Skip to main content

For Love and Honor by Jody Hedlund: A Book Review

For Love and Honor
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance 
Publisher: Zondervan
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Pages: 324
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?

     Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?

     As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise?

     My Review: Sir Bennet returns home to find his family in debt and is forced to marry for money. He decides to enter into an arranged marriage to a wealthy noblewoman. Sabine is very wealthy, but she hides a secret. She has a blemish on her arm that many people think brands her as a witch. Because of her birthmark, she has very little chance of making a good marriage. She and her grandmother go to Sir Bennet’s castle to be wooed by the knight himself. Sabine finds herself falling in love with him. What happens when his family’s debtors decide to attack his castle, and what happens if Sabine’s birthmark is exposed? Will they be able to look past the other’s imperfections and love the other for who they truly are?

  Sabine is  a fun character. She has a dry sense of humor that draws Sir Bennet to him. She also has an appreciation for art. She is very clever and wants to help him out even if he marries her for her money. She is also very insecure, not only because of her birthmark, but also because she is plain. She doesn’t believe that anyone can love her. Throughout the novel, she gradually comes to accept her flaws and love herself. Thus, Sabine was a very relateable character because she embarks on a journey to be confident in herself and gradually changes throughout the novel.

    As for Sir Bennet, he didn’t really change much in this novel. I found him hard to like. He is very judgemental at times, and I didn’t like his actions in the beginning of using Sabine for her money. When he realizes that this is wrong, he makes a vow to not marry for her money. Thus, he seemed very honorable the whole time, and was more of a flat character. He was described as an all-around perfect hero. I wanted there to be more character development and felt that he was not really worthy of Sabine.

      Overall, this book is about choices, love, and redemption. The message of this book is to love yourself and to look past a person’s outward appearance. I thought Sabine’s storyline of people thinking she was a witch was more interesting than Sir Bennet’s storyline where his family are in debt. The story was very action-packed and fast-paced. I thought that there needed to be more development from the side characters. The one that I really adored was the grandmother, who did everything in her power to get Sabine and Sir Bennet together. I was glad to see the returning characters of Sir Derrick and Sir Collin, but I wanted the series previous leading ladies to make an appearance, which sadly they didn’t. Still, this was a sweet love story and a strong conclusion to the Uncertain Choice series. I recommend this story to anyone who likes unconventional love stories and those who want to see someone with inner beauty succeed in finding happiness.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen: A Book Review

  Iceberg Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre: Children, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure Publisher: Scholastic Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 317 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : As disaster looms on the horizon, a young stowaway onboard the Titanic will need all her courage and wits to stay alive. A thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen!     Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic . Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.     But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic ’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that m...

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Rose Code Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: 2021 Pages: 635 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.        Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.       Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.       1947, London.        Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the roya...