Review and Excerpt: The Cost Of Honor by Diana Munoz Stewart

Title: The Cost of Honor (Black Ops Confidential #3)

Author: Diana Munoz Stewart

Release Date: November 26th, 2019

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Synopsis:

The only male to be adopted into the notorious Parish family, Tony Parish always did right by his vigilante sisters. But when an attempt to protect one of them went horribly wrong, he had to fake his own death to escape his fanatical family. Tony set sail and ended up in Dominica—face to face with the woman of his dreams…

Now he must give up Honor to save her

After the death of her mother, Honor Silva moved to Dominica, where her family could help her heal and move on. But her activist mother left her more than money, she left her proof that could take down one of the richest and most powerful men in the world.

Tony gave up everything he thought he knew when he fled his family. But when a threat too dangerous for Tony and Honor to fight on their own closes in, he has no choice but to go to them for help. Problem is, they’ll demand something in return—something that could cost Tony not just Honor, but also the love that changed him forever.

My Review:

The Cost of Honor is my favorite book in the ‘Black Ops Confidential’ series. It is suspenseful, exciting, and a page-turner. I thought Diana Munoz Stewart created two interesting characters, Honor and Tony, that are mysterious and enjoyable to read about.

As I started reading the story, it was easy to get engaged with the story. The author went straight into it and Honor and Tony met in a life-saving way. They are both mysterious and their current situations only added to my intrigue.

Tony faked his own death and changed his identity when he meets Honor. They both put up walls to not let people in, but I could tell from the beginning that their relationship would be different. As they started to spend more time with each other, they started revealing more. This led them to like each other more.

I loved the romance and steam in the story. I could really feel the chemistry between the two. It felt right when they were together. I also enjoyed the suspense because it was thrilling until the very end. There’s so much mystery and danger that makes this story worth the read.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I give The Cost of Honor 4 stars. It’s an addicting romantic suspense that will hook you in from the jump. The characters are great together and add even more excitement to the whole story.

Excerpt:

THE COST OF HONOR – excerpt 2

#2

Inside the hospital room, it was hard to tell which sounded louder, Tony’s head or the heart monitor. His right arm ached like it had been slammed with a rock. It had. And there was no one to blame but himself.

This morning, he’d felt homesick, anxious, and frustrated at his inability to get off the island because of the storm. He’d gone out looking for something so deep, so wild and filled with adrenaline, he couldn’t think anymore.

Basically, he just wanted to kill his thoughts. It had worked for a little while. He had a concussion to prove it.

“Knock, knock.”

His gaze snapped to the door, skimmed her tanned legs, wrinkled white shorts, and…those eyes. Silver. Like an angel. This was the woman who’d pulled him from the water, saved him.

Not for nothing, she was gorgeous. 

He waved her inside, tried to sit up. The room tilted. He pressed the button on the guardrail, inched upward with a whir of the motor. “I need to thank you.”

His angel walked across the room. Fierce and hot with loose brown curls that caressed a delicate, almost regal neck. Or maybe it was the way she carried herself that was regal.

And, oh man, he felt something. Something big. Something wild and filled with adrenaline and a zing of lust that sent his heart monitor galloping.

Her silver eyes flicked to the monitor. No way to deny that. She turned her attention to him and held out a hand tattooed with a date that started at the base of her thumb and ran up toward her wrist. “Honora Silva. Honor for short.”

“My hero has a name worthy of her.” He lifted the arm with the IV drip and took her hand. The silk of her skin ignited flames in his palm that spread through his body. Could hold this hand all day. Wanted to. “Lazarus Graves.”

He turned her wrist a little and read the black ink tattooed there. Today’s date. Two years ago. Slowly, she pulled her hand back, leaned against the bed, comfortable in a way that seemed unconscious. “Lazarus? Like the walking dead.” She grinned. “Appropriate.”

Huh. Kind of a smart-ass. He liked. “You got the States in your voice. On vacation? Determined to get every day you can from the beach, even during a tropical storm?”

“No.” She pointed at her tattoo. “I moved here after my mother’s death. That’s why I was on the beach. A pilgrimage of sorts.”

