Review: "A Worthy Rebel" by Jody Hedlund

I realize I'm like a broken record when it comes to Jody Hedlund's medieval YA romances, but it's true: THIS is the type of book our teens should be reading!

"A Loyal Heart" by Jody Hedlund

Last year, I finished (or so I thought) Jody Hedlund's delightful medieval YA romance trilogy ... so I was pleasantly surprised to learn she'd written a fourth book! I'd thought that no couple could top Bennet and Sabine from For Love & Honor, but Aldric and Olivia certainly give them a run for their money!

"For Love and Honor" by Jody Hedlund

Jody Hedlund delivers the third (and presumably final) book in her medieval YA romance series with For Love and Honor, and it's her best yet.

"a daring sacrifice" by jody hedlund

When I read Jody Hedlund's An Uncertain Choice last year, Lord Collin Goodrich was my least favorite of the knights vying for Lady Rosemarie's hand. He just seemed too carefree and immature. I guess what he needed was a woman who would challenge him and would bring out the best in him—and that's exactly what Juliana Wessex does!

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In a reverse twist on the Robin Hood story, a young medieval maiden stands up for the rights of the mistreated, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. All the while, she fights against her cruel uncle who has taken over the land that is rightfully hers. 

Forced to live in the woods and hide with the poor people she's grown to love, she works to save and protect them, but she never anticipates falling in love with the wealthy knight who represents all she's come to despise.

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Though she spend her idyllic early years as the daughter of a wealthy lord, Juliana lost her land—and her father—to her uncle's treachery. She turned to stealing to provide for the peasants who became her family. When she robs Lord Collin Goodrich, she comes face to face with the boy who long ago mocked her hair ... and to whom she finds herself strangely attracted. As the two get to know one another, Collin begins to have sympathy for those not as privileged as himself, and Juliana comes to realize that all lords are not evil.

I absolutely devoured this novel! It's full of adventure, danger, and romance—oh, the romance! The chemistry between Juliana and Collin is palpable, and I loved watching their relationship develop. The novel is written in first person, and it's pretty equally divided between Juliana's and Collin's perspectives, so I felt like I got to know both characters very well, and I came to like them both very much.

A Daring Sacrifice is a great young adult romance that both teens and adults will love—and in a genre that seems to focus more and more on sexual and/or edgy content, it is one of those rare novels that promotes faith and morality. Fans of Melanie Dickerson's Fairy Tale Romances and Dina Sleiman's Valiant Hearts series will want to check out this series. 4-1/2 stars.

Note: A Daring Sacrifice is the second book in Jody Hedlund's YA series, but you can easily read it without first having read An Uncertain Choice. If you have read the first book, you should know that A Daring Sacrifice doesn't begin directly after the cliffhanger at the end of the first book—instead, it begins prior to those events. (I spent the first couple chapters expecting an explanation and didn't find one; later, I figured out that Hedlund was leading up to the events of An Uncertain Choice's epilogue.)

Buy the book.
Read my review of Hedlund's An Uncertain Choice (5 stars) and The Vow (4 stars), a prequel novella. Read my reviews of Hedlund's adult titles Hearts Made Whole (5 stars), Undaunted Hope (4 stars), A Noble Groom (5 stars), Unending Devotion (5 stars).

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Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling historical fiction author. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers and was a finalist for Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Currently she makes her home in central Michigan, with her husband and five busy children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog.

Find Jody online: website, Twitter, Facebook

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review as a member of Jody Hedlund's A Daring Sacrifice 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."

"an uncertain choice" by jody hedlund

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

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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.

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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).

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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."

"the vow" by jody hedlund

When I learned that Jody Hedlund, whose historical romances I've loved, was entering the world of YA fiction, I knew I needed to check out her new series!

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Young Rosemarie finds herself drawn to Thomas, the son of the nearby baron. But just as her feelings begin to grow, a man carrying the Plague interrupts their hunting party. While in forced isolation, Rosemarie begins to contemplate her future—could it include Thomas? Could he be the perfect man to one day rule beside her and oversee her parents’ lands?

Then Rosemarie is summoned back to her castle in haste. The disease has spread, and her family is threatened. And the secret she discovers when she returns could change her future forever.

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I picked up The Vow because it's a prequel to An Uncertain Choice, which I'll soon be reading and reviewing. I didn't give much thought to what the titular vow might be as I began reading this sweet "first love" story about 14-year-old Rosemarie, but as Rosemarie's world suddenly flipped upside down, I couldn't help but wonder if the vow—whatever it was—would keep her from Thomas. The answer finally came near the end of the novella, and it caught me off guard. Now I can't wait to continue Rosemarie's story in An Uncertain Choice!

While this novella is only 43 pages long and can be read in under an hour, the plot feels fully developed. It does not, however, come to a satisfying conclusion—it is, after all, a prequel, and readers will most certainly want to continue the story. 4 stars.

Buy the novella.
See my reviews of Hedlund's Unending Devotion, and A Noble Groom.

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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 purchased this novella myself and reviewed it of my own free will. 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 the 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."