Customer Reviews

In Honor Bound

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I found this to be an incredibly moving story of loss and betrayal, of bitterness and unforgiveness, and of ultimate love. The descrptions are vivid and memorable. I felt I could almost "see" the scenes as I read them. The battle scenes were exciting and the love scenes were tender and exquisitely romantic. Underlying all this was a strong and subtle analogy of the unshakable love God has for us all. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an emotional, intelligent and romantic story

"In Honor Bound" is most definitely my all-time favorite book! The basic plot is that of a power-hungry king who will stop at nothing to keep his bloodlines pure - including destroying his entire family! A young girl named Rosalynde falls in love with the king's second oldest son, Phillip. However, Phillip's heart already belongs to another woman. When this woman is burned at the stake in a twisted plot by the king to get rid of her, Phillip loses control... This book is the perfect story for anyone seeking a romance centered around God and without all the sexual graphics found in secular novels!

In this first book of her trilogy, the author does a wonderful job of creating characters the reader comes to truly care about. Dodson's strength is in delving into the psyche of her characters and in conveying believable emotions, especially when Prince Philip loses the love of his life in the most horrible way. His reactions and his subsequent relationship with his father, the king, who had her tried and executed, are not only wrenching, but subtly and authentically drawn. His relationship with Rosalynde, the woman he is forced to marry in her place is equally tortured and wholly convincing. The reader can't help but feel deeply for both these characters as Rosalynde seeks to win Philip's love, while he struggles to deny his growing love for her and remain faithful to the love he lost so tragically.

Since the story isn't tied to a definite place and time, it has the feel of a fantasy or an allegory, which serves to sharpen and intensify Dodson's great themes of forgiveness and redemption. For a debut novel, In Honor Bound is very well done.

Prince Philip's first love is considered unacceptable to his father King Robert. When his scheming advisor Dunois contemplates the unthinkable, King Robert becomes complicit in an event which devastates Philip's soul.

Lady Rosalynde's first meeting with Philip, while they were still children, changed her heart forever and nothing pleases her more when she discovers her father and King Robert have arranged for her marriage to him. Her joy is soon corroded by Philip's cold heart and his implacable commitment to contain his emotions. Rosalynde determines to love her husband anyway but when betrayal and war closes in around them, Philip's failure to forgive may destroy them all.

In Honor Bound is replete with all you would expect from a medieval romance, kings and princes, war and treachery, devotion and grace. DeAnna Julie Dodson doesn't stop there ~ she has developed fascinating multifaceted characters who struggle with their demons time and again, in ways that are authentic and compelling. Philip's angst over wrongs perpetuated upon him by his father is palpable and Rosalynde's devotion in spite of his rejection, a powerful reflection of God's love. An excellent beginning to a trilogy I would love to complete reading!

I read this years ago and love it as much, if more, than I did then. Miss Dodson has a wonderful way of depicting genuine characters -- with real feelings and struggles all the while acknowledging a real need for a real Savior! Simply, a well-written book that you just can't put down.

I found this book while searching the web. This book is great. This is a story of love, love lost, love found. It is a story that runs parallel to some of the love stories out of the Bible. I read this book in 3 days and have shared it with friends. I would, and will, tell everyone who asks that this book is a must read. DeAnna Dodson is a very talented and nice person. I am waiting for the next offerings by this talented writer.

This book was very entertaining. It has it all - suspense, romance, and tragedy. The author has a way of captivating your attention whereby you want to read just a little bit more and more until suddenly you don't want to stop until you find out what happens in the end. If you like reading Mary Higgins Clark or John Grisham books you should like this one! I

I purchased this book based on the reviews here and I was not dissapointed. This was not a light romantic read. These characters were dealing with a lot of pain and hurt. More so than I would want to bear. Even though I don't believe these were actual places in history, it read very much like medieval Europe history. The romance was not a happily ever after but felt more like a flawed love story many could relate to. It was a great book in dealing with learning to forgive others. I look forward to reading the next two in the series.

I have read many novels of this genre, and sadly have been unimpressed by most. Many are either Historically inaccurate and unrealistic or do not always line up with Orthodox Christian doctrine.

This novel is niether. Though it technically falls into the category of 'fantasy' because it is not set in a real place/time it is very 'Historical' in the sense that many of the characters and events are based upon actual Historical Figures and events in English History. Prince Phillip for instance is based on Henry V, and has three brothers like the King did in reality. His father plunges the country of Lynaliegh into civil war by usupring the throne from one of his close relatives, as did King Henry V's father Henry IV.

What impressed me the most was the way in which the author managed to make the lanagauge and dialogue used by the characters Historically authentic and plausible, with period terms and phrases, but not so archaic that is was difficult to understand. In many 'Medieval' novels the characters speak in modern langauge that is often laden with anachonistic terms, phrases and figures of speech. That Miss Dodson's are not is testament to her writing ability and Historical research.

Again, unlike in many other Medieval novels many of the attitudes and values of the characters are consistent with the Historical setting, and the characters are very much bound by the constraints of thier age and time. There is no condanscending arrogance towards or dismissal of the values and mores of past cultures, or imposition or modern standards that are out of place.

I could only spot one or two Historical inaccuracies and inconsistencies, but these were minor and did not detract from the story or the setting.

This novel is not 'dumbed down' in its Christian content as many Christian novels seem to be. The author is not afraid to have her characters speak honestly and frankly anout sin, and the neccesity of repentance and forgiveness, nor of hell and damnation. Indeed, the former are central to the resolution of the plot. I could see no doctrinal or religious issues, except for one scene in which Philip kneels before a statue of Jesus in a Cathedral.

The love scenes are Romantic and emotional, but the author does not go 'too far' or stray outside the boundaries or taste and decency by making them graphic or describing in act of love itself.

An excellent book by a genuinely talented author which deserves to much more widely read and appreciated. Sadly however the paperback versions are now out or print, and this author's work has been overshadowed by that of others whose books pander to more liberalistic interpretation of the subject matter. Do DeAnna Dodson the justice she deserves and buy this.

I own al 3 books now for a couple of years and read it every second year. It is really the best of the best and you will never be disappointed in these 3 books. I own more than 2000 books (all of them Christian Fiction) and this one "In honor bound" is my second best book. I saw that all 3 are now available in Kindle and for a very good prize. I wish DeAnna Julie Dodson write more books - what happened?