I loved this exciting, clean, medieval-esque romance. Even though the structure of the tale was a familiar one, the dressing of it was unique with the heroine being a girl. I enjoyed the fact that even though there were potentially some very graphic fighting scenes, the author didn’t indulge in gore. I could appreciate the fighting without having to skip very much reading because I don’t like to read that kind of stuff. I found the resolution to be very satisfying. My girls are both YA fans, and they will enjoy it as well. It’s adventurous, clean, and fun to read. I would recommend it to girls 10 or so up to college.

I gratefully received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this fast paced and engaging story. The characters were well written and interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

It's not that I disliked this book. I think the writing style and I just didn't 'gel'. I found it a little slow.

I do love historical fiction and also empowering female characters. I like the fact that Rosemund works hard for everything and that nothing is convenient for her goes to prove her resilience. I think this makes her a really good ruler, but also a good role model.

3.5 rounded up to 4

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a pretty good YA Historical Fiction/Romance book set in 1498 in England.

Princess Rosemund's parents have been murdered by a trusted military leader who betrayed them. Rose is secretly rushed away and hidden in the country by a longtime family friend. As they assume new identities and uncle and nephew and try to blend into a small community, Rose begins to train in self defense and learns survival skills. When Maxwell, a young man from town, asks to train with Rose and her "uncle", Rose earns a faithful friend. As soldiers scour the countryside searching for Rose, Max's trust will be put to the test.

This is a typical "parents murdered, princess hides and learns skills to take her kingdom back and make the villain pay" story, but I still enjoyed it. The story was steady and there weren't too many surprises, but I liked Rose and Maxwell, and especially liked Rose's relationship with her "uncle". Most of the story was pretty simple and predictable, with things always working out just right. That's fine, but a little bit more tension and set-backs would have been better.

I receive a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Covenant Communications. All opinions are my own.

Rosemund's parents, the king and queen, are murdered when she's 16 years old and her father's most trusted advisor, Jacob, whisked her away to safety. In order to hide they cut her hair, disguise her as a young lad named Silas, and live in a small cottage in the woods where Jacob trains her to fight for the time she will need it to rightfully claim the throne. When they must go into the village they refer to each other as grandfather and grandson. Before long, two young men, Maxwell and his brother Riker, join in the training with Rosemund (Silas), whom they believe to be a boy.

I was completely absorbed into this story from the beginning. I can't possibly imagine what Rosemund goes through when are parents are killed. Knowing someone they trusted did it means she doesn't know if there's anyone she can trust besides Jacob. I was afraid for Rosemund and Jacob, hiding from the soldiers sent to find the missing princess. Thank goodness for Jacob! I don't know how he managed to keep Rosemund safe for almost two years, but he does and he turns her into a warrior. Someone who will be able to fight for the throne that is rightfully hers.

I loved her friendship with Maxwell and Riker and how she comes to trust and depend on Maxwell. Thank goodness for Jacob! I liked how the good deeds Jacob and Rosemund do are returned in kind when they decide it's time for Rosemund to fight for the right to rule her people. #WarriorQueen

This is a great book for YA girls because of the strength the author gives the character of Rosemund. She was raised to be a princess but her life took a major detour and she had to learn to do hard things. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher Covenant Communications via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in my review are my own.

I love stories of women warriors! Rosemund has to prepare to stand up and defend her people and she does a great job. She is not handed anything and works and trains to become the young woman needed for a ruler. She provides a great role model for young women looking to do the right thing for the right reasons. Definitely written for YA, still an entertaining read. I received a copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I really enjoyed this book by Michele. It is the first book by her I have read. I really enjoyed how she developed the characters and how she described the scene. She made the characters come alive for me and made them seem like friends who I wanted to know what happened next. I also loved the story and how they main character was a strong young woman willing to do whatever she could to make her kingdom a good place to live and that she was willing to stand up to those who tried to take her rightful place. Great story that I highly recommend!

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

The Crown of Rosemund was an enjoyable reading but maybe it was too YA to my liking. It was too simple and a little bit slow. I think it's good for a younger audience who wants to read this genre for the first time

I really enjoyed this book, so much so I read it in one sitting within a couple of hours. I personally would describe it as young adult historical fiction with a tiny dash or romance.

Rose's parents the king and queen are murdered whilst they sleep, their trusty friend and servant Jacob takes Rosemund into his care and tries to keep her safe until they find out who the killer is, and get her ready to take her place on the throne being only 15 she has much to learn. Faced with lots of challenges and plenty of danger the pair escape to the county and try to live normal lives, pretending to be grandad and grandson. It is during this time in disguise as Silas, Rose meets Maxwell and his brother who will become her trusted friends and companions throughout the story.

