A Kingdom's Cost, a Historical Novel of Scotland (The Black Douglas Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

J. R. Tomlin (Author)

Book Description

(THE BLACK DOUGLAS TRILOGY: BOOK I)

Scotland is occupied; Scottish resistance is crushed. Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. But even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, the Scots may still have one hope for freedom: the rightful King of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny.

The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king only in name. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. He blazes a path in blood and violence, cunning and ruthlessness as he leads a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows if he is captured he will share Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.

Winner of *Best Historical Fiction* in the Best of the Independent eBook Awards (2012).

Other Historical Novels by J. R. Tomlin:
Freedom's Sword, a Historical Novel of Scotland
Countenance of War, a Historical Novel of Scotland

Fantasies by J. R. Tomlin and C. R. Daems
Talon of the Unnamed Goddess, a Fantasy Adventure

Blood Duty, a Fantasy Romance  
Pendant of Power, a Fantasy Adventure
Wings of Evil, a Young Adult Fantasy

Editorial Reviews

Review

Filled with gripping action sequences and rock-solid historical research, A Kingdom's Cost plunges the reader into the desperate Scottish struggle for freedom. -A Good Book Alert

If you're a fan of sweeping historical fiction with romantic side adventures and descriptions A Kingdom's Cost is a great book as a beginning to what should be a grand series.  - Flying with Red Haircrow

Product Details

• File Size: 644 KB
• Print Length: 270 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1463526792
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YKVXR6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,226 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #49 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Biographical
  • #77 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Biographical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, action-packed tale of the Scottish fight for freedom May 16, 2011

By J.A. Beard

Format:Kindle Edition

A Good Book Alert review.

Filled with gripping action sequences and rock-solid historical research, A Kingdom's Cost plunges the reader into the desperate Scottish struggle for freedom.

Summary:

William Wallace has been defeated and executed. The English brutally occupy Scotland. The only hope for Scotland's freedom is her rightful king, Robert the Bruce.

After seeing the execution of William Wallace, James Douglas devotes himself to the Bruce and his war of independence. James will have to face both the brutality of the English and his own conscience as the desperation of the Scottish forces grows.

Review:

A Kingdom's Cost includes several appendices discussing some of the major plot elements and their historicity, in addition to the direct sources the author used in her background research for the novel. This is something I would like to see in all historical fiction works, particularly historical fiction that focuses on actual historical personages as main characters.

The appendices are reflective of the author's excellent attitude toward historical detail and authenticity. The story helps draw the reader into the time period with great, but not overwhelming, detail. One aspect that I was particularly struck by was my ability to follow all the different nobles and factions introduced despite not being all that familiar with Scottish history. The author did a fine job of knowing just when to provide an extra bit of detail and when to pull back as to not overwhelm the reader.

Unexpectedly, the attention to historical detail may have contributed to the one of the few issues I had with the book. In the beginning, there is a heavy focus on plot with a lot of jumping from major event to major event. Along with that, there wasn't as much time devoted to character development as I would have liked at the start of the book. In the beginning, I felt a slight reader distance from the characters. This made the initial chapters of the books, though interesting, not nearly as engaging as the later chapters that more fully delve into James Douglas and his psychology. Once the plot started fully rolling though, these issues disappeared and, particularly in the second half, there are many engaging scenes generated from exploring the implications of some of the choices the main character must make in trying to help free his homeland.

As a story that focuses on one of the Scottish Wars of Independence, battles, skirmishes, and raids form a major part of the storyline. The plot flows through many key battles, providing a natural tension that draws the reader forward. These battle scenes are notable for their vivid and realistic depiction of medieval battle. In addition, by keeping a tightly focused POV, the scenes effectively draw the reader into the pulse of the battle and the chaos felt by the individual warrior. A Kingdom's Cost is, overall, mostly a story of war and men on campaign. Accordingly, the well-rendered battle scenes were vital to keeping the story engaging.

Anyone seeking an action-packed view into a key period in the First Scottish War of Independence should check out A Kingdom's Cost.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Historical Fiction May 10, 2011

By Debi Faulkner

Format:Kindle Edition

This was a very well-researched book -- the history was amazing.

That was my one problem with it, though. In the beginning of the book, it felt more like a really good history lesson than a novel. I couldn't get into the characters, because the scenes jumped times and places too quickly without much happening within the people themselves. Everything was based around historical events. Once past the first couple of chapters, though, the characters started to become more well-rounded, and the history/character balance shifted in favor of telling a great story within a historical context rather than trying to make characters fit into the given historical facts.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a good book. If you like your characters to feel well-rounded and multifaceted, you may have to stick through the first couple of chapters before really "feeling the love." Either way, this is a good read.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy lesson in history January 13, 2012

By Book lover

Format:Kindle Edition

Tomlin writes an easy to read historical fiction that provides an in-sight into the destruction of Scotland by a brutal king Edward and the desire for freedom by true fighters of liberty, King Robert Bruce and James Douglas. It is recommened for historical fiction readers and readers who enjoy literature featuring good characters and an easy historic summary of the trials of Scotland.

More About the Author

Born in the US, in Texas to be specific, to a Scottish father and American mother, J. R. grew up in both the US and Scotland, mainly in the Edinburgh area, attended university at the University of Texas at Austin and now lives in the US Pacific North West.

She writes both Scottish historical fiction and co-authors (non-Scottish) fantasy with C. R. Daems.