An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund: A Book Review

An Uncertain Choice
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: YA, Christian, Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Zondervan
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 252
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis: 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 convent 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.

My Review: An Uncertain Choice is a medieval Bachelorette. Lady Rosemarie is forced to enter the convent when she turns eighteen. She is reluctantly prepared for her life as a nun, when her godfather, the Duke of Rivenshire finds a new alternative to Rosemarie’s fate. If she can marry for true love before she turns eighteen then she would not have to enter the convent. The duke then brings Rosemarie to his three knights hoping that she will fall in love with one of them. Each of the knights court her until Rosemarie can find which knight is her true love. Can Rosemarie escape her destiny to enter the convent or does God have something else planned for her?

I did not really like Rosemarie all that much. She seems like an undeveloped character. All we know is that she cares for the poor and is really beautiful. Other than that, she comes across as a selfish person. She thinks about herself all the time. She does not seem to care for other people or ask the knights and the duke for what they want. She does not ask them what she will do for them, rather it is what they will do for her. I really did not see her as a caring person. Instead, her compassion for the poor seemed to be rather shallow, for she is wanted to be seen as a great lady to her people. I also did not think that she was smart, for some of the choices she made were not bright. Also, Rosemarie was a damsel-in-distress and always needed saving. Thus, I found her to be a weak character and was not given much depth.

Overall, this book is about love and choices. The message of the book is that it is our hardest trials where we see God’s love. The characters were one-dimensional, and there was not really much of a plot in this novel. Instead much of the story revolves around her courtship with three men to see whom she likes the best. The story was also very predictable. Another thing that I did not like about this book was that the ending had an unnecessary cliffhanger. For those of you who are looking for a light, quick, Christian medieval love story, you might enjoy this book. However, this book falls short with other YA, Christian medieval romances. I recommend Melanie Dickerson’s or Dina L. Sleiman’s books instead.

Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars

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