The Lion of Kent

By: Aleksandr Voinov, Kate Cotoner

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

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....

©2010 Aleksandr Voinov (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Your Average Male Lion: Pretty, but Lazy

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Length, detail, background. It's short. The concept could have been fleshed out into a full length easily, giving the story a sense that it's not suppose to be a novella but just became one because the author didn't want to put in the effort.

What initially interested me was the summary about the secret lover and that alone could have been stretched to great detail and delight. There is one secret hand job and then William knows who it is. This is part of what I mean in that the book is lacking for little real reason.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Nothing was actually interesting about it. I suppose there is a bit of a twist but it wasn't actually exciting. And with nothing to raise the stakes, little can be picked out as the least interesting. The whole thing was just bland.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

In that it was also bland, yes. The narrator was quite fast at the start, which I believe another reviewer mentioned as well. I would also classify him as a reader. He reads the story, and does do other voices for the different characters, but he doesn't act, embellish, or create a sense of connection. It never felt like you were really hearing the story from William's perspective, just being read one. I have listened to probably 100 M/M audio novels and this is truly one of the only times I've felt read to rather than just experienced the story.

Was The Lion of Kent worth the listening time?

If you get it in the Romance Package, I would say yes. There's not much medieval M/M out there overall and it isn't bad, simply bland. I think it did more to inspire ideas for myself overall. I would not have spent money specifically on this book.

Sort but sweet

It is good to be the Lord of the Manor. This was a fun little romp into the past.

not my favorite

This could be an interesting book for someone who enjoys period pieces. I haven't managed to listen to it all and I have had it for a while. The narrator is great and easy to listen to, but I just don't enjoy the period piece flavor. It would be a great book if you enjoy historical pieces.

Great change of pace

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story was captivating and ended all too soon.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the development of the main character. The character had long term goals beyond the relationship.

Fantastic!!!

<strong>I’ve yet to read a Voinov book I haven’t liked, and this was no exception!</strong>

While short, the enigmatic characters drew me in—as they tend to do when I’m dropped in the middle of the action and not lectured at by one character or another who serves as the author’s soapbox or devil’s advocate.

Mystery man comes and jacks off our squire in the middle of the great hall after a party. Our Squire is a happy man with no thoughts other than to win his spurs and serve his master. Our Lord and Master is a bit more mysterious, having recently returned from a five year crusade in the Holy Land, where he apparently learned some techniques which served to invoke holy names.

So, this was fun. We had lust, a hot head Squire, some untrustworthy French nobles, some untrustworthy Englishmen, a sot of a brother spouting off bible verses, and an exciting boar hunt.

Great premise, but disappointing.

Would you try another book from Aleksandr Voinov and Kate Cotoner and/or Philip Rose?

I would not try another book with Philip Rose as narrator. His performance ruined the book for me.

If you’ve listened to books by Aleksandr Voinov and Kate Cotoner before, how does this one compare?

I have not listen to books by Voinov or Cotoner before.

Would you be willing to try another one of Philip Rose’s performances?

No.

Was The Lion of Kent worth the listening time?

Marginally.

Very well made and entertaining story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lion of Kent to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version. I don't think that can be said, because if an audio book is good it had to be because the narrator AND the story is good.

What other book might you compare The Lion of Kent to and why?

Hard to compare, i don't read too much historical books and the ones i had, this was very different from them. I can't think of any book i can compare it to.

Have you listened to any of Sean Crisden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, This is the first book i listen to from this narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I guess the moment when an important part of the plot was settle was the best, but i can't say more without spoilers

Any additional comments?

Yes, it was a nice book. I liked the historical elements of it. It might not be the most romantic book i've read but it was very nice. I liked the narrator too, but at times it was hard to understand the change of characters, but after a few minutes of listening, i was more used to the change of voices and it was better.

Good for the price

I got this on sale. So very good historic m/m romance. If you are not into m/m romance then don't get this... but if you are.... you will enjoy it. A very quick listen though. I think it could have been longer actually.

i wish this was longer.

I absolutely loved this book, but I wish it was longer. I think that the story had the potential to further develop the relationship between the two main characters but regardless was satisfying

Enjoyable, but HEAVY on the "love" scenes

For being such a short piece of fiction, there were a bunch of scenes with graphic sexuality and the "story" was great, although lacking; unfortunately, there was so little time devoted to things actually happening that I'm going to say the novella was missing a decent story structure. I also felt like the main character was pretty flat; all the reader really knows about him is that he is quick to anger. I'm not saying that this needed to be longer (although, it could've made a fine full-length novel), but there could've been less sex and more story.

I enjoyed myself as much as I could, though, so it will receive a B- for storyline and a B+ for narration. Sean Crisden, as far as I could tell from the point of view of an American, did a decent job with the British and French accents.