About the Book

Book:  Sword of Trust

Author: Debbie Lynne Costello

Genre: Christian Fiction Romance Medieval

Release date: March 15, 2021

Deirdre Mackenzie has spent her life hiding from her father and hating the English. However, when she is caught stealing from an English laird, his unexpected kindness begins to melt away her hatred and strums lonely heartstrings longing for love.  Bryce Warwick can’t believe the boy his men caught is actually a young woman. After several attempts to lure the truth from her, he determines she is as deceitful as his late fiancée who nearly cost him his life. But the woman is the least of his worries with the turbulence brought on by threats of another border war and by King Richard’s distrust of the nobles. With the boundary in unrest, Bryce entertains a Scottish chieftain unaware it is Deirdre’s father, seeking peace for his people. Fearful that her father will discover she is alive, Deirdre steals Bryce’s signet ring, hoping a missive from the laird will keep her father away. But when the ring is used instead for treason, she realizes too late she’s been betrayed and Bryce will hang for the crime. With old wounds that need to heal and adversaries who could end their chances at true love, both must learn to trust in a way they never knew possible.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

I’m thankful the author continued this series. Among the harsh reality of the feuding borderlands between Scotland and England in 1399, there are souls to cherish and save. No one is beyond redemption in God’s eyes.

The vein of trust runs through the book, snagging the characters, confronting them with the daring questions: Can I trust you? Can I trust God? Trust is a knot that secures people; whereas, the lack of trust imprisons them, turning their lives into internal battles. I’ve thought about the areas or times in my life when trust was a real problem. I do know I don’t want to remain tied to those flimsy relationships. Earning trust is greatly linked at times to forgiveness. A firm foundation of trust and forgiveness conquers many of life’s imminent hardships. Add a few feuding families, swords, castles, kings, and knights, then life takes an exciting turn almost daily.

About the Author

Debbie Lynne Costello is the author of Sword of Forgiveness, Amazon’s #1 seller for Historical Christian Romance. She has enjoyed writing stories since she was eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She and her husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina with their 4 horses, 3 dogs, a miniature donkey, and 6 peking ducks.

More from Debbie Lynne

It is my desire as an author to draw my readers into my story so they feel invested in the hero and heroine and part of their journey, whether it is set in 19^th Century Charleston, South Carolina or 14^th Century Northumberland, England. One of the ways I love to do this is with professions, hobbies, and cooking. In Sword of Trust my heroine, Deirdre has become quite proficient with a bow and arrow. She’s had plenty of practice and is driven to be the best, perhaps to prove to herself because she is a lass in lad’s clothing. The long bow was a popular weapon in the Middle Ages and was used in battle in The Hundred Years’ War. But the bow was not just a weapon of war, the bow was also a weapon for food. And Deirdre loves to hunt with a flat bow. In her excitement she runs into a wee bit of trouble with the king. Some trivia for you: Because of its elasticity, the yew tree was used in making the long bow. Even after fire arms were introduced the long bow continued to be used for battles. And due to its popularity, by the end of the sixteenth century, mature yew trees were nearly extinct in Northern Europe.

Unfortunately, I can’t really give you instructions on bow making or lessons on how to shoot accurately. Instead, I’m going to share a recipe for the medieval treat, gyngerbrede. In Sword of Trust, Bryce gets his cook to make gyngerbrede. He fills a bag with them and takes them north to the Scottish borderland to hand out to the children. Sweets have been loved for thousands of years. Today we know that sugar is bad for us. Regardless of that, we still crave the empty calories. Some things never change. Here is a wee bit of fun trivia for you. During the first century in some countries, sugar was only used for medicinal purposes and thought to heal many ailments.

Gyngerbrede

Ingredients

1 loaf of wheat bread, grounded into breadcrumbs

1 cup of honey

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation

In a medium to large pan, bring your honey to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the foam that collects on the top and sides. Add your cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Stir well. When your spices are mixed in the honey begin adding your bread crumbs one cup at a time. Mix well and then knead it thoroughly. You can divide your dough up into quarters to make it easier to work with and roll out. Cut them into 1” squares. Dust the squares with a mixture of one part cinnamon and two parts sandalwood.

Blog Stops

Inklings and notions, April 23

Britt Reads Fiction, April 23

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, April 24

Connect in Fiction, April 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 26

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 27

Connie’s History Classroom, April 28

Bizwings Blog, April 28

deb’s Book Review, April 29

Simple Harvest Reads , April 29(Guest Review from Donna Cline)

For Him and My Family, April 30

Betti Mace, May 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 1

Texas Book-aholic, May 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 3

The Book Chic Blog, May 3

Pause for Tales, May 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 5

Mary Hake, May 5

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Debbie is giving away the grand prize of a smart watch!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10b26/sword-of-trust-celebration-tour-giveaway

Do you like reading historical fiction about the Middle Ages?