Customer Reviews

Honor's Splendour

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Honor's Splendour is an incredibly romantic and beautiful book. The characters are great, the plot is strong with lots of twists and the love between the two leads is as genuine as it gets.

The characters are really good and well developed. Duncan is the tall, masculine warrior with an arrogant streak as wide as his shoulders. Madelyne is a woman who has been mistreated in the past by her brother but remains strong and kind. The growing love between Duncan and Madelyne is really passionate, tender and romantic. There are no pathetic 'big misunderstandings', no ludicrous plot twists, or stereotypical characters.

The beginning is one of the best in romantic fiction that I have ever read because Madelyne and Duncan meet on the forth page (I hate having to read about a third of the book before the hero and heroine are introduced) in a strong and memorable opening scene. Madelyne does something utterly selfless and sweet which endears you to her for the rest of the book and Duncan ends the second chapter with one of those 'you belong to me' phrases which would scare me half to death in real life but within the pages of a historical romance make me tingle inside and smile.

Near the end of the book there is a short period where Duncan and Madelyne are separated because she has to go to court for a while why he is away but this only lasts about 20 pages which is nothing out of 374 page paperback. When they are reunited there is an unforgettable scene where Duncan shows Madelyne how much he loves her in a sweet, caring way. Oh, I could go on and on about the best bits - little snatches of witty dialogue, places where Duncan loses his cool over Madelyne and says lovely things such as "You come before everyone and everything else" and so on!

Overall Honor's Splendour is well worth the money and I often reread it when I need a little boost. Duncan is a wonderfully protective hero who would do anything for Madelyne and she is an endearing woman who has remained charming despite being cruelly treated. I enjoyed the fact that Duncan was the first to say 'I love you' about three quarters of the way through which was a refreshing change and gave a chance for their love to bloom and flourish throughout the rest of the chapters.

Enjoy!

JoAnne

I've read all of Julie Garwood's books, and although I like all of them, I can honestly say that I don't remember most of them. None of the other hero/heroines nor plots stood out very much for me. However, I think Honour's Splendor is simply brilliant- it's the only one of Garwood's books that I've read over and over, and each time with as much pleasure. In terms of character development, Madelyne and Duncan are great protagonists. The story was made all the better with Edmund, Adela and Gilard - it really showed the Wextons as a warm and caring family, perfect for Madelyne as her own family (excluding Father Berton) were the antagonists. The only gripe I had about the entire book was Garwood's rather limited use of verbs whenever it came to the characters' dialogue with each other. To roughly put it, I think on one page alone Louddon rushed over and screamed at somebody, then Clarissa rushed over and screamed too, then Louddon rushed over and screamed some more. Just a minor observation, and it doesn't take anything away from the otherwise perfect book. A definite must read!

Apparently Kurt Vonnegut had once said that reading is like meditation... well, this book certainly is in that it transports one to another place. Highly recommended for reducing one's stress levels :)!!!!

I have read almost all of Julie Garwood's books and this one is my hands-down favorite. I gave it five stars because if you're studying for a law school exam and all you can think of is flying home to your mom's romance novel library so you can reach to the third shelf to grab Honor's Splendor and read it four times over Winter Break...it qualifies for 5 stars. I think one of the greatest things about this book is the wonderful character development and subtle humor in the book. Although some have called Madelyne dumb, it was refreshing to read a period book where the woman may not have had a PhD in "Fending for yourself." Baron Wolf is every woman's fantasy precisely because he is so real. He's not strikingly handsome, he can be humorless at times, but deep down in the end, even though he doesn't show it everyday, he proves his love in front of the world (this could have been why my mom gave it to my dad to read...) First, everyone knows that the first chapter is the greatest first chapter ever written...especially the last line. From there the characters get even richer to the point where you begin to feel for them and their situations, empathize with their plights, and love the relationship growing between them. I could spend forever and a day raving about this book but it could all be summed up in four words:
READ THE FIRST CHAPTER.
I promise you that if you pick it up and read it, you won't be able to put it down.

I don't really care much for romance and i don't really read them but having read this book I have to change my ideas
I think that this book is really good and it shows to people who read it that Duncan really loves Madelyne and she is really a brave and special woman. Duncan did a good thing by stealing her.
She deserved a better life and so she got one.
Having a horrible brother like she did must have been annoying and Duncan protected her so well.

Have you ever read a book that's left you thinking about it long after you've read it? Julie Garwood does it again in this wonderful tale. Honor's Splendour has everything a romance book should have: joy, fear, hatred, revenge, passion, sorrow, love...The characters come alive with emotion. Madelyne and Duncan are real and unforgettable.

The beginning was GREAT, then something happened and it kind of idled through the middle, then toward the end it picked up and became okay (maybe a little too fantastical--but nonetheless, okay).

Madeline was not so much an innocent as she was dumb. The hero was wonderful! I did, however, notice many similarities to other books of hers I've read.

This book was very enjoyable to read. The plot and the settings gave me a clear picture in my mind. It made me feel like I was there. I thought the charactors were well thought out. There were many times in this book where the plot is very funny. Along with it being funny their are many parts were it is very sad to read.

This is a great book, although I felt the beginning was kinda hard to get into. But like all J.G. books, you're soon pulled in. I thought that maybe there could have been less of an impact from Louddon. The ending was too abrupt. I really enjoyed the part where her fever made her hallucinate! HAHA! But I thought they should have told her what she had done. I hate characters being left in the dark!! Maybe the author could have elaborated a bit on Rhinehold since Madelyne did find out that he was her father. The Henry and William bit was unnecessary, in my opinion. And I felt so sorry for the younger brother because he wanted her too, but Duncan took her for his own!

I think there could have been minor improvements that could have made this book better, but overall, it's still a joy to read!

I love all of Julie Garwood's novels and this one is no exception. The chemistry between "the Wolf" and Madelyne is excellent and I love the way he is always there to protect her! I would recommend that anyone who loves romance at its best read this!