I highly recommend reading Dina L. Sleiman's Valiant Hearts trilogy. Each book is set during the medieval time period with complex characters making hard choices. The books have aspects that bring to mind heroes from legends, like Robin Hood. This book has a character who is a young lady who has visions from God. She reminds me of Joan of Arc.

This book is set during the Crusades. Honestly, the Crusades are a point in history that bother me. It is easy to look back on history and not agree with what our fore-bearers did. This book gave me a different perspective and a little bit of appreciation for the religious fervor that sparked the Crusades. The issues are complex and Sleiman presented them in a way that helped me understand the reasons why the Catholic Church went to war for the Holy Land. I appreciated the Muslim perspective as well. Both sides were represented respectfully.

The story is told from four perspectives: Randel, Rosalind, Sapphira, and the villain. It took me a while to figure out who the villain in the story was. There were several people who seemed to stand out and have the anger that I expected. I didn't figure it out until about 3/4 of the book, just before it was revealed.

The book also talks about forgiveness. Forgiveness from God and forgiving yourself. Many people in this story make mistakes. I loved how freely forgiveness was given and love was granted. It is a reminder not to be so hard on ourselves and the love that the Father has for his children.

The romance is sweet and clean. The book has war violence, innuendo, and kissing. ( )

Guilt-ridden by the mistakes of her past, Rosalind of Ipsworth joins a crusade to free captives from enemy prisons. She's determined to serve, train, and protect the children traveling with the crusaders even if it means sacrificing her life. Sir Randel Penigree feels much the same as he's haunted by past battle experiences. As Rosalind and Randel join together to lead the children, they are drawn to each other in spite of the fact that neither of them intends to ever marry. Will Rosalind and Randel find atonement for their past mistakes or will the shadows of the past lead them to lifetime isolation?

Courageous is the third novel in Dina L. Sleiman's Valiant Hearts series and features Rosalind and Randel, supporting characters from Chivalrous. The beauty of their love story lies in the divine redemption that overcomes the past, purifies the present, and lights their future path. It was a pleasure to observe the individual character development at each stage and how it later led to relationship development and romance. That part of the story was excellent. However, I was uncomfortable with the crusade setting. My knowledge of the Middle Age Crusades is limited, but I've always viewed them as misguided and unethical. The author did not glorify the crusades and created a worthy cause for fighting. Yet, the fact it was a crusade and that there were children involved just didn't sit well with me.

Courageous is my least favorite in this series by Dina L. Sleiman, but I'll keep it because I enjoyed its love story and its predecessors. If you've read Dauntless and Chivalrous, you'll probably be interested in Courageous.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." ( )