Something in Laz’s chest moved forward, toward her. This had been a bad day for him. This had been an incredibly shit day for her. And despite her grief, she’d saved his life. He put a hand to his chest. “I’m sorry.”

Her shoulders slumped. Eyes downcast, she brushed aside tears. “You actually did me a favor. Made it so something good came out of today.”

He took a minute, processed what she’d suggested—if not for her mother’s death, she wouldn’t have been on the beach, and he might be dead right now. “Guess I owe her my life too. Along with her fearless daughter.”

A startled sound broke from her like a crack of thunder. “I am not fearless. Mom used to call me the Cowardly Lion.”

His brows drew together. “You jumped into the ocean to save an idiot stranger during a tropical storm. I call that fearless. And the Cowardly Lion was tough too. Just needed to find the right situation to bring it out.”

At this, she laughed, a laugh so surprised, and maybe delighted, that her head tilted back. Her chin lifted to the ceiling. When she brought her head down, her silver eyes were alight. Like twin moons

Self-consciously, she fingered the bit of blanket poking through the metal guardrail. “And you? Are you on vacation?”

He had his cover. Of course he did. And yet, she’d been so honest with him, saved his life. Plus, he just didn’t feel like lying to her. “Ran away from home. Changed my name. Set sail. Forced to port with the storm.”

Her eyes brightened. “But that sounds like an adventure story. I love adventures stories.”

She opened her mouth to ask a follow-up. A question he was sure he didn’t want to answer. Hell, why wasn’t she running out of the room right now? Brave as hell. He beat her to the punch. “Your eye color—is that real?”

Her eyebrows rose. “Of course.”

Sensitive. “That offends you? Me asking?”

“The idea that I am a person who puts in contacts to impress others offends me.”

He liked the way she spoke, clipped and absolute. Kind of formal. Reminded him of the girls at the Mantua Academy, the private school his family ran. And used as cover for covert ops. Did she have a private education? “Never said it was to impress anyone. Maybe people who wear colored contacts just like the way they look. Like I like my tattoos.”

She swished her chin around as if sampling his words like a sommelier tasting wine. Freakin’ adorable. She must’ve found them to her liking because she nodded and moved on. “My eyes aren’t that unusual.”

Okay. She couldn’t actually believe that. “They’re silver.”

“Some would call them a light gray.”

“Some would be wrong. They’re silver.”

“I think my skin tone might lend to them seeming more silver than gray.”

She had great skin. A touch darker than his own, it was a tawny island tan so pristine, her body seemed draped in silk. He longed to brush a knuckle across the swell of her high cheekbones, collarbone, cleavage. “Maybe if I saw you in a different light, they’d look less silver.”

She laughed. “You could see me in a different light, but that might not change anything. As Robertson Davies said, ‘The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.’”

Yep. Well-educated. “I prefer Obi-Wan Kenobi. ‘Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view.’”

She raised a dark eyebrow over one silver eye. It gave her a dangerous, seductive quality. Hard to resist. Not sure he wanted to.

Purchase Links

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About Diana Munoz Stewart

Diana Munoz Stewart is the award-winning, romantic suspense author of the Band of Sisters series, which includes I Am Justice, I Am Grace, and I Am Honor. Visit her at dianamunozstewart.com.

Connect with Diana

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Diana Munoz Stewart’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, November 11th: Hallie Reads

Tuesday, November 12th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Thursday, November 14th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, November 15th: @girlandherbooks

Monday, November 18th: The Book Disciple – excerpt

Monday, November 18th: @thebookdisciple

Tuesday, November 19th: @thisbibliolife

Tuesday, November 19th: Booked on a Feeling

Tuesday, November 19th: Mystery Suspense Reviews – excerpt

Wednesday, November 20th: @barr_bookworms

Thursday, November 21st: Why Girls are Weird

Monday, November 25th: Reading Reality

Tuesday, November 26th: Bewitched Bookworms – review & excerpt

Tuesday, November 26th: @_ebl_inc_

Wednesday, November 27th: The Book Diva’s Reads – excerpt

Monday, December 2nd: Living My Best Book Life – excerpt

Monday, December 2nd: @livingmybestbooklife

Tuesday, December 3rd: Becky on Books

Wednesday, December 4th: Stranded in Chaos

Friday, December 6th: Book Nerd