It is a true coming of age story and about becoming the best you can be, and in this case who Rose was born to be. She does this in such a caring way that I warmed to both her and Jacob instantly, this is not a spoilt princess who has been pampered her whole life, her parents have obviously brought her up to care for other and those less fortunate than herself. I look forwards to reading other books in the series.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Covenant Communications.

If you’re looking for a romance, this is not the book for you, there is a romance, but it’s a little moment at the end.

However, if you’re want a book that will empower and show the younger girls if your life exactly how to be a strong woman, this is exactly what you’re looking for.

It tells a beautiful coming of age, heroes journey story. There is wonderfully empowering moments and really excellent use of foreshadowing.

The story does often feel a little like you’re being told a story, not experiencing a story. There were also a few plot things that didn’t quite line up for me.

I would however recommend this to any young woman of my acquaintance in a heart beat. I don’t think they have enough stories that show how to be both vulnerable and strong. How to be kind without being taken advantage of. And how to become who you were meant to be and this story does that wonderfully.

**I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley. My words and opinions here are my own, as always.**

I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual twist to a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale. The similarities to the fairy tale were very subtle, enough to make this book stand on its own. I thought it would be heavy on the romance in tense scenes, but nope! It was delightfully strong on Rose developing her own skills, slowly and over time, as the mentorship between her and her father’s trusted advisor is built. She doesn’t just emerge as a warrior, she trains, she outs in the work, her devotion to duty to her future is her first priority—she must be prepared.

Romance? Yes, it is there, but there is much more action and intrigue, character growth and story.

This is an intriguing adventure about a princess coming of age amidst great affliction. After losing her family she trusts very few, however she builds strong friendships with those close to her. There is a great deal of action and adventure. I enjoyed the clever plots used to help Rosemund to win back her kingdom. I would have liked to have watched as Rosemund discovers Maxwell's feeling's for her. This is a terrific story of Rosemund becoming who she is meant to be.

I really love the cover of this book and I have to say that this publisher is crushing it with novel covers overall. They are so unique and connected to the story, just like this one is. I'm a fan.

The Crown of Rosemund is a mixed bag for me. I guess I was expecting something a bit more than I received. The first half of the story is slow. So slow and so repetitive. It was a struggle sometimes to stay connected. I didn't ever feel an emotional connection to any of the characters so the plot really had to be the primary motivator for me to read. The second half of the story got better and picked up in pace a bit.

I really liked the transformation of Rosemund from insecure, sheltered princess to a strong, resilient young woman, ready to fight to be queen. The last bit of the book was my favorite because it was where Rosemund really steps into her role as leader and queen. She bands people together and takes her castle and her position back. There are some good fighting scenes and it felt climactic for sure.

I'm not really sure of the target audience for this book. After reading, I would say the younger set because of the age of Rosemund (about 16) and how the story progresses. The romance isn't really a romance, just a friendship for most of the book. Everything stays pretty surface and as an adult, I was really hoping for more. So, maybe this book would be better suited for the younger YA crowd? That would make more sense.

3/5 stars for this book.

Content: peril, some violence and fighting. One chaste kiss at the end.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! This book is incredible! It is moving, heartfelt, action-packed, full of historical detail with a touch of romance, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "The Crown of Rosemund", I was whisked back in time to the Medieval Era, and went on such an amazing journey with this story!

This is the first book I have read by Michele Ashman Bell, and, oh my goodness, I can't wait to read many more! Her storytelling is breathtaking. She brilliantly brings the past to life, and, I was so immersed in the world of the book, the story, and the characters, that I often forgot I was reading. I felt like I was right there experiencing the story with them. Her characters all feel like such incredibly real people, and you truly feel for many of them, wanting them to find peace and happiness. Some you will root for from the start, some will grow on you, and some you will absolutely hate for their despicable and horrible actions.

Princess Rose is such a strong, brave, caring, kindhearted, and intelligent young woman who must deal with an unimaginable tragedy. After her parents are murdered, Rosemund and Jacob, who is like a grandfather to her, flee and go into hiding in order to keep Rose safe. Knowing one day she will have to fight to take back her throne from the evil man who killed her parents, Rose disguises herself as a boy undergoes training to protect herself. Along with way, she will experience many hardships and triumphs, and will prove to herself she is stronger than she ever could have imagined.

