4.75 ⭐️
Set in 1906 on the Isles of Scilly, Worthy of Legend follows the stories of Lady Emily Scofield and Bram Sinclair. After layers of her family’s betrayal come to the surface, Emily, Bram, and the other characters that are known and loved in Roseanna M. White’s trilogy, The Secrets of the Isles, team up to hide the clues and discoveries they’ve made. After several confrontations with her father and brother, Emily has to take a stand—will she stand with the ones who have loved her as her family should have, or will her father’s threat to cut off all money allowances become too much for her when the shelves are bare and her stomach empty? What happens when Bram has no intention of falling in love this summer but realizes his heart may be more open to the idea of love when someone almost takes away the woman he vowed to protect for good? You’ll have to read to find out!
Alrighty, I am here to provide pros, cons, and a cautionary for this last installment of White’s trilogy.
Story pacing: The pacing of Worthy of Legend was a little bit slow at first. After having read all of the author’s previously published books, I know that while the story may start off a little slow for my liking, it always picks up, and I never regret pushing through the slow starts because it’s always worth it! If you prefer slower-paced reads, then you’ll absolutely love this book. If you’re more like me and don’t mind a slow start that crescendoes to a fast-paced, exciting climax, stick with it--you’ll love this book as I did too!
Characters: The characters in this book absolutely stole my heart—probably more than any other book I’ve read by the author. Bram and Enyon—they brought this book from an already 4-star read to a glowing 4.75-star review. Where do I start? Let me tackle Bram’s character first:
Bram was such an example to me of what it means to find someone who loves you when others reject you, builds you up when others tear you down, and never gives up on you when others already have. There were so many tender scenes with Emily where she wrestled with the sadness of being rejected by her family and recounted all the times she had been berated and belittled by her father and brother, and while Bram listened to every word she said, he would never allow her to sit in those lies. He would point her back to the truth, every time.
In one particular scene where Emily was talking about how her brother, the antagonist of this series, Nigel, and everything he did to her when she was growing up, Bram said this to her: “I think perhaps that was a blessing in disguise—because instead of turning out like them, you’ve turned out like you.”
Yes, I highlighted that quote on my Kindle because it’s so beautiful, and such a needed truth to speak over those in our lives. Good things can be brought out of hard ones; sometimes, in order to recognize that beauty, we need someone to show us where to find it. Bram did this for Emily’s character, and I absolutely loved it.
Enyon’s character. Oh my word, he was absolutely amazing. Even though his relationship/interactions with Tommie are not the focal point of this story, their love story still got the attention it deserved. It was truly so beautiful. Enyon never saw Tommie for what others had done to her, but the God who was in her heart. He proved this time and time again. There’s this scene—I won’t mention specifics in order to avoid spoilers—where Tommie and Anyone are talking, and Enyon says this to her: “You were trying to be invisible behind Lady Emily, yet you were all sunshine and smiles in the kitchen. Brightness hidden in shadow. With a ghost story of your own in your eyes. I don’t expect you to tell me all that put it there, certainly not yet. But I’d like the chance to earn your trust. So that if ever you do . . . well, you won’t find a readier ear to hear it or a readier heart to believe it. Whatever haunts you, you needn’t be haunted alone.”
Goshhh. Enyon’s character absolutely won me over at that moment. What an example of what it means to be there for someone. To be willing to listen, but not pressing that person to trust you before they’re ready. Enyon was so patient with Tommie, and he so demonstrated the same love God lavishes on His children—arms always welcoming home, ears always willing to listen, and love that never gives up.
Morals: If the characters alone haven’t convinced you to read Worthy of Legend, the morals absolutely should! There was one moral in particular that absolutely stood out to me because it’s rare in fiction. But the best kind of rare. When Bram is trying to figure out the growing feelings he has for Emily, he consults with his best friend, Sheridan. He confides in Sheridan, telling his friend that he truly wants to understand his feelings for Emily. Are they ones that were brought about by the inner knight in him, wanting to save a damsel in distress? Or did he truly love her? This conversation with Sheridan became one of my favorite scenes in the book because it was a demonstration of what love is. What it looks like. And why it’s important to understand how you feel about someone and be sure it really is love before you pursue them on a deeper level. It’s rare to find a book that talks about love before the characters fall in love, and I absolutely loved that moral in this story. The author nailed it—absolute perfection!
Minor dislikes: The only reason I’m docking .25 stars isn’t because of the content, but just a few scenes I wished were handled a little differently. I won’t specify what they are in order to keep this review from containing spoilers, but they’re nothing major. Just a few minor preferences of mine, but nothing that distracts or takes away from the storyline!
Slight cautionary: There is mention of sexual abuse, as two of the characters state that they had something taken from them (their virtue). The author handled this aspect of the story so carefully, and no explicit details whatsoever are mentioned, only the occurrence of that event taking place. If you’d like more specific details, please feel free to comment and let me know, and I’d be happy to share more.
All this to say, please do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Worthy of Legend. Not only was it my favorite book in this trilogy, but one of my favorite books yet by the author. An excellent, wonderful read!
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of Worthy of Legend. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.