The Heart of the Rebellion by Sian Ann Bessey + Win This Book!

September 1400King Richard II of England is dead. And after three years in His Majesty’s service, Rhys ap Tudor and his brother Gwilym are finally free to return to their ancestral home in North Wales. Their long- anticipated homecoming is overshadowed, however, by the harsh changes they encounter in their once peaceful land. The new king, Henry IV, rules with an iron fist, and the country is ripe for rebellion. Instantly thrust into the forefront of the conflict, the proud Tudor brothers enter the fight for their freedom.

Lady Catrin Buckley is alert to the unrest swirling around her. As the daughter of an English father and a Welsh mother, she knows too well the trouble her lineage poses. Her own battle, however, is one of the heart: she is to be married to a man she neither knows nor loves. Then an unexpected encounter with the enigmatic Rhys ap Tudor changes everything. Soon, Catrin finds herself swept into a rebellion that could not only change history but also rewrite her own future.

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Can I just say that I LOVE the cover of this book?  I think it might be one of my favorite covers ever.  It represents perfectly what is inside and honestly, I think it is gorgeous.  I got to meet author Sian Ann Bessey at a book signing!  It's always fun to meet authors and get books signed, right?

One of the things I loved about this story is that it transported me to another time and place.  I could feel the weather, see the landscape and I could ALMOST hear that beautiful welsh language.  Almost.  I wish I could have the author read this book to me- then all the names and places would sound just right instead of my very inadequate attempts.  In this story, Lady Catrin speaks Welsh and it is the only thing that calms her very spirited horse.  He seems to know and understand her every word.  I love that the language played a large role in the story as a whole.

Lady Catrin is the perfect heroine.  She is trying so hard to become who she believes she is meant to be which is hard given her split heritage of Welsh and English and the conflicts between them.  Lady Catrin shows great strength of character along with empathy and kindness, making her someone you root for the whole way through.  

Medieval history is one of my favorite time periods to read about.  This author excels at portraying it.  I really loved this story, the gentle but growing intensity and the fantastic characters that kept me invested from beginning to end.

Content:  some mild violence, personal peril, kissing

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

 

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