Tuesday, November 29, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: A Kingdom's Cost: A Novel of Scotland by J.R. Tomlin


5/5 Stars


Publisher: Albannach Publishing (April 5, 2016)
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Print Length: 281 pages


Blurb


Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch, helpless, as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, James's blood-drenched homeland may still have one hope for freedom, the rightful king of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny.

The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king in name and nothing more. Scotland is occupied, the Scottish resistance crushed. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. With driving determination, he blazes a path in blood and violence, in cunning and ruthlessness as he wages a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows he risks sharing Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.


My Review


As a fan of the historical fiction author, J.R. Tomlin, as well as a huge fan of Scotland's history, especially The Black Douglas, I was more than excited to read this novel. The author does an amazing job of staying as true to Scotland's history as possible, without coming across as though you were reading a textbook. "A Kingdom's Cost" is yet another great historical fiction novel by J.R. Tomlin, and The Black Douglas, aka James Douglas, is brought to life for the reader. 

I've read a couple of books dealing with his life, and I felt that I was able to get to "know" him, and what drove him to become so determined and loyal to Scotland, best with this novel. James Douglas was loved by Scotland's people and their king, Robert the Bruce; however, this meant that he was one of England's greatest enemies at one point in time. His intelligence and knowledge of ways to beat the English, even though greatly outnumbered and having much less artillery, made him a legend in his country. This novel is the first in a series of three, and it gives you a look into exactly why he chose the path of fighting for his country's freedom, no matter the personal cost; and he did suffer a great amount of personal loss. The author does a great job of showing his readers what James Douglas was up against, his strength of character, as well as his loyalty to his country and king.

If you are a fan of Scotland's history, with William Wallace, The Bruce, The Black Douglas, etc., than I 100% recommend this book (and series) to you. In fact, I recommend all of J.R. Tomlin's novels, as I am a huge historical fiction fan, and she does a fantastic job of bringing real people, who died long ago, back to life for the reader. She is definitely one of my top 10 favorite authors for this genre. A solid five out of five star rating from me!


About the Author


J. R. Tomlin is the author of seven historical novels: The Black Douglas Trilogy (A Kingdom's Cost, Countenance of War, and Not for Glory), A King Ensnared, A King Uncaged and Freedom's Sword, as well as a historical mystery, The Templar's Cross. She has also co-authored several fantasies with C. R. Daems: Blood Duty, Talon of the Unnamed Goddess, The Shadow Ryana, and The Shadow Gypsy.

She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh whilst growing up. Her historical novels are set in Scotland. You can trace her love of that nation to the stories of the Bruce and the Good Sir James her grandmother read her when she was small and to her hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun.

In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.



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Purchase The Black Douglas Trilogy on Amazon



1 comment:

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