Beholden by Jody Hedlund

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .

A beautiful noblewoman with a terrible secret, and a prince subjected to slavery.

Upon the death of her wealthy father, Lady Gabriella is condemned to work in Warwick’s gem mine. As she struggles to survive the dangerous conditions, her kindness and beauty shine as brightly as the jewels the slaves excavate. While laboring, Gabriella plots how to avenge her father’s death and stop Queen Margery’s cruelty.

Prince Vilmar of Scania enslaves himself in Warwick’s gem mine as part of a royal test to prove himself the most worthy of three brothers to become the king’s successor. Amidst the hardships, he doesn’t anticipate his growing compassion for the other slaves, especially tenderhearted Gabriella.

As the annual summer ball looms nearer, Gabriella sets into motion her plan to end Queen Margery’s evil. When Vilmar learns of Gabriella’s intentions, he resolves to come to her aid and fight against Warwick’s queen. But doing so may require him to give up his chance of becoming Scania’s next king, perhaps even cost him his life.

The real Cinderella story.

The Fairest Maidens

Book 1: Beholden (Sept 2020)

Book 2: Beguiled (Oct 2020)

Book 3: Besotted (Nov 2020)

MY REVIEW

As always Hedlund writes amazing stories including this one! I was up until 4 a.m. so that I could finish Vilmar's story. It's so very gut!! I couldn't put it down!

Oh and I will say that this story is told in multiple voices. I will also be honest and say that sometimes it was very confusing but once I caught the jest of it I was ok with it.

All of the characters except maybe Curly was easy to get to know but then after awhile I began to respect him too. I feel like that once you've made friends with Curly you've got one for life. I will once again be be honest and say that I've never cared for this genere until I picked up one of Hedlund's stories. Now, I'm hooked for life and can't wait for the next book to come out.

These stories are always fun to reread too! I generally always miss something the first time through.

I felt sorry for some of the other supporting characters because I felt that they didn't deserve to be where they ended up at.

I certainly didn't like the rats. Big ol ugly things. Gave me nightmares! I could just imagine how the workers felt! I was afraid right along with them! Oh my! I am going to figure the rats were the main villains. They're worse than snakes!

My favorite character though was Gaberiella. She was so sweet, kind and always thought of others besides herself. I like that in a person. She's made me hold my breath in several places in this story that's for sure!

I think that if everyone were like Gabby the world would be a better place. I wish more people could be more like her.

I've enjoyed watching Vilmar coming into his own. I believed along the way he learned a very important lesson.

My mom and grandmother said that if someone doesn't like you kill them with kindness. Kindness is that person's worst enemy. Maybe something happened in that person's life to make them that way or whatever the case is. I have to keep reminding myself that whenever I run into someone that is unkind. I had to relearn that at work too. It wasn't easy but it could be accomplished.

This wonderful story releases Sept 22, 2020! Be sure to grab your copy when it's available or you can still preorder it.

I highly recommend this story. I believe that you will recognize this awesome story by Jody Hedlund.

I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the author of over thirty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.

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.