Rebecca D’Harlingue

“This book really puts you into the world of 13th-century Ireland. Beggs delves into the history of the moment, always within the context of her story and her characters’ lives. There are the sexist attitudes that Eloise encounters, the expectations of a knight, the tensions between England and Ireland. Most of the book is a journey, and Beggs makes us feel like we are riding alongside Eloise, experiencing everything that travel at that time entailed: robbers, hunger, bad weather, geographic obstacles, hostile and friendly villagers, and more. Amidst all of this, Beggs manages to give us a complicated love story with lots of highs and lows.

Beggs really knows horses, and I learned so much about what it would have been like to depend entirely on the horse you were riding. There are also lots of details about how to direct the horse and care for the horse that were really interesting. I had no idea how complicated it was! Oh, and there’s also a lot to learn about archery, as Eloise is an expert.

If you need an escape from the 21st century for a few hours, you can enter the dangers of the 13th!”

A. K. Patch

“A reader realizes quite fast that this author has not only an in-depth command of the time period (13th Century Ireland), but also, great skill in description. Eloise, a teenage girl, is involved in a desperate struggle to survive war, hot-pursuit, and coming of age challenges. The author moves the action with true-to-life, gritty, prose describing archery, siege engines, castle defense, horse-back riding, and the mission to save family and friends. This is a work to be savored. As someone who loves historical fiction, this story immerses a reader into this period in a way that is entertaining and educational. Downright inspired writing. Looking forward to Book Two.”