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Isobel’s assignment was supposed to be simple: bring Jean de Bourbon-Dampierre back home to Queen Marguerite before he gets himself killed in the ill-fated Eighth Crusade and throws history out of whack, putting the future crown of France in peril. Since Isobel is from the future, she knows that the Crusades are doomed—and that the children will be sold into slavery. But Jean refuses to listen to her.
If Isobel fails in her mission, the Time Correction Foundation will erase her existence, along with anyone around her who threatens history. If she succeeds, she can remain in thirteenth-century France and start a new life, instead of returning to the future to finish out her sentence—for accidentally killing a child—in a reproduction prison, where every month an ovule is taken from her body, fertilized, and implanted into an artificial womb.
After meeting a young boy named Charles who becomes her most trusted companion, Isobel finds Jean. They travel together for days, headed for the ocean, where they’re promised free passage if they fight in the Crusades. Hungry, filthy, and miserable, Isobel spends the entire time trying to convince Jean to go home. Eventually, they become lovers, and Isobel all but gives up on her mission. Jean was supposed to be easy to manage, but the Time Correction Foundation was so wrong—wrong about a lot of things.
Due to a perilous ocean voyage, a furious battle, and accusations of being a witch, Isobel’s mission might just be the death of her, but she’s strong and resourceful, and she won’t let the odds beat her.
Angels on Crusade was an absolute delight to read. Rich in history, but never intrusive, it tells a fascinating tale about the Crusades and the way of life in the mid-1200s. The details are so vivid that you’ll feel as if you’re walking right along beside the ragged Crusaders.
Not only does the story teach you a lot of history, but it also tells a terrific story about one woman’s quest to get history back on the correct path—while facing her own demons and searching for forgiveness and happiness from within. I highly recommend Angels on Crusade. It’s an adventurous love story that I couldn’t put down—one of the best e-books I’ve read all year.
