Review: Always by Jody Hedlund

Do you ever read YA (Young Adult) Fiction, even if you aren’t a teenager? I do! Many YA books are still enjoyable and relate-able for adult readers, despite the fact that they are written with a younger audience in mind.

If you already read the genre, or never have but wouldn’t mind giving it a try… DO I HAVE A BOOK (AND SERIES) FOR YOU! **insert all the heart eyes** I’ve been seeing stellar reviews for this entire series for months, and now I know why!

The talented Jody Hedlund (who resides on my Top 10 Auto-Buy Authors list) recently released a YA Medieval Romance series called “The Lost Princesses”. Always is the prequel novella that kicks off the series. Though some prequel novellas don’t have to be read first in a series, I do strongly suggest reading Always before the other books. Though I am still anxiously waiting to read the rest of the series, I feel Always is perfectly setting up the rest of the story arc and would help you better understand the premise of the series. 

Though only 166 pages long, Always packs plenty of adventure and romance. Here’s the official blurb to give you an idea of what the story is about:

A fierce elite guard. A loyal lady in waiting. They must work together to save three princesses from certain death.

On the verge of dying after giving birth to twins, the queen of Mercia pleads with Lady Felicia to save her infant daughters. With the castle overrun by King Ethelwulf’s invading army, Lady Felicia vows to do whatever she can to take the newborn princesses and their three-year old sister to safety, even though it means sacrificing everything she holds dear, possibly her own life.

Gravely wounded in battle and knowing all is lost to his enemy, the king of Mercia tasks Lance, one of his fiercest elite guards, to protect his family along with keys to an ancient treasure. As Lance makes plans to sneak the princesses out of the capital city, he doesn’t need or want Lady Felicia’s help.

With the dark enemy in pursuit, Lance and Felicia must put aside their differences to outrun King Ethelwulf and prevent him from killing the princesses. In a desperate attempt to hide the young girls, Lance and Felicia agree to a marriage of convenience, a decision that will change their lives—and hearts—forever.

As I said, even though it’s a novella, there is plenty of story here to satisfy the reader. It’s fast paced and full of action. I knew everything had to turn out well—or at least somewhat well—in the end, yet multiple times my heart was in my throat as I waited to see how Lance and Felicia would make it out of a situation.

Though the story takes place over a short period of time, and a short amount of pages, the love story of the characters was still believable and satisfying. Due to the nature of their adventure, the grave circumstances, and the sacrifices the characters must make to fulfill their quest, it made sense that their quickly grown love could be so sincere. 

The voice of this book it pretty straight forward and not very deep, but when keeping in mind that it is written with teenagers as the target audience, that is understandable and not an issue for me. The quality of the story itself makes up for the simplicity of it’s wording.

What I loved most about this book is the fact that I can see how it’s setting the stage for a much larger, epic adventure in the rest of the series. It leaves you with that delightful feeling of excitement and anticipation, wondering what will happen next. When I turned the last page, I knew I had to get my hands on the next book ASAP!

Thanks, Jody, for leaving me hanging there at the end! And for once again writing a quality story for me and others to enjoy. I happily award Always 5/5 Stars!

I’m crossing my fingers that I get the rest of this series for Christmas. **wink, wink** Ha! If not, I will be ordering the other three books as soon as I can!