A Kingdom's Cost: A Historical Novel of Scotland

J. R. Tomlin

Jan 2013 · The Black Douglas Trilogy Book 1 · Albannach Publishing

About this ebook

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. 

Keywords: Scotland, Historical Fiction, Black Douglas, Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Military Fiction, Medieval Historical Fiction, General Fiction

Ratings and reviews

I very much enjoyed this fictionalized history of the Scottish war with England, mostly in the very early 1300s - from the execution of William Wallace through Robert the Bruce's victory at Loudon Hill. The book was certainly interesting and enjoyable through the first several chapters. Once the narrative arrived at Bruce's crowning @ Scone, however, I could not put it down and read to completion, staying up until the wee hours of the morning (on a workday...) to do so. I'll continue this trilogy.

For me it started a bit slow but picked up and gained momentum. I enjoyed learning about the history of Scotland's war for independence. I liked James Douglas's humanity; his desire to achieve what he felt was right and just but the guilt he felt at the cost. I was left with a desire to find out more details. Wondering if some of my distant ancestors fought in that war.

Enjoyed the writing and historical aspects of book. Great characters and good plot make this fun and easy to read. Found myself pulling for main character and his people.

About the author

Jeanne Tomlin is a native of South Texas where she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She now resides in the rainier climes of the Pacific Northwest. Her hobbies include horseback riding and hiking. She has written non-fiction as a staff writer, but her love has always been reading and writing fantasy and historical fiction.