After the death of her cruel father, Brithwin is determined never again to live under the harsh rule of any man. Independent and resourceful, she longs to be left alone to manage her father’s estate. But she soon discovers a woman has few choices when the king decrees she is to marry Royce, the Lord of Rosencraig. As if the unwelcome marriage isn’t enough, her new husband accuses her of murdering … murdering his family, and she is faced with a challenge of either proving her innocence or facing possible execution.
Royce of Hawkwood returns home after setting down a rebellion to find his family brutally murdered. When all fingers point to his betrothed and attempts are made on his life, Royce must wade through murky waters to uncover the truth. Yet Brithwin’s wise and kind nature begin to break down the walls of his heart, and he soon finds himself in a race to discover who is behind the evil plot before Brithwin is the next victim.
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I loved this book by Debbie Lynne Costello! Highly recommend!
This has been quite an adventure as I found myself so completely wrapped up in this story. I loved the time period and was so enchanted by the knights and castles that helped weave a story the never disappointed me. I was intrigued by Brithwin and her unwavering faith in God. She had lived through torment all her life at the hands of the person she knew as her father. His treatment of her scared her and she had a hard time trusting men. Her faith held strong as her life was in danger and I loved how she shared her love for God with others.
When she is set to marry Royce there is much tension between the two. Brithwin is a very strong minded young woman who does not take kindly to men telling her what to do. Royce is not exactly thrilled with the marriage but does was is requested of him. His title of Lord of Rosencraig made Royce very powerful among all. I loved how the author allowed us to witness his skills with a sword and his struggle with forgiveness.
The story has many twists that kept me reading as I had to know what would become of two characters thrown together with no affection for each other. Brithwin is a woman who has always treated everyone fair and I loved how she stood up for people when her husband wanted to place punishment on them. There are two characters in the story that are deeply devoted to Brithwin and they are willing to risk their lives to protect her.
There is definitely a presence of faith in the story and the theme of forgiveness is highlighted with lessons and trials. I loved reading the story which was written with details that made the characters come to life. The author does a good job of taking us back in time when knights were trained to protect at all costs. I could hear the swords clank as we witness fights among men who believed in justice.
The story was very well written and it had a great message about forgiveness, love and trust. God is always there to help us and show us of his unconditional love. I loved how one character finds their way to God and understand that the ultimate price was paid for us. The author not only shares a story of faith but one of what forgiveness feels like.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
This book took me outside of my comfort zone because I am honestly not much of a Medieval literature or Medieval setting reader, which is why I signed up to review it in the first place. As a book reviewer, I try to expose myself to different genres and diverse time periods that I would otherwise probably not explore. Book one in the “Winds of Change” series definitely fits the bill.
Opening in Cumberland, England in 1398, Debbie Lynne Costello’s “Sword of Forgiveness” thrusts the reader into a world of nobility, knighthood, and the days of old. My favorite part of this story was the characters. For the first several chapters, I was not sure that I particularly liked either Brithwin or Royce. Brithwin is a strong, independent, proud female figure, which makes her a rarity for the end of the fourteenth century. I expected her faith to be the weaker of the two, but it was the other way around. Royce comes across as being austere and controlling. They are brought together through an arranged marriage that neither is keen on and which is best summed up by this quotation from the narrative: “Could God make anything good come out of a marriage neither participant wanted?” Indeed, intrigue and treachery add obstacles to the plot, and as Thomas Godfrey so wisely states: “Only God knows a man’s heart. Some men are masters at hiding their true nature.” As Brithwin and Royce experience persistent threats and the vicissitudes of their relationship with each other, they also realize the influence of their past as well as the profound impact that a relationship with God provides.
This is an easy read overall, with a glossary of terms included right before the prologue, but I was glad to be reading this on my Kindle so that I could easily highlight unfamiliar terms and find out their meaning without having to navigate back to the beginning of the book. There were some editing and grammatical errors that were distracting to me but which did not detract from the story itself; I actually did have a Kindle edition of this book that I purchased independently a year or so ago, so this was not a rough copy. Readers searching for a sweet Christian romance taking place in the Middle Ages, with some danger and universal questions about faith that remain relevant today, will enjoy Brithwin and Royce’s journey in “Sword of Forgiveness.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
An absolutely wonderful book! The author takes you back to medieval England, 1398, a time when knights were abundant, Lords married Ladies without love by arrangement of the king, death was a way for one to ascend to levels unwanted and unplanned and forgiveness – what did that have to do with any of this? Lady Brithwin of Hawkwood has much to forgive, but can she trust God enough to do this? Her life has been anything but easy, and yet there does seem to be a hand overseeing it all. Royce has suddenly become Lord of Rosen Craig as everyone in his family has been murdered – but could he find out the truth and discover who had engineered this awful plan and could he then learn to forgive and trust again? Follow the story as this unlikely pair learns to trust, love and forgive.
This ebook was received through CelebrateLit. The five star rating, comments and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.
My Thoughts on Sword of Forgiveness:
I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely a fast read. There are some elements of suspense and mystery along with plenty of fighting and battles to go with the time period.
Brithwin is a wonderful character and I found myself drawn to her. She has such strength and has endured much. I can definitely feel for her and understand why she didn’t want another man above her. Hearing her true life story later in the book explains a lot about why her life is the way it is.
