Honor Redeemed (First Responders series)by Loree Lough~ PUYB Blog Tour with review

roduct Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press Fiction (February 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426713169
• ISBN-13: 978-1426713163

About the book:

During rush hour one cold November night, a jumbo jet crashes on a busy highway…most of it, anyway. Honor Mackenzie and Rowdy, her trusty Search and Rescue dog, join the SAR team to search for the tail section, reported by witnesses to have landed in the dark and rainy woods along Baltimore’s Patapsco River.

Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Matt Phillips, forced to leave his SAR work behind to ensure his motherless twins would always have a dad, leaves the boys with a neighbor and heads to the woods, intent on getting another breaking story. It takes weeks to figure out why she’d given him such an icy reception: Another headline-hungry reporter–whose less-than-accurate story–ended her career with the fire department. In his effort to prove that not every reporter sacrifices “truth” for “story,” Matt finds himself attracted to the beautiful sad-eyed redhead.

As weeks pass, they discover that SAR missions aren’t the only things they have in common. Haunting attachments to 9/11 and the loss of a spouse have kept them lonely and alone…until they find comfort with one another. Much as he and his boys have come to care for her, Matt isn’t convinced that Honor will ever fully commit to him or the twins…especially after she takes a job in New York without even discussing it with him.

During his annual ski weekend with the boys, the heartbroken Matt gets word that Honor has gone missing during a search for a lost girl. He leads the search team, desperate to find her before a blizzard moves in. But even if he does, will they find their way back to one another…

…or back to living life alone?

My take on this book:
Honor Mackenzie started working in search and rescue after her fiance, who was a firefighter was killed in the days after 9/11.She also worked as a firefighter, but nasty rumors spread and when a reporter got hold of the story her reputation was ruined causing her to quit the fire department.Now her day job is working in the billing dept for the local hospital, and she volunteers  for SAR with her two Golden's Rowdy and Rerun. She also trains SAR dogs and their owners.  When she meets Matt Phillips she decides to avoid him because he is a reporter, but as she starts to know him, and learn about his twin sons, she can't help but feel something for him. Matt feels drawn to Honor, but also feels guilt because his wife Faith has only been dead for a little over a year. His life revolves around his ten year old twins Warner and Steve, and while he wonders if there could be a relationship between him and Honor, he has also heard the rumors about her past. Will their friendship turn into something more, or will the past stand in their way?


This book pulled me in immediately. At the loss of her fiance  Honor decided to become a First Responder, what a wonderful tribute to pay to someone. As I was drawn into her story,her character became very easy to like, but  I couldn't help but wonder what it was that was haunting her from her past. I thought Matt made a great male lead character. Some of his friends called him the Defender because of some of the things he had done. As the story unfolded I couldn't help but become invested in the lives of the characters and wanted to know how things would work out for them, and even though the plot moved along at a pretty brisk pace, the ending felt incomplete.While this book is the second in a series it can be read as a stand alone work, I didn't read the first book and didn't have any problems following this story.


Overall if you enjoy stories with compelling, easy to like characters,a slow building romance, a faith based message,and a fast moving plot that certainly gives us a glimpse of the sacrifices First Responders make then your going to enjoy this story. The ending certainly leaves me anxious to read the next book in the series. 


A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

For a chance to win a copy of this book, and to read what others are saying about this book click here to follow along on the PUYB blog tour.

About the author:

With more than 3,000,000 copies of her books in circulation, best-selling author Loree Lough’s titles earn 4- and 5-star reviews and industry/reader’s choice awards. She has received nearly 10,000 letters from fans who write to say she’s “a gifted writer whose stories touch hearts and change lives.” Her 9/11 series, First Responders (From Ashes to Honor, Honor Redeemed, A Man of Honor) is no exception, and it’s raising awareness and funds for organizations that assist soldiers and first responders, and their families. (For more information about these worthy groups, visit http://www.loreelough.com)