(Possible Spoilers!)
Rose is such an inspiration, and her growth is stunning to read. She never gives up, and continues fighting for what she believes to be right, even through unspeakable tragedies, and when the odds are against her in many ways. She has such a giving heart of gold, and her love for her people is beautiful! I also adore Jacob, Maxwell, Ricker, Sarah, Iagan, and Maxwell's father. What kind, selfless, and incredible people. Even when Rose feels scared and alone, she has them to lean on and for support...and I just loved the hawk symbolism as well. I do not want to spoil any of that here, so, you will have to read to see what it means!

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning to see what would happen next, and I was often on the edge of my seat holding my breath to see how and if everything would be alright. A few moments had me in tears, and others, smiling from ear to ear. I hope we see many of these characters' stories continue as well, as I would love to know what happens next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the ARC of this book, I so enjoyed it! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

On the eve of the 16th century, the worst happens: an unknown assailant murders the king and queen of Anduron. By divine providence the family secreted away their teenage daughter, Rosemund, the previous winter due to growing safety concerns - sparing her life. For now. Rosemund, as sole heir to the crown, finds herself the next target. To save her life, trusted advisor Jacob leads Rose into the safety of obscurity and concealed identity. Will it be enough?

We first meet Rosemund (Rose) in her 15th year, and her immaturity shows; she has much to learn before attempting to reclaim the crown. She grows in strength through her challenges - both literally and figuratively. While she teeters on the edge of being a Mary Sue, we do see a substantial amount of maturation in Rose. As the months progress, she reflects on the strengths of her father's legacy and allows that to mold her vision of her future - with guidance from selfless Jacob and the kind half-brothers Maxwell and Ricker.

I really loved this book. It is not profound and it is not groundbreaking, but it IS a timeless story of good vs. evil, love conquering all, hope triumphing over life's horrors, and for that I give it five stars. Christian themes gently weave through the story in a genuine way. The book is as comforting as it is beautiful and I plan to cherish and re-read it over the coming years. I received an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Violence: Quite violent at times, though not graphic.
Language: No swearing or innuendo
Sensuality: Nothing beyond a chaste kiss
Other Points: A couple mentions of rape within country - not connected to main characters
Appropriate for most ages, with violence being the sole potential concern.

This story is different for Michele Ashman Bell's typical stories. With a deep dive into historical, the whole story makes me longing to know how Rosemund will survive the hostile takeover of her home and crown. There is some deep grief and loss in this story that leads to strong personal growth for the princess. There is a lot that happens over the course of not much time. Michele Ashman Bell does well at creating character development. While the relationships could use some more depth and more of the progression illustrated, overall this was a successful foray into a new genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book just was not for me. I probably went into it expecting too much, but it was only a simple, straightforward, unremarkable and unoriginal story about a princess who finds herself unexpectedly orphaned and is forced to hide and bide her time until she can finally reclaim her rightful place on the throne.

To start off, the characters were really flat: with such a short book, it would have been really difficult to have any introspection and unfortunately it showed. Aside from the carboard personality though, they were also awfully unrealistic, more than once I was wondering whether I was actually reading a novelization of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, with all the “let’s hide in the forest and give everything we have away to complete strangers just because” attitude.

Speaking of fairy-tales, the whole plot felt so familiar and incredibly predictable, if you have any idea of Propp’s theory you’ll hardly find anything surprising in this book and you’ll probably be able to foretell all the “twists” well beforehand and correctly identify the characters and their “roles” pretty quickly too.

Setting-wise, it was also very fairytale-esque in that it had no connection to the real world (as far as I can tell), yet it made frequent reference to an undeniably Christian religion, which would make sense if the story had been set in a medieval European country, so once again it reminded me a lot of the world of fairy-tales, except with no magic, which was a bit of a bummer.

The writing in itself was not even bad, but it just was not enough to make the story enjoyable.

I am not opposed to tropy storylines on the whole, but this one just didn’t have anything *else* that could grip me and hold my attention. What a shame!

