It isn't just me. There are a lot of Christian Fiction novels set in the Medieval Period releasing this year- proving perhaps the growing popularity of this setting within the genre. Most of the time, you're lucky to see one or two books set in the Middle Ages in a year, but in 2015 we have in roughly chronological order no fewer than eleven titles coming out....
Rising to the Challenge: Comrades of Honor Trilogy # 3- Alicia A. Willis- Late January
"New difficulties arise
for Sir Kenneth Dale in the exciting final installment in The Comrades
of Honor Series. As a favorite of the Earl of Birmingham, his life
appears tranquil – until the both beautiful Lady Clarissa and a
headstrong orphan named Brion arrive in the castle. It is not long
before Sir Kenneth finds himself not only in love, but also the master
of the most difficult squire Birmingham has ever harbored.
Brion
de Lantenac is nothing short of rebellious. Hatred for Sir Kenneth’s
strict rules vents itself in constant disobedience, triggering continual
clashes between himself and his new lord. But there is a reason behind
his self-centered character. The murder of his family has caused
heartbreak he may never recover from. Will he ever reveal his true
identity to Sir Kenneth? And what about Guthrie, the man who sullied his
father’s shire with treacherous hands and now seeks his demise?
Caught
between a hopeless romance, a rebellious squire, and the enemies on all
sides, Sir Kenneth finds himself challenged. Amidst battles, heartache,
and dark mystery, he must somehow rise to meet the difficulties of his
life with honor. Will he ever win his squire’s heart? Will he and
Clarissa be forever separated?
Join Sir Kenneth, Brion, and all
the comrades of honor in a tale of perseverance, chivalry, and
unconditional love. Treachery abounds and evil seems insurmountable.
Will rising to the challenge preserve honor and win the day?"
I must read the second before even considering this one- ahem! Moving on, there are two due out in Spring.
An Uncertain Choice- Jody Hedlund & Dauntless- Valiant Hears Series # 1- Dina Sleiman- Early March
First of all, Jody Hedlund breaks into the YA Genre with her new Romance An Uncertain Choice due out on March 3rd Published by Zondervan.
"Due to her parents'
promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun
on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a
friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents'
will left a second choice. If Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her
eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.
Before
long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave
knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly
results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the cloister
is the best place after all. If only one of the knights the one who
appears the most guilty had not already captured her heart."
Personally, the characters on the cover look to much like pop-stars for my liking- but don't judge a book by its cover as they say!
It looks as though Bethany House are in competition, for on the very same day the first title in Dina Sleiman's new Medieval Trilogy is also due out entitled Dauntless.
"Though once a baron's
daughter, Lady Merry Ellison is willing to go to any lengths to protect
the orphaned children of her former village. Dubbed "The Ghosts of
Farthingale Forest," her band of followers soon become enemies of the
throne when they hijack ill-gotten gold meant for the king.
Timothy
Grey, ninth child of the Baron of Greyham, longs to perform some feat
so legendary that he will rise from obscurity and earn a title of his
own. When the Ghosts of Farthingale Forest are spotted in Wyndeshire,
where he serves as assistant to the local earl, he might have found his
chance. But when he comes face-to-face with the leader of the thieves,
will he choose fame or love?"
Yes, the cover model does bear a resemblance to Kiera Knightley. The author tells me the cover was inspired by a pic from one of her early movies about the daughter of Robin Hood.
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest- Melanie Dickerson- May 12th
Yes indeedy, Melanie Dickerson's soon to come fairytale retelling, published by Thomas Nelson, features another courageous female, forest dwelling archer in the leading role.
"Swan Lake" meets Robin
Hood when the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant by day becomes
the region's most notorious poacher by night, and falls in love with the
forester.
Jorgen is the forester for the wealthy margrave, and
must find and capture the poacher who has been killing and stealing the
margrave's game. When he meets the lovely and refined Odette at the
festival and shares a connection during a dance, he has no idea she is
the one who has been poaching the margrave's game.
Odette
justifies her crime of poaching because she thinks the game is going to
feed the poor, who are all but starving, both in the city and just
outside its walls. But will the discovery of a local poaching ring
reveal a terrible secret? Has the meat she thought she was providing for
the poor actually been sold on the black market, profiting no one
except the ring of black market sellers?
The one person Odette
knows can help her could also find out her own secret and turn her over
to the margrave, but she has no choice. Jorgen and Odette will band
together to stop the dangerous poaching ring . . . and fall in love. But
what will the margrave do when he discovers his forester is protecting a
notorious poacher?"
