The Lion of Kent by Aleksandr Voinov

The blurb (from Goodreads):

Squire William Raven has only one goal—to finally receive his spurs and become a knight. When his lord, Sir Robert de Cantilou, returns from a five-year crusade in the Holy Land, William wants nothing more than to impress him.

After Sir Robert's return, noble guests arrive from France, bringing intrigue to the castle. William is oblivious to the politics, as he's distracted by nightly visits from a faceless lover—a man who pleasures him in the dark and then leaves—a man he soon discovers is none other than his master, Sir Robert.

But William can't ignore the scheming around him when he overhears a plot to murder Robert. He becomes intent on saving his lord and lover from those who would see him killed...

I have something of a weakness for medieval settings, so I was predisposed to enjoy this, even before I started reading, and it was the first book by this author I've read (date of this review not withstanding--this was a re-read, and this time around I Took Notes!) Having a reasonable background in the history of the way Western religion changed throughout the Dark and Middle Ages (or Middle and Dark Ages? I forget which way 'round it goes sometimes), I particularly enjoyed the comme...moreI have something of a weakness for medieval settings, so I was predisposed to enjoy this, even before I started reading, and it was the first book by this author I've read (date of this review not withstanding--this was a re-read, and this time around I Took Notes!) Having a reasonable background in the history of the way Western religion changed throughout the Dark and Middle Ages (or Middle and Dark Ages? I forget which way 'round it goes sometimes), I particularly enjoyed the commentary relating to the Church, particularly in regards to William's Lord Robert's brother Stephen, who aims for an archbishopric when *his* king, Young Henry, ascends to the throne. I may need to poke my nose back round a few history books and refamiliarize myself with the politics of the time. One standout jibe: "Too much risk and not enough gain. Only a churchman would see the world in such mercenary terms." (Robert, speaking of his brother Stephen's unwillingness to join him on Crusade.) In the beginning of the story, William seems to have a lot of self-doubt; his impulsiveness leads him to speak out-of-turn and to overreact to jibes from fellow squires. His desire to please and to gain his spurs leads him to challenge the visiting Frenchmen to a knife fight at dinner their first night there. (He does manage to win, but almost more by luck than by skill, I thought.) He overhears a plan to murder someone, and thinking the target is his lord, and being unable to determine the conspirators, he keeps silent and decides to figure it out and protect his lord all on his lonesome--I can understand his motivation; it would surely earn him his spurs if he doesn't lose his life in the process. And honestly, how easy would it be to go to someone and say "I overheard some people; they're planning on killing someone and I heard your name, but I don't know who is planning it, and to be perfectly honest, I don't know for absolutely sure that it's you they plan to kill."? I would want more certain information myself. Also, William is being slowly "courted" by Lord Robert at this time; as Robert has spent the last several years while on Crusade learning about the "Greek ways of Love" in Constantinople and Damascus. William is aware that he prefers boy-bits to girl-bits, but struggles some against the church strictures against sinning in this way. Making it even more difficult, he wants to please his lord (in more ways than just one!) but Robert is trying to not take advantage of hero-worship combined with loyalty, and doesn't want to force anything due to the inequity of the Lord/squire dynamic. Cue Big Dramatic Hunt Scene in which William saves a life and kills a boar, and learns valuable lessons about human frailty. After which he is lauded, and eventually led to the chapel to meditate on his vows as a knight. He considers his worthiness to take those vows, and muses that the knightly virtues (courage, loyalty, obedience, faith) are not inborn qualities, but rather something that you must strive for, and that to live up to them you must always be aware of how fleeting they can be in moments of emotional stress. Not only that, but you cannot know till you're in the middle of one of those moments whether you'll be able to uphold those virtues. Next comes big Dubbing of the Knight ceremony (for some reason, that word--dubbing--always makes me think of gum. Completely random, but there you are.) after which, the visiting viscomte offers him a place in his retinue. William is encouraged by Robert to spend the night in his (Robert's) bed where Robert finally meets him as an equal and they both get their jollies. I enjoyed this story a lot, but I think I would have liked it better if it were longer. On my reader, it came in at around 80 pages, with 7 pages alloted to cover, author bios, etc. I enjoyed the characters but didn't wholly connect with any of them in the way I would have liked to. I came close with William a couple of times, but I don't feel any of them had quite enough room to really spread their personalities. Ulric, in particular, I think could have been more well-developed, so that I could have felt the same sense of betrayal William did. And I still feel there's a distinct inequality between William and Robert. All in all, though, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming sequel.

Scorpion by Aleksandr Voinov

The blurb:

You learn your wisest lessons from your enemies. Assuming, of course, you survive the encounter. Kendras is a casualty of war: injured, penniless, and quite possibly the last surviving member of the only family he's ever known—the elite fighting force known as the Scorpions. When a steel-eyed stranger offers him medicine and shelter in exchange for submission and a secret task, Kendras has no choice but to accept. He is a Scorpion; he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.

But his true goal is to rebuild the Scorpions. Neither Steel’s possessive nature nor Kendras’s shattered foot can keep him from finding the last of his brothers... or the mysterious leader of the Scorpions, a man who held Kendras’s heart long before Steel tried to take it for himself. The goal is simple, the situation anything but. To rescue his leader and escape from Steel for good, Kendras must fight through a morass of politics and intrigue, where enemies are allies and even allies have hidden agendas.



This is my review from Goodreads:

"I was really resentful of things that took me away from this book when I was reading--little things like food, sleep, children...The world that was built here feels like it could easily lend itself to many more stories; its history seems rich enough, certainly, as does its present. And there are several support characters and relationships I'd love to know more about (although I suppose the M/F ones are out of the question? *sigh*)

I will admit, I have a thing for a (well-done) Sekrit Baby, and I really really want Kendras's personal history (whatever led up to his becoming an orphaned street-urchin) to be something nice and dramatic (prophecies are always fun, too...) And I remain intrigued by the dichotomy of Kendras's emotions as directed toward his officer and the anonymity of that officer through a good portion of the book; as well as the differing reactions he has to being saved from certain death by the officer as a boy, and being saved from whatever fate might have befallen him after his battlefield injury by Steel.

I would have liked to see more of the hinted-at history between Andrastes (and apparently a number of Dalmanye kings) and Steel. However, I admit that, as tightly-written as the story was, that probably would have been too much. I would love to see the high priest get what's coming to him.

(Final note: Can I just say thank you for not alerting my inner English teacher? No misused homophones, no horrible glaring grammatical issues, no random weird italics/punctuation--SO refreshing!!)

Loved loved *loved* it!"

And I have no quibbles with what I wrote there, but there are a few things I'd like to get into a bit more in depth now.  And I'm gonna have to figure out how to hide it... (Spoilers, no doubt, ahoy!)