I enjoyed the engaging, well thought out plotline in this adventure story.  The characters are steady and developed well.  There is a dash of romance, but the adventure of Rose finding her place and becoming a strong, capable woman and preparing to be a wise, generous monarch takes center stage. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Crown of Rosemund drew me in to the story from the start. I loved the time period, the challenges she faced, and the journey from beginning to end. I liked the supporting characters, especially Maxwell and Ricker, and how the friendships developed through the book. The only thing I did not like was the abrupt jumps mid-chapter to different times or events. I think if the book is formatted correctly, with a break in the page and some symbol, this would be less disorienting. I would be reading along and suddenly things wouldn't make sense, until I realized the author had moved forward in the story timeline.

The Crown of Rosamund is a wonderful story about a princess in a fictitious kingdom trying to regain is after she comes of age. But before she can claim it, she will have to learn how to be a strong leader. With the guidance from Jacob and the people she meets while in safe keeping she will learn lessons and build relationships to help guide her in the future.

This is a fantasy novel, probably aimed at teenagers based on Rose's age. I had a hard time liking Rose because she was timid and fearful, though she was generous and meant well. She kept telling people that she needed to claim the throne before the Regent killed everyone off through his policies, then the next chapter would happen (which was a jump of a month or three months later) and she'd done nothing. That happened again and again. She only tried for the throne when the option of staying as a peasant was taken away from her. But, hey! The people had nothing to lose anymore so were willing to fight the Regent, so it turned out to be perfect timing.

But she acted impulsively and made poorly thought out plans, so she lost supporters. She was more intent on declaring herself Queen than getting her small army into the castle when the enemy was vulnerable, so she only won because one of her smart supporters saw the flaw in her plan. About the smartest thing she did was fall in love with a well-educated merchant's son who had better training to be king than she ever received.

That's the other thing. The beginning involved a lot of telling rather than showing. We're told she's taught this, that, the other, so that she would know how to rule. She's always been the heir, though, so why wasn't she learning this her whole life? The only things she seemed to have actually learned was how to farm and to fight, and she tended to punch her allies for being more concerned about her safety than she was. She was constantly letting "her emotions get the better of her." This led to impulsive, foolish decisions that should have ended up with her dead but somehow always worked out well. So at least she's lucky. There was no sex or bad language.

I was really intrigued by Rosemund's story because we really don't see a lot of Medeival historical fiction right now. I really loved how Rosemund grows so much over the course of this book. She starts off as a painfully shy girl and grows into the strong, kind woman she was born to be.
Parts of this book did feel slow and a bit repetitive, particularly in the beginning.. Once Rose met Maxwell and Ricker, I was sucked into the story and in wondering how Rose was going to succeed in her quest.
3.5 stars.

I really love any medieval storyline! Give me a Princess learning to lead and grow strong in the process, and I am hooked! This was an awesome adventure for Rosemund! I really enjoyed the character development and interaction between all of them!! The description of the surroundings were lush and beautiful! The only thing I would have added was more romance... but there was enough to keep me wanting! Thank you!!

This book kept me reading to find out how everything would work out in the end, and I think that is a sign of a good book. This book isn't my normal genre of reading (I would classify it as YA). but I did enjoy it. I did think the beginning was a little slow, but once I pushed through it did speed up. I think the beginning helped you get to know. If you've read and enjoyed Jody Hedlund's Fairest Maidens series you would enjoy this book.

This book was amazing! The storyline flowed with intense and beautiful moments. The characters are easy to relate to, and easy to look up to. The power in this story and the love that Rose has for God is truly inspiring. Thank you, Michele Ashman Bell.

The Crown of Rosemund is an outstanding historical fiction read filled with adventure! I absolutely loved this story. The details written surrounding the setting, time period, location, characters – wonderful. I could see this being a movie or tv show – it was THAT good! If you love the medieval time period and historical fiction – you will love this! I also love that we have some aspects of faith and discussions surrounding prayer, God, heaven etc.

