Not every match is made at the marriage mart . . . After a disastrous, short-lived engagement and years of caring for her ailing grandmother, Phoebe Hallsmith is resigned to spinsterhood. But if she must be unmarried, far better to be of use than languishing at home, disappointing her parents. As an employee of the Everton Domestic Society of London, Phoebe accepts a position at the country … Phoebe accepts a position at the country home of an old friend and discovers an estate—and a lord of the manor—in a state of complete chaos.
Losing himself in the bottle has done nothing to ease Markus Flammel’s grief over losing his wife. Not even his toddler daughter can bring him back from the brink. Now this fiery, strong-minded redhead has taken over his home, firing and hiring servants at will and arousing unexpected desire. As not one, but two, suitors suddenly vie for Phoebe’s hand, can Markus move past loss and fight for a future with the woman who has
transformed his world?
“Silky smooth prose, a fresh and fun premise and a blazingly competent heroine.”
—RT Book Reviews
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Phoebe Hallsmith has given the best years of her youth in caring for her sick grandmother in Scotland, a broken betrothal has guaranteed her life as a spinster. Going against her family, she accepts a position as an employee of the Everton Domestic Society which has the unfortunate consequence of being disinherited.
She never expected to be needed in the home of her deceased friend Emma, not being present when her friend passed in childbirth she owed it to her memory to help Emma’s husband – Markus Flammel.
She never expected to have her life so altered by the man that had so fiercely loved her best friend. Or finding a love that’s all consuming!
Markus has been grieving the death of his wife and trying to drown his sorrow in the bottle, not even his little girl can drag him away from his miserable existence. Until the force of nature that is Phoebe Hallsmith!
This was a wonderful and touching story, a story of second chances and redemption. Emotional and touching this love story wrecks your heart and then puts it back together. Everyone deserves to find love and the will to live after losing the person that held your heart. Loved the emotions in this story, well written and the characters are extremely likeable. Their guilt at falling in Love was totally real and understandable and I felt every emotion they experienced.
I highly recommend this and can’t wait to read the next Everton Domestic Society book.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest opinion.
The premise of this book is interesting. Young woman takes care of grandmother until she passes away and then finds herself disowned and pass what was considered a reasonable age to be married. She has no dowry and so she becomes an agent of the Everton Domestic Society to support herself. The story was weak for me in that the constant battle she rages within herself over her value as a woman even when others try to reassure her was tiresome. On one hand she is decisively stubborn dealing with her past and a persistent suitor she has no feelings for but denies the affection of the leading man in this book just because she thinks she is unworthy of his love. Sigh, I really tired of that dialogue and her foolish notion that he could not possibly love her. Therefore, I felt the ending was a bit overlong.
I enjoyed the story, but the reasons for fighting their emotions for each other became a bit tedious after a while, especially when it came to the main female character. Also, with the main male character- after being absolutely saturated in booze for 2 years, he wouldn’t have been able to turn himself around that fast (nice thought, but not realistic).
A Lady’s Honor by A.S. Fenichel is Book One in the Everton Domestic Society Series. This is the story of Phoebe Hallsmith and Markus Flammel.
Phoebe feels she is on the shelf after a quick engagement ended along with having to take care of a family member and now her time has ended for marriage. But moving forward she is working for the Everton Domestic Society of London which has displeased her family. Phoebe takes a job helping her friend’s husband who has taken the lost of his wife very hard. Phoebe comes in an makes chances to his life to get him back to the living.
Really great story that was hard to put down.
Disastrous, short-lived engagement. Made me feel better about mine LOL
Quick read, a bit slow in parts, but solid character development. Phoebe is tasked / asked to look after Markus Flammel and his extremely drunken choice of a life which includes his toddler daughter. Phoebe is written as a strong woman which I loved and takes everything in hand, plus delivers pointed lectures towards Markus in my opinion. Story-line gives you the feels as they search for a chance at a HEA.
So much angst and crying on everyone’s part. Glad they got it sorted out and happy by the end.
After a disastrous, short-lived engagement and years of caring for her ailing grandmother, Phoebe Hallsmith is resigned to spinsterhood so she becomes an employee of the Everton Domestic Society of London, Phoebe accepts a position at the country home of an old friend and discovers an estate—and a lord of the manor—in a state of complete chaos.
Losing himself in the bottle has done nothing to ease Markus Flammel Viscount Devonrose’s grief over losing his wife Emma in childbirth. Not even his toddler daughter Elizabeth can bring him back from the brink. Now this fiery, strong-minded redhead has taken over his home, firing and hiring servants at will and arousing unexpected desire. Then not one, but two, suitors suddenly vie for Phoebe’s hand.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read & how Marcus managed to put his life back together & totally give up the booze as he’d no wish to become like his father. Phoebe is strong willed & highly organised. The attraction between the pair is there from the beginning but gradually grows as each comes to term with the loss of Emma. The secondary characters are on the whole delightful especially Honoria & Elizabeth. It was good also to catch up with some of the characters from the Forever Brides series. I look forward to the next book in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Really enjoyed this book!!!
good read, a little repetitive about where she works, but an orig;inal idea
Nice relaxing read. Started and finished same day.
