*Inspirational and clean reads to remember and see
From Sellout to hero, by way of the den. Braxton Luther finds himself in the crossfire of a new order, and discovers apathy is a dangerous option.
[Read more…] about The Uncloaked Trilogy by J. Rodes (Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway)
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Book: For Love & Honor
Author: Jody Helund
Genre: Young Adult Historical
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?
Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?
As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise?
[Read more…] about Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund
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.
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.
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.
In the third and final installment of The Safe Lands Trilogy, Rebels, Omar and Mason have learned that liberation means being sent to the lowlands to work prison or the remainder of their days. Levi continues to try to lead and inspire his people while mourning the loss of his brothers. Shaylinn continues to focus on her pregnancy but longs to help with the rebellion and Jemma becomes the new Safelands queen when she is captured at the harem.
While Omar, Mason, and some others they meet in the Lowlands try to figure out a way to inform those in the Highlands and Midlands of the true meaning of liberation, Levi and the other outsiders are trying to live underground with a group called the Kindred—a group of people who are divided in their opinions of this new group of people invading their lives. Shaylinn’s babies threaten to come early and Jemma finds out good news which is manipulated over the airways to angry and place seeds of doubt in Levi’s mind.
The final book in this series is a quick read because there is so much going on. The point of view varies between five or six characters throughout the book (although mainly the three brothers—Levi, Mason, and Omar). I personally got a little frustrated with all of the love triangles and some of Omar’s decisions made me angry. The story came to a nice resolution even though I would have preferred a little more about the brothers and their lives once the rebel cause was no longer needed.
***BookLook Bloggers and Zondervan fiction provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a negative or a positive review.
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