Goodreads Review: A Conjuring of Valor

A Conjuring of Valor: Book Two by J.C. Wade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valor - great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle

A few months after the events of The White Witches Daughter and Lady Edyth Ruthven nee DeVries is trying to adjust to her new life in the Scottish Highlands. It is not an easy task as she is seen as an English outsider. Although she was acquitted of her crime of witchcraft, she is still looked upon with suspicion due to her medical knowledge of herbs and brews.

Edyth's fiery sister-in-law, Catriona (Cait), faces a future of uncertainty as her brother arranges her to be married to a man she has never met all in the name of family protection and clan unity. However, Cait's defiant spirit and competitive nature might be more than either family bargained for.

Finally, Ewan Ruthven's loyalty and leadership come under fire when the English invade his family lands. Caught between the two warring nations, Ewan's every move is scrutinized and any decision he makes for his family, and his people could cost them their livelihoods and even their lives.

The second installation was exciting and emotional and admittedly, I found the shorter chapters made the read much easier. While Edyth and Ewan are still the main leads, Ewan's younger siblings are beginning to emerge with their own stories as well. However, how many children are actually in the Ruthven family? Every several chapters it seems like, yet another obscure Ruthven child is mentioned. Then again, I was almost finished with The White Witches Daughter before I realized that Ewan and Iain were brothers. All that to say, family stories are some of my favorite genres and I'm enjoying learning more and more about the Ruthven clan.

Inklings ~ February 2026

Welcome to February Inklings! 💖 

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt.

2. Link-back to Heidi's blog with a link to you Inklings prompt.

February's prompt

A poignant moment between old friends in book or film

Welcome March

By March the worst of the winter will be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run, and the world would wake into itself again.

~Neil Gaiman

Favorite Film Dialogues

A small collection of my favorite film dialogues that live rent free in my head and inspire me in my own writing as well. 

Goodreads Reviews: The White Witch's Daughter

The White Witch's Daughter by J.C. Wade
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

1296, England

Strife and war between England, the highest world power, France and Scotland is coming to a boiling point. The Church is the ultimate ruling authority that has the power to both spare life and take it. Lady Edyth DeVries knows this all too well, since her mother was hung by the neck for the accusation witchcraft and Edyth's own father killed not too long afterwards. Now the Church has come for her, the last of her line and apprentice to her mother's knowledge of herbs and healing.

Edyth, alone in the world, afraid for her own mortality and angry at a silent God, must travel through bloodshed England to reach her only family in the Scottish Highlands. Soon, her strength and resilience carry her from the hostile and savage roads and into the unlikely protection of Ewan Ruthven. A young nobleman and seasoned soldier whose every decision will have life and death consequences for his family, his people and his own country; and Edyth DeVries becomes one more dangerous life choice.

A balance of well researched history and small (blink and you miss it) fantasy. Think Brave (early feminist, red haired, archer leading lady) meets Outlander (Scottish Lord and Englishwoman main storyline), meets Braveheart (same time period) and there's the story. And when I say that this story is well researched, it is. Down to using traditional Gaelic.

Being a character reader/writer, I truly did enjoy the leads. Edyth may have been a little too on the nose of an English version of Merida and a medieval Claire Randall Frasier, but she did well as the lead and really found herself in the end. Ewan Ruthven definitely had more depth (as male characters tend to get in their development as compared to their often-one-dimensional female counterparts) and I loved his devotion to his family and his country that could rival Jamie Frasier.

La Belle et la Bête (2014)

As a Beauty and The Beast lover for many years (probably since I saw the Disney film), I was excited to see an actual French production of the original tale. Well, this version certainly didn't disappoint! From the stunning sets, gorgeous costumes and solid backstories, this film does absolute justice to the original storyline while also creating their own fantasy narrative as well. The movie is filmed in French, and the English version has dubbed American actors.

The Swan Princess (1994)

One of my all-time loved films from my childhood! I remember when the movie premiered on television and it was hosted by Pillsbury and so before the film there was this cute commercial with the Pillsbury doughboy. My family recorded the movie and the commercial with it and so I always associated Pillsbury with the Swan Princess for years.

Loosely inspired by Tchaikovsky's ballet, Swan Lake, which premiered in 1875, the ballet was possibly inspired by old Germanic and Slavic folk and fairy tales. By nature, it's a rather depressing story (everybody dies), however, over the years the ballet has adapted a more hopeful ending to the storyline. I actually got to see Swan Lake on stage performed by a Ukrainian dance company, and it was breathtaking.