What a wonderful story! I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the author. I have read some of her other books, but I didn’t know she wrote historical fiction. I am happy to say, she knocked it out of the park.
The story begins with the king and queen being murdered and the princess Rose, running for her life. Rose and her trusted adviser, Jacob, alter her appearance, and go to a small cottage in the woods. Jacob (aka - Grandfather Arthur) is a wealth of knowledge and proceeds to train Rose (aka - Silas) to fight and protect herself. She also learns many of the castle and family secrets, that will help her overthrow Sir Drake, who has overtaken the castle and reining terror over the villages.
Throughout the story there are many dangers and run with soldiers. The story held my attention throughout and had me gasping (“oh no”) many times. I loved the characters, they were well defined and interesting. I couldn’t put this book down, I was so engrossed in the story, I stayed up into the night to finish it. I would list it as a Christian, Medieval, adventure, YA romance. Rated PG for battle and death scenes. But nothing too gory. I was highly recommend
this book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Crown of Rosamund by Michele Ashman Bell

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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Story Notes

Michele Ashman Bell presents readers with an intriguing story of a young woman fighting to take back the home that was stolen from her but some readers will find it a bit unrealistic.

This story was probably the most diametrically opposed story I've read in a long while. I loved the story as a whole but there were so many pieces of it I didn't like. Let's start with what I did like. I really loved the relationship between Jacob and Rose aka Silas. Situations had thrown them together and they cared deeply for each other and worked hard to help make things easier for the other. Jacob was a fierce defender and a hard taskmaster but everything he did was to teach Rose how to stay alive. Rose made it her goal to do everything Jacob said and make him proud of her. I also liked the introduction and appearances of Maxwell and the gypsies was very well done and helped aid the story in it's depth. Now to what I didn't like. I thought that Rose was not as defined as she should have been. She was at times extremely mature and then extremely childish. I cannot name one 15 year old, including myself, who would have been as uncomplaining as her. She seemed too good to be true and I never really liked her. Maxwell was likeable and interesting at times but needed more depth to round him out. The plot of the story was not very well done either as it seemed rushed and missing important information at times. I kept feeling like I missed something throughout the book and lost a bit of my interest in it along the way. Honestly, I think it would have been better to make this into a series and really give more depth to the characters and the plot line. There just wasn't enough time to do it justice and make the ending believable. I would say this story would be an okay read for a weekend getaway or a beach read but not one I would recommend for serious dystopian readers.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from Covenant Communications via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

I'm very confused about the marketing of this novel and who exactly the intended audience is. The cover is gorgeous - moody and implies a serious, dramatic story, and the synopsis promises "a court controlled by a vengeful new ruler [where] she must play a deadly game of politics in order to seize the throne" so I was expecting an adult historical fiction novel. After diving into the book, what I found was a simplistic story that seems intended for middle and younger-young adult readers. I was anticipating some complexity in the world-building, characters, and relationships, and I'm sad to report that there is very little of that to be found here.

The story is very simple - king and queen are murdered and princess is spirited away by her parents' advisor so the villain doesn't eliminate her and she can return one day and reclaim her throne. Most of the story is Rose punching a dummy and "foraging for nuts and berries" (honestly if I never read that phrase again it'll be too soon) and riding around from village to village. There's a lot of dialogue, and most of it is 'old-fashioned' ie awkward and stilted. Every character speaks in the same manner. There's very little world-building beyond a generic English-based medieval kingdom with royalty and peasants. Nobody has much of a personality, not even Rose, and the romance is paper-thin.

The premise of preparing Rose to be queen centers around having her learn self-defense instead of how to actually lead and rule. After a year of whaling on a dummy in the woods, she becomes strong enough to take on three grown men (or two wolves) at once and come out victorious. Also, even though she's apparently beautiful, cutting her hair to her shoulders and putting on leggings is enough to make her look like a boy, and no one suspects any different. She doesn't have any friends or allies beyond the merchant's sons she befriended while living in the woods - no connections at court or elsewhere, apparently, so there's no "game of politics" as promised. The villain is a cardboard cutout with no motivations besides "power and wine" and everyone knows he killed the former king and queen but apparently there's no council or ministers to hold him accountable.

There's a wicked stepmother (because of course there is) who sleeps around (because of course she does) who is described as "much too observant and inquisitive" and honestly I'd rather read a story about her. She sounds much more interesting. Also, apparently this book is Christian literature, which I hadn't realized or else I wouldn't have requested it. Rose's constant looking heavenward and thanking her almighty God just wasn't for me. The author also decides to throw some ~exotic~ Roma people in the mix, calling them G*psies throughout the text. While I don't believe that every book needs a sensitivity reader, I would expect authors publishing in the year of our lord 2021 not to use racial slurs in their 'historical fiction'.

If you want to read an engaging, well-thought-out YA historical fiction story about a girl dressing as a boy to save her kingdom, read Tamora Pierce's Alanna the Lioness series instead.