Description
Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch, helpless, as the Scottish freedom fighter, William Wallace, is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, James's blood-drenched homeland 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 in name and nothing more. Scotland is occupied, the Scottish resistance crushed. The woman James loves is captured and imprisoned. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. With driving determination, he blazes a path in blood and violence, in cunning and ruthlessness as he wages a guerrilla war to restore Scotland's freedom. James knows he risks sharing Wallace's fate, but what he truly fears is that he has become as merciless as the conqueror he fights.
Praise and Reviews
A review posted on Barnes & Noble:
A marvelously written historical novel, A Kingdom's Cost is set during the reign of Edward I of England and his final wars in Scotland. Set after the death of William Wallace in the battle for Scottish independence the novel follows young James Douglas, heir to Sir William Douglas, le Hardi, the first noble supporter of Wallace in the campaign for Scotland's war for freedom. As a result of his father's support of Wallace young James come back to Scotland from his school in Paris to find himself landless and his only clear way back to his birthright is through his support of Robert de Bruce, and the continuing struggle for Scotland's right to self rule. I found myself wrapped up in this novel and despite some minor editing errors here and there was soon deeply involved in this story of the Black Douglas and his life and early times. I really enjoyed the story and thought the characters were very well drawn. The story of the Bruce's personal tragedies while attempting to gain the throne were touchingly rendered as he struggled to balance his many personal losses with the good of the kingdom. Overall, it was one of the more enjoyable reading experiences I've had lately and I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors works!
