Circle of Honor (Scottish Crown Series, Book 1) by Carol Umberger

This story drew me in and held me captive, reluctant to take my eyes off of it for a moment and eager to return to it's pages as quickly as I could yesterday. It was such a good read that I was able to read it in what would amount to a very long afternoon read. Filled with secrets, tragedy, intrigue, hope, forgiveness, and lessons on the healing power of love, I found it to be a moving and spellbinding read. With in it's pages were well developed characters and a plot full of the things that drive a story from a good to a really great read. The hero of this tale is a man of honor and one you are sure to admire, his strength not being dependent just upon his own skill but upon God. The are plenty of villains, those vying for power and possession of what they believe is their due. But just as there is evil in the world, there are those ready to take a stand for what is right, to hold to faith and to see God deliver them from the hand of evil (just as the example of Daniel was given in the story). I finished this story well satisfied with the read, encouraged and with a smile upon my face.

Now, in response to several reviews I came across when trying to decide if I want to read this series or not... One such review stated that the book was too graphic in the details of the rape. In response to this I must say that I am puzzled as to how they came to such a conclusion. As the barest of details were given. Just enough to let you know the situation but by no means were you taken moment by moment through the rape. I felt the author handled it very well, and it was more of a fade to black style of writing not just with this but also later on in the story.
Another reviewer was displeased because this was listed as a historical romance and felt it should be listed only as a romance as the story itself wasn't filled with historical details but in minimum. To this I am puzzled as well because this is a FICTION book. It is set in a historical time period and it does have some historical truths peppered in, but this is not meant to teach us a history lesson. For those wanting such the author does make reference to books used for researching her story that she found to be educational and an entertaining read, I would look into those. I can not see taking stars off for a book that is fiction for such as this.

To summarize my thoughts, this was a worth while and compelling read. It was both clean and encouraging. A very good read.