Book Reviews

Enamored by Jody Hedlund

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

About the Book

Title: Enamored
Series: Knights of Brethren #1
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Northern Lights Press
Release Date: November 9, 2021

During a time when legends were born . . .

ENAMORED

A princess in need of a husband, a young Sage who cannot have her, and a web of deceit that threatens their love.

Having been raised by her childless aunt and uncle, the king and queen, Princess Elinor finds herself the only heir to the throne of Norvegia. As she comes of age, she must choose a husband to rule beside her, but she struggles to make her selection from among a dozen noblemen during a weeklong courtship.

With aspirations to become the wisest man in the land, Maxim is summoned home by his father Rasmus, a Royal Sage. Reunited with Elinor, once his closest friend, Maxim is quickly enamored with her even though he can never be considered a prospect for her husband.

Elinor’s feelings for Maxim are rekindled too . . . until she learns he has been unwillingly drawn into Rasmus’s scheme to take control of the throne. With the kingdom under attack both from within and without, can Elinor and Maxim overcome the deceit spinning around them? Or will it destroy their love once and for all?

The real story of Excalibur.

Grab your copy here!

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.

My Review

Enamored
by Jody Hedlund
Book 1 in the Knights of Brethren series
Rating: 4/5

“God always gives us the exact amount of courage we need to face whatever task he puts before us.”

Wow! This reimagining of the story of Excalibur is adventurous and passionate and full of intelligent characters. The author is incredibly talented in making the reader fall in love with the main characters and want to see them together. However, I wish there was more world-building and felt that it will probably happen in the next few books. This particular story is more along the lines of retelling Merlin’s story then one of the knights of the round table.

“She was and always would be the sunrise in the dark shadows of my life.”

Jodie Hedlund writes a story of love unrequited that comes to a point of betrayal. She manages to weave her faith into the story in a subtle and tasteful manner. The love between the main characters is believable and one the reader will root for.

“If you let your fear determine your steps, you will always falter.”

The message of not letting fear rule your life is an important one. The characters must find a way to deal with their past fears and hurts to learn to love and trust again. I actually wasn’t sure the book was going to end on a happier note because it was a series and could technically continue their love story in the next book. However, the book can be read as a standalone.

“While I wanted more—a banquet of loving her for the rest of my life—I would gladly settle for any crumbs she might throw my way. Yes, I loved her enough that I would take even the smallest of crumbs.”

Highly recommend if you enjoy reimagined Arthurian tales with clean yet passionate romance, adventure and political intrigue!

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

November 2, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews

Curvy Girls Can’t Date Princes by Kelsie Stelting

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

About the Book

Title: Curvy Girls Can’t Date Princes
Series: The Curvy Girl Club #9
Author: Kelsie Stelting
Genre: YA Clean Romance
Release Date: October 29, 2021

Our foreign exchange student is a prince.

A real-life prince. Like of a country. And he’s not one of those ugly ones with big teeth that girls only like because he’s royal. No, he’s hot. On fire. I’m drooling just thinking about him.

But that’s the problem, because the only reason my parents took him in is because they don’t think there’s any way a guy like him could crush on a girl like me.

I’m going to prove them wrong. I don’t know how. But I’m going to figure out a way to make Leopold Williams fall for me before I cross the graduation stage.

Curvy Girls Can’t Date Princes is an exhilarating royal romance in The Curvy Girl Club that will have your heart beating fast and butterflies dancing in your stomach. Read like a queen and grab your copy today!

Purchase your copy here!

About the Author

Kelsie Stelting is a body positive romance author who writes love stories with strong characters, deep feelings, and happy endings.

She currently lives in Colorado with her high school sweetheart and three sweet boys. You can often find her writing, spending time with family, and soaking up too much sun wherever she can find it.

Visit www.kelsiestelting.com to get a free story and sign up for her readers’ group!

