Title: Honor C
Series: N/A
Author: C. Zampa
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novel
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 29th, 2013)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb: When Honor Castillo convinces himself he isn’t gay, he begins a new life. He ends his affair with his lover, Jorge Villagomez, and marries Rebecca to establish a life with her as a respected San Antonio businessman. They have a son and he tells himself he is happy.
Eleven years later, Jorge returns to San Antonio, and his path crosses with Honor’s once more. The flame of their passion never died, and neither did Jorge’s love for Honor.
When Jorge approaches Honor to design his studio, Honor believes he can walk the line between friendship and lovers. But when a sudden crisis threatens to take Jorge from him forever, Honor must choose between his duty and his heart. Most of all, he’s forced to decide what he’s willing to lose in order to be true to who he really is.
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3823
Review: Oh my. oh damn. No book, no book ever has the right to make you feel so much…this many emotions all at the same time. I loved it. I adored it. I hated it and it damn near broke my heart only to leave me with a slight glimmer of hope and a trembling, barely there smile and eyes stinging. I was overwhelmed by this book. my head hurts after the roller coaster of emotions and I think I didn’t dare breathe freely from the moment I started reading till the very end, and even then I think my breath has not returned to normal levels. It must be that chunk in my throat that refuses to go even after half an hour that I gave myself to compose and collect my thoughts.
Damn what a story. It starts with Honor and Jorge as young men. Secret lovers hidden in a tree house that has witnessed their most intimate time together, their epic perhaps relationship. It starts with their last day as Honor – convinced in his illusions that he’s not gay – ends the secret relationship with his beautiful Jorge to start a new life with Rebecca, a woman he fell in love with. It start with the first time Honor rips Jorge’s heart and Jorge leaves San Antonio not bearing to witness his love’s smiles directed to another person.
It goes on with a slight flashback of memories from their childhood and how the two – dare I say – fated lovers met, how they story began.
And it hit you right through your heart eleven years later when Jorge comes back in town and Fate throws them together yet again. From that moment on, we see this gorgeous erotic dance and flirt between them that swirls you in its rhythm and dazzles you in its sensuality. The passion, the craving, and the longing and oh my God, the sizzling heat is all there and you can almost taste it when those two balance precariously between friendship and… Oh who am I kidding, when they meet again I wondered how the entire place didn’t catch fire and point at them for being responsible. Those feeling described were that palpable. Amazing work in writing that down. The author makes you feel in love and right when you think you can’t handle it anymore, when you truly believe this is it, they will finally make their declaration and be together and this will end up in fantastic explosion of intimate intercourse between them…
Oh God, I think I hated this author just then. The pain that shot through me with what came next, forget the characters, forget the book, I was having a damn heart attack.
I thought I’d dislike this story when I read the blurb, I really did. I dislike closeted cases, married men cheating on their wives and simultaneously ripping their lover’s heart apart. I was confused or perhaps I did not understand the blurb correctly. Although Honor is indeed –quoting him- the king of the closet, although he indeed causes too much hurt to their weird triangle, he never once cheated on his wife. He lied to her, hid his very own being from her, and fooled her for eleven years into his love. But, Honor had the decency to not humiliate her that way. As much as I wanted to kill him at times for the mess he did, I truly loved Honor and everything about him.
But, as I said, he caused a mess of everything. Silly man. First driving Jorge off and then destroying his entire life. Everything that followed was simply exquisite. I loved the realistic feeling I got from every scene. I loved Rebecca’s take, all bout her, every single reaction was brilliantly written. I loved Honors anguish and feasted on Jorge’s pain. Don’t misunderstand me, what followed was highly frustrating and nearly drove me crazy till I read past it, but that was the beauty of it. And as I was slowly reading through the end, when I’d thought I’d finally breathe a bit easier I was once again forced to shatter my expectations into a fantastic albeit HFN and with a high taste of sadness end. The character growth was just plain brilliant.
Honor C is a book that will shatter your comfy zone and take you into a hurricane of delightful feelings including a few tears spilled here and there. I strongly suggest you read it; it would be such a waste to miss such a beautiful read.
Heads up: There is one mf scene, albeit not graphically described, it focused more on the emotions between Honor and Becky and how it felt as the end for their marriage and a bittersweet goodbye.
Thommie, thank you. So much.
You’re very welcome, well deserved all praises. It was a lovely book with amazing and gorgeous characters.