Book Review - A Question Of Honor by Jesseca Wheaton

   When I heard that Jesseca Wheaton had published a book - a historical fiction entitled A Question Of Honor - I knew that I had to have it. And what do you know, I ended up winning an ebook copy of it during an Indie E-con! And it was wonderful - which means I have to share all my thoughts on it with you ;).

4 Stars

   I knew Jess when she was in the process of getting A Question Of Honor published (she's one of my buddies in the word-war chat, and she's awesome), so I was REALLY looking forward to reading her work. And it didn't disappoint! This is the first historical fiction book that I've read in a long time, so I wasn't sure what I was going to end up thinking - but I loved it ;).

- From The Back Cover - 

A man. A child. A war.

When German soldiers invade France during World War II, young Joyanna's perfect world is shattered. In the hands of those who hate her, she battles to comprehend why people can be so ruthless and cold toward those whom they have never met.

David Sullivan, pilot in the Royal Air Force, was certain he would never hate, but a painful loss forces him to either reconsider or do the inconceivable—forgive. He is suddenly challenged by the realization that doing God's will is not easy, but most important. With the lives of freedom-fighters relying on him, he must learn the difficult lesson that he is not in control, but merely one who must surrender his heart of obedience to One greater.

A sudden turn of events lands Joyanna and David in the same country—but for far different reasons. When their paths cross, David finds he must make a decision that will affect them both for the rest of their lives.

Will he chose vengeance, or will he let his life be ruled by a higher standard? A standard of Honor.

   - It was obvious that the author did her research. What with it being historical fiction and all (the story is set during World War II), an author would obviously have needed to do research - but I think Jesseca did an especially good job. The story felt real - and while I'm definitely not an expert, it seemed like it could be something that actually happened during that time period.

   - The way the character's plots worked together. There was a well-rounded cast of characters, both on the right and the wrong side, and I loved how all their plots worked together! None of the characters were there simply to be there - they all definitely played a role in A Question Of Honor. And it's always nice to read a book that doesn't have "fly on the wall" type characters :). 

   - The ending for "one character in particular whom I shall not name because #spoilers'. Gracious, that sounds confusing - especially when you add it to the fact that I didn't actually like this character's end, I just like that the author ended it really realistically! xD. (highlight the rest of this section if you want to know what I mean, because I'll be tossing spoilers about): ... Basically, I like what the author decided to have happen to Erich in the end. I really really wanted there to be a 'redemption story' for him, but I realized that it just wasn't realistic. So I really admire that Jesseca did what was right for the character and the story in the way that Erich was still on the wrong side at the end of A Question Of Honor. ...  

   - It didn't feel self-published. Admit it - right off the bat, there are some books that you can pin-point as "self published". Whether it's the cover, the formatting, or the story itself, we can sometimes tell. And I knew A Question Of Honor was self published when I started reading it (I first read it as an ebook), but the story was incredible! And then, when my library bought the book and I was able to get the physical copy, I was very impressed by the cover and formatting - and if I hadn't already known, I would never have suspected that A Question Of Honor was an indie published book!

   - I couldn't picture the setting as well as I'd have liked. But I think could have been more my fault that the author's! This is one of the only (and may be the only, seeing as I have the brain of a goldfish) World War II stories that I've read, so I had a bit of a harder time imagining what the setting was like. But it wasn't that bad, and I was still able to enjoy the story - I almost read it all in one sitting! (and I would have, if it wasn't for lunch interrupting me, pesky little thing. Who needs food when you have books?) 

   - The genre wasn't my favorite. I feel like this is irrelevant though? I mean, I chose to read the book, and I knew what genre it would be in. But I think this book didn't get a full five stars (or at least four and a half) because, while I loved it, I typically won't read a historical fiction book twice. And most of my five-star books are the ones I will hug and pet and squeal over for 1.7 million years *shrugs*.  

   A Question Of Honor is most definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a good historical fiction - the characters were amazing, and the plot was so very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I hope all of you who decide to give it a try do, too ;).   

~ Savannah Grace

   Do you read historical fiction often, or not? Have you read A Question of Honor?