08 May 2017

Medieval Adventure & Romance | For Love & Honor by Jody Hedlund

ABOUT THE BOOK

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?


MY REVIEW

The third Noble Knight, Sir Bennet, gets his chance for love (in the most unexpected way) in Jody Hedlund’s For Love & Honor. With all the beloved elements of An Uncertain Choice and A Daring Sacrifice, this novel takes readers on a medieval adventure, full of danger, deception, and romance.

The charming and chivalrous Sir Bennet must marry to secure enough money to repay his family’s debts, while the wealthy and blemished Lady Sabine believes no man would ever marry her. Forced to get to know one another (under less-than-honest circumstances), they each must face their expectations for the future and consider the virtues of beauty, honor, and pride—with plenty of witty bantering and tender moments—that is, until secrets become revealed and danger surrounds them.

For Love & Honor is an excellent addition of Hedlund’s series of medieval YA romance. Both Sir Bennet and Lady Sabine are admirable, determined, noble characters, and I enjoyed their interactions (even if all their noble, assumption-based sacrificing became a bit annoying…). It’s a delightful, quick, satisfying read, perfect for readers of YA and romance. I recommend it.

★★★★

Thanks to Celebrate Lit, I received a complimentary copy of For Love & Honor and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is a best-selling and award-winning author who loves fairy-tales and happily-ever-afters. She makes her home in Midland, MI with her husband and five teen-aged children. When she’s not writing another of her page-turning stories, you can usually find her sipping coffee, eating chocolate, and reading.

GUEST POST FROM THE AUTHOR

The Importance of Recognizing an Author’s World View

Over the past several years, I’ve read quite a number of Young Adult (YA) books. Part of the reason is because I have four teens and one tween. So I want to keep up with the literary smorgasbord offered to teens, especially because so many books end up as blockbuster movies. Both the books and the movies open the door for lots of discussion. We talk about objectionable behaviors, difficult life-issues, character likability, and so much more.

One question I almost always ask is: So what’s this author’s world view?

We all have a world view– a set of principles we live by or the philosophy of life that guides us. Usually we see everything through the lens of our world view which dictates how we live, the decisions we make, the way we treat others, etc.

Authors have world views too. And those views color and shape everything we write into our books, whether we intend to or not.

For example, after reading the best seller A Fault in Our Stars, I talked to my daughters about cancer and all of the sadness and fear that come with it. But beyond that, we talked about the author’s world view. What did he believe about death, the afterlife, about God (or the lack thereof), and about the meaning of human existence? The author’s philosophies DO come across. Perhaps subtly. But they are there nonetheless.

Most of the time, however, we don’t really take the time to think about the views that form the foundations of the books we read. In fact, I would go as far to say that most of the time our kids read for entertainment with little thought about the author’s world view and how it may or may not line up with what they believe.

As a result of simply drinking in whatever we’re told, we become susceptible to fads, whims, and sometimes even deceitful philosophies masquerading as good.

Obviously, I permit my children to read a wide variety of books. I don’t shelter them or require them to only read classics. But hand-in-hand with giving them the opportunity to read popular books, I take my responsibility seriously to have frank discussions about what they’re reading (and watching).

The fact is, sadly, that all too many teen books nowadays require a lot of debriefing. And I have to admit that I would love to be able to have more choices for wholesome (yet entertaining!) books that I can put into my kids’ hands.

It’s my prayer that For Love & Honor can be that kind of book. Please spread the word so that we can pave the way for more books just like it!


How about YOU? Do you think about an author’s world view as you’re reading books?
 
GIVEAWAY


To celebrate her tour, Jody is giving away all three books in the Noble Knights series! Click here to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!




BLOG TOUR STOPS

4 comments:

  1. I don't think chivalry is dead but certainly on it's way out. I think the best way to keep it alive is to model it for our kids. They need to see by example.

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  2. Thank you for hosting me on the blog tour, Hallie! I appreciate your help promoting the book! Many blessings! ~Jody

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  3. Thanks for the review. I do enjoy YA romance and this one sounds perfect for me. I've never read a medieval one before so I'm excited about that too.

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