“But the future is yours to create. You’ve never been ordinary, and now, my brother, it is time to be great. Take Fate and make it your servant.”
Talented author A. L. Sowards has penned yet another fascinating story based on Medieval history. Set in the Balkans in the 1380s, Beyond the Crescent Sky is the latest installment in Sowards’ Balkan Legends series, and what a wild ride it takes the reader on! With obvious impeccable research and rich historical detail, this tale enriched my knowledge of the area and this particular slice of history. The battles between the different ethnic groups for lands and power were fierce and plentiful and made for some intense and riveting reading.
Sowards has a unique ability to make characters come alive on the page, and I became totally engrossed in this story of Ivan, a Serb, and Helena, a Greek midwife. When Helena is tasked with the care of wounded Ivan, they form a connection which threatens family and clan loyalties. I enjoyed seeing their relationship change and grow and admired their strength and determination.
This wasn’t an easy book to read with war scenes, killing, and other atrocities, but the author did a great job of depicting the realities of the times while tempering them for the reader. I appreciated the maps, glossary, and character list in the front of the book, as well as the author’s notes in the back. They added much information and made it easier to keep track of the numerous characters.
With lots of history, action, suspense, and a dash of romance, this book kept me turning pages. Messages of faith, hope, and the importance of family relationships were seamlessly embedded and added inspiration to the tale. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Shadow Mountain. All opinions are my own.
BackCover Blurb:
Helena is a healer. Ivan is her prisoner. Caught in the crossfire of war, they must choose: loyalty, or love.
The Balkans, 1383
A sudden conflict between Serbs and Greeks has forced Ivan to join his brother and fight with the Serbian army. On the battlefield, Ivan is wounded and captured by the hostile Greeks, and he soon becomes a hostage to be used as a pawn in a deadly bid for power.
Helena, a Greek midwife, is tasked to care for Ivan, a request that will not only test her healing abilities but also her loyalty. Though war has made her reluctant patient an enemy, she can’t help but forge a connection with him, yet falling in love with him could turn her world upside down and brand her a traitor.
As the Ottoman Empire extends its grip into the Balkans, events beyond their control force Ivan and Helena to choose between loyalty to their families and people or following the longings of their hearts.
Award-winning historical novelist A. L. Sowards creates an engaging world of overlords and spies, rebellions and battlefields, and forbidden love.
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