Post Three for Nor Iron Bars A Cage

Ok, so what do you do when your son's evil mum runs off with him to her hometown? You get him back, that's what you do! But how? Quite the question, and what Caprice Hokstad does in Nor Iron Bars A Cage in answer is something else indeed.

Now you've already read the synopsis of the book in my first post. You have a good idea what this story is all about. Duke Vahn sends Keedrina, his head slave (not to mention his wife in secret) along with his captain and a middle aged healer to Ganluc to rescue his son. It's a bold and dangerous move but he does it anyway. And Keedrina, driven by her intense love of the Duke, is willing to take what risks may come. And while she and her companions are off on their rescue mission, who should show up on the Duke's doorstep but a chick that's just bad news all the way around! And she's got her cap set on the Duke. Oh what a pickle! Manipulative, selfish and cunning, she manages to trick the duke into a game that basically lands him as her slave! Talk about going from being in a pickle to being turned into relish! Though Duke Vahn doesn't exactly relish being a slave, he is pretty good at it. But protecting one's honor will do that to a guy!

How does the Duke get out of his predicament? Will Keedrina and company rescue the Duke's son? Ahh ahh ahhhhh .... I'm not telling! Just what do you think I am? A spoiler? Not me!

It amazes me the amount of talent I have had the pleasure of reading over the last few months. Some of which I've had the chance to tour such as Caprice's book. The quality of writing is good, her storytelling ability very well done, and she has built a believable world with characters that you genuinely want to know and root for. All in all a good read and a lot of fun. And guess what? There are three books in this trilogy! Did I mention it was a trilogy? Yes it is. The Duke's Handmaiden, the first in the trilogy should definitely be read before one gets to Nor Iron Bars A Cage. There is too much back story to just jump into NIBAC, I think, and you'll want to know the characters backgrounds and story which leads up to the second installment. Soooooo, how long then will we have to wait until the third installment? Maybe if we picket Caprice she'll get it to all of us soon!

Post Two for Nor Iron Bars A Cage

Ta daaaa daaaa tatatata tatatata ta taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ta daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! My sister, being an actual professional race horse jockey, would cringe at my text rendition of a races opening fanfare! Good thing for me she’s far too busy to see that. Well, not to mention lucky for me she doesn’t have a computer either! But we are not here to place bets on my sister. No, we are here to place bets on Byntar. And no, Byntar is not the name of a race horse, but it is the name of a world!

In Nor Iron Bars A Cage, the author Caprice Hokstad has created a very interesting world indeed. And let me tell you, world building is not as easy as some might think. A lot goes into creating social and political structures, religions, ways of life and how things are done day to day in the world of the author’s imagination. A writer has to give enough of the familiar to make the world they are creating believable and Caprice uses something we are all familiar with and she uses it quite well. What is this thing she uses to propel her story forward, create a platform to work from, and keep her story moving? Slavery.

Slavery. We hear the word and cringe. Slavery means to be at times naked and alone, abused at a master’s whim. Tortured and maimed. Wars are fought over it, people killed because of it. We have enough of it in our own history to know the harsh facts.
But Caprice has taken this most deplorable rank of servitude, and reminds us that to Jesus Christ, we are as slaves. Or at least we should be. In the New Testament there was the steward, the servant, and then the bond slave. Oh if only we could be as slaves to Christ! But how hard it is to do! In Nor Iron Bars A Cage, Keedrina, a slave in the house of Duke Vahn, revels in the position as slave to the Duke. Being near him is all that matters, and thus, in servitude, she finds her happiness. As should we all. But how easy is it for us to do this when it comes to God? Not an easy task.

I’ve tried to classify Nor Iron Bars A Cage. Is it a love story? A romance if you will. An adventure? Science Fiction/Fantasy? What? It contains a bit of everything, so one might classify it as mainstream fiction. I classify it as a darn good read. One to read and then ponder. The story makes you think and wonder about where your own heart is at and who it really belongs to … and who does it serve?

Nor Iron Bars A Cage

The Christian Fiction Review Blog is touring Caprice Hokstad's 'Nor Iron Bars A Cage' for the month of February. To initiate my new blog, The Time Mistress, I've chosen Ms. Hokstad's book as my first review of the year. And with one's own blog, one has license to post not just once, but as many times as one wants! And I'm going to do just that. Though this first post is general information about the book, I will be posting through out the rest of the week a bit more in depth. So without further ado, let us take a general look at Caprice Hokstad's 'Nor Iron Bars A Cage'.

Synopsis: Two baby boys are lost in the hostile country of Ganluc--one the firstborn son of a prince and princess (third in line for the Royal Throne of Latoph no less) and the other an illegitimate half-breed born to an Itzi slavegirl and fathered by a licentious owner who was executed for treason. Ouch! Yet Duke Vahn, the afore mentioned prince, is determined to rescue both of these boys. Scores of knights and bounty hunters have risked their lives trying to retrieve them, yet none can even find a clue to their whereabouts. When all else fails, a bold plan is proposed to send Vahn's most trusted servant posing as a runaway slave in order to gather information. Reluctantly, Vahn sends a strange trio off to Ganluc--his brave captain, a middle-aged healer, and an Itzi slave. Little does he know what challenges await both the trio and his own house, now forced to survive without its key leaders.

You can also check out the Christian Fiction Review Blogs daily posts on this book at http://cfrblog.blogspot.com/

And don't forget to check out the book on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615163602?ie=UTF8&tag=welctolato-20&linkCod

The author's own website http://www.latoph.com/

Barnes and Noble _http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=978061516

Lulu.com which has the best deal going for obtaining a copy http://www.lulu.com/caprice