A Loyal Heart (An Uncertain Choice #4)

     In An Uncertain Choice, Jody Hedlund took us back to medieval times and introduced us to three knights in shining armor and a strong woman that catches their eye.

     A Loyal Heart continues Hedlund's YA series with characters introduced in the previous books. This newest release is filled with the same magnificence of the previous releases: Chivalrous knights in battle, a virtuous and strong Lady, romance—all in captivating medieval settings.

      Lady Olivia will do anything for family loyalty, rationalizing her actions to fit her faith. And she will risk her life to protect her younger sister. Lady Olivia is skilled with her sword, though still unable to keep herself and her sister from capture.

     Sir Aldric has walked away from his birthright, punishing himself for his past mistakes. He is now the captain of Lord Pitt’s army, and has been sent to capture an enemy’s daughters to use as leverage. Will holding them hostage persuade their father to succumb to the King’s leadership and stop his rebellion?

     This story holds a strong lesson about family loyalty versus morality. A promise versus virtue.  I especially love this series for young readers, as it gives a beautiful example of what true romance is when it comes to a wholesome relationship. In other words, how you would want a young man to treat your own daughter. The YA genre seems to be lacking in this area today. I’m so glad Hedlund has decided to fill the void.

     
     Hedlund uses two POVs—one from Sir Aldric's perspective, and the other in first person from Lady Olivia's.

     As I stated in my review of her previous YA release, I particularly love the way this author paints women as capable rather than powerless. Even though this leading lady is on more than one occasion a damsel in distress, needing rescue from a knight in shining armor, Hedlund still portrays her as a woman of strong character—courageous in the face of danger. And in this installment, Lady Olivia becomes the rescuer!

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     As with all her other books in this series, Hedlund paints vivid descriptions. She’s also done her homework on the technical aspects of the medieval period. Well edited, this story has a great pace. You won’t want to put it down.

   

     Even though this series is listed as Young Adult, it is enjoyable for all ages. I’ve read them all, and I highly recommend you do, too. Knights in shining armor—what’s not to love! 

     If you'd like to read the entire series, the Noble Knights Collection is available for Kindle as well as most other e-readers. It contains the first four books of the series.

     The prequel to this series is only available in e-book format, while the others are available in paperback, hardback and audio formats.

     The Vow: A Novella      An Uncertain Choice        A Daring Sacrifice       For Love and Honor

         Prequel to An Uncertain Choice

Books available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbooks.com

An Interview with Author Jody Hedlund

(I'm republishing this interview with Jody Hedlund, as her newest YA is on the cusp of publication.)

Today, I am interviewing author Jody Hedlund 

about the release of Book #1 of her new Orphan Train Series.

(You can read my review of the book here.)

 

Congratulations on the release of With You Always! This first book of your new series is the third book you’ve released in 2017.  Most of my writer friends (myself included) say they have trouble making time to write. How do you find time to write so many books?

I keep a very rigorous writing schedule, usually writing six days a week. I give myself a challenging word count goal—a certain number of words to write every day. Then, in the morning, I sit down and write until I meet my goals. It’s as simple . . . and as hard as that!

I like to compare being an author to a marathon runner. The person training to run a marathon doesn’t start off running twenty-six miles the first time she runs. Instead she begins with just a few miles, strengthens her muscles, builds her endurance, and slowly adds more miles.

Writing is the same way. Over the years, I’ve strengthened my writing muscles and built up my endurance so that now I can write faster and for longer stretches.

You make it sound easy, but I know it takes commitment. What is your inspiration to write?

I write because I love telling stories. I love the quote by Toni Morrison because it sums up part of why I write: "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." Essentially, I write the stories that I LOVE to read! Of course there are other, deeper reasons I write too. But mostly I just really enjoy the process of creating imaginary people and places.

I’ve heard you use that Morrison quote before. 

I’m moving into a new home right now—perhaps that

quote should go on the wall above my computer desk.  

Is there something you tell yourself before writing?

Usually I tell myself to sit down, put my hands to the keyboard, and get to work. I don't wait for inspiration or magical fairy dust to hit me before writing. I just do it.

 But I also always ask myself, what could make this story better? How can I increase the tension? How can add more excitement? What can I do to make my characters more likeable? I'm constantly challenging myself to make my story more vibrant and alive.

I think too many of us wait for the inspiration to come before setting down to the keyboard.

It’s quite obvious that you put a lot of research in all your books. What special research did you do in writing With You Always?

In the beginning phases of writing this series, I did a great deal of reading about the orphan train movement. In particular, I really loved Stephen O’Conor’s book, Orphan Trains, because he includes so many personal stories and details about real orphans, which are heart wrenching.

I also read, A History of New York City to 1898, by Burrows and Wallace, which gave me great insights into the lives of immigrants, particularly immigrant women. Masses of foreigners were arriving into New York City on a daily basis, and the book gave a detailed look into their pathetic housing situation, the difficult working conditions, as well as gang problems and the underworld.

Finally, another important aspect of the story that required a concentrated amount of research was the development of railroads. The mid-1800’s was an incredible period of growth for the railroad industry in the Mid-West. The new railroads aided the orphan train movement but also brought about the settlement of the Midwestern states, including Illinois, which is one of the settings of the book.

You certainly painted a picture of horrid living conditions for these New York City women. I feel quite blessed to be born into a better situation. Speaking of blessings, what role does faith play in your novels?

While I try not to preach at my readers, I do weave faith themes through my books. My faith also motivates me to keep my stories "clean." I believe Christian fiction is a much needed alternative, especially Christian romance.

