My Review

Genre: Young Adult Medieval Romance.


My Rating: 4 and 1/2 Stars.


Recommendation: Its probably better for 14 and up because of romance.


My favorite character is: Lady Olivia is brave and stubborn, protective and yet kind when she wants to be. She is my favorite of Miss Hedlund’s heroines so far out of all her books I’ve read.

My Verse for Lady Olivia is Matthew 10:31
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. King James Version.



Sir Aldric is a troubled man and feels guilty when anyone under his protection gets hurt even if it wasn’t really his fault which is better than if he didn’t care. I felt bad for him and he was a nice character.


My Verse for Sir Aldric is Psalm 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. King James Version.

Spoilers ahead! So, if you don’t want to know what happens and why I only gave A Loyal Heart 4 and 1/2 Stars stop reading NOW.


My thoughts: So, don’t get me wrong I loved this book, but the ending was too fast, and I’ve noticed that in a lot of Miss Hedlund’s books that one character gets hurt, wounded or sick and another character gets hurt falls unconscious then wakes up and the other character is ALL better with little or no side effects, then they have the wedding within the next two months! Seriously in the medieval era especially it took a while to recover from a sword wound, and wounds would very likely get infected. I still read Miss Hedlund’s books because they are well written, and she is a very good author.

I received this book from Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest review and the thoughts are my own. ( )

Title: A Loyal Heart
Author: Jody Hedlund
Pages: 305
Year: 2018
Publisher: Northern Lights Press
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
This is another wonderful medieval romance with knights, castles and a damsel in distress. Okay, so maybe this damsel courts distress as she is adept at wielding a sword and wearing armor and enjoys a good fight. Lady Olivia is the oldest of three children and her father is an earl. Her father has always preached that loyalty to family comes first. As a young child, Olivia held her father’s favor and love in her view. When her baby brother was born, her father spent less and less time with her. Olivia felt the loss keenly. Now, her father is living at another of his homes while Olivia and her younger sister Isabelle live at Ludlow Castle. With her father away, the castle is vulnerable to attack. Lord Pitt attacks the castle because her father has not paid a debt Olivia thinks, so she and Isabelle are captured and held for ransom. Instead of sending a ransom, her father secretly sends her a note to steal a valuable relic in Lord Pitt’s possession. Olivia knows if she can do this, she will earn his love. The only problem is the handsome knight who captured her refuses to leave her side for fear she will try to escape.
Aldric of Windsor has captured Lady Olivia and taken possession of her castle’s wealth. He is plagued with her constant escape attempts on the journey back to Lord Pitt’s land. She has skill with a sword he learns, but she is also fiercely protective of her younger sister. When they arrive at Lord Pitt’s, Aldric secretly keeps an eye on Olivia and knows she is searching for something as they await the ransom payment. Aldric doesn’t know that the ransom payment won’t be arriving. Lady Olivia is feisty and strong-willed. She won’t act the docile lady for anyone. She challenges him at every turn. He is captured by her beauty and spirit, but he can’t release himself from the guilt of his past to free his heart. Besides, she would never be interested in him, right?
I have read most of these stories set it the medieval times and thoroughly loved every one of them! There is a happily ever-after ending to each one, but the journey to get there isn’t easy. Excitement and tension along with a faith element are involved as well as traits like honesty, honor, respect, determination and much more. These are quick reads, but packed with great examples of characters to emulate and stories to treasure! ( )

“A Loyal Heart” by Jody Hedlund is a book I could not put down! This is the fourth book in the “An Uncertain Choice” series. I have read and loved all of the books in this series, but one can definitely read this book as a standalone. This book may just be my favorite one out of the series!

What makes this book so great? Well first of all, it includes knights and a kick-butt heroine during the medieval time period! Ms. Hedlund has awesome characters that young and old alike can relate to. Lady Olivia, our heroine, is a warrior; isn’t afraid to fight; and is feisty, stubborn and proud. Olivia grew up practicing sword drills and fighting maneuvers instead of sitting around doing needlework. She is no damsel in distress. While our hero is imprisoned, Olivia must risk her life to save those she loves. I love that Olivia struggles with true fear when faced with possibly being executed. In her fear, she turns to Christ and prays more than she ever has. She also struggles with trying to earn her father’s approval and learning about seeking God’s approval first and foremost.

Our hero, Sir Aldric, is noble, chivalrous and kind. I think many readers will find him swoon-worthy. I love how he tries to be above reproach physically and even has a chaperone with himself and Olivia in certain situations where they might be tempted. Sir Aldric and Lady Olivia have some great bantering scenes. I especially like the scene where the two banter while dancing, reminding me a lot of the famous “Pride and Prejudice” dancing scene.

This is a book I’d feel comfortable giving to a pre-teen or teen. It has action, adventure, romance and great values. Ms. Hedlund deals with the issue of loyalty, and how we need to be loyal to God and His ways first, instead of just trying to please men. Our characters also learn about becoming stronger through their failures and that one’s past doesn’t define them. I highly recommend this book!

Content: This is a clean read with a PG rating for some minor content. Some examples of the content are: a man has a past of drinking and gambling: someone has tried to commit suicide in their past, they also drank and gambled; there’s a situation where a man is taking a bath and a woman unknowingly enters the room, when she realizes he’s there she doesn’t see anything and nothing improper happens; characters drink ale with a meal; some violence; a character is asked if they’ve been defiled by the enemy; some torture.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Historical fiction; Romance; Young Adult; Medieval

I want to thank Jody Hedlund, Celebrate Lit and Northern Lights for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255. ( )

I’m so happy Jody Hedlund is continuing her medieval YA books. While A Loyal Heart stands on it’s own, fans of For Love and Honor will recognize the hero in this new release (and the other knights from the previous books do make brief cameos).

Lady Olivia is one tough cookie. While young and not as strong as the men, she will fight to save those she loves. She’s not afraid to try and escape those who have taken her and her sister captive or speak her mind.

Sir Aldric has worked to pay off his debt to Lord Pitt as well as worked his way up to captain of his guard but Lady Olivia’s escapades are beyond what he’s expected. But he also can’t help but admire the feisty woman who is awakening feelings he’d believed lost to him.

With swordfights, evil plots, a forced betrothal, and lots of romance, Hedlund delivers another highly enjoyable read that teenage girls will love (the boys may groan at all the wooing and romance). These books only get better as the series continues.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. ( )

I have visions of a knight with armor on a white horse galloping across the pages as I read this adventurous story. The author glistens the scenes with dungeons, knights, ladies in waiting and Lords that oversee castles and surrounding lands. I stepped back in time to an era that is filled with intrigue and characters that jump off the pages.

Lady Olivia is a beautiful young woman with fiery red hair and eyes like emeralds. She sure did surprise me with her skill as an expert with a sword. I would want her on my side when I was in trouble . Her love for her family is very evident and she is willing to sacrifice herself to spare any harm to come to them. Sometimes I thought Lady Olivia was her own worst enemy. She just couldn't stay out of trouble when she and her sister are captured.

Sir Aldric is strong and takes his duties very serious. He has his hands full with Lady Olivia when he finds out she has been retained in the dungeon. What is Lady Olivia trying to find that puts her in danger? Will she stay loyal to her family, or turn her back on them? There is a lot riding on Lady Olivia making right choices. I loved the theme of trust and loyalty. You can't have a relationship without either one. Will Sir Aldric save Lady Olivia and her sister? Don't miss this wonderful story of loyalty and trust.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )