Chivalrous - A Review

Published - September 2015, Bethany House Publishers
Series - Valiant Hearts Book 2
Author - Dina L. Sleiman
Title - Chivalrous
Format - ebook, paper
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Allen of Ellsworth has grown more than just in height over the last year. He's been training as a squire and dreams of being a knight. When his dream is granted, he is thrilled to be able to seek his fortune as a knight in the dukedom of North Britannia where justice prevails. Yet once he arrives in the dukedom, Allen discovers that the ideals that the duke promotes are not held in high esteem by all of the nobles. Lady Gwendolyn Barnes has on numerous occasions defied her father and trained in combat with her brothers. She longs for a chance to be a knight. Yet because of her gender, she finds herself regarded as something to be bartered for. The man her father wants her to marry is a cruel brute. When a tournament held on the lands of the duke comes up, Gwendolyn seizes the opportunity to don her armor and fight in what may be her last chance of freedom. As both Allen and Gwendolyn meet and get to know one another, they find that their hearts are drawn towards each other. But a future between them seems impossible. Will this idyllic dukedom provide Allen with the place of belonging that he longs for? And when circumstances are questioned, is there any way for Gwendolyn to find the happiness and freedom she longs for?

What a delight it was to return to the world of Allen of Ellsworth. I grew attached to him in Dauntless and was thrilled that he got his own story. This book has the elements of King Arthur's court. There is chivalry, romance, kidnappings, and of course treason. At times, I felt that I was reading a version of the popular movie The Knight's Tale.

I loved both Allen and Gwen. They both grow and change in the book. My heart broke at one point when Allen had to make a specific decision. But I still loved them.

While I'll admit that this one took me longer than usual to read, but once I finally started it, I was glad to read it. It's a great story. I'm hoping that there will be more to come with both the characters from this one and the first one.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Books for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Robin Hood, King Arthur, Camelot, knights, ladies, Knight's Tale, young adult fiction

Rating - 4 stars

Dauntless - A Review

Published - March 2015, Bethany House Publishers
Series - Valiant Hears Book 1
Author - Dina L. Sleiman
Title - Dauntless
Format - ebook, paper
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Once a wealthy baron's daughter, Lady Merry Ellison is now living as an outlaw in the forest along with the orphaned children of her former village. Merry and the children soon earn the title of the "Ghosts of Farthingale Forest" because they steal food, clothing, and things to survive leaving no trace of their existence. Yet their fame soon catches the attention of the king when they commandeer a chest of gold meant for the king's treasury and fast become a target of the king's wrath. With bounties on their heads, provided they can be caught, Merry and the children move again and think they are safe. Timothy Grey, the 9th son of a baron, longs to preform some feat that will cause him to earn his own title and rise from obscurity. When he learns that the famous Ghosts of Farthingale Forest have appeared in Wyndeshire, near where he serves as an apprentice to a local earl, Timothy vows to capture them. But this band of thieves isn't all that Timothy expects. And once he comes face to face with their leader, he must decide what is more important - wealth, power, and prestige, or freedom and love.

I've been fascinated with the story of Robin Hood from the time I was little. Probably due in part to the old Errol Flynn movie and in part to the Disney film. So when I read that this was going to a female Robin Hood-ish story, I was certainly intrigued. With this book also being my first exposure to Dina Sleiman, I wasn't sure what to expect from her either.

The book captivated me. There was adventure. There was romance. There were precious characters. There was danger. It literally had everything to make this a wonderful adventure. And I was thrilled with it.

I think that my favorite character in the entire book was little Wren. She was just too precious. Though I also enjoyed Allen. I'm glad to know that the next book will be about him, because I felt that he deserves better than he got.

There were times that I wanted to shake both Merry and Timothy. I felt that they could have grown up a lot too. I understand that while one lost everything and struggled to survive, the other thrived. But these two did manage to push my buttons a lot, probably the reason this is only 4 stars and not 5.

Still, the book was a great adventure. I look forward to more.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Robin Hood, adventures, young adult

Rating - 4 stars