A disloyal friend.  The King’s Knights.  A warrior of God.  Evil warlock.  Godly Friar.  Power hungry bishop.  What do they all have in common?  They are wrapped up in a fight for the spearhead that stabbed Christ on the cross.  She Walks In Power by Mary Lu Tyndall is the first Medieval Novel in a series called “Protectors of the Spear.”  Released September 2, 2016 it isn’t just hot off the press, it will be hard to put down for anyone who loves a good romance packed with action, friendship and suspense.

Setting…

Middle Ages – England

Characters…

Alexia D’Clere should be dead.  Actually, everyone believes she is; with her identity hidden, she lives in the woods and is known as the Falcon of Emerald Forest.  Though the rightful half-heir to castle Luxley should have no need to hide away in a forest with the old Friar, the spear that she’s been called to protect keeps her away from her true home.  Yet, the instinct of protection goes beyond the spear…Alexia often hunts game with her bow and arrow, distributing the meat among the village’s poorest.  An illegal activity.  At the castle, her sister is ill and she disguised herself as a maid from the village to obtain a job singing for her sister’s comfort.  Trained in the ways of God and the ways of war, the mark of a spear on her wrist destines her to keep this powerful relic out of the hands who would abuse its power.

Ronar LePeine and his two friends, part of the Kings Elite Guard, are sent on a mission with Bishop Godfrey of Montruse to Luxley to bring back the spear for the King.  Unable to find the relic, Ronar is wounded by the Falcon (aka Alexia) in the forest and after several encounters with her, love blossoms.  With Alexia on the run, Ronar must decide whether he will complete his mission to find the spear or be distracted by helping Alexia discover who’s poisoning her sister.  What will he do when he finds out that his Falcon had the spear all along?

Storyline…

Alexia’s sister should be head of the Luxley estate, but Cristiana lays ill upon her bed, struck with an illness that comes and goes for no apparent reason.  In her stead, Sir Francis LeGode runs the castle.  With the arrival of the Bishop of Montruse, LeGode is irritated by the search for a spear, having to host a spoiled guest and answer for why so many suitors have died on their way to approach Lady D’Clere (Cristiana) for her hand in marriage.  Both Cristiana and Alexia trust LeGode as a family friend who has given up countless time and energy to run the castle after Alexia’s disappearance and Cristiana’s illness; but when Cristiana doesn’t want to marry his son and Alexia re-appears after nine years, will LeGode use the Bishop to keep his position at Luxley or protect the girls destiny like a man of honor?

 Bridging Historical with Modern Life… 

Every book from Mary Lu has a theme we can draw from and apply to modern day life.  The one that I really picked up in this book is sacrifice for those you love.  Alexia and Cristiana were both heirs to castle Luxley and though Cristiana was ill, Alexia gave of her time and risked being found out because she wanted to care for her.  As someone who has an only sister who dealt with health issues years ago, I really connected with that part of the story.  Ronar also had to sacrifice at the end of the story to be with Alexia…but I’m going to let you read the story to find out how that happened for yourself!

Conclusion:  She Walks In Power is a wonderful story!  I’m a big fan of the Middle Ages and am so glad that we now have another series set in Medieval times!   If you enjoy books in this setting, She Walks In Power is a must read.  I loved how Tyndall took a piece of real history – the spear – and wove a fictional story around it that was exciting, thought provoking and clean romantically.  As you may read in other reviews, the element of spiritual battle comes in throughout the story, but that doesn’t surprise me!  Anything set in The Middle Ages, whether books or movies, always has that otherworldly factor in them.  What I loved about She Walks In Power is how Mary Lu took a widespread concept, fit it in her story, but gave each “power” it’s proper place and ranking as you would see described in the Bible.  This spiritual world written of in a Biblical fashion was refreshing and welcome to me!  I give She Walks In Power five stars for its creative storyline, in-depth characters and moving theme.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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.*