About the Book
Author: Debbie Lynne Costello
Genre: Christian Fiction Romance Medieval
Release date: March 15, 2021
Deirdre Mackenzie has spent her life hiding from her father and hating the English. However, when she is caught stealing from an English laird, his unexpected kindness begins to melt away her hatred and strums lonely heartstrings longing for love. Bryce Warwick can’t believe the boy his men caught is actually a young woman. After several attempts to lure the truth from her, he determines she is as deceitful as his late fiancée who nearly cost him his life. But the woman is the least of his worries with the turbulence brought on by threats of another border war and by King Richard’s distrust of the nobles.
With the boundary in unrest, Bryce entertains a Scottish chieftain unaware it is Deirdre’s father, seeking peace for his people. Fearful that her father will discover she is alive, Deirdre steals Bryce’s signet ring, hoping a missive from the laird will keep her father away. But when the ring is used instead for treason, she realizes too late she’s been betrayed and Bryce will hang for the crime. With old wounds that need to heal and adversaries who could end their chances at true love, both must learn to trust in a way they never knew possible.
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts:
Knights, chivalry, sword battles, and true love, that is the kind of story that can take me away on quite an adventure. I was delighted to read another medieval story from the pen of author Costello. This is the second in her Winds of Change series, which does well as a stand-alone, but why miss the adventure and romance of the first book?
Deirdre has lived a life pretending to be a boy on her Uncle's land since she was a young child. She was cared for by an old woman as she had been told how cruel her father is and her mother hid her away. She would give anything to be with her mother again, but she keeps up the ruse and almost kills herself as she helps her Scottish kin raid an English lord's land.
Bryce has had enough of the raiding. He is a fair man but the raiding must stop. Then he catches a young woman who is pretending to be a man. He has no idea who she is trying to fool, because he can see right through her charade.
Bryce and Deirdre, are enemies, one Scottish the other English, who have two different viewpoints and opinions of who is in the wrong and who is not. With traitors all around and an English king who only cares for himself, these two become unwilling partners on the same side. There is plenty of action, political intrigue, and a lot of secrets and family drama that come to light. There are plenty of trust issues these two must muddle through as well especially as you root for these two just to forgive and make up. If you want a good medieval tale, pick up this series.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
More from Debbie Lynne
It is my desire as an author to draw my readers into my story so they feel invested in the hero and heroine and part of their journey, whether it is set in 19th Century Charleston, South Carolina or 14th Century Northumberland, England. One of the ways I love to do this is with professions, hobbies, and cooking. In Sword of Trust my heroine, Deirdre has become quite proficient with a bow and arrow. She’s had plenty of practice and is driven to be the best, perhaps to prove to herself because she is a lass in lad’s clothing. The long bow was a popular weapon in the Middle Ages and was used in battle in The Hundred Years’ War. But the bow was not just a weapon of war, the bow was also a weapon for food. And Deirdre loves to hunt with a flat bow. In her excitement she runs into a wee bit of trouble with the king. Some trivia for you: Because of its elasticity, the yew tree was used in making the long bow. Even after fire arms were introduced the long bow continued to be used for battles. And due to its popularity, by the end of the sixteenth century, mature yew trees were nearly extinct in Northern Europe.
Unfortunately, I can’t really give you instructions on bow making or lessons on how to shoot accurately. Instead, I’m going to share a recipe for the medieval treat, gyngerbrede. In Sword of Trust, Bryce gets his cook to make gyngerbrede. He fills a bag with them and takes them north to the Scottish borderland to hand out to the children. Sweets have been loved for thousands of years. Today we know that sugar is bad for us. Regardless of that, we still crave the empty calories. Some things never change. Here is a wee bit of fun trivia for you. During the first century in some countries, sugar was only used for medicinal purposes and thought to heal many ailments.
Gyngerbrede
Ingredients
1 loaf of wheat bread, grounded into breadcrumbs
1 cup of honey
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
Preparation
In a medium to large pan, bring your honey to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the foam that collects on the top and sides. Add your cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Stir well. When your spices are mixed in the honey begin adding your bread crumbs one cup at a time. Mix well and then knead it thoroughly. You can divide your dough up into quarters to make it easier to work with and roll out. Cut them into 1” squares. Dust the squares with a mixture of one part cinnamon and two parts sandalwood.
Blog Stops
Inklings
and notions, April 23
Britt
Reads Fiction, April 23
Musings
of a Sassy Bookish Mama, April 24
Connect in
Fiction, April 25
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, April 25
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, April 26
A Modern Day
Fairy Tale, April 27
Connie’s
History Classroom, April 28
Bizwings Blog,
April 28
deb’s Book
Review, April 29
Simple Harvest
Reads , April 29(Guest Review from Donna Cline)
For Him and My
Family, April 30
Betti Mace,
May 1
Locks, Hooks
and Books, May 1
Texas Book-aholic,
May 2
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, May 3
The Book
Chic Blog, May 3
Pause for
Tales, May 4
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, May 5
Mary Hake,
May 5
Little
Homeschool on the Prairie, May 6
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Debbie is giving away the grand prize of a smart watch!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/10b26/sword-of-trust-celebration-tour-giveaway
