Gwendolyn Barnes dreams of being a knight, but her abusive father will tolerate no such thing. Trained in secret by her brothers, Gwendolyn prays he never finds out.

Until she meets Sir Allen of Ellsworth, a kind knight who speaks of an even kinder God.

Her hopes of marrying Sir Allen are dashed when her father says she will marry a man as cruel as himself–and Sir Allen becomes betrothed to another.

Can she believe in a God who says He has good plans for her, only to crush every sliver of hope that springs to life within her? Find out in this amazing, spectacular, incredible book.

Seriously. I can’t get over how good this book was.

In book one of the Valiant Hearts series, Dauntless, Dina Sleiman weaves a story of the Ghosts of Farthingale Forest, a Robin Hood-esque band of outlaws who must survive under the harsh rule of King John. Oh, and another thing. They are children. Led by a deposed Baron’s daughter, Lady Merry Ellison.

Book two, Chivalrous, seamlessly entwines the fate of the ghosts with that of the North Britannia, a King Arthur-like kingdom that values honor above nobility or rank. Overflowing with action, yearning, and impossible odds, both books have quickly moved to my favorites list.

And I want book three. Like, right now.

Two things instantly made me love this book.

1) I recently had a baby and named her Gwen. (And we considered Gwendolyn–but Gwenivere won.)

Anyway.

Best. Name. Ever.

2) I watched A Knight’s Tale the night before starting this book. Oh my goodness. If that doesn’t put you in a jousting state of mind, nothing will!

Okay. I have to add a “three.”

3) Who on God’s green earth doesn’t love King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table??? (Hence naming my daughter Gwenivere. Different spelling, but still…)

And once again, Dina Sleiman did an AMAZING job hinting at King Arthur, but making up a story that was entirely her own. Just as she did with Robin Hood in Dauntless. (See my review of Dauntless here.)

Yep. Definitely one of my favorite authors. Cannot wait for book three, Courageous.

And while you do not need to read the first book to enjoy the second, I highly recommend it. These books are just too good not to be read together!