Of Sword and Shadow
By A. L. Sowards
Christian Historical Fiction, Action Adventure, Romance
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 251 Pages
February 8, 2021 by Covenant Communications
Summary
Greece, 1379
She is known by many names, none of them her own. In truth, she is an unnamed slave, nothing more than a weapon in the hands of her owner in his attempts to provoke political mayhem. When she encounters a handsome young man while on an assignment, she thinks little of him—until he attempts to take what she has stolen. But in her line of work, failure is not an option.
Gillen is intrigued by the mysterious woman who thwarts his mission. But when his path crosses hers again, his intrigue turns to gratitude as the thief he comes to call Eudocia saves his life. The two form a bond of friendship and join forces to wrest control from a group of ruthless rulers. But as their camaraderie blossoms into something more, Gillen and Eudocia must fight for love even as they wage war for a better future.
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My Review
OF SWORD AND STONE is a story of a young woman who has been a slave for as long as she can remember. She works as a thief for her master in Ancient Greece, but facing one dangerous situation after another, finds her life completely upheaved and a new faith slowly growing. Recommended to Christian historical romance fans.
Eudocia was a great character! She was in a tough spot with a life that was not ideal and just trying to survive each day as a slave. She'd never hoped for a future of anything else. I also liked the other characters, particularly Gil (which also made me think of Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables). The villains were characters I loved to hate. All the characters were really well drawn.
The story was also interesting, full of intrigue and climatic moments. The romance was sweet with some great chemistry. The religious aspect was lightly woven through the story without it feeling forced. I also liked the historical elements mixed with the dangerous circumstances and a fierce heroine who was trained to use a sword and used it. It's historical romance with a fantasy feel because of that.
My only complaint was towards the last third of the book. Something happens and another character lies and Eudocia who has acted and lied her whole life suddenly becomes extremely sensitive. It's almost like her personality switched and she lost her hard shell and holding things in.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an exciting story that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Great characters and an intriguing plot full of danger, faith and romance made for a very entertaining read. I'm looking forward to more from this author!
Content: Some innuendo, lewd comments, violence, references to rape and prostitution, and torture (none of it overly descriptive or gruesome and all relative to the time period and story).
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the tour host/NetGalley, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
You can check out my interview with the author and a tour giveaway here. Will you be reading this one?
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