What do you think?
Rate this book
The Baron's Ring
Tristan of Parangor fights his crown prince brother's ignorance and godlessness until he is swept a hundred miles downriver and a world away from his royal life to the tiny town of Larcondale. Forced to make a living and wait for the Lord's time to return home, Tristan becomes a farrier, teacher, and encourager to the town's minister and all its people. Idolatry and occult forces make Tristan's struggles heavier but he finds friendship and budding love as he works and waits. A seemingly insurmountable tragedy presents Tristan with an opportunity to increase his power to do good. Day by day he struggles to learn the lessons God has to prepare him for the moment when the past and present collide and Tristan must return to his kingdom. He has no idea that he will face old enemies and find unexpected friends.
Psalm 33:16
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
"Do not continue to oppose me, prince," Shneea warned. "This man you have loved since childhood will die here, and he will only be the first."
"I have no choice but to oppose you," Tristan said. "You feed off innocent men's flesh."
"You will submit," Shneea said. "You and I shall wed, or I will destroy you without touching your body. Prince Tristan will cease to exist."
"How can you do such a thing?" Tristan was baffled.
"Do not tempt me to show you," Shneea said. "Marry me, handsome prince."
"It's impossible," Tristan gritted. "You have a husband, and I have a wife."
"My husband will be dead almost any moment," Shneea laughed. "But you have got yourself a wife, have you? The marriage will be annulled."
"I have no desire to be rid of my wife, nor to wed you."
Psalm 33:16
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
"Do not continue to oppose me, prince," Shneea warned. "This man you have loved since childhood will die here, and he will only be the first."
"I have no choice but to oppose you," Tristan said. "You feed off innocent men's flesh."
"You will submit," Shneea said. "You and I shall wed, or I will destroy you without touching your body. Prince Tristan will cease to exist."
"How can you do such a thing?" Tristan was baffled.
"Do not tempt me to show you," Shneea said. "Marry me, handsome prince."
"It's impossible," Tristan gritted. "You have a husband, and I have a wife."
"My husband will be dead almost any moment," Shneea laughed. "But you have got yourself a wife, have you? The marriage will be annulled."
"I have no desire to be rid of my wife, nor to wed you."
231 pages, ebook
First published August 24, 2010
20 people want to read
About the author
Mary C. Findley
99 books73 followersI am from upstate NY and my husband is from AZ. We met in college and taught school in AZ, MO and PA. We have three children in their 20s, and currently we live in our tractor trailer and travel around all the 48 states. We homeschooled and taught in church ministries. We have written our books, produced commercial and teaching videos, and maintain a website and blog, now while traveling.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 24, 2018
I expected a little romance. I received a wonderful, expansive tale of Truth. That is so rare that i wish there were a six-star rating. It's a royal tale with many twists. It's about real godly marriage, righteousness, fruitful character, an much more. Fling yourself into he story. It's a real joy.
August 30, 2013
The Baron’s Ring is the story of a prince named Tristan, whose boorish, belligerent and blasphemous brother Dunstan is heir to the throne of Parangor. When his brother ascends to the kingship, many urge Tristan to leave the area to build a decent life for himself, instead of staying in his brother’s shadow and being bullied constantly, but Tristan sees an obligation to remain and do his best to shield the kingdom from the new King’s idiocy and cruelty (never a great combination).
God has other plans, however. In a fight with Dunstan, Tristan is drawn into a ferocious current and drawn down the river, surviving only by the grace of God. He wakes to find himself countless miles from his home kingdom, in a small village far removed from the splendor of the palace. With no possible way back home, Tristan is forced to begin anew with nothing but his faith, his work ethic and, like Blanche DuBois, the kindness of strangers. Of course, a man of God cannot rest in this fallen world, and Tristan soon finds himself fighting against small town cruelty, lies, deception and even sex trafficking.
This should come as no surprise to fans of Findley, but the book is greater than sum of its blurb. Grand, important things come to pass before the end, but much joy is found in the journey, as the author deftly draws the reader into Tristan’s struggles and triumphs. At its most basic, this is the story of a man who trusts God even when life doesn’t go as he expects, who learns to work, thrive and love far from home, standing against evil at every opportunity. The author classifies it as a fantasy but, really, any fantastic elements are very light. The kingdoms and geography may be invented, but this could easily be historical fiction instead.
My only quibble—and it’s one I’ve made before when discussing Mary/Sophronia’s work—is that I feel the author is much better at writing love stories in which the relationship is already established than she is at writing about new love. Once the central couple in this story have a bit of history, their romance is sweet, genuine and enjoyable to read. Up until that point, however, it simply takes me right out of the story. It’s the concept of love at first sight but it’s really taken to extremes, to the point where it seems like her characters tend to get hitched after a handful of conversations (if that). Now, the marriage in this book happens under peculiar circumstances—although I’m still not entirely sure that I fully get the rationale even now—but the romance itself was telegraphed from chapter two. For me, the initial romance in this book just sticks out like a sore thumb, because I find it so dissatisfying amidst a story that is otherwise a treat to read. I don’t tend to read romances, but I think that’s the only genre that Mary writes that I wouldn’t be willing to read her work.
All in all, however, that’s a minor problem with a very well-written book. And, as I said, the romance is satisfying at later stages in the relationship—so it shouldn’t be much of a deterrent to any reader.
I interviewed the author on my blog. We chatted about the book and about being a Christian author. http://christfictionandvideogames.blo...
God has other plans, however. In a fight with Dunstan, Tristan is drawn into a ferocious current and drawn down the river, surviving only by the grace of God. He wakes to find himself countless miles from his home kingdom, in a small village far removed from the splendor of the palace. With no possible way back home, Tristan is forced to begin anew with nothing but his faith, his work ethic and, like Blanche DuBois, the kindness of strangers. Of course, a man of God cannot rest in this fallen world, and Tristan soon finds himself fighting against small town cruelty, lies, deception and even sex trafficking.
This should come as no surprise to fans of Findley, but the book is greater than sum of its blurb. Grand, important things come to pass before the end, but much joy is found in the journey, as the author deftly draws the reader into Tristan’s struggles and triumphs. At its most basic, this is the story of a man who trusts God even when life doesn’t go as he expects, who learns to work, thrive and love far from home, standing against evil at every opportunity. The author classifies it as a fantasy but, really, any fantastic elements are very light. The kingdoms and geography may be invented, but this could easily be historical fiction instead.
My only quibble—and it’s one I’ve made before when discussing Mary/Sophronia’s work—is that I feel the author is much better at writing love stories in which the relationship is already established than she is at writing about new love. Once the central couple in this story have a bit of history, their romance is sweet, genuine and enjoyable to read. Up until that point, however, it simply takes me right out of the story. It’s the concept of love at first sight but it’s really taken to extremes, to the point where it seems like her characters tend to get hitched after a handful of conversations (if that). Now, the marriage in this book happens under peculiar circumstances—although I’m still not entirely sure that I fully get the rationale even now—but the romance itself was telegraphed from chapter two. For me, the initial romance in this book just sticks out like a sore thumb, because I find it so dissatisfying amidst a story that is otherwise a treat to read. I don’t tend to read romances, but I think that’s the only genre that Mary writes that I wouldn’t be willing to read her work.
All in all, however, that’s a minor problem with a very well-written book. And, as I said, the romance is satisfying at later stages in the relationship—so it shouldn’t be much of a deterrent to any reader.
I interviewed the author on my blog. We chatted about the book and about being a Christian author. http://christfictionandvideogames.blo...
January 8, 2016
The Baron's Ring is a Christian historical romance novel that adults and young adults alike will like. The story centers around Tristan, the God-fearing Prince of his land, who is worried that his pagan-worshiping brother, Dunstan, will ruin the kingdom. Dunstan falls into the river one day, and Tristan saves him, but ends up getting washed down the river to another kingdom. There, seeing the journey near impossible to make, he settles into life. He finds true love, confronts the community members using idols, and helps build up the school and church with his teaching and example. When his brother's new scheming wife sends her "brother" to capture him, he makes his way back to the kingdom with his new wife and loyal friends by his side.
Anyone who really likes historical romance, especially set in the times of kings and knights, will like this book. Tristan is an admirable hero, tireless in his faith and loyalty to God, and works to make everything around him better, even at great personal cost. Many of his trials reminded me of elements from the Biblical stories of David, Solomon, Joseph, and the tale of Jacob and Esau.
Overall, a good Christian romance set in the times of knights and heroes!
Anyone who really likes historical romance, especially set in the times of kings and knights, will like this book. Tristan is an admirable hero, tireless in his faith and loyalty to God, and works to make everything around him better, even at great personal cost. Many of his trials reminded me of elements from the Biblical stories of David, Solomon, Joseph, and the tale of Jacob and Esau.
Overall, a good Christian romance set in the times of knights and heroes!
