The Knight of Redmond

by Jennifer K. Clark

Lily is desperate to experience the world beyond her small village. A summer trip through the kingdom in the company of her uncle promises just the sort of escape she yearns for until, scarcely a day into their journey, the threat of battle on the road ahead ends her exploration before it s even begun. But the path home proves more perilous than she could have imagined. After a terrifying encounter with her uncle's merciless adversary, Lily must flee for her life. Separated from her uncle, she has no choice but to enter enemy territory alone. It appears that adventure is on the horizon after all Thrust into an unfamiliar world, Lily is forced to align herself with Wren, a young knight from a rival land. With war looming, they must set aside generations of contention to save the ruling family as well as Lily's own people from annihilation. But when a shocking secret is revealed, her allegiance to her clan and her growing feelings for Wren are called into question. Now, Lily must make a choice continue on the conflict ridden path of her kin or break down the barriers in her land and her heart.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Historical Romance, Fiction, Clean Romance

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
It started out a little slow for me. I understand that Lily had a lot of reasons to be negative, but she seemed to really dwell on those things and for me, it bogged the story down for the first little bit. About 1/4 of the way through, things started to pick up more, although Lily was still pretty negative. It's crazy because she had an awful family--who should she trust??--even her own parents had their lies. I guess in spite of all these feelings, I wanted more emotion from her. Not drama-queen emotion, but real, raw emotion.

I did like the way Wren wriggled his way into her life. Even though he's from Redmond, he is a really good, powerful guy.

I also liked the adventure. The thoughts of knights roaming around and of all the battles going on--it was very exciting and I felt it was an original story. And I must mention--I love the cover!!

All in all, it was a great, clean book, especially for a reader who loves the tales of knights and medieval times.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. First off I must say I love the cover of this book. The Knight of Redmond was an enjoyable read though not nearly as romantic as I was expecting. For the most part I really liked the main characters. Wren was perfect for a knight. I like that Lily was flawed and not perfectly beautiful. Before I get into my criticisms about the book, I do want to reiterate that I really liked it and enjoyed reading it despite the few things that bothered me.

My biggest problem with the story was the characterization of Lily. I liked her, but there were a few things about her that bothered me. First off I was a little disappointed that Lily was a bit of a weak character. In the beginning she seemed more worried about herself and getting where she desperately wanted to be than she was about the people whose homes were being burned and who were being killed. She hated the Redmonds for what they were doing, but to me she came across as a bit selfish because all she could think about was her plans being ruined. To be fair, I don't necessarily think this was the way the author wanted her to come across, it just happened that way. We do eventually see why she is so desperate to get away from where she was and I could sympathize with her, but her problems seemed small compared to what was happening in other parts of the kingdom.

Second, Lily cried too much for my liking. She cried every time she was in trouble. I don't know, maybe I would too if I was in those situations, but I didn't enjoy reading about someone who did. There is one point in the book where it looks like she will develop into a stronger character, and she does to an extent, but not as fully as she could have. Third, I couldn't believe that she would be able to hold her own in a sword fight after just a couple of lessons, even if she was a natural. Fourth, Lily also does something incredibly stupid near the end of the book that felt way too contrived.

A couple of other minor complaints are, none of the supporting characters are fleshed out well at all, and one just seemed like she was there to spur Lily on to doing a couple of stupid things. And the way Shadduck behaves right before he dies was in my opinion, not consistent with his character.

Despite those complaints for the most part this was a fun read, even though it could have been improved a bit. I liked the setting, and the back story on the kingdom was good. I was not expecting the twist with the King's guard. That was a nice surprise. I would recommend this if you like non magical historical fantasy type settings.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow really impressed. I didn't like the first book by this author and her sister. It was a mess but this one was wayy good. I loved it. It took awhile to get going but the character development was great and I fell in love with both the leading lady and her man:} The story line was great and flowed well and there were tons of little unexpected surprises. The characters do believe in God but rarely talk about it and it is more silent prayers when faced with tough situations. They are all so morally good and fight for the right! I loved it and it is so clean! There is some battles and fighting and mention of torture but it is very cleanly done. I would let a 14 year old read this. WOho another favorite author:}

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading it last night, much to detriment this morning! :) It was full of adventure and romance. There are some battle scenes in this book, but they weren't graphic or overly violent. I hope this author keeps writing!

