Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: The Lion and the Crow
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 146 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 19, 2015
BLURB:
In medieval England, duty is everything, personal honor is more valued than life itself, and homosexuality is not tolerated by the church or society.
Sir Christian Brandon was raised in a household where he was hated for his unusual beauty and for his parentage. Being smaller than his six brutish half-brothers, he learned to survive by using his wits and his gift for strategy, earning him the nickname the Crow.
Sir William Corbett, a large and fierce warrior known as the Lion, has pushed his unnatural desires down all his life. He’s determined to live up to his own ideal of a gallant knight. When he takes up a quest to rescue his sister from her abusive lord of a husband, he’s forced to enlist the help of Sir Christian. It’s a partnership that will test every strand of his moral fiber, and, eventually, his understanding of the meaning of duty, honor, and love.
REVIEW:
I chose this book solely based on the author. I quickly read the blurb, thought…hmmm…that sounds interesting and requested it. I didn’t read anyone else’s review, because I never do until I’ve written my own review and rated the book based on my own reading experience.
In the story, Sir Christian Brandon is the seventh son of a less than loving father. Christian finds a way to escape his father’s thumb and the domineering abuse he has suffered his entire life from his father and older brothers. He volunteers to go with Sir William Corbett on a quest to save Sir William’s sister from the tyrant she is married to. As he is departing, he is told by his father that he will pick a wife upon his return or his father will pick one for him.
Sir Christian has been hiding a secret. He has no interest in women. A crime in the year 1300. To make it worse, he is majorly attracted to Sir William Corbet. What happens when Sir William appears to have similar tastes? A well written historical tale is what happens.
I’ll be honest. There was a section of the story that I thought was a little slow but I persevered and worked through it. At the time I was wondering to myself why I had chosen the book. But then suddenly, the story opened up for me and I really enjoyed the rest of it. I liked this tale. Because of the section which was a little difficult, I’m going to deduct a little for it. That said, the little is a half a star and I still highly recommend the book.
Now that I finished my review and rated it, I clicked over to see what others had to say about the ending. If you’ve read other reviews on this story, you’re going to know that some people don’t like the Epilogue. I’m going to go on record and say that I’m not one of those people. I loved how Ms. Easton tied the story together in the end. Did it leave me a little weepy eyed? Yes. But to me, that is the sign of an excellent storyteller. One who can instill a feeling of emotion while you’re reading their story.
Excellent job Ms. Easton.
RATING: 
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