front in World War I. I loved the idea of Nell using whatever power she has to help elevate Beatrice's station. When we meet Beatrice, she's essentially a servant in her own home. Her father has contempt for just about everyone, but he reserves most of his ire for Beatrice. It definitely has a little "Cinderella" in it but in this case, Beatrice isn't so eager to be saved by the means Nell thinks can be successful.

Now, that seems intriguing, and it is! Bring in the horrific affects of World War I, a little about women's suffrage, a tiny bit about the inadequate handling of minorities being ignored and treated poorly after they survived the fighting, and class divides, and you have a pretty complex book. I wished that she had also reminded us that Beatrice's family is Welsh, and her father due to his own elitist views, forced his kids to learn English. I wish there was a little more Welsh in there, because that is just as much a part of her as her being heir in name only. It focuses more on the differences in classes Nell and Beatrice are in, and not necessarily why. Also, it is a bit on the nose, and feels little out of place for 1919, but there's a ton of putting down women as being lesser in here. Like Nell gets to throw around her technical title, but the moment she talks about her participation in the war, it is questioned. Like people knew women participated as nurses on the front, so why not a veterinarian? It was off to me.

One last thing, and I think this is what made me almost not complete it, is some of the strange dialog choices that were made. There were some modern colloquialisms between Beatrice and Nell that was so distracting that I just had to put the book down for a bit. The first sex scene switched between modern sexy terms and some more dated ones, which made me more annoyed than anything. This was fixed later, and bonus points for using "quim" which, sadly is not used enough in historical romances where appropriate.

I think people will enjoy Nell and Beatrice's courtship to an extent. I think they will be less appreciative of all the stuff that's crammed in here, and some of the dialog choices that feel very much out of place in 1919 Wales. There's good stuff in here, but not enough for me to enthusiastically recommend.

The Great War has just ended and Lady Eleanor St. George (Nell), who served as a vet in Somme, has been tasked by her boss, Captain Hughes, to return his horse, Tommy to the Hughes homestead. When Nell arrives at the Captain’s farm in Wales, she is struck by the lady she thinks is the servant. Beatrice Hughes, eldest daughter of the captain, may be the daughter of the house and also the person who actually keeps everything running, but her life is equivalent to an indentured servant.

Nell and Beatrice both know that marriage is not for them because their interests lie elsewhere. And their interest is piqued by the other. Attraction between them flares.

There is so much to like in this book and particularly in the relationship between Nell and Beatrice. Both the ladies are written with complexity and depth. The differences in their thoughts and personalities due to their respective socio-economic backgrounds are well-thought out and very well written. It is gratifying to read the acknowledgement and the appreciation each one has for who the other. The appreciation for each other is particularly notable because this is what really leads to successful relationships.

Nell and Beatrice are both strong and vulnerable in their own ways. In ways that the other person can fill perfectly. They have their own strengths and weaknesses – strengths which lets them be strong when the other is out of their element and weaknesses that make the relationship stronger because their partner can take care of them. It is beautiful to see that.

Nell has a wider character arc in terms of an expansion in her horizon of realities of the less entitled folk. Her efforts to get justice done for Beatrice, to enable Beatrice’s freedom of choice, empower Beatrice to have agency over her own life – even at the cost of putting herself (Nell) in danger was everything that love should be.

The reality of the place and state of women during that time period is starkly drawn. Our heart was crying at the struggles women have faced for so long for just for being born a woman. And when we thought about the fact that a lot of women in a lot of countries are still struggling with the same issues (personified in Captain Hughes’ behaviour with his wife and Beatrice) our heart physically hurt. That made it difficult reading for us, but the latter half of the book (with less of Captain Hughes) became easier. By the end, we rejoiced the successful trickery.

Nett, nett, we enjoyed this one.

There's much to like in this lesbian historical romance set in the months following the end of World War I. The setting and historical detail are particularly well done, and I liked how Dahlia worked hard to give her heroines a happily-ever-after during a very difficult time. While the conflict between the heroines didn't always ring true to me, this was well worth a read and I'll absolutely recommend it to historical romance fans who want to read outside of the Regency!

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

The romance in this novel is lovely, sweet and believable. I particularly appreciated the contrast between the heroines.

Where things faltered a bit for me was in the segments about female independence and the mystery. I think this book could’ve done with one more solid editing. The dialogue between the heroines about their struggles as women dependent on men often fell flat for me. This wasn’t because it was unbelievable but instead because there was too much telling and not enough showing. The author needs to trust to reader to come to their conclusion, leading us along the way but not beating us about the head with the ideas. This isn’t the only book I’ve read recently that suffers in this way. An example of the same idea done well can be found in Scarlett Peckham’s “The Rakess”. I would love to see a f/f done in this same way!

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Lady Eleanor aka Nell has survive the Great War she sign up as a veterinarian to help the horses in the war now that the war may be over she decide to deliver her Captain horse Tommy to his home in Wales. When that task is done she wants to go home and be with her family but when she meets the Captain daughter everything changes.


Beatrice takes cares of her siblings like their her own while her mother grieves the lost of her three brothers who died in the war. She knows she never married because she has no interest in men that way she resigned the fact she may never find love but when Nell comes on the scene she finally find something for herself. As She and Nell grow closer things start to take a turn for the worst when Beatrice father tells her mother is gone and she doesn’t know what to believe.

With the help of Nell and her sister Grace they stop at nothing to learn what really happened to their mother on the night she disappears.

This was a great historical romance with little intrigue.