Sunday, March 15, 2015

"an uncertain choice" by jody hedlund

The Bachelorette meets medieval romance in Jody Hedlund's An Uncertain Choice.

Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice. If Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow. 

Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the cloister is the best place after all. If only one of the knights—the one who appears the most guilty—had not already captured her heart.

When I heard that Jody Hedlund, author of swoon worthy historical romance titles like A Noble Groom and Unending Devotion, had written a YA romance, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. After all, I already knew Hedlund wrote amazing romance, and I love YA, so what could be better?

An Uncertain Choice is certainly worthy of the Hedlund name. While this book doesn't exhibit the same amount of passion as her adult titles, it's still swoon worthy in its own right. In fact, the build in romantic tension is so great that at one point I wanted to yell, "Just kiss her already!" at one of the knights. He didn't (at that time), but boy was I rooting for the couple! I should also note that while the romantic tension is there, the novel contains nothing inappropriate. It's a great alternative to much of what's on the YA market today.

The novel is told in first person mostly from Rosmarie's perspective, so the reader really gets an understanding of all the choices she has to grapple with. Should she continue with her plan to take her vows and live out her days in the Abbey under the Abbot's protection? Should she take the Noblest Knight up on his offer and choose one of his three knights for her husband? And what is love, really?

I must confess that I was a bit disappointed to find that the knight who would be Rosemarie's true love was apparent almost from his first appearance in the novel, so much so that the other two knights seemed a bit extraneous. But the love story between Rosemarie and her knight was so sweet that I got past any objections fairly quickly.

Also, the twists the plot took in the second half of the novel placing several characters in danger surprised me and made this more than just a simple love story—it also became an adventure!

I've already recommended An Uncertain Choice to several teens I know in real life, and now I'm recommending it to all of you, too! It's a novel that both teens and adults will enjoy, and I'm excited for Hedlund to continue this series. 5 stars.

Note: There is a prequel novella to An Uncertain Choice named The Vow. While it's not necessary to read The Vow prior to An Uncertain Choice, it does give insight into some of the characters, including Rosemarie, the Abbot, and the Noblest Knight.

Buy the book.
Download the An Uncertain Choice discussion guide. (It's free!)
Follow the Noble Knights blog tour. (My post will be on March 17!)
Read my reviews of the prequel novella The Vow (4 stars) and Hedlund's adult titles A Noble Groom (5 stars) and Unending Devotion (5 stars).

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances including books for adults and youth. She currently makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and their five busy children.

As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review as a member of Jody Hedlund's An Uncertain Choice influencer team. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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