I especially enjoyed the relationship between Jacob and Rosemund. His loyalty to her and her family – truly inspiring and beautiful. The scenes between them were some of my most favorites. They have a true grandfather – granddaughter relationship style and it truly made you love them together.

Rosemund’s growth and character development was truly heart warming to witness. While she struggled, she never gave up. She constantly fought for the people she cared about – whether it be Jacob, Maxwell or people of Anduron.

Wonderful story and ending. I couldn’t put it down and thank you Covenant Communications and NetGalley for providing this free advanced copy for me to review. This is one of my favorites I’ve read in a long time!

This book held my interest and was pretty darn good! I liked the characters and enjoyed the setting (middle ages) and the romance was believable and sweet. I will probably be buying this in paperback so I can have it for my own!

When 15-year-old Princess Rosemund's parents are killed in an attack on the family castle by the corrupt Sir Drake, she must flee with one of her father's most trusted advisors. Disguised as a boy, Rosamund adopts the name of Silas and secretly trains to take her rightful place on the throne. Together with the aging advisor, Jacob, Rosamund (as Silas) settles into life as a country peasant, and is joined in her training by two teen boys from the nearby village., Maxwell and Ricker. When her beloved country is plagued by drought, starvation and the brutality of Sir Drake's soldiers, Rosamund knows it is time to act. Will Rosamund succeed in her attempt to overthrow Sir Drake? How will her friends respond when they find out who she really is? Find out in this compelling tale of action and intrigue, with a little romance added in. Middle school and high school fans of royal dramas will enjoy this fictional peek into life in the middle ages.

#thecrownofrosemund #netgalley

I love Michele Ashman Bell's books, they're really good. This one was tough for me to get into, it just didn't engage me like her other books have.

Overall, I liked The Crown of Rosemund. It was well written and engaging. I really enjoy reading historical fiction and sometimes they can all blend together however The Crown of Rosemund takes a different route in order to get the main character from where she was in the beginning to the end. I liked that it did not have a love story and that it showed Rosemund as a character unto herself without a man behind her. The one thing that I will say is that initially I had a hard time getting into the book but the pace does pick up as the story goes on.

In the beginning of the book, we meet Princess Rosemund and her caretaker, Joseph who are fleeing their castle after her parents, the King and Queen, have been killed. They take shelter in a old cottage where Joseph grew up and become friendly with the locals that live there. Rosemund pretends to be a young boy, while Joseph plays her grandfather and while Joseph tells her about what she will need to do in order to get back her throne, she meets two other boys, Maxwell and Ricker who end up being her friends for the long haul. The rest of the book goes through the trials and tribulations that lead her eventually back to her parents’ castle and the fight between her and the man who she thinks killed her parents.

I like the idea of this book as secret identities (especially when a girl pretends to be a boy and kicks but (hello, Mulan)) is one of my favorites. The execution however...I don’t know. I couldn’t ever find myself completely immersed in the story. I couldn’t feel the characters emotions or imagine myself right there beside them.

Who doesn't like a book about a princess in hiding trying to regain her throne? I know that it is a well-worn story line, but I still love it. This was a great easy read. I wanted Rose to succeed, and I enjoyed reading about her transformation. Was it predictable? Yes, but that is ok. The only critique that I have is that the middle was a little long. I thought it needed a bit more of a middle book crisis.

One more thing--this book is very clean. There is some violence, minor, but the romance is quite clean, just a kiss at the end.

Thank you publishers and netgalley for the free e-arc.

The Crown of Rosemund was an underwhelming read. The main protagonists never grew past their first impressions, while the villain was a stereotypical tyrant. Glaring historical inaccuracies sealed this book's fate for me.

Rosemund is a spoiled young princess when we first meet her, and she never grows up even with the hardships she endures. Even towards the end of the book, she is headstrong, arrogant, and unwilling to listen to others' advice when it goes counter to what she wants. Part of this can be placed on Jacob's shoulders as he focuses on combat training rather than strategy or being a good ruler. He was a frustrating character because he would talk about what needed to be done, then go back to combat training rather than work toward the end goal. It is sheer luck that wins the day instead of strategy or planning.

