I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Northern Lights Press. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
A Loyal Heart by Jody Hedlund Series: An Uncertain Choice, #4
Published by Northern Lights Press on March 6, 2018
Genres: Christian, Historical, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 195
Source: Northern Lights Press
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He’s taken her as his prisoner. But she’s holding his heart captive. In gaining their freedom, will they lose what matters most?
When Lady Olivia’s castle is besieged, she and her sister are taken captive and held for ransom by her father’s enemy, Lord Pitt. Loyalty to family means everything to Olivia. She’ll save her sister at any cost and do whatever her father asks—even if that means obeying his order to steal a sacred relic from her captor.
As Lord Pitt’s commander, Sir Aldric is in charge of the beautiful but feisty new prisoner. He has his hands full attempting to keep Lady Olivia out of trouble. When Lord Pitt throws her in the dungeon and threatens to hang her for stealing, Aldric conceives a plot to save Olivia’s life—betrothal to him.
Can Olivia give up the prestigious match her father has arranged with a wealthy marquess in order to marry a lowly knight like Aldric? And can Aldric move beyond his past mistakes to embrace love again? When loyalties are tested, they’re thrust into danger that could cost them their love and their lives.
When I heard through the grapevine that there was going to be another book in the Uncertain Choices series I was positively gleeful. I had a small hope that it was to be Aldric’s story. As more information trickled my way I was over the moon to discover that Aldric’s story would be continued! He was a man of great flaws and yet also a man of great valor. Realizing his errors he set out to remedy them at the end of ‘For Love and Honor‘. And there we left him, bonding himself in servitude to Lord Pitt to repay his debts. And hide from his past mistakes. And avoid love and all the trappings that it entails.
Lady Olivia is a perfect match to Aldric. She has a brazen strength and belief in herself and abilities. She is not content to be a mere lady but approaches life as an adventure and she in the saddle right forefront. Aldric has turned his back on his title, even though he has paid off his debts many times over and fancies himself a protector. Until he finds himself in a battle of wills with Olivia who wants no protection. I LOVED that this was written in first person changing viewpoints between these two strong personalities. Olivia and Aldric drew you into their story, immersed you in their intensity, and made you take sides in their battles.
Olivia: For the first time in my life, I’d met a man who neither feared me nor bowed to my wishes. And I liked it.
Aldric: Every encounter with her was like an exhilarating challenge. I never knew what to expect, never knew what she might say or do. She was unconventional and bold and determined. Somehow that sparked life inside me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever. And that scared me.
With interactions like that I didn’t even care that they fell in insta-love! And insta-love is an intense pet peeve of mine.
To be fair, there were a few scenes that I felt might be a bit risque for a younger reader. Nothing that would not fit within the Christian fiction young adult genre, however more a ‘know your reader’ and what is appropriate for them. Captivating dialogue between characters that have depth and personality to spare cares this book forward while also providing such detailed and vivid imagery of the locations and landscape. ‘A Loyal Heart’ reads perfectly fine as a stand alone novel what does not require having read the previous titles to be able to immerse yourself into their world. However, you should read them all for your own sake! This is the perfect book for teen to adult alike who enjoy strongly woven Christian themes, historical romance, and a lot of personality.
About Jody Hedlund
Winner of the 2016 Christian Book Award for fiction and Christy Award for historical romance, best-selling author Jody Hedlund writes inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).
When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.
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