January 3, 2013
Words like eyes are windows into a person's soul. When you take the legend of story and add the Divine, you may even, perhaps glimpse into your own soul. Author Mary C. Findley, has the vision to remind us of the wisdom of the great scriptures in the chapters and woven throughput the text. Those words sink deep, shaping not only the chapters to come, but perhaps it is using this God-given natural talent, that in some small part, helps this Author to enrich the whole world.
For me this book was a great read. I was in awe of the consistently brilliant dialogue, so believable, the characters came to life as I turned the pages. They returned to my mind, despite my busy schedule, long after I closed the book. There is colour and texture, the rain, the heavy wool- everything for me comes to life. Such a masterfully crafted book, ranks high on my list for a true storytellers art.
For me this book was a great read. I was in awe of the consistently brilliant dialogue, so believable, the characters came to life as I turned the pages. They returned to my mind, despite my busy schedule, long after I closed the book. There is colour and texture, the rain, the heavy wool- everything for me comes to life. Such a masterfully crafted book, ranks high on my list for a true storytellers art.
April 1, 2016
The Baron's Ring, by Mary C. Findley is a gem. I read it in one evening, staying up until midnight and finishing it the next morning. It is a beautiful tale of faith with characters of integrity and self-sacrifice. We should all emulate the attributes of Tristan -- hard work, trust in God, never giving up even in the face of pain and blindness, loyalty, faithfulness, and more.
I would say the story is straight up fiction. Though it is written of a different world, there are no fantasy elements. It is set in an age of castles, soldiers, horses and wagons. It is written in a clean, refreshing manner which seems to be targeted at anyone over 12 years of age.
I would say the story is straight up fiction. Though it is written of a different world, there are no fantasy elements. It is set in an age of castles, soldiers, horses and wagons. It is written in a clean, refreshing manner which seems to be targeted at anyone over 12 years of age.
June 8, 2013
This was a beautiful story and I adorned Tristan and Mayra. I love the how the author let us know that a disability should not hinder you from accomplishing the things you want or desire to do in life and that we must always trust, believe and depend on God. We must realize that the plans we have for ourselves is not necessarily the plans that God has for us and this book demonstrated that perfectly. God's plans is always better. I love a book that will draw me closer to the Lord and this was one of those book.
I received this book courtesy of the author for my honest review.
I received this book courtesy of the author for my honest review.
April 21, 2013
This is a great book. It has action,adventure,love, God,deception and so much more. I enjoyed it because it was a page turner, made me feel good knowing others were being kind to a stranger. I learned some things from it as well.
The characters were very discriptive so you could see them in your minds eye. I felt as if I were there. A very believeable story and good humor, too.
Good job Mary.
The characters were very discriptive so you could see them in your minds eye. I felt as if I were there. A very believeable story and good humor, too.
Good job Mary.
July 24, 2018
Its a nice story, but just not my thing. The fantasy setting was more like Colonial America than anything Medieval or ancient. Referring to what was basically a vineyard as a 'plantation' for instance and all clerics seemed to be called 'ministers', like they are in America.
I just think if that's going to be the case, then build the story world around that, because Colonial America with swords pretending to be Medieval just doesn't work for me.
Again, this story has plenty of merit, and a sound gospel message: but one other complaint I had is that whilst Tristan was a good hero, he did come over as annoyingly judgemental on one occasion. Case in point, accusing a person of worshiping idols because they had the image of a dragon engraved on their armour. Seriously? You may as well call all Heraldry 'idol worship' on that basis: but it wasn't because heraldic images were not designed to be objects of worship: they were simply intended as a way to identify combatants in battle.
The ending was satisfying anyway, and I liked how things turned out with the brothers, and the sensitive depictions of disability and loyalty in marriage. This was a nice story which many people would like- although I would say its not suitable for younger children due to some mature themes. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
I just think if that's going to be the case, then build the story world around that, because Colonial America with swords pretending to be Medieval just doesn't work for me.
Again, this story has plenty of merit, and a sound gospel message: but one other complaint I had is that whilst Tristan was a good hero, he did come over as annoyingly judgemental on one occasion. Case in point, accusing a person of worshiping idols because they had the image of a dragon engraved on their armour. Seriously? You may as well call all Heraldry 'idol worship' on that basis: but it wasn't because heraldic images were not designed to be objects of worship: they were simply intended as a way to identify combatants in battle.
The ending was satisfying anyway, and I liked how things turned out with the brothers, and the sensitive depictions of disability and loyalty in marriage. This was a nice story which many people would like- although I would say its not suitable for younger children due to some mature themes. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews