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The Lost Princesses #1
Evermore
An ancient key. A secret treasure. And a princess destined to use them both to fight evil and restore peace.
Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.
Unable to tolerate King Ethelwulf’s cruelty and lawlessness, Christopher Langley left Mercia years earlier, training a group of rebels in neighboring Norland. When he returns home after his mother’s death, he discovers that not only is Adelaide all grown up, but she’s also the rightful queen of Mercia.
When King Ethelwulf discovers Adelaide’s location, he’ll stop at nothing to capture her and the key she holds to the ancient treasure. Christopher is just as determined to protect Adelaide so she can lead the growing rebellion. When feelings ignite between the two old friends, forces threaten to destroy their love and rip them apart forever.
Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.
Unable to tolerate King Ethelwulf’s cruelty and lawlessness, Christopher Langley left Mercia years earlier, training a group of rebels in neighboring Norland. When he returns home after his mother’s death, he discovers that not only is Adelaide all grown up, but she’s also the rightful queen of Mercia.
When King Ethelwulf discovers Adelaide’s location, he’ll stop at nothing to capture her and the key she holds to the ancient treasure. Christopher is just as determined to protect Adelaide so she can lead the growing rebellion. When feelings ignite between the two old friends, forces threaten to destroy their love and rip them apart forever.
279 pages, paperback
First published August 1, 2019
422 people are currently reading
2954 people want to read
About the author
Jody Hedlund
87 books4,752 followersJody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet historical romances with plenty of sizzle. Find out more at jodyhedlund.com.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. 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.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. 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.
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September 15, 2025
⋆౨ৎ《Now playing: Royalty by Francesca Battistelli》˚⟡˖ ࣪
There are times when we need to hold out faith and hope even when the circumstances seem impossible.
~°❀My Thoughts❀°~
When I tell you that I've been waiting years to start this series, I'm not joking. I have hyped it up so much in my head, but unfortunately it ended up being just as overhyped as Texas's football team (and Arch Manning, too, but that's besides the point).
But before I start ranting, I want to mention that during the first maybe one-fourth (maybe actually one-eighth) of the book, I was enjoying it. Sure, the characters were starting to get on my nerves even back then, but I was enjoying the book. But then things went downhill from there. If I had but two heads, I'm sure one would have loved this book, but alas, I only have this one.
I think the biggest reason I started to enjoy this book less was that I wasn't invested in the romance. And do you want to know the main reason as to why I wasn't invested? I fell in love with the brother. (I mean, he loves books, history, and lost treasure, how was I not supposed to fall in love with him?! Those are literally some of my favorite things!) And so because he isn't real, the next best thing would be for him to end up with Adelaide. Now why she didn't want to end up with him I don't know (actually I do know, but shush) 🙄 And hold y'all's horses, before y'all just go and tell me that it was a lost cause from the get-go because Christopher is the one who got the POV and was in the blurb, I know, but let me and my delusion be in peace.
Besides that fact, the other reason why I wasn't invested in the romance was that it was too physical appearance based, especially on Christopher's part. Like, literally, about 97% of the time they talked or thought about each other, Princess Goober and Goober 2 just mentioned how beautiful/handsome the other was, or how much they wanted to kiss each other, or thinking too much about the hand/forehead/cheek/lip kisses, or thinking too much about being near each other and wanting to be near them more than they already were.
Oh, but now let's go to the part that made me dislike the romance almost as much as the colors blue and orange do when they are together. 🫠
But y'all… heh… y'all, this part… I just can't talk calmly about this part so um… remember what I said about a rant?? Well, here it comes!
Like so, in this scene, Adelaide is having a nightmare, and Christopher went in there to wake her up. So far so go, right?? Wrong. Shaking her didn't work, so he did the first thing he thought of. Can anyone guess what that might be?! He kissed her. *blinks* Does anyone else see the red flags or is it just me?? But oh, it gets worse. It. Gets. Worse.
Let me backtrack a little bit. Before the actual kiss Adelaide, because of the nightmare, was thrashing about and trying to attack Christopher, so he had to restrain her. Can you guess how he would have had to do that?!?!?! By laying on top of her. *blinks again* So that means that when he kissed her he was pretty much laying on top of her, holding her down. Do you not see the red flags yet or are you colorblind?!
But let's continue, so she wakes up and shockingly, he stops, but then she pulls him back down and they deepen the kiss. Like, I'm soooo close to saying they were making out. WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE THINK THIS IS WAY TOO SKETCHY?!?! *contemplates searching for cliffs nearby to push them off of (but different ones of course, cause I have to keep these Goobers apart 😑)* In the meantime he's completely disregarding the fact that he promised his brother that he wouldn't take advantage of and use her, and they're both disregarding the the fact that that said brother was only a room or two away from where they were. *definitely going to search for those cliffs now* Like, that's a wholeeeee ‘nother issue within itself that I don't feel like getting into right now, but it's just not right.
But how an author would be completely fine with writing something like that into a Christian YA book, I will never understand.
Like, no one with any common decency should be doing that. Like, you should not be kissing anyone if they are having a nightmare, upset/crying, or having a breakdown of any kind (and probably a few other things that I'm just not thinking of right now). Like, you should not do that!! It's not good at all!! I will lose as much respect in you if you do that as if you had washed a cast iron skillet (well, no, actually I would still lose more respect for you if you washed cast iron, especially if you did it in the dishwasher. At that point I wouldn't even probably be talking to you ever again).
That kiss is not going to magically make everything better with cupcakes and sprinkles. 🤨🙄😑 So there's no reason to even try it.
The most you might could do would be a forehead kiss in my opinion, but you can't make it weird and it's situational even at that.
But seriously, there are soooo many other ways he could have tried to wake her up with first, like pouring water on her face. But nooooo! He's just a “lovesick” fool who can't stop thinking about kissing her so of course the most logical thing to do would be to have their first kiss right then and there! 🥰😑
And of course it ends up blowing up in their faces later, and then after they pulled apart they went back to their whole “woes is me, we can't be together” and yearning for each other things, and it's oh so tragic! 🙄 *eyes the couch and considering dramatically flopping onto the couch* (y'all might want to fetch my smelling salts just in case)
But yeah, that's one of my main and probably biggest issues with this book… there was no hope of the main couple regaining any favor… so then I let my sarcasm run free in my updates! 🫠
But otherwise, the writing was decent, definitely read as YA, though, which is good I guess considering this is a YA book. Although there were multiple loose ends in the story, like with the big to-do with the wolves and with the Goober who wanted to marry her at the beginning, like, I know they weren't actually important, but it annoyed me that they were pretty much just forgotten about.
And then another disappointing aspect is that there wasn't anywhere near as much faith content as I thought there would be, and majority of what was in here was from Adelaide…
But anyway, y'all, I gave this book three stars, and lowkey I still wonder if I should give it an even lower rating…
And for y'all's information, I don't regret even a smidgen any of the sarcasm used in this review nor my updates in this book. In fact, I really wish I had used more! 🙃
⋆౨ৎ《 From abandoned to exalted
From so broken to beloved》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Characters❀°~
Adelaide: Mmm y'all this girl, bless her heart. She's stubborn as a mule but also way too inconsiderate of others feelings, along with impatient and reckless far too many times… And although she gained “wisdom” towards the end (more like she remembered the book of Proverbs exsisted), I still worry about the future of Mercia considering it's supposed to be in her hands… I'm hoping she won't be a very prominent character in the next two books because she annoyed me far too much to deal with her for another 400+ pages.
Christopher: I think by now y'all should already have figured out what I think about him. I don't like him. He isn't completely true to his word, although I suppose you could say he was fine in breaking certain promises out of “love” but it's still not right. He's stubborn too, which I reckon makes him perfect for Adelaide then 🙄 and of course we can't forget all of the things I've already mentioned in my thoughts for the book. But yeah… he seriously needs to work on some things before I could ever like him.
Mitchell: He's the brother 🤭 If you read my thoughts about this book you should know why I like him so much, he's literally my favorite character in this book. Though if you have read this book and know what he did, just know that I will be taking no Mitchell slander, and if you get mad at me for liking him, well bless your heart. All I have to say to you is go on now, get! Go find a wall to argue with or something cause me and my delusion will not be doing that with you. He made mistakes, but then so do we all. At least he learned from them and made up for it, unlike some people in this world… He deserved better, and that's that.
⋆౨ৎ《 From the shadows to the light
From the dead, brought back to life》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Book Cover Rating❀°~
9.5/10 Most of those points are for the dress only because it’s gorgeous and I want one like it. 😍
⋆౨ৎ《Who we are is not the same
And it changes night and day》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Content Warnings❀°~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content will possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution! Also, if I missed any content, please let me know so I can add it!)
☆Trigger Warnings:
The appearances of some people who were tortured are described, not in full detail, but is is described enough that I think some people might get a bit uncomfortable reading it.
Characters were also held hostage, so, yeah.
☆Faith based/Christian:
Praying to God, thinking about God, quoting scriptures, mentions of people from the Bible, mentions of nuns.
☆Other Religious Content:
None that I remember.
☆Violence:
Mentions of torture and people being tortured (not detailed though at times certain ways are hinted at enough you can pretty much figure it out on your own); fight/battle scenes (up to almost detailed); characters worrying about themselves or others being killed; jousting; being held hostage; a character is locked in a dungeon cell so that then he could starve to death (instead of being handed over as a traitor and immediately killed); characters threatening to do bad things to other characters; mentions of death and deaths of other characters.
☆Sexual Content/Romance:
Kissing (up to almost detailed) (kisses on the lips, forehead, cheek, and hand); thinking about and wanting to kiss someone; thinking about/remembering kisses; many mentions of a person's physical appearance, and of thinking a person is handsome or beautiful; almost forced marriage (twice); multiple men telling a lady that she will marry them (at various times throughout the book); a wedding.
☆Magic:
None
☆Bad Language:
None
☆LGBTQ+:
None
☆Drugs/Alcohol:
None
⋆౨ৎ《No longer orphans, now sons and daughters
Worthy and wanted, we belong, yeah》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Other Notes❀°~
This is the first book in the The Lost Princesses series by Jody Hedlund. The books must be read in order.
⋆౨ৎ《We are, we are, we are, we are
Crowned in dignity》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀My Age Recommendation❀°~
I'd say higher YA like 16 years old and older due to how the romance is and due to the many mentions of torture and their body's being shown and all that.
⋆౨ৎ《We are, we are, we are, we are
Heirs to majesty》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?❀°~
I want to continue the series and I will probably try out some of the author’s other books... maybe.... idk....
⋆౨ৎ《We're made for victory
We're given authority
To reign like kings and queens》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~❀Will I reread this book at some point in time?❀°~
Heh, um… I don't know, to be honest… maybe years from now I will reread it to see if my opinion of this book has changed any, but I definitely cannot foresee that happening anytime soon.
⋆౨ৎ《We're royalty》˚⟡˖ ࣪
There are times when we need to hold out faith and hope even when the circumstances seem impossible.
~°❀My Thoughts❀°~
When I tell you that I've been waiting years to start this series, I'm not joking. I have hyped it up so much in my head, but unfortunately it ended up being just as overhyped as Texas's football team (and Arch Manning, too, but that's besides the point).
But before I start ranting, I want to mention that during the first maybe one-fourth (maybe actually one-eighth) of the book, I was enjoying it. Sure, the characters were starting to get on my nerves even back then, but I was enjoying the book. But then things went downhill from there. If I had but two heads, I'm sure one would have loved this book, but alas, I only have this one.
I think the biggest reason I started to enjoy this book less was that I wasn't invested in the romance. And do you want to know the main reason as to why I wasn't invested? I fell in love with the brother. (I mean, he loves books, history, and lost treasure, how was I not supposed to fall in love with him?! Those are literally some of my favorite things!) And so because he isn't real, the next best thing would be for him to end up with Adelaide. Now why she didn't want to end up with him I don't know (actually I do know, but shush) 🙄 And hold y'all's horses, before y'all just go and tell me that it was a lost cause from the get-go because Christopher is the one who got the POV and was in the blurb, I know, but let me and my delusion be in peace.
Besides that fact, the other reason why I wasn't invested in the romance was that it was too physical appearance based, especially on Christopher's part. Like, literally, about 97% of the time they talked or thought about each other, Princess Goober and Goober 2 just mentioned how beautiful/handsome the other was, or how much they wanted to kiss each other, or thinking too much about the hand/forehead/cheek/lip kisses, or thinking too much about being near each other and wanting to be near them more than they already were.
Oh, but now let's go to the part that made me dislike the romance almost as much as the colors blue and orange do when they are together. 🫠
But y'all… heh… y'all, this part… I just can't talk calmly about this part so um… remember what I said about a rant?? Well, here it comes!
Like so, in this scene, Adelaide is having a nightmare, and Christopher went in there to wake her up. So far so go, right?? Wrong. Shaking her didn't work, so he did the first thing he thought of. Can anyone guess what that might be?! He kissed her. *blinks* Does anyone else see the red flags or is it just me?? But oh, it gets worse. It. Gets. Worse.
Let me backtrack a little bit. Before the actual kiss Adelaide, because of the nightmare, was thrashing about and trying to attack Christopher, so he had to restrain her. Can you guess how he would have had to do that?!?!?! By laying on top of her. *blinks again* So that means that when he kissed her he was pretty much laying on top of her, holding her down. Do you not see the red flags yet or are you colorblind?!
But let's continue, so she wakes up and shockingly, he stops, but then she pulls him back down and they deepen the kiss. Like, I'm soooo close to saying they were making out. WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE THINK THIS IS WAY TOO SKETCHY?!?! *contemplates searching for cliffs nearby to push them off of (but different ones of course, cause I have to keep these Goobers apart 😑)* In the meantime he's completely disregarding the fact that he promised his brother that he wouldn't take advantage of and use her, and they're both disregarding the the fact that that said brother was only a room or two away from where they were. *definitely going to search for those cliffs now* Like, that's a wholeeeee ‘nother issue within itself that I don't feel like getting into right now, but it's just not right.
But how an author would be completely fine with writing something like that into a Christian YA book, I will never understand.
Like, no one with any common decency should be doing that. Like, you should not be kissing anyone if they are having a nightmare, upset/crying, or having a breakdown of any kind (and probably a few other things that I'm just not thinking of right now). Like, you should not do that!! It's not good at all!! I will lose as much respect in you if you do that as if you had washed a cast iron skillet (well, no, actually I would still lose more respect for you if you washed cast iron, especially if you did it in the dishwasher. At that point I wouldn't even probably be talking to you ever again).
That kiss is not going to magically make everything better with cupcakes and sprinkles. 🤨🙄😑 So there's no reason to even try it.
The most you might could do would be a forehead kiss in my opinion, but you can't make it weird and it's situational even at that.
But seriously, there are soooo many other ways he could have tried to wake her up with first, like pouring water on her face. But nooooo! He's just a “lovesick” fool who can't stop thinking about kissing her so of course the most logical thing to do would be to have their first kiss right then and there! 🥰😑
And of course it ends up blowing up in their faces later, and then after they pulled apart they went back to their whole “woes is me, we can't be together” and yearning for each other things, and it's oh so tragic! 🙄 *eyes the couch and considering dramatically flopping onto the couch* (y'all might want to fetch my smelling salts just in case)
But yeah, that's one of my main and probably biggest issues with this book… there was no hope of the main couple regaining any favor… so then I let my sarcasm run free in my updates! 🫠
But otherwise, the writing was decent, definitely read as YA, though, which is good I guess considering this is a YA book. Although there were multiple loose ends in the story, like with the big to-do with the wolves and with the Goober who wanted to marry her at the beginning, like, I know they weren't actually important, but it annoyed me that they were pretty much just forgotten about.
And then another disappointing aspect is that there wasn't anywhere near as much faith content as I thought there would be, and majority of what was in here was from Adelaide…
But anyway, y'all, I gave this book three stars, and lowkey I still wonder if I should give it an even lower rating…
And for y'all's information, I don't regret even a smidgen any of the sarcasm used in this review nor my updates in this book. In fact, I really wish I had used more! 🙃
⋆౨ৎ《 From abandoned to exalted
From so broken to beloved》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Characters❀°~
Adelaide: Mmm y'all this girl, bless her heart. She's stubborn as a mule but also way too inconsiderate of others feelings, along with impatient and reckless far too many times… And although she gained “wisdom” towards the end (more like she remembered the book of Proverbs exsisted), I still worry about the future of Mercia considering it's supposed to be in her hands… I'm hoping she won't be a very prominent character in the next two books because she annoyed me far too much to deal with her for another 400+ pages.
Christopher: I think by now y'all should already have figured out what I think about him. I don't like him. He isn't completely true to his word, although I suppose you could say he was fine in breaking certain promises out of “love” but it's still not right. He's stubborn too, which I reckon makes him perfect for Adelaide then 🙄 and of course we can't forget all of the things I've already mentioned in my thoughts for the book. But yeah… he seriously needs to work on some things before I could ever like him.
Mitchell: He's the brother 🤭 If you read my thoughts about this book you should know why I like him so much, he's literally my favorite character in this book. Though if you have read this book and know what he did, just know that I will be taking no Mitchell slander, and if you get mad at me for liking him, well bless your heart. All I have to say to you is go on now, get! Go find a wall to argue with or something cause me and my delusion will not be doing that with you. He made mistakes, but then so do we all. At least he learned from them and made up for it, unlike some people in this world… He deserved better, and that's that.
⋆౨ৎ《 From the shadows to the light
From the dead, brought back to life》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Book Cover Rating❀°~
9.5/10 Most of those points are for the dress only because it’s gorgeous and I want one like it. 😍
⋆౨ৎ《Who we are is not the same
And it changes night and day》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Content Warnings❀°~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content will possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution! Also, if I missed any content, please let me know so I can add it!)
☆Trigger Warnings:
The appearances of some people who were tortured are described, not in full detail, but is is described enough that I think some people might get a bit uncomfortable reading it.
Characters were also held hostage, so, yeah.
☆Faith based/Christian:
Praying to God, thinking about God, quoting scriptures, mentions of people from the Bible, mentions of nuns.
☆Other Religious Content:
None that I remember.
☆Violence:
Mentions of torture and people being tortured (not detailed though at times certain ways are hinted at enough you can pretty much figure it out on your own); fight/battle scenes (up to almost detailed); characters worrying about themselves or others being killed; jousting; being held hostage; a character is locked in a dungeon cell so that then he could starve to death (instead of being handed over as a traitor and immediately killed); characters threatening to do bad things to other characters; mentions of death and deaths of other characters.
☆Sexual Content/Romance:
Kissing (up to almost detailed) (kisses on the lips, forehead, cheek, and hand); thinking about and wanting to kiss someone; thinking about/remembering kisses; many mentions of a person's physical appearance, and of thinking a person is handsome or beautiful; almost forced marriage (twice); multiple men telling a lady that she will marry them (at various times throughout the book); a wedding.
☆Magic:
None
☆Bad Language:
None
☆LGBTQ+:
None
☆Drugs/Alcohol:
None
⋆౨ৎ《No longer orphans, now sons and daughters
Worthy and wanted, we belong, yeah》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Other Notes❀°~
This is the first book in the The Lost Princesses series by Jody Hedlund. The books must be read in order.
⋆౨ৎ《We are, we are, we are, we are
Crowned in dignity》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀My Age Recommendation❀°~
I'd say higher YA like 16 years old and older due to how the romance is and due to the many mentions of torture and their body's being shown and all that.
⋆౨ৎ《We are, we are, we are, we are
Heirs to majesty》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~°❀Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?❀°~
I want to continue the series and I will probably try out some of the author’s other books... maybe.... idk....
⋆౨ৎ《We're made for victory
We're given authority
To reign like kings and queens》˚⟡˖ ࣪
~❀Will I reread this book at some point in time?❀°~
Heh, um… I don't know, to be honest… maybe years from now I will reread it to see if my opinion of this book has changed any, but I definitely cannot foresee that happening anytime soon.
⋆౨ৎ《We're royalty》˚⟡˖ ࣪
August 29, 2019
Before you read this please do yourself a favor and read, Always the novella length book immediately preceding this one. It will set up the backstory for this book so you'll understand it.
With that being said, This. Book. I. Loved. It!
A young adult medieval era book that is sure to keep your attention at any age, as it did mine.
When a secret is revealed it puts Lady Adelaide's life in danger when it's revealed this orphan is the heir to Mercia’s throne.
Thrilling moments of danger,intrigue,courage,faith and romance.
This is written in first person and I could not read it fast enough.
Raised with her male cousins, she is able to fight in tournaments yet she has a tender side in helping the less fortunate than herself.
I loved the character development of Lady Adelaide, she takes a back seat to no one,
she is a firecracker!
Her strength is rooted in wisdom through God's care.
Forgiveness and reconciliation sometimes are so hard to do and I was pleased to see that theme included here.
The romance was slow and sweet and I love that I can count on clean but yet exciting hold my attention romance from the author.
This is so good I read it one day and an not wait for the continuation of the story.
I have read almost all of this authors books and love that I can count on an excellent well researched ,clean hold my attention story each time!
Published August 27th 2019 by Northern Lights Press .
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
With that being said, This. Book. I. Loved. It!
A young adult medieval era book that is sure to keep your attention at any age, as it did mine.
When a secret is revealed it puts Lady Adelaide's life in danger when it's revealed this orphan is the heir to Mercia’s throne.
Thrilling moments of danger,intrigue,courage,faith and romance.
This is written in first person and I could not read it fast enough.
Raised with her male cousins, she is able to fight in tournaments yet she has a tender side in helping the less fortunate than herself.
I loved the character development of Lady Adelaide, she takes a back seat to no one,
she is a firecracker!
Her strength is rooted in wisdom through God's care.
Forgiveness and reconciliation sometimes are so hard to do and I was pleased to see that theme included here.
The romance was slow and sweet and I love that I can count on clean but yet exciting hold my attention romance from the author.
This is so good I read it one day and an not wait for the continuation of the story.
I have read almost all of this authors books and love that I can count on an excellent well researched ,clean hold my attention story each time!
Published August 27th 2019 by Northern Lights Press .
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
September 20, 2019
After reading the compelling prequel novella to this series, I couldn't wait to discover the fates of the three lost princesses. Adelaide is the oldest of the three, and discovers her true identity at the beginning of the book. The author did a great job of giving the reader a sense of her character and personality before the action and adventure swept the story into a faster pace. Reunited with Adelaide after several years of being disowned by his father, Christopher faces his own dilemmas but the themes of loyalty, family, and forgiveness help him and Adelaide overcome the obstacles in their paths. I easily connected with the characters and felt the danger and excitement as I read. I'm looking forward to the next two books and am *very* appreciative that there won't be a long wait for them!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
August 13, 2019
Warning: if you are looking for a coherent review, this is not the place to be. There will be much flailing and fangirling and asdfghjkl.
Okay so I LOVED this book SO MUCH.
Augh, lost princesses, hidden treasures, TALL JOHN. YOU GUYS, he said like three words but he is a without a doubt this book's MVP. I adored Christopher, he was such a fleshed out character capable of being both serious and joking when it seems like many characters are only able to be one of the two. And also I always like Jody Hedlund's warrior ladies because those are the ones that I relate to more XD
The one thing I would have liked was a little more to Mitchell's arc because I think he had a lot more potential.
King Draybane was the absolute best! I think I laughed at everything that he said, this man...
ASDFGHJKL
Like I said, no coherency here. If you get anything out of this review just know that I love this book XD
Look! I even made a collage for it!
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Whenever I read series like this which have different protagonists each book, I like to try to figure out who the main characters of the next books will be ahead of time. Obviously the heroines are Adelaide and her sisters. The next book will probably be about Maribel since she is the next oldest. But what of the heroes? We have Christopher in this book, and honestly I think it is a huge likelihood that one four year old kid who disappeared during the invasion all those years ago is going to resurface *waggles eyebrows* (I'm guessing he is going to be Maribel's hero). But also I just want to point out how I would absolutely FREAK OUT if Ethelwulf's son and one of the princesses ended up falling in love (Emmaline anyone?) Because that would be a FANTASTIC twist asdfghjkl. After Adelaide tries so hard to not end up married to his heir and Ethelwulf is spending the series trying to make certain that she or one of the princesses does marry him and then those two kids end up going and doing it anyway. Oh my stars, that would be such an interesting plot. AND I WOULD 100% BE THERE FOR THAT ENEMIES TO LOVERS ACTION. But I digress.
Needless to say that I am extremely excited for the next books and I NEEDED THEM YESTERDAY. Please and thank you. Also can I just take a moment to point out how absolutely excited I am for Lance and Felicia to come back onto the scene?? Because I'm pretty darn excited.
I was provided a ARC from the author, all opinions, however are my own.
Okay so I LOVED this book SO MUCH.
Augh, lost princesses, hidden treasures, TALL JOHN. YOU GUYS, he said like three words but he is a without a doubt this book's MVP. I adored Christopher, he was such a fleshed out character capable of being both serious and joking when it seems like many characters are only able to be one of the two. And also I always like Jody Hedlund's warrior ladies because those are the ones that I relate to more XD
The one thing I would have liked was a little more to Mitchell's arc because I think he had a lot more potential.
King Draybane was the absolute best! I think I laughed at everything that he said, this man...
ASDFGHJKL
Like I said, no coherency here. If you get anything out of this review just know that I love this book XD
Look! I even made a collage for it!
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">Whenever I read series like this which have different protagonists each book, I like to try to figure out who the main characters of the next books will be ahead of time. Obviously the heroines are Adelaide and her sisters. The next book will probably be about Maribel since she is the next oldest. But what of the heroes? We have Christopher in this book, and honestly I think it is a huge likelihood that one four year old kid who disappeared during the invasion all those years ago is going to resurface *waggles eyebrows* (I'm guessing he is going to be Maribel's hero). But also I just want to point out how I would absolutely FREAK OUT if Ethelwulf's son and one of the princesses ended up falling in love (Emmaline anyone?) Because that would be a FANTASTIC twist asdfghjkl. After Adelaide tries so hard to not end up married to his heir and Ethelwulf is spending the series trying to make certain that she or one of the princesses does marry him and then those two kids end up going and doing it anyway. Oh my stars, that would be such an interesting plot. AND I WOULD 100% BE THERE FOR THAT ENEMIES TO LOVERS ACTION. But I digress.
Needless to say that I am extremely excited for the next books and I NEEDED THEM YESTERDAY. Please and thank you. Also can I just take a moment to point out how absolutely excited I am for Lance and Felicia to come back onto the scene?? Because I'm pretty darn excited.
I was provided a ARC from the author, all opinions, however are my own.
August 30, 2019
Love, love, loooooove this book! Read it in every spare moment over the course of 24 hours and now I'm just super sad that it's over but also super excited for the next in the series. I've loved many Jody Hedlund books, but I have to say, I think her medieval YA stories are my absolute fave!! Evermore is action-packed and romantic and everything I want in a thrilling read. 😍😍😍😍😍
October 23, 2019
SOME THOUGHTS:
-Adelaide was wonderful and I want more of this kind of heroine--feisty, beautiful, fierce, but not afraid to be feminine. She's strong but not unrealistically so, and I just really liked her a lot.
-Christopher was best when he wasn't mooning over Adelaide, but I did ship them so that was okay xD
-Mitchell...I don't know. I want to forgive him but ALSO *sobs* MEANIE.
-I'm not even going to lie I'm reading this entire series because of the third one
4 stars!
-Adelaide was wonderful and I want more of this kind of heroine--feisty, beautiful, fierce, but not afraid to be feminine. She's strong but not unrealistically so, and I just really liked her a lot.
-Christopher was best when he wasn't mooning over Adelaide, but I did ship them so that was okay xD
-Mitchell...I don't know. I want to forgive him but ALSO *sobs* MEANIE.
-I'm not even going to lie I'm reading this entire series because of the third one
4 stars!
January 5, 2024
I would’ve loved this book if I was in middle school. Seriously, 13 year old me would’ve gobbled this up in no time. But now I am considered to be an adult who dislikes nonsense and talks about taxes. In short, this book is too corny, not romantic enough, and too unrealistic for me.
The story is about a long lost Princess who discovered her true identity after living as a normal girl. On her 20th birthday, she will be old enough to take over the country. With the help of her fake cousins, Christopher and Mitchell (who are both in love with her) she went on a journey to search for treasure and strategize her move to take her kingdom back.
The book is written in first person, with the hero and heroine being the narrator. Unfortunately, they sound exactly the same. I sometimes forgot which head am I in. The characters, I think, could be a lot better. I don’t think I have a connection with anyone. Fun fact, they have a character named Tall John who literally is just a blob of a human being. He doesn’t have personality traits at all.
What does one usually want in a romance? People falling in love, right? Christopher and Adelaide knew each other since they were kids until he ran away from home and got disowned. When he came back and met Adelaide as a grown woman for the first time, he already started liking her because she was ”pretty”. Adelaide already liked Christopher since before he left and seems to base all her affections for him on previous memories that we never witness.
I wouldn’t say their interactions sent sparks because they don’t. I don’t think any of their moments could be considered as romantic. The only thing they did that could be considered romantic is feeding each other, and even that is a low effort on making readers feel the love. Not even their first kiss is romantic (she had a nightmare and was screaming and the only way he could get her to wake up is to kiss her) am I supposed to swoon by waking up with a mouth on me?
You’d think taking over a kingdom is complicated. Apparently, not at all. A lot seems unrealistic to me, like soldiers vowing allegiance in the middle of a battle on their own lands out of nowhere and a King literally jokes around with a knight and telling him to kiss and marry her. I don’t understand. Huh. There are too many things being simplified for me. Complicated human feelings and politics is reduced. And even in the end they didn’t find the treasures, the other Princesses, nor a strategic solution to beat the main villain. They just... got married. To hell with the conflicts, right? It’s just a shame that this book doesn’t work a lot with the romance, spends most of the pages building the conflict, yet in the end doesn’t do anything at all. They just leave the conflict for the next book.
That’s what I get for trying out YA clean Historical Romance. This book feels like a bedtime story to me. It looks like something the younger me would’ve enjoyed.
I’m actually a minority here. Everyone else seems to be enjoying the book, which is to say: what doesn’t work for me might work for you, so don’t be discouraged by my review. By all means, give it a go. Just a heads-up, if you’re looking for the romance, this might not be a good choice, but if you wanted something easy fun and cheesy, then spot on!
The story is about a long lost Princess who discovered her true identity after living as a normal girl. On her 20th birthday, she will be old enough to take over the country. With the help of her fake cousins, Christopher and Mitchell (who are both in love with her) she went on a journey to search for treasure and strategize her move to take her kingdom back.
The book is written in first person, with the hero and heroine being the narrator. Unfortunately, they sound exactly the same. I sometimes forgot which head am I in. The characters, I think, could be a lot better. I don’t think I have a connection with anyone. Fun fact, they have a character named Tall John who literally is just a blob of a human being. He doesn’t have personality traits at all.
What does one usually want in a romance? People falling in love, right? Christopher and Adelaide knew each other since they were kids until he ran away from home and got disowned. When he came back and met Adelaide as a grown woman for the first time, he already started liking her because she was ”pretty”. Adelaide already liked Christopher since before he left and seems to base all her affections for him on previous memories that we never witness.
I wouldn’t say their interactions sent sparks because they don’t. I don’t think any of their moments could be considered as romantic. The only thing they did that could be considered romantic is feeding each other, and even that is a low effort on making readers feel the love. Not even their first kiss is romantic (she had a nightmare and was screaming and the only way he could get her to wake up is to kiss her) am I supposed to swoon by waking up with a mouth on me?
You’d think taking over a kingdom is complicated. Apparently, not at all. A lot seems unrealistic to me, like soldiers vowing allegiance in the middle of a battle on their own lands out of nowhere and a King literally jokes around with a knight and telling him to kiss and marry her. I don’t understand. Huh. There are too many things being simplified for me. Complicated human feelings and politics is reduced. And even in the end they didn’t find the treasures, the other Princesses, nor a strategic solution to beat the main villain. They just... got married. To hell with the conflicts, right? It’s just a shame that this book doesn’t work a lot with the romance, spends most of the pages building the conflict, yet in the end doesn’t do anything at all. They just leave the conflict for the next book.
That’s what I get for trying out YA clean Historical Romance. This book feels like a bedtime story to me. It looks like something the younger me would’ve enjoyed.
I’m actually a minority here. Everyone else seems to be enjoying the book, which is to say: what doesn’t work for me might work for you, so don’t be discouraged by my review. By all means, give it a go. Just a heads-up, if you’re looking for the romance, this might not be a good choice, but if you wanted something easy fun and cheesy, then spot on!
February 1, 2026
✨3.5 stars✨
"Behind her, Tall John held up a torch giving me a glimpse of her face. Her beautiful face, a face I'd thought I'd never see again."
warning this review does contain spoilers
plot - 3.5/5 - kinda fast paced, but i liked the idea behind it
setting - 4.5/5
characters 4.5/5
this book is about a girl who discovers her true identity as the long lost princess and the true queen of Mercia on her 20th birthday. with help from her 2 fake cousins (Mitchell and Christopher... who are both in love with her) she goes on an adventure/journey to strategize her move to get the long lost treasure, and to take back her kingdom.
🌸my thoughts🌸
this book wasn't my average read, but it was a fun read. it was a little hard to understand at first with the old timey language use, but it was really fun!!!
"In spite of his ruggedness, he was still handsome with an aura of daring and dashing that had the same power as long ago to make my heart beat faster."
adelaide💕 - she's a rlly strong fmc, and courageous and unafraid... and kinda oblivious???
one thing i rlly liked abt this book was that it had multiple povs!!! its always nice to see other characters perspective in the book!!
romance 💘 - okay so no spice at all... their first kiss wasn't really romantic, and lots of pining and admiring each other....
🌺favorite parts 🌺
➳ christophers return
➳
➳
🎶songs🎧
➳ love story
➳ mary's song ( oh my my my)
but overall this was a pretty decent read! it was interesting, and i will be reading book 2, to see what happens next!!♡♡
"Behind her, Tall John held up a torch giving me a glimpse of her face. Her beautiful face, a face I'd thought I'd never see again."
warning this review does contain spoilers
plot - 3.5/5 - kinda fast paced, but i liked the idea behind it
setting - 4.5/5
characters 4.5/5
this book is about a girl who discovers her true identity as the long lost princess and the true queen of Mercia on her 20th birthday. with help from her 2 fake cousins (Mitchell and Christopher... who are both in love with her) she goes on an adventure/journey to strategize her move to get the long lost treasure, and to take back her kingdom.
🌸my thoughts🌸
this book wasn't my average read, but it was a fun read. it was a little hard to understand at first with the old timey language use, but it was really fun!!!
"In spite of his ruggedness, he was still handsome with an aura of daring and dashing that had the same power as long ago to make my heart beat faster."
adelaide💕 - she's a rlly strong fmc, and courageous and unafraid... and kinda oblivious???
one thing i rlly liked abt this book was that it had multiple povs!!! its always nice to see other characters perspective in the book!!
romance 💘 - okay so no spice at all... their first kiss wasn't really romantic, and lots of pining and admiring each other....
🌺favorite parts 🌺
➳ christophers return
➳
➳
🎶songs🎧
➳ love story
➳ mary's song ( oh my my my)
but overall this was a pretty decent read! it was interesting, and i will be reading book 2, to see what happens next!!♡♡
September 23, 2019
“There are times when we need to hold out faith and hope even when the circumstances seem impossible.”
This. Book.
It’s gorgeously imagined, flawlessly executed, and deeply felt. The characters are multi-dimensional, something that is highlighted even more clearly in the first person narrative from different perspectives. This is sometimes a tricky device to pull off well, but – no surprise – Jody Hedlund achieves it with excellence.
Can you tell I’m still flailing over how GOOD this series is???
The emotions run high in Evermore, even more so than they did in Always. Adelaide, Christopher, and Mitchell all have very layered backstories, and while we are privy to some of Adelaide’s if we’ve read Always, it’s unfolding for her in ‘real time’ as she begins putting all the pieces of her past together. Watching her come into her own as a queen who seeks wisdom from God – and doesn’t cower from danger but stands up for the mistreated & oppressed, caring deeply for those she loves – is truly inspiring. Seeing how that fits in with the legend about the lost treasure and the lost princesses made me even more giddy to read the next two books.
Christopher… oh swoon. Strong but vulnerable, especially where Adelaide is concerned. The looks he gives her, even in the briefest moments when he can no longer hide his feelings for her, made her pulse go all twitterpated – and mine too! The guilt he wrestles with – as well as his misguided fears of inadequacy – add depth and a little angst to his swooniliciousness. I loved him in every scene, but particularly when he was being most tender with Adelaide (kissing the top of her head and breathing her in – WHERE’S MY FAN?!?) as well as anytime he shared a scene with King Draybane (i loved that king!) and whenever he turned on his charm full force. (There I go, swooning again.)
Bottom Line: Evermore is a masterpiece of fiction – this whole series is shaping up to be so. Adventure, romance, bravery, courage, loyalty, godly wisdom, and true love (even from unexpected sources) are all wrapped up in a tale laced with legend and intriguing possibilities. You’ll want to keep reading, unable to put it down, but at the same time you won’t want it to end. The characters take up residence in your heart and stay there for the duration – and I know I’ll be thinking about them for a long time to come. Uh, can I have that next book now, please?
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
This. Book.
It’s gorgeously imagined, flawlessly executed, and deeply felt. The characters are multi-dimensional, something that is highlighted even more clearly in the first person narrative from different perspectives. This is sometimes a tricky device to pull off well, but – no surprise – Jody Hedlund achieves it with excellence.
Can you tell I’m still flailing over how GOOD this series is???
The emotions run high in Evermore, even more so than they did in Always. Adelaide, Christopher, and Mitchell all have very layered backstories, and while we are privy to some of Adelaide’s if we’ve read Always, it’s unfolding for her in ‘real time’ as she begins putting all the pieces of her past together. Watching her come into her own as a queen who seeks wisdom from God – and doesn’t cower from danger but stands up for the mistreated & oppressed, caring deeply for those she loves – is truly inspiring. Seeing how that fits in with the legend about the lost treasure and the lost princesses made me even more giddy to read the next two books.
Christopher… oh swoon. Strong but vulnerable, especially where Adelaide is concerned. The looks he gives her, even in the briefest moments when he can no longer hide his feelings for her, made her pulse go all twitterpated – and mine too! The guilt he wrestles with – as well as his misguided fears of inadequacy – add depth and a little angst to his swooniliciousness. I loved him in every scene, but particularly when he was being most tender with Adelaide (kissing the top of her head and breathing her in – WHERE’S MY FAN?!?) as well as anytime he shared a scene with King Draybane (i loved that king!) and whenever he turned on his charm full force. (There I go, swooning again.)
Bottom Line: Evermore is a masterpiece of fiction – this whole series is shaping up to be so. Adventure, romance, bravery, courage, loyalty, godly wisdom, and true love (even from unexpected sources) are all wrapped up in a tale laced with legend and intriguing possibilities. You’ll want to keep reading, unable to put it down, but at the same time you won’t want it to end. The characters take up residence in your heart and stay there for the duration – and I know I’ll be thinking about them for a long time to come. Uh, can I have that next book now, please?
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower
September 1, 2019
Book 1 in historical fantasy series by Jody Hedlund, the story caught my imagination and wonder with its gripping tale which bespoke of adventure and a promise to keep me enthralled from the first page.
There was a prequel to this, Always which gave me the backstory about the three sisters separated by time. Adelaide was one of them, and this was her story.
Adelaide was my hero, she could everything, ride, hunt, win tournaments, better than he make cousins. She was an orphan, until a visitor revealed the truth. She was the real Queen of the land of Mercua who had to fight for her right to the throne.
On the other hand, Christopher hated King Ethelwulf and the way he led his land with brute strength and lawlessness, he trained under rebels, came back to help Adelaide win back her throne. Love emerged along with threats, and it was upto the two to win the rightful fight.
My second book by Jody Hedlund, written in two POV, the medieval tale with its superlative writing made me a bag of emotions where every page had me wanting to join in the good fight.
The author is a brilliant storyteller who could paint a vivid picture with the power of her words. Her mastery over this era captured me. Awe was a word that came to my mind.
The story had its cunning twists and turns with characters who grew up with every chapter. Emotions galore, the book had forgiveness in its core, which surprised me in this family feud.
An exciting tale the book foretold, a brilliant author the words revealed, and a plot which galloped at a swift pace made this a perfect read in the lazy afternoon.
There was a prequel to this, Always which gave me the backstory about the three sisters separated by time. Adelaide was one of them, and this was her story.
Adelaide was my hero, she could everything, ride, hunt, win tournaments, better than he make cousins. She was an orphan, until a visitor revealed the truth. She was the real Queen of the land of Mercua who had to fight for her right to the throne.
On the other hand, Christopher hated King Ethelwulf and the way he led his land with brute strength and lawlessness, he trained under rebels, came back to help Adelaide win back her throne. Love emerged along with threats, and it was upto the two to win the rightful fight.
My second book by Jody Hedlund, written in two POV, the medieval tale with its superlative writing made me a bag of emotions where every page had me wanting to join in the good fight.
The author is a brilliant storyteller who could paint a vivid picture with the power of her words. Her mastery over this era captured me. Awe was a word that came to my mind.
The story had its cunning twists and turns with characters who grew up with every chapter. Emotions galore, the book had forgiveness in its core, which surprised me in this family feud.
An exciting tale the book foretold, a brilliant author the words revealed, and a plot which galloped at a swift pace made this a perfect read in the lazy afternoon.
July 5, 2020
"Evermore" by Jody Hedlund is the first book in the “Lost Princesses” series. This series is one you won’t want to miss! Ms. Hedlund has created a new Young Adult world (that adults also love) with a fairy tale-esque feel. The series is not only “un-put-down-able,” but is also free from a lot of the edgy content one finds in Young Adult books today.
"Evermore" is about the oldest princess, Adelaide. Readers will quickly fall in love with this heroine who is beautiful, noble and kind; but can also hold her own in a sword fight (and often dresses as a man to win tournaments). The hero, Christopher, is swoon-worthy; to say the least. Combine these two characters with a stunning revelation, a mystery and a daring escape (with lots of action). Throughout the story, one learns about honor, family, forgiveness, love, faith and sacrifice. I’m already eagerly waiting for the next book in the series!
Content: I give this book a PG rating. There is some gore related to battle and people who are tortured.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars.
I want to thank Jody Hedlund and Northern Lights Press for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
"Evermore" is about the oldest princess, Adelaide. Readers will quickly fall in love with this heroine who is beautiful, noble and kind; but can also hold her own in a sword fight (and often dresses as a man to win tournaments). The hero, Christopher, is swoon-worthy; to say the least. Combine these two characters with a stunning revelation, a mystery and a daring escape (with lots of action). Throughout the story, one learns about honor, family, forgiveness, love, faith and sacrifice. I’m already eagerly waiting for the next book in the series!
Content: I give this book a PG rating. There is some gore related to battle and people who are tortured.
Rating: I give this book 5 stars.
I want to thank Jody Hedlund and Northern Lights Press for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
August 10, 2019
This book is excellent! It had the right amount of action and romance. I loved it! This new series is captivating! I didn’t want to stop reading! I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.
I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.
September 2, 2024
I enjoyed the story here, and the twists and turns with some of the characters, Mitchell especially. I liked the theme of wisdom and sacrifice in leadership. It was a fun read over all.
January 22, 2023
Set eighteen years after the prequel, Evermore tells the story about the first lost princess, Princess Constance, now known as Adelaide, and what a romantic adventure it was. I loved her journey as she discovers she’s not only one of the lost princesses hidden away at an estate, but is the true queen of Mercia and must rise to reclaim her throne.
There was much I admired about Adelaide—particularly her compassion and wisdom—and I really enjoyed seeing her growth into her true position as queen. However, I don’t connect with her warrior personality. I believe women can be strong characters without having to be equal in might to men, and would have much preferred if Adelaide’s strengths had been primarily focused on her wisdom rather than the fact she can fight as well as any boy. That aside, I did like her bravery, her willingness to sacrifice for those she loved, and her desire to pursue godly wisdom. She’ll undoubtedly make a remarkable queen.
I also liked Christopher. I loved how he and Adelaide had grown up together, only for their feelings of friendship to deepen upon their reunion. He was both loyal to Adelaide, but also willing to be honest with her so that she could develop into the best version of herself. They had wonderful chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them fall in love. Their story was a fun adventure full of love and growth.
I wasn’t fond of the many fighting scenes or the love triangle aspect of the plot, especially the resolution with what happened with Mitchell—both with —was incredibly disturbing and really soured an otherwise sweet story. I did like how selfless his love ultimately was, as well as the theme of forgiveness. Still, I really wish the author hadn’t included so much violence. There is a lot of it in this book, thankfully mostly references rather than violence that takes place on-page, but it was still disturbing and really marred an otherwise cute, romantic, and sweet fairy tale read. I personally believe having a violent-free book is just as important as keeping a book clean.
So while there many things I liked about Evermore, ultimately the violence and many action-filled fighting scenes really marred my enjoyment. I still overall enjoyed my time reading this lovely story. The other books in the series also promise to be delightful adventures and I’m eager to discover the tales of the other lost princesses.
“There are times when we need to hold out faith and hope even when the circumstances seem impossible.”
There was much I admired about Adelaide—particularly her compassion and wisdom—and I really enjoyed seeing her growth into her true position as queen. However, I don’t connect with her warrior personality. I believe women can be strong characters without having to be equal in might to men, and would have much preferred if Adelaide’s strengths had been primarily focused on her wisdom rather than the fact she can fight as well as any boy. That aside, I did like her bravery, her willingness to sacrifice for those she loved, and her desire to pursue godly wisdom. She’ll undoubtedly make a remarkable queen.
I also liked Christopher. I loved how he and Adelaide had grown up together, only for their feelings of friendship to deepen upon their reunion. He was both loyal to Adelaide, but also willing to be honest with her so that she could develop into the best version of herself. They had wonderful chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them fall in love. Their story was a fun adventure full of love and growth.
I wasn’t fond of the many fighting scenes or the love triangle aspect of the plot, especially the resolution with what happened with Mitchell—both with —was incredibly disturbing and really soured an otherwise sweet story. I did like how selfless his love ultimately was, as well as the theme of forgiveness. Still, I really wish the author hadn’t included so much violence. There is a lot of it in this book, thankfully mostly references rather than violence that takes place on-page, but it was still disturbing and really marred an otherwise cute, romantic, and sweet fairy tale read. I personally believe having a violent-free book is just as important as keeping a book clean.
So while there many things I liked about Evermore, ultimately the violence and many action-filled fighting scenes really marred my enjoyment. I still overall enjoyed my time reading this lovely story. The other books in the series also promise to be delightful adventures and I’m eager to discover the tales of the other lost princesses.
“There are times when we need to hold out faith and hope even when the circumstances seem impossible.”
August 27, 2019
“I think we are all in need of taming,” Christopher answered with more seriousness than I expected. “If we are blessed to find someone who is willing to kindly speak truth into our weaknesses, then we shall be better for it.”
This is book 1 of the Lost Princesses series but there is a prequel novella called Always that would be helpful to read before embarking on this dazzling series. Jody Hedlund takes us on a breath-taking journey of medieval YA fairytale involving three “lost” princesses finally coming of age and discovering that there is a kingdom to rescue. The author’s beautiful writing, tightly knitted plot with great action and plenty of twists and turns, realistic and totally lovable characters, and themes of forgiveness and mercy even in the face of bitterness and family feuds all make this book clearly a top pick for the year.
Adelaide (Princess Constance), who is the oldest of the princesses, has been tucked away in Lord Langley’s family as a niece but discovers her true identity before Lady Langley passes away. Christopher is the disowned elder son of Lord Langley who secreted away to a neighboring nation as a soldier when the new king forcibly took the throne. Christopher’s return home causes much trouble between himself and his younger brother, even as they try to figure out how to find the other two princesses to restore the rightful heirs to the throne.
This book is a must-read for all! I can’t wait for the second and third books to get acquainted with the twin princesses!
I received a copy of the book from the author and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
This is book 1 of the Lost Princesses series but there is a prequel novella called Always that would be helpful to read before embarking on this dazzling series. Jody Hedlund takes us on a breath-taking journey of medieval YA fairytale involving three “lost” princesses finally coming of age and discovering that there is a kingdom to rescue. The author’s beautiful writing, tightly knitted plot with great action and plenty of twists and turns, realistic and totally lovable characters, and themes of forgiveness and mercy even in the face of bitterness and family feuds all make this book clearly a top pick for the year.
Adelaide (Princess Constance), who is the oldest of the princesses, has been tucked away in Lord Langley’s family as a niece but discovers her true identity before Lady Langley passes away. Christopher is the disowned elder son of Lord Langley who secreted away to a neighboring nation as a soldier when the new king forcibly took the throne. Christopher’s return home causes much trouble between himself and his younger brother, even as they try to figure out how to find the other two princesses to restore the rightful heirs to the throne.
This book is a must-read for all! I can’t wait for the second and third books to get acquainted with the twin princesses!
I received a copy of the book from the author and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
August 5, 2019
'Do not underestimate me. I have never cowered from danger and I shall not start now.'
Jody Hedlund's first book in The Lost Princesses is so good! The prequel novella, Always, sets the stage for this one, so it really needs to be read first. Adelaide, who is in reality the Crown Princess Constance, has been hidden for 17 years with a family loyal to her late father and mother, the king and queen of Mercia. When her adoptive mother dies, she reveals to Adelaide her true identity. From then on, danger follows her as the evil King Ethelwulf is set on killing her.
Sir Christopher of Langley, adoptive brother of Adelaide, left his home thinking his father supported the evil king, and swore his fealty to the King of a neighboring country. He has now returned and discovers that Adelaide is no longer a young girl and he has developed feelings for her. But he determines not to act on those feelings because as a queen, he cannot come near to being near her station.
Hedlund has excelled once again with her medieval tale. Truly, I think this is her forte. She does a magnificent job with these stories. I love this time period and she is wonderful at it. I loved every minute and now I can't wait for the next lost princess's tale!
*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Jody Hedlund's first book in The Lost Princesses is so good! The prequel novella, Always, sets the stage for this one, so it really needs to be read first. Adelaide, who is in reality the Crown Princess Constance, has been hidden for 17 years with a family loyal to her late father and mother, the king and queen of Mercia. When her adoptive mother dies, she reveals to Adelaide her true identity. From then on, danger follows her as the evil King Ethelwulf is set on killing her.
Sir Christopher of Langley, adoptive brother of Adelaide, left his home thinking his father supported the evil king, and swore his fealty to the King of a neighboring country. He has now returned and discovers that Adelaide is no longer a young girl and he has developed feelings for her. But he determines not to act on those feelings because as a queen, he cannot come near to being near her station.
Hedlund has excelled once again with her medieval tale. Truly, I think this is her forte. She does a magnificent job with these stories. I love this time period and she is wonderful at it. I loved every minute and now I can't wait for the next lost princess's tale!
*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
October 8, 2019
Full review on FaithfullyBookish.com
I don't know any young lady (or lady young at heart) who can resist a medieval tale of damsels, danger, and intrigue. Battles of good and evil appeal to our innermost reader desires.
Strategy, bravery, and sacrifice are the foundation of an exciting and captivating plot. The endearing Evermore characters reflect compassion, loyalty, faith, and attraction. Intelligent strategy and well-honed skills are utilized in the main characters' quest and each of them strives to fulfill God’s will for their life.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this story as well as the prequel novella. We look forward to reading the rest of the series (and she has already leaped ahead of me to dive into the next book)!
I borrowed this title through the Kindle Unlimited program. The opinions expressed are my own.
I don't know any young lady (or lady young at heart) who can resist a medieval tale of damsels, danger, and intrigue. Battles of good and evil appeal to our innermost reader desires.
Strategy, bravery, and sacrifice are the foundation of an exciting and captivating plot. The endearing Evermore characters reflect compassion, loyalty, faith, and attraction. Intelligent strategy and well-honed skills are utilized in the main characters' quest and each of them strives to fulfill God’s will for their life.
My daughter and I both enjoyed this story as well as the prequel novella. We look forward to reading the rest of the series (and she has already leaped ahead of me to dive into the next book)!
I borrowed this title through the Kindle Unlimited program. The opinions expressed are my own.
March 4, 2020
These are so much fun. Action and adventure and romance:} An evil King, a lost treasure and hidden princess and a handsome warrior! Yes please. This is well written and has a good story and good characters. This will be one I share with all my girls. They will love it. This is Christian fiction, talk of God and prayers. This is light not heavy with preaching. I am excited to read the next book.
August 19, 2019
All the Stars!!! Loved this story!!
I am loving this new series from Jody Hedlund! The story is captivating, the characters are dynamic and endearing. First of all, let me say that you will want to make sure to read Always (The Lost Princesses 0.5) before picking up this story. As the stories build on each other. Always is a pure delight. A stunning, fast-paced story that you don’t want to miss. But let’s return to talking about Evermore!
This story is written in the first-person narrative that shifts between the two main characters. It really invites the reader behind the curtain and offers an intimate, personable view of what is going on in the mind of the characters. The story fairly leaped off the page an into my imagination and I was along for the blissful ride!
Lady Adelaide is a force to be reckoned with. She is tough, yet tender. Fostered by Sir Langley and his wife Lady Susanna and raised with their three boys, she isn’t afraid to ride faster and swing a sword against a foe. Adelaide isn’t afraid to face difficult challenges and she takes time to pray and ask God for wisdom before making decisions. She has a big heart for others and wants to help those less fortunate. She isn’t perfect, but she learns from her mistakes and grows.
I loved all the characters in this book!! The plot twists, the narrow escapes, and so much more! Trust me you won’t want to miss out on a moment of this exciting story. I can’t wait to read more and see which sister is the focus on the next story!
(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I am not required to write a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.)
I am loving this new series from Jody Hedlund! The story is captivating, the characters are dynamic and endearing. First of all, let me say that you will want to make sure to read Always (The Lost Princesses 0.5) before picking up this story. As the stories build on each other. Always is a pure delight. A stunning, fast-paced story that you don’t want to miss. But let’s return to talking about Evermore!
This story is written in the first-person narrative that shifts between the two main characters. It really invites the reader behind the curtain and offers an intimate, personable view of what is going on in the mind of the characters. The story fairly leaped off the page an into my imagination and I was along for the blissful ride!
Lady Adelaide is a force to be reckoned with. She is tough, yet tender. Fostered by Sir Langley and his wife Lady Susanna and raised with their three boys, she isn’t afraid to ride faster and swing a sword against a foe. Adelaide isn’t afraid to face difficult challenges and she takes time to pray and ask God for wisdom before making decisions. She has a big heart for others and wants to help those less fortunate. She isn’t perfect, but she learns from her mistakes and grows.
I loved all the characters in this book!! The plot twists, the narrow escapes, and so much more! Trust me you won’t want to miss out on a moment of this exciting story. I can’t wait to read more and see which sister is the focus on the next story!
(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I am not required to write a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.)
September 12, 2019
Evermore is book one in The Lost Princesses series. Adelaide and Christopher were so wonderful in this novel. Both of these characters had a real heart for doing right and caring for others.
Adelaide had a lot of responsibility to accept in this novel and a fight not only to save the people of Mercia, but also to try and survive to save her sisters, as well.
The complex emotions between Adelaide and Christopher were compelling to read about. They both struggled with the right path to take. Was duty and honor to Mercia something that required them to let go of the possibility of loving each other? This story was captivating from start to finish.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
You can read this review on my blog:
https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.c...
Adelaide had a lot of responsibility to accept in this novel and a fight not only to save the people of Mercia, but also to try and survive to save her sisters, as well.
The complex emotions between Adelaide and Christopher were compelling to read about. They both struggled with the right path to take. Was duty and honor to Mercia something that required them to let go of the possibility of loving each other? This story was captivating from start to finish.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
You can read this review on my blog:
https://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.c...
March 3, 2022
This book was too good. Holy moly. I adored every moment. So many wonderful medieval history references lined this fantasy and so many complicated relationships. And I don't mean all romantic.
Adelaide brought me what I needed. Check off brave but reserved in ways, kind but doesn't take junk, and the humility to ask for help from ANYONE. Our hero, Christopher, was just written to perfection as well. A complicated man with the knowledge that his brother hates him and his family will lose their previous power once Adelaide is crowned; yet he still helps. Tall John, Mitchell, and the rest were so complex.
Plot?? Ah, too good again. Complicated and reveals itself like seashells on the shore. Once more this is a fantasy but so many aspects are well researched and foolproof. (Warning--due to fighting styles being modeled after medieval warfare, we do have some more violent moments. Nothing gory to me but just wanted to let u know.)
And with the end shaking my shoulders for more... where is book two??
Adelaide brought me what I needed. Check off brave but reserved in ways, kind but doesn't take junk, and the humility to ask for help from ANYONE. Our hero, Christopher, was just written to perfection as well. A complicated man with the knowledge that his brother hates him and his family will lose their previous power once Adelaide is crowned; yet he still helps. Tall John, Mitchell, and the rest were so complex.
Plot?? Ah, too good again. Complicated and reveals itself like seashells on the shore. Once more this is a fantasy but so many aspects are well researched and foolproof. (Warning--due to fighting styles being modeled after medieval warfare, we do have some more violent moments. Nothing gory to me but just wanted to let u know.)
And with the end shaking my shoulders for more... where is book two??
March 23, 2020
A lovely novel to begin the series. Adelaide is very much a tomboy, which I did not expect. Although I couldn’t relate to her in that aspect, I still found her story enjoyable to read. There is a lot of action in the book, so if you like adventure this is sure to win you over.
August 23, 2019
Oh my goodness, I cannot get enough of this series already! I was already hooked with the prequel, so going in I knew I was in for a great ride, but Hedlund even exceeded those expectations! There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming, romance, loyalty, surprises, and a few moments that I did see coming. And yes, this is a YA book, but even so there were some smooches that are going in my swoony scenes list. I'm not sure if it was my hype about the kiss, the way Hedlund wrote the scene, or a combination of the two, but yeah - I was totally sighing afterwards.
Lady Adelaide isn't your typical princess, and I think that's why I liked her so much. She isn't afraid to get dirty, to fight, to do all the things a guy does essentially - a tomboy in our day. And that's me to a T. Yes I can get dressed up, but I love doing guy stuff too! But here's the thing I liked about her even more - she was not afraid to stand up for what was right. From the very beginning she had this stance, and Adelaide would not back down from her decisions. She is just such a strong character and I look forward to seeing what comes next for her.
Then you have Christopher. Boy did he have a past that was weighing heavy on him, and it got me thinking - he did what he felt was right, but it still weighed him down. Are there things in my life like that, and how can I get rid of them? I think perhaps Christopher had the most character development out of any of the characters, and I really enjoyed seeing his changes throughout the story. He was strong, yet vulnerable - especially when it came to Lady Adelaide. But at the end of the day he really just wanted to right his wrongs and be able to move on with his life. Something I'm sure we all can connect with at one time or another in our life.
Hedlund keeps readers on their toes with tons of action as our characters try to stay hidden from the King's army. There's not much time to breathe here folks, so make sure you have plenty of reading time. I think you'll find you do not want to put the book down. The only downside to reading so quick is that it's over, and I'm just not ready to say goodbye to these characters. Now I just have to wait (impatiently I might add) for the next release!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lady Adelaide isn't your typical princess, and I think that's why I liked her so much. She isn't afraid to get dirty, to fight, to do all the things a guy does essentially - a tomboy in our day. And that's me to a T. Yes I can get dressed up, but I love doing guy stuff too! But here's the thing I liked about her even more - she was not afraid to stand up for what was right. From the very beginning she had this stance, and Adelaide would not back down from her decisions. She is just such a strong character and I look forward to seeing what comes next for her.
Then you have Christopher. Boy did he have a past that was weighing heavy on him, and it got me thinking - he did what he felt was right, but it still weighed him down. Are there things in my life like that, and how can I get rid of them? I think perhaps Christopher had the most character development out of any of the characters, and I really enjoyed seeing his changes throughout the story. He was strong, yet vulnerable - especially when it came to Lady Adelaide. But at the end of the day he really just wanted to right his wrongs and be able to move on with his life. Something I'm sure we all can connect with at one time or another in our life.
Hedlund keeps readers on their toes with tons of action as our characters try to stay hidden from the King's army. There's not much time to breathe here folks, so make sure you have plenty of reading time. I think you'll find you do not want to put the book down. The only downside to reading so quick is that it's over, and I'm just not ready to say goodbye to these characters. Now I just have to wait (impatiently I might add) for the next release!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 5, 2019
Adelaide is stunned to learn that she is one of the lost princesses, and the heir to the throne of Mercia. For seventeen years she has lived with Lord Whelan and Lady Susanna of Langley who raised her alongside their two sons, Christopher and Mitchell, in hiding from the evil King Ethelwulf who killed her father, King Francis.
Christopher left his family years ago, tired of seeing the hypocrisy of Ethelwulf's rule, making a name for himself with the King of Norland. His return coincides with Adelaide's revelation, and a warning from a family friend that Ethelwulf's men are on their way for Adelaide.
Will Adelaide be able to reunite with her sisters, unlock Solomon's treasure, and reclaim her throne, while two noblemen vie for her love?
Adelaide has learned and trained alongside her adopted cousins, gaining knowledge in history, leadership, and even swordsmanship. She is confident and level-headed, with a heart compassionate as she is beautiful.
Christopher is a cool-headed, natural leader, he stays true to his convictions and is very honest. He assumes a strong sense of duty in protecting Adelaide from those who would do her harm.
The first in brand new young adult fairy tale series from Jody Hedlund, featuring strong heroines who must face high stakes in order to regain their kingdom. Thrilling, romantic, engaging, with an admirable heroine who can stand up for herself and do her own fighting, but is also vulnerable and compassionate. This book is much in the style of her Uncertain Choice Series.
Overall, an engaging read written for a more young adult audience, but that can be enjoyed by any age. I'm excited to see how everything comes together throughout the series. Great tension between the brothers, and growing maturity from Adelaide as she comes into her own as Queen of Mercia. Especially good for fans of her previous Medieval series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Christopher left his family years ago, tired of seeing the hypocrisy of Ethelwulf's rule, making a name for himself with the King of Norland. His return coincides with Adelaide's revelation, and a warning from a family friend that Ethelwulf's men are on their way for Adelaide.
Will Adelaide be able to reunite with her sisters, unlock Solomon's treasure, and reclaim her throne, while two noblemen vie for her love?
Adelaide has learned and trained alongside her adopted cousins, gaining knowledge in history, leadership, and even swordsmanship. She is confident and level-headed, with a heart compassionate as she is beautiful.
Christopher is a cool-headed, natural leader, he stays true to his convictions and is very honest. He assumes a strong sense of duty in protecting Adelaide from those who would do her harm.
The first in brand new young adult fairy tale series from Jody Hedlund, featuring strong heroines who must face high stakes in order to regain their kingdom. Thrilling, romantic, engaging, with an admirable heroine who can stand up for herself and do her own fighting, but is also vulnerable and compassionate. This book is much in the style of her Uncertain Choice Series.
Overall, an engaging read written for a more young adult audience, but that can be enjoyed by any age. I'm excited to see how everything comes together throughout the series. Great tension between the brothers, and growing maturity from Adelaide as she comes into her own as Queen of Mercia. Especially good for fans of her previous Medieval series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
September 3, 2019
Princess Adelaide Constance Becomes Queen.
Lady Adelaide in hiding from the wicked King Ethelwulf of Mercia, has celebrated her twentieth birthday with her adopted family. She has no idea that she is the missing crown princess Constance, legal heir of the throne of Mercia. Her Aunt who has raised her is terminally ill and on her death bed she tells Adelaide who she really is and encourages her to reclaim the throne of Mercia from the wicked king Ethelwulf, who now dominates the kingdom.
Lady Adelaide and her two step cousins Lord Christopher Langley and Mitchell Langley go in search of her twin sisters , the other two lost princesses. Soon the search becomes a chase as the evil King Ethelwulf pursues them in hope of finding all three princesses. The story becomes an action packed nail biting chase with many unexpected twists and turns thrown in . Will Adelaide be successful in finding her sisters and evading her enemies who seek to capture her ?
Jody Hedlund is a gifted writer and she holds nothing back from readers in her latest release Evermore. She keeps my interest through out the book. Normally medieval fiction isn't my genre but this author pens a beautiful and romantic novel that I can't resist.
All fans of Jody Hedlund , medieval fiction or Christian Fiction will love this book. I highly recommend it. I also recommend that you first read the prequel Always before reading Evermore.
I bought a Kindle ebook version of Evermore from Amazon. A positive review was not requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Lady Adelaide in hiding from the wicked King Ethelwulf of Mercia, has celebrated her twentieth birthday with her adopted family. She has no idea that she is the missing crown princess Constance, legal heir of the throne of Mercia. Her Aunt who has raised her is terminally ill and on her death bed she tells Adelaide who she really is and encourages her to reclaim the throne of Mercia from the wicked king Ethelwulf, who now dominates the kingdom.
Lady Adelaide and her two step cousins Lord Christopher Langley and Mitchell Langley go in search of her twin sisters , the other two lost princesses. Soon the search becomes a chase as the evil King Ethelwulf pursues them in hope of finding all three princesses. The story becomes an action packed nail biting chase with many unexpected twists and turns thrown in . Will Adelaide be successful in finding her sisters and evading her enemies who seek to capture her ?
Jody Hedlund is a gifted writer and she holds nothing back from readers in her latest release Evermore. She keeps my interest through out the book. Normally medieval fiction isn't my genre but this author pens a beautiful and romantic novel that I can't resist.
All fans of Jody Hedlund , medieval fiction or Christian Fiction will love this book. I highly recommend it. I also recommend that you first read the prequel Always before reading Evermore.
I bought a Kindle ebook version of Evermore from Amazon. A positive review was not requested. All opinions expressed here are my own.
September 10, 2019
Jody Hedlund has a gift for writing. No doubt about it. This Lost Princesses series falls right in my sweet spot for reading. I am transported to the world she created with characters I can love and root for without even thinking about it. I love it.
Lady Adelaide is exactly how I think a lady should be. Smart, compassionate, strong and passionate. She isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes is right but she does it in a smart and compassionate way, ensuring the loyalty and love of all those who feel the effects of those traits. Lady Adelaide is everything you would envision a young queen to be.
