Jody Hedlund
Zondervan
Published on March 7, 2017
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
About For Love and Honor
Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?
Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?
As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise?
My Review
Confession: this is totally not my preferred genre, but I’ve ended up reading this series because it’s the type of book my daughter enjoys.
As with An Uncertain Choice, the story follows characters who must marry but dread it. I liked Sabine’s character and the way her interest in art drives her and Sir Bennet together. The scenes from Sir Bennet’s perspective weren’t my favorite. He spent a lot of time agonizing over Sabine’s feelings and his own, which felt a little overly girly to me (not that men can’t be sensitive) and seemed similar to the voice in scenes from Sabine’s point-of-view.
While the characters are young—I think Sabine is seventeen—I would describe the story more as an adult romance with young adult crossover appeal. (As I mentioned, my daughter loves this kind of story right now.) It does make a great romance for younger readers who want that happily-ever-after story without the sexual tension or graphic descriptions.
On the whole, I enjoyed reading the story of Sabine and Sir Bennet in For Love and Honor (though I’m still team Derrick!) and think it will appeal to early young adult or late middle grade readers looking for a light, clean medieval romance.
Cultural Elements
All characters appear to be white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a man and woman. Some descriptions of wanting to kiss.
Spiritual Content
References to prayer. Bennet values Christian artifacts and artwork as holy things because of his faith and what they represent.
Violent Content
A couple battle scenes in which soldiers become injured. Men attempt to burn a woman at the stake after accusing her of being a witch. A man throws a woman into a lake to prove she’s a witch.
Drug Content
Bennett and Sabine occasionally drink ale or wine, usually with a meal.
