Always By Jody Hedlund

On the same night, the king and queen died together.

The king entrusted his elite guard, Lance, to save the three princesses from the evil Ethelwulf.

The queen entrusted her lady-in-waiting, Felicia, to save the three princesses from the same.

So begins the adventure of two fiercely loyal subjects who couldn't be more different--but have to save the kingdom together.

First off--DO NOT READ THE BACK COVER BLURB! It spoils the end of the story. You have been duly warned.

The author brought good blows to her characters--placed things in their path that would chip away at the things they held most dear and the beliefs they trusted the most. The book winds things up quickly and tightly at the end--while still leaving room for the series to follow.

By all appearances, the book is about depending on God above all else. And as mentioned above, the plot teaches the characters that in powerful ways. However, even after chapters where characters come to the end of themselves and change their minds, they still make statements such as "you are all I need" to their romantic interests. Which seems to sabotage the theme made evident a few chapters earlier.

Is Always always on the point? No. But it is most of the time. And that makes it a read I'm willing to give some time to as well.