My Review

Curvy Girls Can’t Date Princes
by Kelsie Stelting
Rating: 4.5/5

Kelsie Stelting does it again! She writes a powerful story about self-love and acceptance that made me laugh and cry. As a huge fan of this series, I have enjoyed every story. Each one is truly transformative when it comes to body-positive issues plus identity as a growing young adult. I really enjoyed reading about Faith’s journey and her love story with Leo. I am a huge fan of adoption but I have talked with adoptive parents before who wondered if what they did was truly the best for the child. The author really hits those poignant moments hard and asks the reader to question the motives of those who adopt children. Adopting someone into your home and life is a great thing but it also can come with childhood trauma from being torn away from your family and a hole in your heart. I applaud the author for addressing the issues that the parents and the adoptee have to deal with.

As someone who is a total romantic, I loved the idea of Leo falling in love with Faith. I loved his honesty and his passion. He himself was on a journey of self-discovery where Faith helped lead him.

“Everyone deserves to have someone to sit with at lunch.”

I also loved that the author also focused more on Tatiana. Real life. Real backgrounds. Real issues. Real insecurities. So good. Who doesn’t love a story of redemption?

Highly recommend this inspirational story about young love, adoption, and parental dynamics that will make you believe in unconditional love.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

Also Available

October 31, 2021 by Kim Book Reviews

Charming Artemis by Sarah M. Eden

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

About the Book

Title: Charming Artemis
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Genre: Regency Romance
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Release Date: October 4, 2021

Charlie Jonquil is mild-mannered and kind―except when it comes to his one true adversary, Artemis Lancaster. Though Charlie has a brilliant mind for mathematics, Artemis poses a problem he can’t seem to comprehend: how can one be so lovely and so infuriating? A party in London brings him into the company of the maddening young lady, and it is clear that Charlie’s disdain is mutual. But when an unfortunate incident between the pair involving Charlie’s jacket and a glass of raspberry shrub leads to scandal, the sworn enemies are left with only two options: be ruined or be married.

So it is that Artemis finds herself in a most outrageous predicament: she must wed a gentleman she’s hated for years―and she pledges to avoid him at all costs. But it is only when they enter into this mockery of a marriage that Charlie and Artemis learn things are not as simple as they once appeared. As their tentative ceasefire leads to friendship, it seems their marriage born of desperation might lead them to a love that was destined to be.

Purchase your copy here!

About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today best-selling author of witty and charming historical romances, including 2020’s Foreword Reviews INDIE Awards Gold Winner for Romance, Forget Me Not, and 2020 Holt Medallion finalist, Healing Hearts. She is a two-time “Best of State” Gold Medal winner for fiction and a three-time Whitney Award winner. Combining her obsession with history and her affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting deep characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library.

My Review

Charming Artemis
by Sarah M. Eden
Rating: 4.5/5

Wow. What an incredible ending! This book made me cry and laugh and fall in love with the Lancaster and Jonquil families. Can I be a part of these families? I must admit that I’ve never read any of the other books and now must go back to discover all the details that I’ve missed. However, I definitely believe the book can be read by itself but the other stories definitely would be helpful to read in order. In the back of the book, there was a suggested reading order which I will have to follow in the future. My TBR list just keeps getting longer and longer lol.

Charlie and Artemis are quite the characters with their own insecurities and flaws but with hearts that just want to be loved and accepted for who they are. I felt Artemis was very unlikeable at times but the author tried her best to explain why she was the way she was. I loved the Charlie could see right through Artemis’ facade immediately upon meeting her and wouldn’t let her get away with it. Who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers romance? The chemistry between the two was swoonworthy and the process was believable. Artemis’ Papa was an interesting mystery (though a bit creepy at first) to start the book with. I guessed it halfway through and was interested to see how it all played out. I loved the Gents and Layton was probably the favorite lol. I’m wondering if there’s more about the Gents and their stories? I’ll have to research more. I loved Adam’s character too and am interested in learning more (I’ll have to read the previous books).

Highly recommend if you enjoy a Regency enemies-to-lovers romance that’s clean, heartwarming and makes you want to believe in the Divine.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.