Blair Powell is the daughter of the President and an accomplished artist. When straitlaced Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts is assigned to protect Blair, she discovers that Blair is also rebellious, stubborn, and a lesbian. The more Cameron tries to protect her, the more Blair resists, and the more attracted they become to one another.
Originally published in 2003, Above All, Honor is the first in a series featuring Cameron and Blair. Romance fans will find more of what they like from Radclyffe (steamy sex scenes and lots of butch-femme tension), but shouldn’t expect much from the Secret Service premise. This recently recorded audio version is hampered in additional ways. Karen Anton’s delivery is often stiff and halting, and her characters’ voices, especially Blair’s higher pitch, veer toward the cartoonish. Her annunciation isn’t always clear, and she makes some simple mispronunciations (“magnet” for “business magnate,” etc.) that are distracting and should have been caught by an editor.
On the production side, there’s another jarring oversight. Frequently, Radclyffe (like many authors) changes scenes in the middle of a chapter. However, there’s no pause in the narration to signal that a new section is beginning, which leaves the listener scrambling to catch up. It’s a small, simple touch that would have enhanced the listening experience. Fans of Radclyffe’s romances might enjoy the audio version of this book, but the reader and the production may turn off even her most steadfast devotees.
Reviewed by, Nicole Pasini
San Mateo County Library