Sir Drake doesn't help matters as he runs around as the quintessential villain that needs to be overthrown who only the corrupt and hard-hearted would follow. There is nothing remotely interesting about his character. Honestly, it was surprising that he didn't find Jacob and Rosemund, given that they continually put themselves at risk by referring to each other as Jacob and Princess after taking on new identities as disguises.

A bland story is bad enough, but there are jarring historical inaccuracies that kept pushing me out of the story. Some of it is nitpicky, like the fact that fifteenth-century castles did not have drawing rooms. But the author completely ignores that the only Bible in 1499 was in Latin, so no priest would be quoting it in the vernacular. Also, the Reformation and Henry VIII's blow-up with the Catholic Church hadn't occurred yet to weaken the Church's control of marriages. I don't expect fiction novels to be 100% historically accurate, but glaring issues like this just make a lousy book worse.

The premise was appealing, but the book wasn't able to follow suit. It's a pity, but The Crown of Rosemund does not gleam for this historical fiction fan.

I really couldn't get through this one. It wasn't for me. I think it might be for a younger audience. I didn't love how the dialogue was a lot of information for the reader. It didn't seem natural. I lost interest.

In The Crown of Rosemund by Michele Ashman Bell, princess Rosemund finds herself in hiding after her parents are murdered. In the care of Jacob, her parents' trusted servant and friend, "Rose" learns what it's like to be part of the kingdom, gaining strength and wisdom for the time when she hopes to regain her parent's throne from the evil ruler who will stop at nothing to see her dead also.

While The Crown of Rosemund follows a predictable plot typical of fantasy novels, the characters endear themselves to the reader--Princess Rose, especially. She's likeable, honest, idealistic, yet teachable. Love for her people fuels her desire to rule with justic and grace. Along the way, Rose meets a variety of folks, from Maxwell, who becomes an ally, to his puzzling half-brother Ricker, to some gypsy-like characters, trusting villagers, and even evil soldiers. The pastoral setting reminds readers of the time of Robinhood, and references to praying and asking for God's help and blessing hint of a belief in God, though it's not an overly large part of the story.

The book itself provides a good storyline with plenty of action, and believable characters. Best of all, it's a clean read with no questionable language, no overly descriptive violence, and no unneeded sexual scenes. It's a good, clean, enjoyable story. Readers will not be disappointed with The Crown of Rosemund, but will likely long for another installment to find out what happens next for Rosemund. It's definitely an author I'll be recommending to teens and friends looking for clean fantasy

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a YA type novel set in medieval times. This was a quick, clean read that reminded me of Sleeping Beauty in some ways...rose as main character, living in a cottage in the woods hiding out, etc. I liked the twists in the story and thought it was well written.

Oh. My. Goodness. This book is so much goodness. I could not put it down. I was so intent on reading this story that my hubby was not able to distract me with his usual distractions.

Rosemund is a new favorite Heroine. This story is girl power in all it's finest without being overtly girl power. This girl is a true leader and faced difficulties when her parents (the king and queen) were killed when she was 15. Her father's trusted advisor was given the knowledge she would need to train her to become queen and lead her people. She is forced to hide out as boy while her country is devastated by her parents' killer. Jacob becomes like a grandfather to her as he trains her to survive and they work together. Along the way they are faced with moments of determining who is a friend and who is a foe. Through it all Rose's leadership skills, kindness, and love of her people grows.

This is truly a story of her growth and development to the time where she must retake her parent's throne to save her people.

This story was beautifully written and left me wanting more in all the best ways, What a way to start a new year. I will gladly be in line to purchase it as it is released. Well written with well developed main characters and side characters that add rather than detract. I felt drawn into this world and didn't want to leave. I felt like I lived her heartache and triumph with her.

I received an early copy and this is my honest review.