But I have to think about what if. What if her life hadn’t taken the turns it did? She wouldn’t have become the strong woman she is in the book and of course, she wouldn’t have met Royce. But obviously, we wouldn’t have this great book to read either. And I’m a bit partial to the book. It’s really good!
Royce is another great character. He’s strong and noble but he has such a past and burdens that he bears. Can he overcome those? Will he ever truly feel the lifting of his burdens that only comes from God?
Oh and the ending! Guys. Wow. The ending throws you a few more curveballs that you don’t expect too. Loved it! Highly recommend you go get a copy of this book to read now!
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
I read this book many years ago but it’s characters still stay with me. If you are a fan of knights and chivalry, castles and romance this page-turning read is for you.
This has the typical bad relative story but I will admit to being surprised at who did what in the end. I did very much like the Bible references throughout and our main characters getting strength through belief and prayer. Nice touch!
Kept reading and reading – couldn’t wait to find out the ending.
Rather ‘preachy’ for my tastes, as this is apparently written for more religious readers. But still an easy read and a decent story.
While being somewhat predictable, the characters are heartwarming and I always love a happily ever after romance.
Wow….I am a new fan of medieval Christian fiction. This is a can’t put this book down moment. It has drama, romance, suspense, historical, Faith, love, etc all mixed together and the outcome is stupendous. The characters grow and are well developed and the writing is well thought out. At times I wanted to shake Brithwin and Royce and tell them to wake up. i loved the twists and turns that keep you guessing. I won a copy of this novel and am so thankful I did.
Sword of Forgiveness #1 Winds of Change by Debbie Lynne Costello
Cumberland, England 1398. . .Lady Brithwin has known much sorrows and tortures in her life from her cruel father, now deceased. She is determined to never be under a mans rule again, however, she is being forced by the king into a marriage with a man she doesn’t know. . .Royce, the Lord of Rosen Craig. Royce returns home from settling a rebellion and learns his entire family has been murdered. Murdered by the woman he is to marry or someone from her castle? He vows to find who is responsible for the murder of his family, and when he does. . . He must guard his heart from Brithwin and find who is plotting evil before Brithwin is the next victim. Who is loyal and trustworthy? As smart and battle-wise as Royce is and the wisdom and kind nature of Brithwin (she has a lovely name), neither of them notice the very person(s?) among them plotting evil against them. I kept shaking my head and saying to them “open your eyes” when they didn’t see who was plotting evil.
I listened to Sword of Forgiveness audio-book narrated by Anne Flosnik, who did a fantastic job narrating. I loved listening to her narration as she brought the characters from the book to life and did a wonderful job with the different voice inflections. I had trouble stopping the book long enough to go to bed at night, it had captivated me so. I love the medieval time period depicted in the story-line and I enjoyed watching Brithwin and Royce as they learned to trust each other and God, allowing God to direct their paths. With drama, murder and evil plots, deceit, hope, forgiveness, love and faith, chivalrous knights with swords and damsels; Swords of Forgiveness is a captivating story.
How refreshing to read a medieval romance in which the religious theology and personal spirituality significant during the period do not remain ignored by the author. In fact the Christian tradition with its foundational concept of forgiveness features prominently in the development of the primary characters.
While the plot of this book remains quite secular and exhibits the violence, vengeance, betrayal, and manipulative power use typical of the period, the underlying spirituality of Brithwin is demonstrated by her devotion to daily prayer, reflection upon scripture, and turning to a wise spiritual mentor for guidance. She may doubt or question at times, but she nurtures her loving heart through trust and dependence upon a greater divine power. Caught in a dark time of personal failure and loss, Royce, who has wed Brithwin by order of King Richard, cannot even pray, let alone forgive himself or others, nor trust and depend upon God.
The author includes plenty of action and evil-doers, and develops the characters nicely. Some parts of the action were predictable, but frankly I got more caught up in the touching spiritual journeys of Brithwin and Royce than the betrayals and manipulations for power and authority. The absence of explicit sexual scenes seems apropos to the spiritual theme in the book.
I recommend this book to medieval romance readers who have an interest in spiritually evolving characters and a love that endures many trials.
Author Debbie Lynne had me captivated from the beginning to end in her amazing novel Sword of Forgiveness (Winds of Change Book 1) It made me cringe with anger at the way Brithwin was treated and at how she was disregarded as a woman. However she had courage and strength that made me cheer her on when she stood up for herself. I love how she faces the conflict in her marriage and holds on to her faith.
When I began reading this book, I was immediately hooked and had to find out how the story would turn out. Brithwin and Royce provide quite the storyline. Her father who mistreated her has died and he has lost his parents and his brother. Led to believe that Brithwin’s castle is responsible for his family’s death, but being forced by their king to marry, Royce sets out to reconcile what he has been told with the truth.
I loved how this storyline and the characters developed. Tragedy, loss, and miscommunication plague this couple on their journey to find true love and their happily ever after. Danger, intrigue, twists and turns and more fill the pages of this book. So check it out for yourself.
I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.
Very good
Too sterile
Good use of the period. It was also an easy read. The villains were not well written or believable but the hero and heroine were enjoyable. It was also a clean read.