For the record: I seriously love the cover! I want that model if I ever do write that novel about Alfred the Great's Daughter who lead her army to victory against the Vikings, but that's another story.....
Oswald: Return of the King- Northumbrian Thrones Series #2- Edoardo Albert- Lion Fiction
My next book does bear some resemblance to my literary fantasies- at least in terms of the setting in which London based author Edoardo Albert returns the reader to seventh- century Britain, a land in which rulers sup in the hall with the fellowship of warriors, and an exiled Prince returns to the land of the birth, briefly leaves his mark on history, before stepping into the realm of legend. I know-that sounds corny- but Oswald: Return of the King does indeed tell the story of the early Seventh century King, who grew up in exile in Ireland, where he converted to Christianity, before returning to claim his inheritance- and bringing his new faith with him- the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria. (Which basically consisted of most of of what is now Northern England and parts of Southeastern Scotland).
The release date has not been announced yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to this one (and like the fact that a Brit is making an impression in the Christian Fiction Genre). For the curious, the title may indeed be an allusion to the Lord of the Rings, for it is said that Oswald may have been the inspiration for Tolkien's Aragorn....well he was Professor of Anglo-Saxon studies!
Hawk and the Dove Series- Penelope Wilcock- February 2015-February 2016
UK based Lion Hudson (known is the US as Kregel I believe) are also republishing The seven titles of The Hawk and Dove Series by another Brit, Penelope Wilcock, between February of this year and next year.
The series is set in a Benedictine Monastery in the Yorkshire Moors in the early fourteenth century, and chronicles the lives and struggles of the Brothers, and their formidable Abbot, Peregrine (the name means Hawk) whose life was indelibly changed when he was disabled in a terrible attack at the beginning of his Abbacy in Book One.
I am currently reading an older version of the original three books, published by Crossway, and I'm enjoying it so far with its cast of memorable well-drawn characters, and their relevant, sometimes poignant and relatable spiritual journeys and struggles.The titles in the original Trilogy The Hawk and the Dove, The Wounds of God and The Long Fall are being Published individually in February.
The following three titles,
The Hardest Thing to Do, The Hour Before Dawn and
Remember Me are due for release in July.
Here's the synopsizes of the fourth and fifth books in the series....
"A leader is making his way home. A priory has been torched. And now an enemy is knocking at the door.
Prior
William has caused a lot of pain in his time and is known for being an
evil man. So when his own priory is burned to the ground and he seeks
refuge with the brothers of St. Alcuin, everyone is quite uncomfortably
surprised.
The newly installed Abbot John faces the first
challenge of his leadership as the brothers debate about mercy and
justice, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears in coming
face-to-face with a real enemy. After all, is it not positively
ludicrous to invite a wolf in to live with the sheep? Yet, where is the
beauty of the gospel without the risk of its grace?
Penelope
Wilcock takes us on an imaginative journey into a world rife with
hostility and pain, exploring the complexities of grace, the
difficulties of forgiveness, and the cautions of building trust. Her
intimate knowledge of the human spirit will challenge our very own
prejudices as we, along with her characters, are forced to ask
ourselves, "What is the hardest thing to do, and will anyone actually do
it?"
"An awful crime has been committed.
A leader is shaken to the core.
And together the brotherhood looks toward the dawn of restoration.
Abbot
John never knew he could feel this way--utterly empty, dazed,
breakable. The agony of his soul felt as though the whole of him were
racked . . . stretched . . . stretched . . . stretched to breaking, to
the brink of tearing apart. Having just learned of an unthinkable family
tragedy, the enormity of pain was more than he could bear. How could
this have happened? What could he possibly do?
As heartache and
suffering linger like a cold, dark night, the brothers of St. Alcuin
undertake the greatest task of nurturing the grace of God in their souls
as they eagerly await the coming dawn of healing and hope.
The
Hour before Dawn explores the aftermath of trauma--the space between
suffering and restoration--helping readers understand the grieving
process and nurture an attitude of understanding and kindness."
....and finally, in November, there is, if I am correct, another offering by Melanie Dickerson, so I guess that pushes the total up to Twelve.
So I this blog may be stuck in the Middle Ages for much of this year- somewhere between the seventh and fourteenth centuries, and generally in England, but with one or two forays into Germany. The question is-will I actually have the time to finish the books on my TBR pile and read most of these too?
★★★★ 
