sunday simplicity.

Ivy Weddings via Ruffled

Book Review: An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund

I've been obsessed with the medieval period since I was a kid (I went from being a three-year-old who only wanted to draw castles to a twenty-year-old who only wanted to read Chaucer), so when I read the description of Uncertain Choice, he first book in a new YA historical fiction series, I bumped it to the top of my TBR pile.

An Uncertain Choice is set in the fictional English village of Ashby in 1390, and Rosemarie, the lady of Montfort Castle following her parents' death to plague, is about to come of age. Rosemarie's most prominent quality in the story is her compassion for others, particularly the poor and sick peasants of Ashby, which she attributes to her parents' example; she gives her meals to beggar children and cannot tolerate the torturous methods of punishment favored by Ashby's sheriff and bailiff. Her mentor, Abbot Francis Michael, cautions her not to overextend the manor's financial resources in her charitable giving as he plans a new cathedral and abbey for the parish.

Against this fairly realistic background, Hedlund introduces a fairytale element: at her birth, Lady Rosemarie's parents made a sacred vow that she would enter a convent upon her birthday - or die. Since learning of their promise, she has prepared, with the abbot's help, to become a nun. Unexpectedly, her godfather, the Duke of Rivenshire, comes to visit and explains that he has found a loophole - if Rosemarie finds true love and marries by midnight on her birthday, she will be exempt from the ancient vow. He brings with him three handsome young knights who fought alongside him in the border wars. At first, Rosemarie is reluctant to veer off the course she has finally accepted as her destiny, but when the duke makes her question whether the sheriff and her people will respect her rule from behind the abbey walls, she agrees to accept his challenge. While the romance is predictable (two of the knights are charming and ebullient and shower her with extravagant gifts, the other is brooding and difficult to read but shares her sense of justice and compassion for the poor), Rosemarie's choice isn't the story's real conflict - it becomes clear that someone in Ashby doesn't want the lady's suitors to succeed in winning her hand and will resort to murder to control her destiny.

Overall, I enjoyed reading An Uncertain Choice - as a wannabe medievalist, I appreciated the detail Jody Hedlund put into Rosemarie's village - from the arched doorway of Ashby's guildhall to the smell of roasted boar turning on spits, Hedlund has a gift for description. The amount of appropriate medieval vocabulary used in the book is just right - enough to be realistic, but not confusing or distracting. The tension created by Rosemarie's choice to rule as the lady of the manor or as a member of a religious order is also interesting and apt for the time period - the church was just as powerful as the nobility and often more so, and many intellectual, upper-class women were consigned to convents in the middle ages. 

However, there were a few factors that kept me from completely loving the book. Rosemarie constantly reminds the reader how important her people are to her, but doesn't mention them by name unless they are her personal servants, making supporting characters, even those like the sheriff with whom she interacts often, seem more like extras. Most of the book is told from Rosemarie's viewpoint, but a few scenes narrated by one of her suitors, and I found the sudden shift at the beginning of the seventh chapter confusing and unnecessary. I also saw shades of Bella and Edward from Twilight in Rosemarie and her chosen knight - she's described as stunningly beautiful, intelligent, and gracious, yet has a very hard time making her own decisions, and is convinced that the moody knight hates her even though he acts like Westley from The Princess Bride every time they are alone together.  I still enjoyed their banter and eventual honesty with one another. While the outcome of Rosemarie's "love square" is fairly predictable, I think YA readers will still enjoy reading about the various ways in which the three knights attempt to woo her, and get caught up in the mystery of who is trying to sabotage Rosemarie along the way. The story's overall theme - that there are different kinds of strength and leadership - is one I think many readers can relate to.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

currently inspired by:

clicks of note.

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

• Maison de Pax is so aptly named - love Rachel's spring tour.
• Love the groom's suit in this romantic wedding from SMP.
• Southern Weddings features a glam gold Oklahoma affair.
• A vintage pastel Easter brunch at The Sweetest Occasion.

SMILE.

• Spring desktops: Design Love Fest, Eighteen25, K. Duke.
• These Ikea hacks from Domaine are pretty unbelievable.
• How cute are these new spring handbags from TOMS?
• 90+ last minute ideas for Easter on my Pinterest board.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year's Sunday Social was about my ideals and accomplishments. I featured some of my favorite spring green and black and white wardrobe picks, turned the blog blue for Autism awareness, rounded up my April favorites
• Two years ago I rounded up rainy day fashion ideas, white bridesmaid dress inspiration, explained how Mr. Q and I save money on groceries, completed my second Liebster Award survey, and shared my love story with Mr. Q for the Love and Marriage series.
• Three years ago I collected inspiration for an April Fool's wedding.

 

sunday simplicity.

McKenzie Powell and Bryce Covey via Wedding Chicks

“In character, in manner, in style, in all the 

things, the supreme excellence is simplicity”

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

clicks of note: these are the best days of our lives...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Sometimes I hear a song I like so much I'm almost sure I've featured it here before! If so, this one's good enough to hear again (and add to all your spring party playlists). I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

Theo Milo Photography via Style Me Pretty

Pretty sure this Wilmington bride is my wedding soul mate... check it out!

• Purple Wedding of the Week: this garden fete at SMP.
• Drooling over this boho baby shower at 100 Layer Cakelet.
• Check out these darling dance step save-the-date cards.
• Southern Weddings features a lovely Charlottesville soiree.

SMILE.

• These seven tips for introverted career women are on point.
• This Harry Potter/Friends mashup works surprisingly well.
• A BuzzFeed writer lived according to Pinterest for one week.
• I've gone a little crazy on my own boards now that it's spring.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I turned my blog into an outfit, shared vintage inspiration via Sunday Simplicity, rounded up teal and chambray wardrobe updates for spring, the prettiest watercolor wedding stationery, and recapped my February and March in Instagram and in entertainment.
• Two years ago I featured orange garden-inspired wardrobe ideas, rounded up inspiration for a French lavender wedding, and recapped my February and March in entertainment.
• Three years ago I reflected on the course of this blog, and shared my March blog loves.
• Four years ago we designed our invitations and found our flower girl's dress.

 

sunday simplicity: aquamarine

Ashley Bosnick Photography via Style Me Pretty

We Heart Photography

My March Favorites

I will be totally honest with you all and admit that for the first days of March I had a serious case of the grumps - I was over cold weather, over snow, and over teaching nothing but test prep. Slowly but surely, though, the skies are opening up - here are the things keeping me sane this month!

1. Fleetwood Mac - Since my parents were a bit older than most of my friends', I grew up on 60's and 70's music. I abandoned the classics for a while and go through pop, country, rock, and even rap phases every now and then, but in the past few years I've fallen back in love with Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. This past weekend, my cousins (who were basically raised by my parents in the 70's) and I traveled to Charlottesville to see the On With The Show tour. Despite a few traffic-related headaches, it was everything we'd hoped for and more - top hats, tambourines and all.

2. St. Patrick's Day - I know that for most people St. Patrick's Day is a fairly minor holiday, but having studied abroad in Ireland and being married into an Irish-American family, I absolutely love it. My department celebrated today by doing a game show style team activity with rainbow and green-themed challenges and prizes. 

3. Once Upon a Time - We had a lot of snow days this year, and when I had run out of papers to grade, new books to read, and shows recorded on the DVR, I turned to Netflix. I'm not sure why I hadn't watched Once Upon a Time until now - maybe it was because the idea of a Disney show for adults weirded me out, or the commercials made it look silly. Well, I've always loved a good fractured fairy tale and Once is about as fractured as it gets - each episode goes back and forth between the characters' new, cursed lives in our world (the World Without Magic), and their old lives in magical settings like the Enchanted Forest, Wonderland, or Neverland. It's very tongue-in-cheek and funny, but also as dramatic as an episode of Nashville.

4. Antiquing - When my mom and I need some mother-daughter time but aren't sure what to do, a trip to one of the many local antique malls is always a good answer. We can spend hours browsing through nifty old things without spending a dollar - but when I do spot a deal on an antique camera, Pyrex dishes, or a blue Mason jar, I'm all in!

5. Hygge - This winter, a Dutch concept became my saving grace. I read about hygge on Yes & Yes and fell in love with the idea of creating purposeful coziness and warmth every day. My instant hygge-makers are throw blankets (I have a striped one from West Elm that I love) and candles.

What are you loving this March?