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Dina Sleiman

YA Adventure Awaits

September 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Confession: I am over forty but enjoy reading young adult novels. Sure, I can use the fact I have three teenage nieces and a nephew as my excuse for reading them. After all, there are plenty of books out there about things like demons, werewolves, vampires, and more. And then there are the books that go too far with the physicality between the characters. But honestly, even when those kids are off to college, I will still read young adult books.

Chivalrous

Book two of the Valiant Hearts series by Dina Sleiman is Allen’s story. If you read Dauntless (or even read my review), then you’ll remember the boy whose interest in the leader of the forest outlaws was unrequited. Now, Allen has grown in physical stature, knowledge, and ability. He still feels drawn to the land of North Brittania where we hopes to make a way for himself as a knight.

Upon his arrival, he meets Gwendolyn Barnes and is immediately drawn to the tall, blonde beauty. But when he is asked to choose between duty and love, he believes he is doing God’s will by following the leading of the counsel.

Gwen longs for adventure. Her brothers allowed her to train along beside them as they grew into knights. But now they are gone and Gwen’s father insists she marry a brute exactly like him. Her opinion of marriage shifts when she meets a kind knight and dreams of a future. One that she must release when the Duke is murdered.

I love Gwen’s strength and determination in this book. Without giving anything away, she makes a couple of decisions that no woman would normally choose during this time. Yet, her heart is vulnerable. She cares for her friends, her brothers, and her mother, she cares for the children in her village, and she comes to care for Allen. When there is a difficult task ahead, Gwen approaches it with courage.

As Allen walks a fine line between duty and pride, he loses his way. He must marry one woman when his heart belongs to another. And when danger comes to his friend Merry, he must choose between angering the counsel or saving his friend. When he takes his eyes off God, his steps veer from the path laid out before him.

Over all, this book was fast-paced and enjoyable. My one complaint is the love triangle thing showing up again in the second book. Thankfully, it’s different enough that it isn’t too off-putting. And I felt for Allen, Gwen, and Rosalind (Gwen’s maid and the third point of view in this story).

****Bethany House provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Adventure, Bethany House, Chivalrous, Dina Sleiman, Hearts, knights, Netgalley, Nobility, Romance, Valiant, young adult

Dauntless by Dina Sleiman

April 2, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

dauntless cover

Two years ago, Lady Merry Ellison’s life took a turn that stripped her of not only her title, but also her family and life as she knew it. Now committed to leading and caring for the other children from her village, Merry and her gang live in the forest and survive in any way they can—including hunting and stealing. Merry’s life isn’t the one she dreamed of but this group is her family.

Timothy Grey is determined to capture the Ghosts of Farthington Forest to win favor with the lord of the manor where he is scribe and attains to rising in power. But when he goes searching for the ghosts in the forest where he finds more than he dared believe or dream. But how can he save Merry from this band of thieves? Is she a prisoner or is she more involved?

Dina Sleiman’s young adult tale of intrigue, family, and love is engaging, exciting, and encouraging. And even those of us who have been out of the “young adult” range for years enjoyed it. With points of view from several different characters, you get a well-rounded view of life for several of the characters—the life Merry used to have as daughter of a lord, the life she had now as leader of a band of outlaws, Timothy Grey’s life as an employee for a lord, the point of view of Allen, the spiritual leader of Merry’s group, and readers will even see through the eyes of the enemy of Timothy’s.

Book one of The Valiant Hearts series by Dina Sleiman will definitely leave you ready for the next one (and I’m hoping in it we get to continue on with a certain one of the characters through this book).

Bethany House provided me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expresses are my own.

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: action adventure, Bethany House, book review, CR4U, Dina Sleiman, young adult

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