The pacing in this book is excellent. I had heart pounding moments of running and fighting, heart warming moments of character development and connection, heart skipping moments of new love and attraction and even a couple heart breaking moments of loss. My heart sure got a workout! It was an awesome ride from beginning to end. But wait, it isn't over! The next book will be coming out at the end of this month and I cannot wait! What a fun series this is. Oh, and don't even get me started on these gorgeous covers. They are absolutely beautiful, right? #EverTour
Content: violence, peril, kissing
Lady Adelaide is exactly how I think a lady should be. Smart, compassionate, strong and passionate. She isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes is right but she does it in a smart and compassionate way, ensuring the loyalty and love of all those who feel the effects of those traits. Lady Adelaide is everything you would envision a young queen to be.
The pacing in this book is excellent. I had heart pounding moments of running and fighting, heart warming moments of character development and connection, heart skipping moments of new love and attraction and even a couple heart breaking moments of loss. My heart sure got a workout! It was an awesome ride from beginning to end. But wait, it isn't over! The next book will be coming out at the end of this month and I cannot wait! What a fun series this is. Oh, and don't even get me started on these gorgeous covers. They are absolutely beautiful, right? #EverTour
Content: violence, peril, kissing
February 14, 2022
This was such a sweet and endearing read while being gripping and edge-of-your-seat at the same time!! Jody Hedlund did a remarkable job with this one! The characters were all super relatable, sweet, and all around loveable! There wasn't one that I didn't like. Well, except for King Ethelwulf. And Captain Theobald. Besides those!
Christopher and Adelaide were a one of a kind match for one another and I can't wait to see what is to come in the rest of the series!!
Christopher and Adelaide were a one of a kind match for one another and I can't wait to see what is to come in the rest of the series!!
September 17, 2019
The rebellion begins
My rating is 3.5 stars
Evermore is the story of the rightful queen of Mercia, though raised in ignorant of this fact. Queen Constance had always believed she was Lady Adelaide, a nobleman's daughter left orphaned when she was a very young child.
The premise to this story is great and the quest Adelaide and her cousins embark on to escape from the evil king who now ruled the land leads them on a perilous journey pursued by the king's elite guard.
Adelaide is a strong young woman who excels in skills generally considered appropriate only for men, such as jousting and hunting. It was fun how Christopher knew she was the falconer when he saw her falcon catch a rabbit, knowing his brother didn't have the skills necessary to train it to do this. She was determined enough that she almost got them into some big trouble and she had to learn to humble herself and submit to Christopher's superior leadership. Of all her characteristics, my favorites were her kindness and determination to help those in need, even at great cost to herself.
Christopher was the misunderstood earl who had angrily left his family when he saw what he perceived as their bowing to an unworthy king. He then served the king of the northern lands and further honed his skills as a warrior. I really liked Christopher!
I enjoyed the burgeoning romance between Adelaide and Christopher and the way they fought their attraction to one another. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and was surprised by some of the events.
The language of the story seemed stilted, and though the stage was set in Always, the backstory was repeated here and was a bit tedious in parts. I would have preferred the author expect her readers to have read the prequel and know these details beforehand, or to have communicated them more creatively.
As this is the story of a rebellion, I suppose violence is expected. Some of the awful things the king did seemed overly gruesome even without going into great detail. It certainly was not more than you would find in a PG movie but younger and more sensitive audiences should be aware of this.
While the story is listed as Historical fiction, I would consider it more of a fantasy. Young adults (and adults) who enjoy fantasy should consider reading this interesting series.
Read my full review at Among the Reads
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
My rating is 3.5 stars
Evermore is the story of the rightful queen of Mercia, though raised in ignorant of this fact. Queen Constance had always believed she was Lady Adelaide, a nobleman's daughter left orphaned when she was a very young child.
The premise to this story is great and the quest Adelaide and her cousins embark on to escape from the evil king who now ruled the land leads them on a perilous journey pursued by the king's elite guard.
Adelaide is a strong young woman who excels in skills generally considered appropriate only for men, such as jousting and hunting. It was fun how Christopher knew she was the falconer when he saw her falcon catch a rabbit, knowing his brother didn't have the skills necessary to train it to do this. She was determined enough that she almost got them into some big trouble and she had to learn to humble herself and submit to Christopher's superior leadership. Of all her characteristics, my favorites were her kindness and determination to help those in need, even at great cost to herself.
Christopher was the misunderstood earl who had angrily left his family when he saw what he perceived as their bowing to an unworthy king. He then served the king of the northern lands and further honed his skills as a warrior. I really liked Christopher!
I enjoyed the burgeoning romance between Adelaide and Christopher and the way they fought their attraction to one another. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and was surprised by some of the events.
The language of the story seemed stilted, and though the stage was set in Always, the backstory was repeated here and was a bit tedious in parts. I would have preferred the author expect her readers to have read the prequel and know these details beforehand, or to have communicated them more creatively.
As this is the story of a rebellion, I suppose violence is expected. Some of the awful things the king did seemed overly gruesome even without going into great detail. It certainly was not more than you would find in a PG movie but younger and more sensitive audiences should be aware of this.
While the story is listed as Historical fiction, I would consider it more of a fantasy. Young adults (and adults) who enjoy fantasy should consider reading this interesting series.
Read my full review at Among the Reads
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
September 11, 2019
***4.5 stars***
I LOVE this series. That's all there is to it. I want to keep reading it, but unfortunately, the next two books haven't come out yet. It's probably a good thing, this way I can get a little bit of sleep while I wait for them.
This story has many elements that I love. There is action, adventure, strong female characters, romance, medieval setting, self-sacrifice... if I don't stop now it could end up being a very long list.
Lady Adelaide finds out on her birthday that she is a Princess, not only a Princess but the heir to the throne of Mercia. She has been hidden from the world at a remote estate. She has a family that she loves. Growing up with male cousins, who are more like brothers, has given her the ability to fight like a knight. She is spunky, kind, and compassionate. She is respected because of her work in helping out the people who have been drained financially by the King who conquered her country.
In this story, she is in a fight for her life and her kingdom. She has men who are loyal helping her unravel clues that will lead her to her sisters and an ancient treasure that will help overthrow King Ethelwulf. I really did not want to put it down. I need to know how they would outthink and outmaneuver the force pursuing them.
I have to mention that this book also contains romance. (Yay) Falling in love with a worthy man is a must for any Princess/Queen who is in a fight to regain her country. I must say that I was very happy with her love life. It was satisfying to read about. ;)
I NEED to finish this series. I have to know if there will be a "happily-ever-after" for Adelaide and her sisters. I may or may not have pre-ordered the second book that comes out two days after my birthday.
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I LOVE this series. That's all there is to it. I want to keep reading it, but unfortunately, the next two books haven't come out yet. It's probably a good thing, this way I can get a little bit of sleep while I wait for them.
This story has many elements that I love. There is action, adventure, strong female characters, romance, medieval setting, self-sacrifice... if I don't stop now it could end up being a very long list.
Lady Adelaide finds out on her birthday that she is a Princess, not only a Princess but the heir to the throne of Mercia. She has been hidden from the world at a remote estate. She has a family that she loves. Growing up with male cousins, who are more like brothers, has given her the ability to fight like a knight. She is spunky, kind, and compassionate. She is respected because of her work in helping out the people who have been drained financially by the King who conquered her country.
In this story, she is in a fight for her life and her kingdom. She has men who are loyal helping her unravel clues that will lead her to her sisters and an ancient treasure that will help overthrow King Ethelwulf. I really did not want to put it down. I need to know how they would outthink and outmaneuver the force pursuing them.
I have to mention that this book also contains romance. (Yay) Falling in love with a worthy man is a must for any Princess/Queen who is in a fight to regain her country. I must say that I was very happy with her love life. It was satisfying to read about. ;)
I NEED to finish this series. I have to know if there will be a "happily-ever-after" for Adelaide and her sisters. I may or may not have pre-ordered the second book that comes out two days after my birthday.
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
February 18, 2022
*2.5
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Both of the love interests were disgustingly obsessed over each other, the characters were clichéd, and I really only kept reading because I wanted to know what happened with the plot.
I was also confused as to whether it was fantasy or historical fiction, and I still don't know the answer for sure. Also, the only character who was actually sympathetic was seen in a mostly negative way. And then the author ended up killing him off anyway.
I also felt like God was just thrown in there, like He didn't have that much importance in the theme and plot. It was kind of sad.
I think if this was one of the first romance novels I read, I would have liked it more, but I've seen tropes like this so many times that it isn't as exciting as it used to be.
To be completely honest, I had high expectations for this book, because its prequel (Always) set it up so well, but then Evermore didn't meet those expectations at all. It wasn't that exciting, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep reading the series. Don't get me wrong, I would love to know what happens, but I just hope the other books are better than this one. (If you've read them: are they?)
I still want to read more from Jody Hedlund, and I truly hope I'll like it more than this.
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Both of the love interests were disgustingly obsessed over each other, the characters were clichéd, and I really only kept reading because I wanted to know what happened with the plot.
I was also confused as to whether it was fantasy or historical fiction, and I still don't know the answer for sure. Also, the only character who was actually sympathetic was seen in a mostly negative way. And then the author ended up killing him off anyway.
I also felt like God was just thrown in there, like He didn't have that much importance in the theme and plot. It was kind of sad.
I think if this was one of the first romance novels I read, I would have liked it more, but I've seen tropes like this so many times that it isn't as exciting as it used to be.
To be completely honest, I had high expectations for this book, because its prequel (Always) set it up so well, but then Evermore didn't meet those expectations at all. It wasn't that exciting, and I'm not sure I'm going to keep reading the series. Don't get me wrong, I would love to know what happens, but I just hope the other books are better than this one. (If you've read them: are they?)
I still want to read more from Jody Hedlund, and I truly hope I'll like it more than this.
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