[Leanne Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. The story was roughly what I was expecting, but there wasn't much to hold me in and keep me reading. The only reason I pushed through it was that I chose it for my book club and wanted to finish it. Lily had a hard life but man is she dumb. Seriously though how many dangerous mistakes did she make just by not thinking things through first?? Wren wasn't as dashing as he ought to have been and the chemistry was weird between them. It just wasn't what I was itching for. So close.

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun adventurous book. Lily was strong willed even with her mark. I love the way it was written that at first the face mark wad bigger than life and then through finding love and herself the mark seemed to disappear. It was a great example of a show not tell descriptive book. I will admit even with some fun twists and turns it was fairly predictable. I think it added to the charm of the book. I liked it.

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance, sweet, period; Suspense and Intrigue
I've had this sitting on my shelf for a bit. This was such a great read! The world building, characters, and setting were captivating! Lily's facial mark, her worry, labeling and ridiculing by family and acquaintances, her distrust of anyone from Redmond due to what had happened to her family, the circumstance of leaving her community to visit Redmond, and meeting Wren, it all folded into a sweet romance, built on friendship, and self worth, that gradually grew to something more meaningful.
The intrigue and political machinations, the battle to defend what was right and just, it was a fantastic read! So many facets and things that built this world, and the story of this couple as they work through the many facets of life that threaten to keep them from seeing their true selves.
I'll definitely hope to read more by this author.

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this novel and it was a little slow going for me but I was also on vacation. It was a great book though and I was wanting to find time for reading but too much to fit into my schedule for reading time too.

Lily is a young girl who has been hurt by everyone around her except her mother and uncle. She doesn't trust easily and is very anxious for a summer trip to visit an aunt who has invited her for the season. Lily's trip is ruined by a war. She is seen with her uncle by a man who is dangerous. He spends the rest of the book following her trying to destroy her.

Lily finds help and refuge from an unlikely source. A knight from Redmond, who just happens to be the enemy...well supposed to be the enemy.

It was overall an enjoyable read just not as fast paced as others or maybe I was really tired while reading.

Happy Reading!!!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the cover for The Knight of Redmond and have enjoyed the medieval romances that I've read, so I was excited to read this book.

The Knight of Redmond has quite a bit of action with a good romance. It also has some great characters. I especially liked how Lily was so observant. This character trait reminded me a bit of Sherlock Holmes, and made figuring out what was going on more intriguing.

This clever story was pretty engaging early on with its inclusion of "witches", knights, superstition, secret groups, murder, etc. I found my attention waning somewhat as everything unfolded, although I can't put my finger on why. In spite of that, I liked the story overall.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars I liked this, but it wasn't what I was expecting after seeing the cover. I LOVE the cover, but the story, while well written, just didn't grab me as much. Probably because I was in the middle of the series, but the story felt like a romance version of the Ranger's Apprentice series. A fun read, but not as good as her Mark of Royalty!
I re-read this to see if I liked it better the second time and I am pleasantly surprised to say this time through was better. Isn't it funny how your mood is reflected in how you feel about everything-even books!?
language:clean, heat level:mild

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up liking this book, even though the beginning was really hard for me to get into. I'm not sure why, there was plenty of action and fighting at the beginning, maybe it was just too much to be cast right into Lily's turbulent world right then. I liked Lily, she's smart, loyal and by the end confident of who she is. I liked Wren too, he's full of honor, and love for his family and country. There is plenty of action in this book, and a touch of romance too! This is a very good debut novel from Jennifer K Clark.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book and especially the story line, I felt like it lacked the intensity and emotional pull I needed. I wanted more. I came away feeling like it was lacking that "something" that made me emotionally invested. I'm not sure I can explain it better than that. I did like the book though. It was clean, easy reading.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time at first liking the main character, but she got better and became a more sympathetic character as the book progressed. It's the first medieval romance I've read in a long time and I enjoyed it. Clark did her research well and has a very engaging writing style.

[Maryruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall not bad, but not for me. It was recommended to me by my 13-year-old, and it's great for teens. The romance felt juvenile, and the protagonist seemed much younger than she was supposed to be. There was a fun little twist at the end.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories that are set in the time when knights were in battle. This story was a little slow at first but then I just couldn't stop reading.

[Kay Mendenhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a goog little love story thanks Cathleen for recommending it! I loved it.

[Aapree · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I rarely don’t finish a book! This is hard for me. But I struggled with this one. Now, to be fair I barely started and maybe I didn’t give this one enough of a chance. But while I was intrigued, I just can’t do it. The heroine is whiny, selfish, weak, and she makes the most stupid decision right out of of the gate. (The audiobook reader’s voice for her makes it doubly unbearable.) I get that sometimes mistakes create conflict and development for the character. However, from reading other reviews, her character shows little growth and betterment and she continually makes selfish and poor decisions over the course of the book. And with so little to go off from the beginning her choice seems just downright dumb. Again, I know only a few chapters in is maybe not enough for a good judge of the entirety of the book. I love knights, and kingdoms, and medieval stories, but all things considered with this character this one may have to be a pass.

[Andrea]

Lily has been unable to escape her birthmark on her face that marks her as daughter of a witch.

The writing style was not my favorite. It was overly wordy and lacking maturity. It felt much like a highschool creative writing project. Referencing too many people that we do not know and haven’t met. To many explanations of what is going on rather than things just going on.

I am now on Chapter 11 and the book is still a teenage drama. Even the mother acts like a child crying and running away when her daughter yells at her. Lily is absolutely obsessed with her birthmark. She cannot let go how it makes her different from others. She stands out. She looks ugly.

I am having a hard time getting beyond this sad and childish writing.

DNF

[Brittani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I DEVOURED this book. The pros were smooth and the story intriguing. Redmond's men were fascinating. I loved their interactions. I wish there was a tiny bit more to the ending. I don't think we got an accurate indication of what Lily would be up to in the future. I think there's more. Hopefully, we get book 2?

Clean story.

[Mike Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little story with witches, knights, clans, and feifs during midevil times. Unrealistic and ofttimes annoying heroin but otherwise enjoyable to read. Clean language with minimal graphic descriptions and no cringeworthy scenes made for a relaxing read. I can't really jump to a 4 star, but for the author's first solo book, she shows promise as a fictional author.

[Cassie Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this as a blind read out of the list of “currently available” books from my library’s Libby selection. If this book were a drink it would be milk. It wasn’t bad…? But it wasn’t great. And it was super meandering. The best plot twist of the thing was me not realizing it had an intentionally religious subtext until the audiobook declared the LDS recording company in Utah.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it rather than listen to it. The reader made Lilly an extremely whiny creature that I wanted to stab in the throat. But the end carried the book pretty well.

[Heather Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing worse than a whiny main character, (Lily) who continues to make stupid decisions that put others in danger and doesn’t care enough (or maybe isn’t intelligent enough) to learn from her mistakes.

[Jenny Koim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was out of my normal reading comfort zone; however, it was an engaging story. There were a lot of characters but I was able to understand the bias and the animosity of Lily against the Redmonds. Wren, was a knight who showed by action, that Lily was valued.

[Ember · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t even finish this book. The character was whiny, the start was slow, and the romance shallow. I read about a third of it before giving up, it just wasn’t well written enough to keep my attention.

[T. Reich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story. It was fun and adventurous. The very ending throughout a little bit, I think it would’ve been better with a swifter ending with an epilogue but that just personal preference. I will look for this authors, other books. It was enjoyable.

[Jamille Parks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard for me to get into but it made up for it in the ending.

[Kirsta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good. Poor writing, plotting, characterization, etc.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A becoming of age story as Lily recognizes who she really is--not a witch! Her hatred for Redmond will dissolve with her meeting Knight Wren and discovering her true family ties.

[Chalese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story...different and entertaining. Would recommend.