Predictable middle-ages romance

Chivalrous

By Dina Slieman
Series: Valiant Hearts (Book 2)
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (September 8, 2015)
ISBN-10: 076421313X
ISBN-13: 978-0764213137
Approximate Lexile: 750

Publisher’s Blurb:

Strong and adventurous Gwendolyn Barnes longs to be a knight like her chivalrous brothers. However, that is not an option for her, not even in the Arthurian-inspired Eden where she dwells. Her parents view her only as a marriage pawn, and her domineering father is determined to see her wed to a brutish man who will break her spirit.

When handsome, good-hearted Allen of Ellsworth arrives in Edendale searching for his place in the world, Gwendolyn spies in him the sort of fellow she could imagine marrying. Yet fate seems determined to keep them apart. Tournaments, intrigue, and battles--along with twists and turns aplenty--await these two as they struggle to find love, identity, and their true destinies.

My Thoughts:

A little predictable. I already knew how Gwendolyn and Allen would meet, long before they did, in fact, meet that way. The writing is fine, although some of the dialogue, in the attempt to be representative of the time period, comes off sounded stilted.

Slieman seems to have done her homework, and explains her worldbuilding in her notes at the end of the book.

There’s a definite divide in the characters—basically, they’re obvious “good guys” or obvious “bad guys.” There are very few who have a mixture of those qualities.

Gwendolyn is a little too good to be true—beautiful, strong, has cute dogs, kind to her servant, develops a testimony of God. Allen—well, he’s a paragon, too. Even their faults are attractive.

My favorite scene might just be the one in which Gwendolyn calls out her father and they have a fistfight. There’s no redeeming quality about the man at all—a flat, stock character.

Rosalind, Gwendolyn’s maid, is a more interesting and complex character, who faces deeply affecting choices—and their consequences. It is too bad that she is allowed to simply disappear from the story without any actual resolution. Some are speculating that she will be the focus of the next book in the series.

That said, I have not read the first book of the series, and did not find that to be a problem. Yes, characters from the first appear in the second, but it is not necessary to know the details of their backstory.

 Possible objectionable material:

Out-of-wedlock pregnancy, followed by abortion. Murder. Violence (hey, it’s what knights do.) Spousal/child abuse. None of this is particularly graphic, but it is there. Make no mistake—this is Christian fiction. An important facet of the characters’ inner lives is their relationship with God. If you are not religious, this could range from mildly annoying to downright incomprehensible.

Who would like this book:

Readers of Christian fiction, young adult romance, stories about knights and chivalry. Since there are multiple POVs, it is not actually dominated by males or females. Approximate Lexile: 750.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance reader e-book.