This book was a quick and enjoyable read
“A Lady’s Honor” by A. S. Fenichel
I LOVED this story. Oh, to be as wise and capable as Phoebe… But I am ever so glad I have not had her life. If you like Regency Romances. I am sure you will devour this story. I found it very difficult to put the story down, even when my eyes were begging to take a rest. I was gifted an ARC by the author.. and I truly feel very lucky to have had this opportunity for an early read. I hope there will be an unabridged audio book version available in the future… my eyes would enjoy the rest and my ears would love to share the story with me once again. And yes I laughed and I cried, and I cheered for my friends.. I say this is a 5-star story for sure. Happy reading.
A Lady’s Honor (Everton Domestic Society, #1) by A.S. Fenichel … This is the first book in this series and I was lucky to be able to preview it on #NetGalley. Phoebe.. left England to care for her ailing grandmother in Scotland..giving up a chance of making a good marriage match…Markus..has fallen into decline (he has become a drunk with a foul temper) after the death of his beloved wife Emma when their daughter Elizabeth is born… Phoebe has taken a position with The Everton Domestic Society….and is sent to help Markus repair his life… Emma was her best friend and she feels guilty for her feeling for Markus.. which is against all of the Everton Lady Rules (which we learn in the story) Markus feels guilty for caring for Phoebe… I love the way I felt part of the story and enjoyed sharing their lives…Of course they get to their HEA…but I won’t spoil your trip getting there…Can’t wait for the next book in the series…
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Review If you love strong, independent women who won’t let men rule their lives, then get a copy of “A Lady’s Honor” right away!
Phoebe Hallsmith is an employee of the Everton Domestic Society of London, a company that provides women to assist when and where needed in the confusing world of Victorian England. But when she finds herself assigned to help a widower pull himself out of the bottle, her heart is pulled in multiple directions – he is the husband of a good friend, who passed away and left a young daughter behind.
Caught between her heart and society’s demands, Phoebe navigates stormy waters with pluck, determination and a strong will that rivals Wonder Woman. If you’re looking for the first book in a series that’ll have you lunging for every new release – this is it!
I liked the first half of the book, but I thought his healing came a bit too fast and then the ending just got too comical for me. She had her old fiancé showing up bribed by the brother, the secretary, and then the hero all courting her. The flight to the border was enough for me. If the book started in the same vain as it started I think I would have liked it better. It started as an interesting romance and then descended into a comedy. It just wasn’t my style.
I adore this book! I found myself totally immersed in the people, full fledged, normal people. Will watch for more!
Fresh idea with sympathetic characters
I thoroughly enjoyed Phoebe. She knew what she wanted to do and did not truly care what others thought. She was faced with a situation of heartbreak, lost love, and despair. Despite her feelings, she managed to turn things around for Markus, but she was blind to her own world. I love the second chance at love to show one can love more than once in a lifetime. The Everton Domestic Society was a wonderful idea. I loved this story and recommend it. I look forward to more in the series.
I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.
Beautifully written, this emotional Regency romance pushed all the right buttons for me. Phoebe is no shrinking violet and when she is disowned by her family after a disasterous rejection by her fiance, she decides to take the road less travelled and join the Everton Domestic Society. Through them, she learns that she has friends who care about her and she earns her place with them. Not afraid of hard work, Phoebe also learns that she doesn’t need to rely on her family to meet her needs when she puts her organisational skills into operation. Called on to carry out an assignment at her deceased best friend’s home, Phoebe arrives with the flamboyant lady Honoria Chervil to take over the running of Markus, Lord Castlereagh’s home. They find chaos of the worst kind and the Lord himself is heavily under the influence of alcohol. Whilst Phoebe is shocked at what she finds, nevertheless she has a duty to perform and immediately sets to work. She very quickly earns the respect of the few remaining staff and eventually the Lord himself, but working in such close proximity with an already wounded man comes with risks. One would expect the male of the species to be able to cope with pain and loss albeit stoically, but one forgets that every individual is different and Markus loses himself in the bottom of a bottle. Bit by bit Phoebe makes inroads into the mess and with Honoria’s sense of humour to lighten the darkest moments, she solves all of the problems, except for the one involving her heart. Sticking to the rules, Phoebe chooses to leave Rosefield behind and return to Everton House. Apart from Phoebe’s obnoxious brother and ex fiance, I loved the characters in this book and the way the story came together. The last chapter was hilarious and joyous and exciting, bringing all the main players together in a delightful way. Some of the characters in this book appeared in another series, however this is a standalone and comes to a very satisfactory ending. I received a copy of this book through Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
My heart is full as I turn the last page of this story. I knew this would be a wonderful story because every book I have read by this author is a keeper! Two souls brought together that were meant for each other but had to go a long way to find out. Having lost his beloved wife Emma over two years ago, Markus Flammel had been trying to drown himself in drink. Neglecting his home and his two year old daughter, he cannot bear the thoughts of his lost wife. Lady Phoebe Hallsmith has lost a lot herself. Betrothed and then rejected, she spent several years taking care of her dying grandmother before coming back home. Now on the shelf at 24 she has gone to work for the Everton Domestic Society and helping other people get their lives together. She is sent on a mission to pull Markus back up and get his house in order while making sure his daughter is in good hands. But you see, Phoebe had been his wife Emma’s best friend, so she knew Markus and all that he had been through. As she begins to take control and gets Markus to shape up, Phoebe becomes invested in his sweet daughter and in Markus himself. Can anything come of their budding attraction? I loved these two characters and eagerly turned the pages to see what would happen. At times I wanted to shake Phoebe because she would not let herself believe that life could be more. This is one of the best stories I have read this year and cannot wait to read more!!