The reader knows the ending of the book not even 50 pages in: King and Queen are murdered, princess lays low for a bit, then mounts a rebellion to take control of her kingdom. Lacked creativity and originality. Only bit I was really all that surprised about was the Rose didn’t complain about much of anything throughout the book - sleeping in a rundown cottage, chopping wood, having to gather her own food, catch her own fish. She could have been stereotypical in that way but she wasn’t. So kudos on that point. 
Thanks Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book!

I had a hard time connecting with the main character of this book. She seemed aloof and almost two dimensional. She did accept and adapt to her surroundings and circumstances, though. Once though the first part the book really picked up and was exciting and intricately written. 

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

What an amazing and action packed story! Rose is a princess when her parents are both killed. She flees the castle with her trusted advisor so she can go into hiding until she turns 18. During that time, she trains to fight so she can reclaim her kingdom. There was so much action and adventure!

They Crown of Rosemund is you typical spoiled princess has her life turned upside town by a coup and must learn to become a strong leader to retake her throne. There is not thing new in this story that has not already been done; however, it is still a very enjoyable tale. The writing in the beginning needs some work and is stilted. As the story progresses the writing becomes better and the author stops failing at trying to make the language seem time appropriate considering the story takes place in the late 1400s. 

Rose's transformation from pampered princess to capable monarch is well paced. In the beginning, I found the author's choice of phrasing annoying as she tried to point out how different this lifestyle is from Rose's life in the palace. We do not need to know that Rose's royal scheduled consisted of her getting up late and take naps late in the afternoon. It did not create the juxtaposition I believe the author intended. Instead, it created a contempt for Rose until she had finally begun to prove herself. 

Rose's plan to take back her throne and the relationships she builds along the way are fleshed out and enjoyable. There was even a twist I did not see coming, and I definitely enjoyed it. Overall I would give the book 3.5/5 stars, rounding up to 4 for GoodReads.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #NetGalleyReview

Title: The Crown of Rosemund
Author: Michele Ashman Bell
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication Date: 1st April 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
Goodreads Review :https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56314107-the-crown-of-rosemund


Set in a Medieval fictional town of Anduron of 1498, just after the ruling King and Queen have been assassinated by a spy who is desperate to gain power for themselves.Thwarted by the fact that the young Princess Rosemund(mostly referred to as Rose ) has escaped and is on the run with her fathers trusted adviser Jacob. While in hiding from the soldiers crossing the countryside looking for them. Jacob and Rose live as peasants which gives Rose the chance to see what it is like for the common people. Jacob trains Rose and some new friends they have made in combat unlike other young girls her age in this time. Rose grows in strength and knowledge to become her birthright.

This book includes themes of women's rights and the way society sees women's roles such as a woman can not rule a kingdom and lower class women are only social climbers if they married above their station, also there are themes of class evident when one of the characters would rather walk on a sprained ankle than be seen with their poorer helpers.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had everything, action, suspense, a slow burn romance, and faith. Watching Rosemund growing in strength and coming into her own after going to so much with the help of other enjoyable characters. It was great to read a story where the friends were there for her and her relationship with Maxwell and how it developed and not as the typical damsel in distress.and her savior complex hero. Even though it has a perfect and really satisfying end , I felt that there was so much more material to at least make it a duology.

I would highly recommend this book  5/5

Wow! What an great twist on the story sleeping beauty. There is adventure and suspense that keeps you on your toes. Michele Ashman Bell takes a well know, ordinary story and turns it into a masterpiece  that I just had to keep reading. Such a fun read.

In this coming of age story, Princess Rosamund learns of her parents murder by the evil Sir Drake. She must escape with her parents trusted aid Jacob. They hide out in the forest where Jacob tutors young Rosamund in the art of battle. In time, they find allies and friends, while they plan to take back what is rightfully Rosamund’s. 
A fun, easy read. 

This book was supplied to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
#netgalley #TheCrownOfRosamund

#TheCrownOfRosemund #NetGalley 

A book that was enjoyable to read.  I love the movie Ladyhawke and this novel made me think of that movie, because of the time period.  Rose, is next in line to the throne of Anduron, her parents, the king and queen sent her away,  so she could be safe. When the king and queen are murdered,  Rose must flee or be the next victim.  A trusted advisor, becomes her grandfather, and he trains her in weaponry, she learns how to defend herself, in case he isn't available. Rose is small but strong and lives the life of a peasant boy., she becomes stronger as she learns new skills. She is determined to take her rightful place as queen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has it all; action, romance, intrigue and faith. I loved all the wonderful characters. Rosemund had her whole world turned upside down in a matter of moments. Her parents were murdered and she was whisked away to safety by a trusted man of her father's. Jacob becomes a grandfatherly figure to her. He teaches her all she needs to know to regain the throne while he keeps her safe. I loved Rosemund's growth throughout the book. She is only 15 and had no real life skills when she escaped with Jacob. But Jacob turned her into a young woman fit to rule her kingdom. He taught her to defend herself, be aware of her surroundings and the secrets of the castle. She was already a kind person and he helped her enhance that as well. Along the way they meet Maxwell and Ricker who are stepbrothers. They are also wonderful characters. I won't spoil the book. I will say it is definitely worth reading!

