The Knight’s Redemption (The Swords of the White Rose series, 3)
The concluding story of the fictional Sir John Hawker as he fights his way through 15th-century Europe. This final book in The Swords of the White Rose trilogy follows Hawker from the streets and canals of Venice, where he must attempt to right a wrong, to the bloody battleground at Stoke Field, the definitive battle in the Roses’ wars. Followed by a small band of seemingly loyal followers, Hawker faces struggles and betrayals as he moves across Europe, where loyalties are tested and lives are lost.
Any book endorsed by Bernard Cornwell must be good, and this is certainly no exception. Ethan Bale brings Hawker to life with all his talents, faults and idiosyncrasies. This is a wonderfully researched novel filled with just the right amount of detail to keep the pages turning. Side characters like the young Jack Perry, Ellingham, Jacob and the duplicitous Gaston are all fully formed, believable and grounded in time and place.
The joy of a good historical novel is to be immersed in the world the writer creates, and this is a novel of the highest quality in that respect also. Informative with emotional highs and lows, the author captures the balance of this perfectly. Descriptions of fights and battles are extremely well done and authentic.
Although this novel stands alone, I feel compelled to go back to the first two books in the series, as I have been left hungry for more.
