J. M. BarlogCritiques

Suspenseful Horror!

Twists and turns throughout this book as it throws you right into the story in the first chapter and keeps you in suspense till the end. College campus life is not all what it seems for one girl as her roommate disappears and no one seems to know what happened to her.

The book takes you on a twisting ride all the way to the end when finally you find out what happened to the girl. Not giving away spoilers, so you will just have to read the book. Four stars on this one.

This was a pretty good horror read - reminded me a little bit of the movie franchise "Scream" as the characters in this book get murdered in horrific ways. It is your typical hack/slash horror book. Four star read on this one.

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, otherwise I would have put it down after the first few chapters. I think the author must have had a thesaurus by his side as he came up with words like "viridian" and "rubiginous" in the first two pages alone. The characters are one-dimensional; for example, John is EEEVILLL, and Richard is Valiant. I also was annoyed by the abrupt end to the story. There seemed to be no resolution to the conflict.

This was in between a “Meh” and an “It’s okay”. These are the thoughts I wrote while reading the first 3/4 of the story:

Story Jumps around too much. Having a hard time connecting emotionally at all. I’m seeing nothing in my mind outside of the words I am forcing myself to read.

Here are my thoughts on the last 1/4 of the story:

FINALLY! I’m finding some interest in the story. Still reads disconnected but there is enough going on that it’s got me feeling I can complete the story. Feeling some anger that the people I want to see live are dying. It at least got some feeling out of me.

I was so hopeful when reading the book’s description. Love this time period, love the Plantagenet’s. This book has a sequel but I’m not sure I want to spend the time reading it. I have noticed others really enjoyed this and have given 4 and 5 star reviews so please don’t let my feelings sway you to try it if you love Medieval Historical Fiction.

The sequel to this book is ‘The Lion Unleashed’.

Leah for b2b

A serial killer mystery. A police procedural. A family in crisis. Racism vs acceptance. These are elements that J.M. Barlog intertwined in this story. A story that had me crying for a family in crisis. A story that had me seething when racism raised its ugly head then smiling and cheering when friendship and respect just was. A page-turner with twists.

Amazon Description:
The thrilling adventure of The Heart of the Lion continues in The Lion Unleashed, Book 2 of this intense historical fiction series.

With her son, King Richard the Lionheart, a prisoner of Germany's King Henry, Queen Eleanor struggles to raise the steep ransom he demands. Henry holds all the leverage, and he's forcing his stranglehold on the English crown. Deliver or Richard dies.

Princess Joanna needs to keep Prince John off the throne, while staving off an expansion-hungry King Philip of France. Her only solution is to rescue her brother. But can one woman defy incredible odds to lead a small band of valiant knights to free her king?

The Lion Unleashed chronicles Joanna's perilous quest to infiltrate Henry's domain, locate their imprisoned king then flawlessly execute a daring rescue. The forces opposing them, at times, are insurmountable. Secrecy is paramount--bravery and courage tantamount to success. Prince John will stop at nothing to uncover Joanna's intent so he might destroy her before she can foil his play for the crown.

Joanna and her men pledge their lives for their cause. But must it come to that to free their king?

True courage arises not from the heart but from the very soul. Joanna and her men must reach deep inside if they are to succeed in their quest.

Tense and action-packed, The Lion Unleashed shifts the Plantagenet battle from the verdant English countryside to the dark forests and impregnable castles on the continent.

Opinions:
The Lion Unleashed is the second book in The Heart of the Lion series. It continues right where the last book leaves off (without much recap.) Therefore, if you have not read the first and want to read this one, you know what to do. Also, you are in for possible spoilers from the first book in this review.

In this book, Joanna with the help of Rynhawker and Thomas plan to rescue King Richard. With Prince John and King Philip against bringing Richard home alive and King Henry impatient for his ransom, the trio has a lot of work to do.

One thing I am surprised with is how Rynhawker got over his wife’s death. There was only one moment that really touched upon her death. If he loved her as he had hinted in the last book, I was expecting a little more mourning (either in intensity or length) before moving on. It would have also been nice to get a little more background on the few knights that appeared in this story. Prince John makes less appearances in the story than the first. Instead, the story mainly revolves around Joanna and her plans to rescue her brother – while trusting only a few.

The plot moves along well. The story has action and some twists the characters must overcome. I think there should have been some mention of Eleanor sometime in the latter half of the book and what England was doing. The same goes for Prince John and the one knight. The story slightly veers from history and instead follows a little medieval folklore. [Just a heads up for the history buffs out there. This is, after all, a historical fiction.] The story ends with room for the next book (if there is one) just like the last one.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. If you like medieval historical fiction with King Richard, then you should try this book.

Amazon Description:
One woman's courage will decide the fate of the English crown.

The Heart of the Lion is King Richard the Lionheart's England at its most tumultuous. His kingdom teeters on the verge of a bloody war, with the victor taking the crown and death the punishment to the vanquished.

The English countryside roils in the throes of political upheaval as King Richard sails from defeat in the Holy Lands to fight another war at home. A war against his own blood. The irascible and treacherous Prince John seeks to usurp the throne behind his brother's back.

