Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?

Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have?

Over the past several years, I’ve read quite a number of Young Adult (YA) books. Part of the reason is because I have four teens and one tween. So I want to keep up with the literary smorgasbord offered to teens, especially because so many books end up as blockbuster movies. Both the books and the movies open the door for lots of discussion. We talk about objectionable behaviors, difficult life-issues, character likability, and so much more.

One question I almost always ask is: So what’s this author’s world view?

We all have a world view– a set of principles we live by or the philosophy of life that guides us. Usually we see everything through the lens of our world view which dictates how we live, the decisions we make, the way we treat others, etc.

Authors have world views too. And those views color and shape everything we write into our books, whether we intend to or not.

For example, after reading the best seller A Fault in Our Stars, I talked to my daughters about cancer and all of the sadness and fear that come with it. But beyond that, we talked about the author’s world view. What did he believe about death, the afterlife, about God (or the lack thereof), and about the meaning of human existence? The author’s philosophies DO come across. Perhaps subtly. But they are there nonetheless.

Most of the time, however, we don’t really take the time to think about the views that form the foundations of the books we read. In fact, I would go as far to say that most of the time our kids read for entertainment with little thought about the author’s world view and how it may or may not line up with what they believe.

As a result of simply drinking in whatever we’re told, we become susceptible to fads, whims, and sometimes even deceitful philosophies masquerading as good.

Obviously, I permit my children to read a wide variety of books. I don’t shelter them or require them to only read classics. But hand-in-hand with giving them the opportunity to read popular books, I take my responsibility seriously to have frank discussions about what they’re reading (and watching).

The fact is, sadly, that all too many teen books nowadays require a lot of debriefing.  And I have to admit that I would love to be able to have more choices for wholesome (yet entertaining!) books that I can put into my kids’ hands.

It’s my prayer that FOR LOVE & HONOR can be that kind of book. Please spread the word so that we can pave the way for more books just like it!