A King Empowered

The Stewart Chronicles #4

by J.R. Tomlin

At last, Scotland’s child-king, James the second of that name, is approaching manhood. Bound by birth and duty to take up the power of a king but controlled by men determined that he will not do so—he questions whether he will ever have the strength to defeat them. But to rule is his destiny, and when the leader of the mighty Douglas clan moves to steal his kingdom, James must put aside his youth and doubts and defend the crown of Scotland. Facing war with the Douglases, the future of Scotland is at stake. If he fails, he loses not just his kingdom, but his life.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2019

About the author

J. R. Tomlin is the author of nineteen historical novels.

She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh whilst growing up. Her historical novels are set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of the Bruce and Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small, to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo.

When JR isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

James II, King of Scots comes of age in this book and struggles to take the reins of power into his own hands. William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas and his brothers would have it otherwise. The Douglas family have married into the Royal Stewarts over generations and so can claim a right to the throne themselves. The 8th Earl of Douglas's father, James Douglas, William, 1st Lord Crichton, and Alexander Livingston of Callendar had all plotted the the deaths of the 6th Earl of Douglas and his younger brother David. It is thought that William Douglas was complicit in their deaths as well. He would later marry the 6th Earl's sister controlling more land than James II and feeling he could do as he pleased. He went abroad on business and while he was abroad James II took and slighted two minor castles. William signed a bond with John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, and Alexander Lindsay, Earl of Crawford and James II sent him an invitation to dinner under safe conduct. James II demanded that he break his bond with Crawford and MacDonald. William refused and disrespected his king. James II lost his temper, stabbing him with his eating knife while Sir Patrick Gray, Captain of the King's Guard hit him in the head with a pike. The war between James II and the remaining Douglas brothers is on with the Douglases seeking funding from the English king. James II will introduce a new element in warfare for taking castles : cannon

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another example of excellent historical fiction by J. R. Tomlin.

[Tom Sells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grand adventure

James and Patrick are an adventurous duo. They accept all challenges and react accordingly. They were strong and talented fighters. Victory is nice.

[betty shackelford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

Enjoyed this book. Learned a lot about Scotland. Looking forward to reading the series. I learned a lot of Scotish words,I didn't know.

[Sally Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all the books in this series I enjoyed.