I just recently got an email from a reader telling me she that she'd picked up several books and been really turned off by the explicitness within them, but that she didn't realize the books contained such content until she started reading them. She wanted to know if there was a rating system or some way that she could tell if the book would be "clean" before she started reading. I was glad that I could point her to inspirational Christian fiction, that she would be guaranteed the sweet romance she desired.

I can certainly relate to her experience. It’s another reason I want to write suspense. I would love a rating system like that. It would surely make book shopping an easier experience.

Is there anything particular that you hope readers take away from With You Always?

One of my hopes in telling this story is to leave readers with the reminder that God is walking with us in whatever dark valley we’re going through. Often, like Elise, we tend to pull away from God and let the bitterness of our circumstances drive us into a cave of isolation and self-blame and heartache. But God wants us to realize that even if we pull away from Him, He’s still there walking by our side, waiting for us to reach out our hand and grab hold of Him. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He’s there waiting.

Amen! Well, I think you have achieved that with this story.

I want to thank you for answering some questions for my readers. Do you have any parting words for them?

I love hearing from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places and say hello!

I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund

I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund

My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com

Find me on Instagram: instagram.com/jodyhedlund/

Come pin with me on Pinterest: pinterest.com/jodyhedlund/pins/

Review of With You Always by Jody Hedlund

With You Always is book #1

in the new Orphan Train series

by Jody Hedlund,

kicked off with the e-novella

An Awakened Heart.

 New York 1850s: A financial crisis has left widows and children begging in the streets. Some women have even turned to prostitution as a last resort to feed their starving children. Luckily, for the Neumann sisters, a mission has provided the eldest with a seamstress job to provide for her famil.

In the throes of a gang war on the streets, Elise depends on the wealthy Thornton Quincy to help her rescue a blind beggar. The young Quincy abandons his urgent business to assist in securing the safety of the women sheltering at the mission. He is given a quick view of life on the other side of the tracks, vowing financial support for the mission. Unfortunately, he goes on with life and forgets about his vow.

Eventually, the financial crisis hits home again for Elise—the sewing work that had provided an income for so many at the mission came to an end. She is forced to look for another means to support her family.

Elise Neumann only sees one way to save her family—leave the others in the care of the mission’s founder and board an “orphan train” to the Midwest, hoping to land a good job as a seamstress and send money home for her sisters. Her goal is to someday reunite her family.

Thornton Quincy, son to one of New York’s wealthiest businessmen, crosses paths with Elise a second time when he finds her aboard a train taking him to a new town he is developing in Illinois.

Elise and Thornton are from two very different worlds. Can they work together to make things better for the workers in Quincy, Illinois? Will Elise find a way to reunite her family before it’s too late?

~

Introduced in the free novella An Awakened Heart, Elise Neumann is a strong young woman of high character who faces life’s hardest challenges with courage and determination. Although, her faith in a God who cares is waning, and she’s running quite short on hope.

Set in the 1850s, With You Always highlights women involved with the effort to resettle orphaned children from the harsh conditions in the city—where many learn to turn to crime as a means of survival—to a Christian home in the Midwest. Unfortunately, the reality wasn’t always as it was supposed to be.

This storyline follows a few young women escaping the hardships of New York for a better life in Illinois. The New York Children’s Aid Society has offered jobs to some of the young women with marketable skills, in the growing towns along the railways of the Midwest, particularly one being developed by Thornton Quincy.

Jody Hedlund never disappoints, and this series promises to be as intriguing as any of her others. Hedlund breathes life into her characters, painting a clear picture of their day to day struggles. You will fall in love with Elise and cheer for Thornton in this wonderfully written novel.

Review of For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund

Prequel to the Series

We first met Sir Bennet in The Vow: Prequel to An Uncertain Choice, but this book can be read as a stand-alone story. Though, having read the entire series, I highly recommend reading them all. Three knights in shining armor—what’s not to love!

Sir Bennet returns home to find that his brother has driven the family into debt, and time has run out for repayment to the neighboring lords. Without repayment, there is imminent danger of an attack. Sir Bennet’s mother convinces him—much against his honorable heart—that the only way to save his family’s land and collection of valuable artifacts is to marry a wealthy noblewoman.

 

Lady Sabine was born with a skin blemish—one that she keeps hidden for fear of being labeled a witch! She is convinced that no man would ever love her with such a disfigurement. Her grandmother, learning of the financial woes of Sir Bennet, has plans for an arranged marriage. Can Sir Bennet set aside his honorable values and marry for money? What will he do when he discovers his only recourse to war might be marriage to a woman branded as a witch?

 

This latest installment in the Uncertain Choice series, like the others in this series, is filled with knights in battle, chivalry, and virtue. While Hedlund’s lead characters are quite likeable, her villains are as loathsome as they come. 

I particularly love the way this author paints women as capable rather than powerless. Even though this leading lady is on more than one occasion a damsel in distress, needing rescue from a knight in shining armor, Hedlund still portrays her as a woman of strong character—courageous in the face of danger.

  

This story has a very good lesson about self-acceptance. As Lady Sabine comes to the realization that God had created her with this blemish purposefully—that she was unique, and should embrace her qualities rather than live in shame. In this world that places so much emphasis on physical looks, it is refreshing to have a heroine who is not painted as exquisitely beautiful.

This story moves at a very good pace. It’s a definite page turner—I read it in two sittings. As always, the descriptive writing and settings are lusciously wonderful and the technical aspects impeccable—just as I’ve come to expect from this author.

Even though this series is listed under the genre Young Adult,

it is quite appealing to old ladies like me.

You can learn more about this series at Jody Hedlund's website.