Rebellion by Richard Cullen, Richard the lion heart is dead and everyone is scrambling to benefit from it, his brother is now king but Louis of France wants to change that. To make matters worse he doesn’t even listen to his advisers what he does to prevent war only causes it and in the middle of all the chaos we meet Estienne. He is being raised by the night William. For now Estienne is a Squire, but dreams of being a knight and a warrior. Eventually he finds the battles he seeks but it will not be as hard as the personal battles he’s going to face. With great political intrigue battles and also a heartbreaking ending this book only left me wanting to read the next one. Even now having finish the book a few days ago I still find myself thinking of poor Estienne and wondering what is going to happen now. I did want to say I couldn’t believe Isabell did that but then again I didn’t live in those days and times but OMG so heartbreaking. Having said that this is still a great book of battles with it and everything you look for in a book about rival Kingdoms and mid evil warriors.#NetGalley, #BoldwoodBooks, #RichardCullen, #Rebellion,

Trained as a squire, Estienne Wace navigates the turbulence of the time, developing his skills in battle and loyalty to his liege.

The novel perfectly captures Estienne’s coming-of-age journey against the backdrop of medieval hardships, although I felt the pacing lagged a bit during his teenage years. It does pick back up after King John's death in 1216 and William Marshal's passing in 1219, when Estienne’s world is turned upside down by the discovery of a mysterious letter. This twist propels him toward a new life as he joins the Knights Templar on a crusade, leaving readers curious about his future.

I will say that this novel is not for the faint of heart. It is raw and real and if you are a lover of historical fiction then this is certainly the book for you. Cullen did an amazing job with this novel and I certainly cannot wait for the next one.

Set in medieval England during the period 1399-1219 AD, Richard Cullen's novel is not for the fainthearted.

From 1399, the novel leaps into the middle of King John's reign, following the fortunes of an ordinary, nobody: a country-bred orphan lad - Estienne Wace. Estienne is sent to Earl William, Marshal of England and the best knight of Christendom as a foster - a common medieval practice - and to train as a squire until he eventually gains his spurs.

The novel plods through Estienne's teenage years, training and fighting as a squire all through the tumultuous upheavals of John Lackland's reign, before slightly picking up pace after King John's death in 1216 A.D.

With the Earl's death soon after in 1219, and the discovery of a vital letter, twenty-year old Estienne's whole life is once again summarily upended, but he has no clue why.

The book ends with his embarking on a crusade with the Knights Templar.

The author does a fantastic job of hiding until the very end, vital information that drastically changes the reader's views on this entire novel and the main lead, Estienne Wace.

The novel is not a girly read nor for the squeamish. There are no soft, feminine touches. It is about the coming of age of a young lad in mediaeval England and the rites of passage of the times.

It plods, but it's a well written historical novel without major errors of language or history. You end up curious about where Estienne Wace's next adventures will lead him.

I love mediaeval history, especially that of mediaeval England and Richard Lionheart is a favourite. I wish the author had included a historical note. At the end, I fleetingly wondered if there really was an Estienne Wace and if there was, I think his life until this point, must've been like the fictional Estienne Wace's.

However, here's hoping the next book will not plod along, but will proceed along briskly and deftly.

A little less gore, little less heavy handed, a few more deft touches would help me appreciate it even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy. I enjoyed it. The opinions are my own.

A fabulous book about a young orphan Estienne Wace, who is training to be a squire for a well-respected Earl. The story is set around the time of King John, a very unpopular and unscrupulous ruler of England.
The main protagonists Estienne and Earl William are loyal to the extreme. In the Earl's case, supporting King John against his inner moral turmoil.
The battle scenes are gory yet gripping.
The book filled in a large chunk of history for me, including the reasons behind the drafting of the Magna Carta.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing style and the pace of the novel. It would make a fantastic movie. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Good book! Reminded me a bit of Maurice Druon's series in tone.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

We follow a young character from boy to man with little story of his previous life. He soon grows on you as a reader, the classic ‘good guy’. Honest, brave, strong willed and loyal as a dog. I really enjoyed this book with plenty of battle scenes to keep you wanting more!
A great opening instalment and I look forward for the next!

A thoroughly enjoyable romp through medieval England during the reign of King John. A boy turns up at the castle of William Marshall the finest Knight of all England bearing a letter asking that he be trained as a squire. What follows is a superb tale through lots of historical events brilliantly described all skilfully woven into the tale. Look forward to the next adventure for this great character.

For those that enjoy reading medieval historical fiction with a lot of battlefield scenes than this is the book for you. Unfortunately I prefer a more balanced story between narrative and dialogue. This story was too heavy with narrative for me. Solid writing and decent characters but I found myself skimming through some of the battles because it's just not my thing. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book in a new series of books about The Black Lion. We follow the story of an orphan boy who goes to be a squire to a well respected Knight. The book is very evocative of the period when King John was on the throne. It was a little slow to start with as it established the characters but once it got going the tension was palpable. Very hard to put down as I wanted to know how it ended. I would recommend this book particularly if you are interested in history. Even if you don't know much about the history of King's of England this is a very entertaining read. Exciting, informative and gripping story. With thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this publication.

Such a captivating book. Reminds me of Phillipa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick in the style of writing and perspective. Huge fan of this style of writing of having another view point other than nobleman's view of this period in history.

Some creative liberties have been taken to help the modern audience understand the time and thinking of that period but it made it better. I hope there is more about this story in the future as the ending is set up for sequels.

Rebellion by Richard Cullen is the first in a new series featuring young Estienne, an orphan sent to be raised in the household of the fabulous William Marshall in the final troubled years of King John's reign. (You may have noticed that I'm a huge William Marshall fan—I wasn't expecting to find him in this book, so I was very pleased.)

Estienne quickly makes an enemy for himself in the form of one of the other squires while showing his loyalty and fierce desire to succeed. In the process, he wins the high regard of William Marshall and two of his older sons.

The story is very busy. A lot is happening as rebellion against King John builds, and there's the threat of invasion from France, and Estienne finds himself at the heart of much of it. This leads to some good battle scenes and harsh depictions of life in a siege. I did feel a bit sorry for his poor horse and the miles he had to journey. Although I knew the period's history, I still found it very enjoyable to follow Estienne's role in it all. He does witness many of the major elements and, of course, gets to face off against his enemy, although he never discovers his identity.

This is a thrilling start to a new series, and I'm excited to see what happens to Estienne in the future. It is sure to appeal to fans of the genre and those interested in the events of King John's reign. And, we can't forget, it features the fabulous William Marshall in all his wonderful glory.

I really enjoyed the overall concept of this book, it had that historical adventure element that I was hoping for. The use of the English Kings worked with what I knew about these Kings. It was a strong start to this series and enjoyed the adventure element to this. Richard Cullen has a great writing style and the characters were realistic and worked in this story.