Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: The Lion and the Crow
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
PUBLISHER: Pinkerton Road (Self-published)
LENGTH: 153 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 26, 2019
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:
This specific time period in English history is rich with opportunity for fictional drama—sword fights, castle raids, and harrowing battles to the death translate well to the page. But romance is not something I’ve read much about in fiction taking place in the early 1300s. The two noble knights in this story do their fair share of battle, but their hearts lie with one another, making this an action-packed story filled with tons of passion and excitement.
Sir Christian Brandon, the belittled and beautiful youngest son of a cold and powerful Lord, jumps at any opportunity to get away from his family home. When the stoic Sir William Corbett requests aid in rescuing his sister Elaine from her cruel Lord husband, Christian becomes his only companion on the road to vengeance. Christian may be beautiful and a bit naïve, but he’s a trained warrior, and he and William make a formidable team as they escape thieves and concoct a plan to get Elaine to safety.
We get the point of view of both men, and right away, it is apparent they are drawn to one another. Christian knows he needs to be smart about his attraction to men—his cruel brothers and fair looks will be used against him if his secret comes out. And William is a man of honor and faith who believes lying with a man is sinful, no matter how much he may desire it. Their attraction burns slowly and steadily—a glimpse at a muscled chest, a peek at a bath in the river. When they finally come together, the chemistry is explosive, no matter how bad the fallout could become. It has all the sweetness of first-time love with all the urgency of love that could be cut short in a matter of moments.
Their goal of rescuing Elaine makes for scenes of wonderful action and tension. Her husband is a sadistic creep, and when Christian makes a plan to get into the castle, he is soon faced with his greatest challenge yet. I like how he’s the one taking action and getting things done, even though he’s painted at the younger, fairer, less experienced man. In so few words, this relatively short book does a great job making full, interesting characters of both Christian and William. Their sexual dynamic (dominant older man, younger submissive man) stays in the bedroom—on the battlefield, they are equals.
Since the story is so well-done, I thought it could’ve been fleshed out even more, especially towards the end when we see the dynamic between the two men and Elaine and see a bit of their future together. Easton already expanded this story once, so I thought she could’ve gone even further. Though the ending is not sad, it will still make you cry—and if you need something that lands a little gentler, Easton has included a much sweeter epilogue as a bonus.
I really enjoyed this story. It tugs on all of our emotions as readers and never gets bogged down. It’s intense, the characters are great, the dialogue is tight, and the ending packs a punch. Highly recommended!
RATING: 
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