A Life with Honor (Three Women of Courage #1)

The “Three Women of Courage” series chronicles the lives of a mother and her two daughters. Each, in turn, becomes involved in the dramatic and pivotal movements in 19th century abolition, women’s rights, and the Civil War. And each one meets her match—a brave man who can’t resist the pull to a fearless woman, All three by Lyn Cote, a Carol award-winning author of fifty novels.

Book 1: A Life with Honor: After the death of her grandfather, Honor Penworthy finds herself unexpectedly destitute. She is forced to leave her Maryland plantation―and the slaves she hoped to free―and seek refuge with a distant relative. With no marketable skills, her survival hinges on a marriage arranged through the Quaker community to local glass artisan Samuel Cathwell. They marry out of mutual necessity. Samuel is drawn to Honor but since scarlet fever took his hearing as a child, he has been unwilling to open his heart to anyone.

Their move west brings the promise of a fresh start, but nothing in Honor’s genteel upbringing has prepared her for the rigors of frontier life with Samuel. Nevertheless, still haunted by leaving behind her enslaved people, she begins her search for others who want to end slavery. Soon she becomes increasingly―though secretly―involved in the infant movement for abolition. Samuel suspects Honor is hiding something, but will uncovering the truth about her work for freedom drive them farther apart or unite them at last?

“I absolutely love the detail of the main characters. There was a wonderful variety among them and each one was very rich and three dimensional…The plight of women and slaves in 1819-20 is so well presented that my heart broke for them throughout this book. I also had never thought about how a deaf person would have been viewed and treated during this time period… It was truly an eye-opening book for me.”

“…The author has done her research, which made the story come alive for me as well as teach me something about this time period. I can’t wait to see what Lyn writes next!”

Originally published as Honor in 2014.