A very colorful and very entertaining novel about Braveheart's travels and military adventures to the Holy Land and the ever shifting Anglo-French political shenanigans. An action-packed fictional account of the late 12th century Crusade with a cast of unforgettable characters, historically accurate and filled with menacing twists and unexpected surprises. This second installment in Ben Kane's Plantagenets Saga is a wonderful addition to the literary genre and one can only hope that a third episode will come our way very soon. To be enjoyed without moderation👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Publishing for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date.

I do so wish this book had been available when I studied this topic in the 1960’s!!
History lessons taught us about the Plantagenets, Richard the Lionheart, Coeur de Lion, and his brother, Bad King John, or John Lackland. Our Geography lessons dealt with desert warfare, and travelling to the Holy Land, but for children brought up in rural Lincolnshire, where the land is flat, flat , and what the heck was a desert, it didn’t make sense. When you had one weeks holiday a year, if lucky enough, at Skegness on the East Coast, where the only animals there were donkeys, well, all sand was the same to us!! The Religious Studies teacher, who was an ex missionary, tried to teach us about why nations quarrelled about God, but it wasn’t until my own children were being taught this same subject, and I had experienced foreign travel, that I realised how limited my knowledge and education had been.
Both Lionheart and Crusader have helped to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of this exciting period of history. It may be raw, and visceral, but it brings to life exploits on the battlefield, the sheer logistics of travelling with horsemen in heavy armour in such heat, the marching, those magnificent weapons of war, the trebuchets, and the faith and determination to see such a Holy quest to its conclusion.
The descriptions of battle preparations, the routes taken, there is a lot of research within these pages, and it really shows. Throughout this novel, I felt I was there, I could almost feel the intense heat, the sickness and the iron tang of blood that you know through accidents, injuries and death. The unwashed bodies that contrasted with the sweet fruit of Pomegranates, the brutal reality of battles and the friendship and courage of the fighters.
I throughly recommend this book, for those with a thirst for knowledge of this era in history. Heroes are almost forgotten these days, the cause for these crusades may now be unfashionable, but that is not to say that these people should be forgotten. Richard the Lionheart deserves much better, and Ben Kane is the writer who is helping to redress the balance.
I have had the greatest pleasure in reviewing both these books, I have been so lucky!! I am eagerly looking forward to the next one in this series, the political intrigues that will show King John in his true colours, that we did learn about, especially losing his treasure in the Wash!!
I was intrigued by the spelling of Alienor, when we are so used to Eleanor, but I’m sure that is as a result of much historical knowledge.
I rate this as a five star read. Thank you to Netgalley and Orion fiction, for my ARC. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and others.

With a childhood watching Richard The Lionheart on tv and studying Giraldus Cambrensis as a student I wasn't quite ready for the brutal reality of the Crusades brilliantly portrayed by Ben.

Ferdia is a strong character involved in a dangerous liaison trying to steer Richard through petty political squabbles and an almost suicidal recklessness in battle.

Ben sews the seeds of future issues with John , Leopold of Austria and Richard's ultimate death really well.

I recommend this well researched novel , five stars no question !!!