The House of Pendragon Book II: The Recruit

The House of Pendragon Book II: The Recruit
Debra A. Kemp
Amber Quill Press, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-59279-699-1
Fiction, Fantasy
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

The House of Pendragon Book II: The Recruit is the second book in the The House of Pendragon series. This series shares an alternative Arthurian tale. In this version, Arthur and Gwenhwyfar had a child, Helin. However, through treachery Gwenhwyfar was convinced to send her young daughter away to be fostered. At the time, she no doubt felt that the child would be well cared for and safe but she was deceived. While everyone thought the child had died, the young girl Lin was brutally beaten and tortured as a slave by her own kinsmen. The House of Pendragon Book II: The Firebrand recalls Lin’s early life as she survives this hell and comes to realize that she is the daughter of King Arthur.
The House of Pendragon Book II: The Recruit focuses more on what happens after Lin and her foster-brother are freed from slavery and safely returned to Camelot. Lin immediately bonds with her father. He seems to instinctively understand what she has gone through and loves her for the strong woman that she has become. Gwenhwyfar and Lin’s relationship seems troubled from the start. The Queen sees Lin’s behavior as that of an unruly child who needs to be disciplined. The situation only gets worse when Lin becomes determined to become a warrior in her father’s army.
I was lucky enough to have reviewed the first book in this series when it first came out. Ever since then, I have been eagerly awaiting this second installment. I was not at all disappointed. Although it had been a few years since I read the first book, it only took a few pages for me to get right back into the action. Then, I couldn’t stop reading until I had finished the last page.