A Kingdom's Cost: the Black Douglas and the Scottish War of Indepedence

A Kingdom’s Cost by JR Tomlin is the first book in The Black Douglas trilogy. It is the story of James Douglas aka The Black Douglas and the first Scottish War of Independence. In 1305, 18-year-old Jamie Douglas watches helplessly as the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Despite the brutal English conqueror in King Edward I, the people of Scotland yearn for freedom and one man, Robert the Bruce, the rightful king, is the hope for freedom. The Bruce, a king without a kingdom, is soon a fugitive and Scotland is occupied. Yet James believes their cause is not lost. With a driving determination, James wages a guerrilla war to restore Scotland’s freedom. He knows that he risks sharing Wallace’s fate but could he become as ruthless as the tyrant he fights? 

I love stories and books which feature Scotland, so I was excited to pick up A Kingdom’s Cost. I've heard the name of the Black Douglas before but I didn’t know the man or his story. I worried that it would be filled with overly military jargon and battle strategy rather than a story about the men who fought to gain their freedom. I was surprised at how easily the story flowed and grabbed me as I read the battles, the lives lost and the sacrifices made. While Mr. Tomlin took a few licenses with the historical facts, the story grew my curiosity to look into the historical figures and learn more about them. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. I recommend A Kingdom's Cost. 

A Kingdom’s Cost is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.