But waylaid on his return voyage, Richard must fight to remain alive and free deep within his enemies' lands, while Princess Joanna and Queen Eleanor struggle to uncover John's growing cabal.

Now only Joanna stands brave enough between her brothers. She must risk her life to save her mother and her king. For the prince vows to destroy any who dare step between him and the crown.

The Heart of the Lion vividly portrays a woman whose courage is paramount to saving an entire kingdom. Non-stop action and intrigue unfold on both English soil and on the continent as a brother and sister fight to remain free and alive against their enemies.

This engrossing story is a must read for all medieval enthusiasts.

Opinions:
The Heart of the Lion is the story about King Richard’s trip back from the crusades, where he was captured and held for ransom. Back in England, Prince John tries to gain power of the throne by gaining supporters. Queen Eleanor and her daughter, Princess Joanna, both must try to help Richard without being caught by Prince John.

The story is written in third person following the main characters. Richard is the strong king that history sets out. Coming back from the Holy Land, his ship crashes ashore from a storm. With only a few survivors, he must find a safe passage home to England. This doesn’t go as planned and that means trouble for the King. Prince John is very evil in this book. He uses whoever and whatever to gain a better grip on the crown. He keeps secrets and spies on his mother who is known to support his brother, Richard. Princess Joanna is a spunky girl for the time, who will do anything to help her brother back from the crusades. She does spying herself to see what forces Prince John has managed to acquire. Rynhawker is a knight that fought with Richard in the Holy Lands. He has come back home to his wife and young daughter, while also teaching young Thomas the arts and skills of knighthood. He is very loyal to King Richard and knows that one day he will have to stand by his King again to secure his crown.

The story moves along well. There are some twists and turns in the story – nothing I was too surprised by. If you know the story about King Richard and Prince John (although I’m not a historian), the main events won’t be a big surprise. The story leaves off for the next book, which I will review shortly. One thing that bothered me while reading the book was the sudden jump in character perspectives. It wasn’t always separated/denoted with chapters or chapter breaks.

Overall I enjoyed this book. If you like medieval history – especially with King Richard/Prince John/Queen Eleanor, you might want to take a look at this book.

College is a time for change and a time for exploration. It is a new beginning for those that have been repressed by elders and an ending of childhood. It is the summoning of self-exploration and the closing of confinement. Students live for parties, but often feel drained by both job and school work. No one ever expects to confront death at college. No one believes that their roommate will suddenly disappear and leave a quake of questions left unanswered. This book is about one student named Trisha who finds herself in this predicament. On return for another packed year of learning, she is met with the disappearance of her long term roommate. A girl that has always been known to be level headed and reliable. Looked at as a boy chaser, her roommate Althea is thought to have run off with a boy. However, Trisha feels differently and remains Althea’s voice in a time of doubt. Not sure where to turn, she finds herself uncovering twisted plots within a local frat house. Faced with drugs and kidnapping, Trisha must prove her findings to be true. Will Trisha find her roommate and save her life before it is too late? Are the people she knows really who they say they are? Why are girls disappearing and are they all connected?

I enjoyed this book very much and was captivated by its uniqueness. At first I thought it would be a typical ‘who done it’ with a college girl as the hero, but that is not what happened. To my surprise the author created a damn good story that left me scratching my head. I strongly believe this book is worth the read and it would make a great addition to any library. It has appeal for both the young readers and adult readers. It would also make a great addition to any high school literature class. The story could fall under the suspense category and it would be relatable to those students heading off to college. Teachers could communicate that the book drives home a simple message. This message tells the reader that as a person gains independence, they also gain heavy responsibility. This responsibility often calls for a person to stand alone during a time of crisis. It is better to suffer alone and know that you are doing the right thing, rather than to remain silent and watch a stranger fall. One person can make a difference and sometimes this difference saves a life. I must thank both author and Goodreads for giving this book to me in a giveaway. It was much appreciated and I enjoyed it very much! :)

I won this book through Goodread First Reads giveaways and am giving an honest review.

A simple story set during the time of King Richard and Prince John and the ensuing battle for the Royal crown.

The was an enjoyable novel in terms of the historical fiction aspects. It also had its' share of action, evil plots, treachery and moments of surprise.

A light read, there was nothing complex about the story line or the characters. Prose was a bit sophomoric and there were a few incidences where the author discovered a word and felt compelled to reuse it several times indicating to me a lack of imagination.

However, I truly did enjoy the novel and the subject matter gave me the impetus to research more on Richard the Lionheart and his brother John.

I received this from Goodreads to read and review. This book held my attention because it had a little bit of everything, romance, mystery, the paranormal, suspense. When her roommate Althea disappears for no solid reason, though the police chief believes she just took off, Trish cannot accept that. As she searches for Ali, Trish delves deeper and deeper into the dark side of campus life. Unfortunately for her, things, long dormant, have awakened and now have Trish in their sights. She will find her safe world being replaced by one she could never have ever believed existed. The plot and execution are this novel’s strong point. Unfortunately, some of the character development and actions just did not ring true to me. However, the plot saved it for me. This is a book for those who enjoy suspense and intrigue.