Honor Avenged

Tonya Burrows

May 2020 · HORNET Book 6 · Sold by Entangled: Amara

About this ebook

Leah Giancarelli makes balancing her new role as a widowed mom look easy, but she’d have crumbled if not for her late husband’s best friend, Marcus. She has her issues with HORNET, an elite hostage rescue team—she lost her husband after he accompanied them on their last mission—but Marcus has always been by her side, a strong shoulder to lean on...

Until, after one impulsive kiss, he’s so much more.

Eaten alive by guilt, Marcus takes off, leaving both HORNET and Leah behind. Alone is easier. Safer. Because his feelings for Leah are all kinds of wrong, the worst kind of betrayal, and he can’t trust himself not to act on them.

But Danny’s death was only the beginning. Whoever hired the hitman is looking for something. And worse, they’re certain Leah is the key...and now they’ll kill to know more.

Each book in the HORNET series is STANDALONE:
* SEAL of Honor
* Honor Reclaimed
* Broken Honor
* Code of Honor
* Reckless Honor
* Honor Avenged

Ratings and reviews

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/23/20 Leah is in very real danger – except she has no idea just how much or just how close it is. Reeling from the death of her husband and a newfound attraction to their best friend, she is just trying to take things a day at a time as a single mom to three. When she ends up abducted and sucked into the life the HORNETs live and breathe daily – a life her husband was going to turn to – a life that got him killed, she is thrust into a world she had no understanding or appreciation for. When the only two choices are live or die, there really isn't any decision to be debated against. With the HORNETs as her incoming rescue, she is less than thrilled. They are who she blames for everything her life has become. In fact, the only thing they have in common from her perspective is their love for Marcus – and now the fact that she is in peril, abducted and whisked away to a strange land, with only Marcus and the HORNETs to save her leaves her begrudgingly accepting their help. But through all of the craziness and scheming is something much deeper than anyone could have ever anticipated and Leah might be the key to unraveling it all and taking down some seriously devious crime bosses in the process. All she has to do is stay alive, figure out a way to trust the HORNETs, and convince Marcus that their attraction is so much more than the betrayal to her husband and his best friend that he stubbornly insists it is. No big deal. Marcus is hopelessly in love with Leah. He probably has been for as long as he can remember, but since Danny got her, he never allowed those feelings to manifest. With Danny gone and his connection to Leah growing stronger, it’s getting hard to resist her. But each break feels like disloyalty toward his best friend and he doesn’t want to suck Leah into the deception with him. She’s just grieving, not really feeling anything for him anyway. So he does what he does best and runs – far away – even from his team. But he eventually returns at Leah’s request and immediately turns personal protection detail out of necessity. Except this threat ends up being so much bigger than anyone thought and he needs his team desperately if they are to have a chance of survival. It looks like he’s got a lot of decisions to make. Leah’s safety is the priority, but then he’s got to figure out what to do about his position within the team, and then his future with Leah. That is, if she’ll even speak to him again after they make it out of this harrowing experience she’s been an unwilling participant in. I feel the need to preface this review by saying that I have not read any of the books in the HORNET series. There is very clearly a lot of carryover from the previous books and I feel it would be in the best interest of any reader to enjoy this series in order. Not to say that I did not enjoy this book. I most certainly did. However, I also know that when I eventually get around to reading this series from the beginning, I will definitely have to read this book again just to keep up on where everyone was and what was occurring. The book works as a stand-alone, yes. But after reading it, I can say with certainty that I know it would have been even better having come into the story with all of the back knowledge in place. As it is, I am left with a lot of questions. Intrigued as well. While this book is about an elite security team that puts their lives on the line to do the ugly jobs no one wants to think about, it is also a story about overcoming loss and learning to move on. Leah goes through several emotions during this nerve-wracking experience, but when she finally emerges on the other side of all the bad, she has a newfound understanding of life. Not only to appreciate everything you have and not take anything for granted but also new respect for the things the HORNET team does and the people they come into contact with. This enlightenment even transfers into a new direction...

4.5⭐ Honor Avenged was an utterly gripping story. That was packed full of action, twists, suspense, heat, grief, intrigue and edge of your seat moments. Basically everything you would expect in a romantic suspense story, and it was a joy to read. But boy did my heart break at times for not only Marcus, but Leah and her children, especially Maya. Would definitely recommend!! And I can't wait for Ian's story. 🙂 **I was kindly provided with an ARC via Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review**

LOVED this book! This is fast paced romantic suspense at its best. After Leah's husband's funeral, his best friend kissed her, then ghosted her. While he wallowed in his grief and guilt, Leah struggled to raise her three children and transition through all the changes necessitated by her husband's death. Leah has resented HORNET and the role it played in her husband's death, so when she is attacked by mercenaries and has no idea why, she seeks out Marcus, then is dragged into HORNET. What follows is a tightly woven story that I couldn't put down. I found myself turning pages just as quickly as possible because I couldn't wait to see what came next, but yet was sorry when it ended. I've loved every book in this series and am already looking forward to the next one. This is a stand alone novel, however it's so good that you really owe it to yourself to read them all. If I could give this one more than five stars, I would. The author is on my must read authors' list.

About the author

Tonya Burrows wrote her first romance at age 13 and hasn't put down her pen since. Originally from a small town in Western New York, she suffers from a bad case of wanderlust and usually ends up moving someplace new every few years. As of now, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with The Boyfriend, a diva schnoodle, a plucky pug-mix, and #writercat.

When she's not writing about hunky military heroes, Tonya can usually be found kayaking, hiking, or road tripping across the country. She also enjoys painting and B grade disaster movies.

If you would like to know more about Tonya, visit her website at www.tonyaburrows.com. She's also on Twitter @tonyaburrows and Facebook www.facebook.com/tonyaburrowsauthor.