After her parents, the king and queen are murdered, Rosemund goes into hiding with her parents trusted advisor Jacob. The man her father appointed as regent is who she suspects of having them killed, and now he is the acting leader of Anduron. Jacob uses this time to teach Rosemund how to defend herself, how to survive in the wild, and getting to know the people of her country.
Sir Jake is becoming more bold and dangerous in his time as regent. He is forcing heavy taxes on the people and not providing help during a drought. Rose and Jacob, known in town as Grandfather Arthur and Silas, take the surplus they have to the people of their village. Rose has determined to take back the thrown and is waiting for the right time. Unfortunately, that time comes too soon when Rose has to leave suddenly with Maxwell, a friend, and ultimately watches the life she's known for the past year or so destroyed.
Harnessing her anger, training, and love for her country, she forges ahead with her plan. She is able to call upon the skills she learned from Jacob as well as memories she has of her parents to gain the people's trust. Once they recognize her as the future queen, they are willing to do anything to see this plan succeed.
The Crown of Rosemund is a skillfully crafted story. It takes place during 1498-1501 in the fictional country of Anduron. While this is a fiction story many of the situations are plausible enough to have happened. Rose is a strong character who has faced immense hardships. The growth that we see in this story is wonderful and realistic. There are references to atrocities that happen in war, and as such would probably not be very appropriate for anyone younger than 16.

This is a great YA book. It tells the story of Rose whose parents the King and Queen are killed and she goes into hiding until the time she can take back the throne. I enjoyed reading the growth she goes through to prepare to be queen and fight to take back the throne. Jacob, Maxwell and Rickler are also great characters and really make the story great. My only complaint is that I felt like they were too many fight scenes. That is just a personal preference. Overall I enjoyed reading the book. The storyline was well paced. The characters well developed.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

The Crown of Rosemund is a historical fiction novel about a young princess who goes into hiding after her parents are murdered. It's an enjoyable and interesting story with plenty of action. It suffered a bit from too much exposition, especially at the beginning. The flow of the story felt staggered from the constant interruptions the commentary made. This is something that does improve after the start of the book. Some of the character development that the characters go through doesn't feel earned. Other characters also feel a bit one-dimensional or don't develop as the story goes on. The book is still quite enjoyable and fun to read. The adventure was exciting throughout. It could have been a bit longer to expand on some characterization and details, but it still had a satisfying ending. I recommend The Crown of Rosemund for readers looking for a short and easy to read young-adult historical fiction story.

This was a quick read with an entertaining story. I was a little confused at first, because I'd assumed from the cover (I know, cliché) that it was historical fantasy for adults, but the writing style and language used make me think now that it must have been written for a younger audience. Princess Rosemund as a character was a little hard to read about at first, as she was very timid and tended to overthink things, but by the end, it was good to see that she'd become more confident in her own abilities. I especially liked her relationship with her "grandfather", Jacob. 

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed the engaging, well thought out plotline in this adventure story.  The characters are steady and developed well.  There is a dash of romance, but the adventure of Rose finding her place and becoming a strong, capable woman and preparing to be a wise, generous monarch takes center stage.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Crown of Rosemund drew me in to the story from the start. I loved the time period, the challenges she faced, and the journey from beginning to end. I liked the supporting characters, especially Maxwell and Ricker, and how the friendships developed through the book. The only thing I did not like was the abrupt jumps mid-chapter to different times or events. I think if the book is formatted correctly, with a break in the page and some symbol, this would be less disorienting. I would be reading along and suddenly things wouldn't make sense, until I realized the author had moved forward in the story timeline.

The Crown of Rosamund is a wonderful story about a princess in a fictitious kingdom trying to regain is after she comes of age. But before she can claim it, she will have to learn how to be a strong leader. With the guidance from Jacob and the people she meets while in safe keeping she will learn lessons and build relationships to help guide her in the future.

This is a fantasy novel, probably aimed at teenagers based on Rose's age. I had a hard time liking Rose because she was timid and fearful, though she was generous and meant well. She kept telling people that she needed to claim the throne before the Regent killed everyone off through his policies, then the next chapter would happen (which was a jump of a month or three months later) and she'd done nothing. That happened again and again. She only tried for the throne when the option of staying as a peasant was taken away from her. But, hey! The people had nothing to lose anymore so were willing to fight the Regent, so it turned out to be perfect timing.

But she acted impulsively and made poorly thought out plans, so she lost supporters. She was more intent on declaring herself Queen than getting her small army into the castle when the enemy was vulnerable, so she only won because one of her smart supporters saw the flaw in her plan. About the smartest thing she did was fall in love with a well-educated merchant's son who had better training to be king than she ever received.

That's the other thing. The beginning involved a lot of telling rather than showing. We're told she's taught this, that, the other, so that she would know how to rule. She's always been the heir, though, so why wasn't she learning this her whole life? The only things she seemed to have actually learned was how to farm and to fight, and she tended to punch her allies for being more concerned about her safety than she was. She was constantly letting "her emotions get the better of her." This led to impulsive, foolish decisions that should have ended up with her dead but somehow always worked out well. So at least she's lucky. There was no sex or bad language.

I was really intrigued by Rosemund's story because we really don't see a lot of Medeival historical fiction right now. I really loved how Rosemund grows so much over the course of this book. She starts off as a painfully shy girl and grows into the strong, kind woman she was born to be. 
Parts of this book did feel slow and a bit repetitive, particularly in the beginning.. Once Rose met Maxwell and Ricker, I was sucked into the story and in wondering how Rose was going to succeed in her quest.
3.5 stars.

This was an intriguing adventure story about a young princess whose parents were murdered and the throne stolen by the enemy. The princess survives and hides among the town's people disguised as a boy. From her parent's trusted advisor she learn fighting and self defense techniques, the wisdom of ruling a kingdom, and skills of survival in the wilderness. The story line was unique with well written descriptions. The book reminded me of writings by Melanie Dickerson's so lovers of those books and similar fairy-tale type stories will especially enjoy this one!!

I really love any medieval storyline! Give me a Princess learning to lead and grow strong in the process, and I am hooked! This was an awesome adventure for Rosemund!  I really enjoyed the character development and interaction between all of them!! The description of the surroundings were lush and beautiful! The only thing I would have added was more romance... but there was enough to keep me wanting! Thank you!!