Beholden by Jody Hedlund. A Review

About The Book

In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .

A beautiful noblewoman with a terrible secret, and a prince subjected to slavery.

Upon the death of her wealthy father, Lady Gabriella is condemned to work in Warwick’s gem mine. As she struggles to survive the dangerous conditions, her kindness and beauty shine as brightly as the jewels the slaves excavate. While laboring, Gabriella plots how to avenge her father’s death and stop Queen Margery’s cruelty.

Prince Vilmar of Scania enslaves himself in Warwick’s gem mine as part of a royal test to prove himself the most worthy of three brothers to become the king’s successor. Amidst the hardships, he doesn’t anticipate his growing compassion for the other slaves, especially tenderhearted Gabriella.

As the annual summer ball looms nearer, Gabriella sets into motion her plan to end Queen Margery’s evil. When Vilmar learns of Gabriella’s intentions, he resolves to come to her aid and fight against Warwick’s queen. But doing so may require him to give up his chance of becoming Scania’s next king, perhaps even cost him his life.

The real Cinderella story.
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My Thoughts

Slay your enemies with the greatest weapon of all: kindness.’

This was such a beautiful tale from the first pages of the book, I fell in love with Vilmar, his heart, his determination to do the right thing. Going through his testing, I enjoyed seeing him grow and learn to make it more about the people and less of passing through the testing and becoming the next king.
I also loved Gabi, her heart for the people around her challenged me. It’s not easy to give yourself to others not expecting any thing in return but she did willing to due to prevent the people getting hurt anymore by the berserker. It was a beautiful take on the Cinderella story and I really enjoyed every bit of it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are solely mine.

About The Author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award. Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!). When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.