"Beholden" by Jody Hedlund -- Book Review

 About the Book 

In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .

A beautiful noblewoman with a terrible secret, and a prince subjected to slavery.

Upon the death of her wealthy father, Lady Gabriella is condemned to work in Warwick’s gem mine. As she struggles to survive the dangerous conditions, her kindness and beauty shine as brightly as the jewels the slaves excavate. While laboring, Gabriella plots how to avenge her father’s death and stop Queen Margery’s cruelty.

Prince Vilmar of Scania enslaves himself in Warwick’s gem mine as part of a royal test to prove himself the most worthy of three brothers to become the king’s successor. Amidst the hardships, he doesn’t anticipate his growing compassion for the other slaves, especially tenderhearted Gabriella.

As the annual summer ball looms nearer, Gabriella sets into motion her plan to end Queen Margery’s evil. When Vilmar learns of Gabriella’s intentions, he resolves to come to her aid and fight against Warwick’s queen. But doing so may require him to give up his chance of becoming Scania’s next king, perhaps even cost him his life.

The real Cinderella story.

My Thoughts

"Beholden" is the first book in the Fairest Maidens series. The book drew me in and kept me enthralled all the way through. I felt the book was well written and had a nice flow. There was a nice biblical thread through the story. The characters grow and change and learn throughout the book. This is a clean romance and the characters only kiss. When I was reading and recognized certain places and people, I was excited to realize that this series was tied to Jody Hedlund's Lost Princesses series. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

About the Author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.

Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).

When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.

"Beholden" is available in paperback:

• Paperback : 256 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1733753451
• ISBN-13 : 978-1733753456
• Product Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.64 x 8.5 inches
• Publisher : Northern Lights Press (September 22, 2020)
• Reading level : 13 - 18 years

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size : 4122 KB
• Publisher : Northern Lights Press (September 22, 2020)
• ASIN : B088NMW8PW
• Word Wise : Enabled
• Publication Date : September 22, 2020
• Print Length : 258 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN : 1733753451

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.