This book is a new historical fiction novel by Judith Pella, who has written other such novels in collaboration with authors Michael Phillips and Tracie Peterson. This one is Mrs. Pella’s alone, and it’s a solid piece of light fiction set in the latter half of the thirteenth century in England, France and the Holy Land.

The author had several historical events and persons to work with in creating this story of Philip de Tolland, the illegitimate son of and English lord, who is eventually exiled from his home, disinherited, and forced into outlawry. The story begins in the spring of 1263. Henry III, father of Edward I (Longshanks), is king of England, but he faces a simmering revolt on the part of his barons under the leadership of Simon de Montfort. The king is taken prisoner, but his son Edward leads the king’s allies against the rebellious barons and is eventually successful in defeating them, freeing his father, and restoring Henry to the throne. All of this civil war and turmoil moves the plot along in the book, and then as the main characters converge upon Palestine in the seventh Crusade, the romantic leads, Philip and his friend and neighbor Beatrice, reunite and come to terms with the decisions they have each made alone while Philip was in exile.

Father issues, bastardy, repentance, consequences of bad decisions, and undeserved persecution are some of the themes that the book explores, but not too deeply. The evil characters are purely evil, not too complex and not at all sympathetic. The “good” characters are sinful, but eventually repentant, and everyone lives happily ever after as the author struggles to tie up all the loose plot ends very quickly in the last chapter and in a two-page “epilogue.”

In Mark of the Cross Judith Pella tells a good story in competent, if not terribly exciting, prose. Her protagonists are likeable and engaging, but not always believable. Philip, in particular, is on the one hand too good to be true, and other other, too full of revenge to be believed. Philip’s lady love is the stereotypical spoiled only child of an indulgent father, a bit wild and rebellious, but good enough grow up into a wise and beautiful lady. The book is a Christian version of the historical romance, an easy read, useful for vacation reading or a lazy summer afternoon’s entertainment. Don’t ask for more than that, and you won’t be disappointed.