Tricia Mingerink

An Uncertain Choice, a medieval YA novel by Jody Hedlund, releases today! Head over to her blog where she is hosting a giveaway for this book. I was so excited when I learned that Jody Hedlund, one of my favorite authors, was writing a YA book. I was even more excited when I had the opportunity to be on her influencer team. I feel sorry for all of you who had to wait until today to buy and read the book, because it is as awesome as I thought it would be!

My Recommendation An Uncertain Choice is a delightful romance, but with enough action and mystery to keep it from being sappy or boring. Rosemarie is a wonderful heroine. She is weak and vulnerable, but she has a strong core that keeps her from being helpless. While she needs to be rescued, she also rescues herself at times. Her strength comes from her faith in God, and she has a compassionate heart. A good example of how a young Christian lady should be. The three knights are also well-rounded characters. The book could easily have turned awkward, but it is handled well. The other knights beside the one meant for Rosemarie could have turned into flat characters, but I liked each of them. While I had a favorite for Rosemarie, I loved all three of them and can’t wait to read about their happy endings in the rest of the series. Once again, a great book by Jody Hedlund and one I’ll be sure to read over and over again!

About the Book Due to her parents’ promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, shortly before her birthday, a friend of her father’s enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents’ will left a second choice—if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the knights’ arrival results in a series of attacks within her land, she begins to wonder if the convent is the best place after all. If only one of the knights—the one who appears the most guilty—had not already captured her heart.

This book also also has a prequel novella, The Vow. The Vow contains the backstory for An Uncertain Choice, and I recommend reading The Vow first. It makes her decision in the beginning of An Uncertain Choice more poignant. About the Book In this historical romance novella by Jody Hedlund, young Rosemarie finds herself drawn to Thomas, the son of the nearby baron. But just as her feelings begin to grow, a man carrying the Plague interrupts their hunting party. While in forced isolation, Rosemarie begins to contemplate her future—could it include Thomas? Could he be the perfect man to one day rule beside her and oversee her parents’ lands? Then Rosemarie is summoned back to her castle in haste. The disease has spread, and her family is threatened. And the secret she discovers when she returns could change her future forever. Q&A with the Author! After writing for the adult market, why did you decide to transition to young adult books? I have five children and three of them are now teens. That means that over the past few years I’ve ended up reading a lot of books in the Young Adult genre not only to stay abreast of what my kids are reading, but also to have discussions about the topics and world views within the books. All that to say, I’ve fallen in love with reading YA books! Naturally, as I’ve fallen in love with reading them, I had to consider the possibility of writing them. And while I have a lot of other things going on my publishing career, I decided I wanted to make this move into YA now while I still had teens at home to read my books (and give me feedback!). How is your approach to writing Young Adult novels different than your Historical Romance novels? My approach is different in a couple of ways. First, my adult historical romances are mostly set in the 1800’s in America (due in part to that setting being considered the “sweet spot” for adult historical fiction). But my YA is medieval times which is allowing me to jump into a time period that I’m crazy about! I’ve had lots of fun writing about knights, castles, and daring damsels! A second difference in my YA and adult fiction is in how I’m approaching the heroine and the romance. Obviously the heroine is a young adult (under 18 or on the cusp of turning 18), and so this is more of a coming of age story where the heroine must grapple with some “growing up” issues. She’s also just beginning to explore relationship issues and must wrestle through timeless questions about how to know who’s the right one, what qualities to look for in a relationship, and how to know when you’re really in love. What’s the story about and who are the main characters?   The heroine is a beautiful and wealthy young woman named Lady Rosemarie. She’s on the cusp of her eighteenth birthday and knows her destiny is to fulfill a vow made by her parents. In light of their infertility, her parents had promised to give their firstborn back to God for a life of service and celibacy when she turned eighteen. Now with only one month before her birthday, Lady Rosemarie receives the news that there is an exception to the Ancient Vow–if she finds true love and is married by her birthday, then she’s exempt from having to become a nun. Faced with a growing loneliness and the possibility of losing control over the people she rules with compassion, Lady Rosemarie questions whether life in a cloister is really the best choice for her life. She agrees to allow the three handsomest and noblest knights in the land the chance to win her heart in one month. Enter on stage, the three heart throbs! Sir Collin, Sir Bennet, and Sir Derrick. Each one is completely honorable and noble in his own way. Lady Rosemarie will have a tough choice ahead of her. Now you’ll have to read the book to find out who she chooses and why! Are you working on the next book in the series?  Yes! I’m excited about the second book in the series. It’s already written and I’m in the process of getting ready to turn it in to my editor in order to get her expertise feedback. As I mentioned it will involve another one of the three knights. But of course, I won’t give away which of the knights until closer to the release of the book! (How’s that for a tease!) In An Uncertain Choice, Rosemarie has to choose between three knights: Sir Bennet – Charming and Handsome Sir Collin – Funny and Sincere Sir Derrick – Brooding and Compassionate If you were Rosemarie, which knight would you choose?