The Lion Rampant

Birth of the Plantagenets, Book 2

By: Blanche d'Alpuget

Narrated by: Colin Morgan

1154. After years of manipulation and political cunning, young Henry II accedes to the throne of England, with the beautiful and indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine by his side. But the kingdom he inherits is an impoverished shambles after the long, troubled reign of Stephen the Usurper. Together, the tempestuous royal couple use their charisma and shrewd diplomacy to restore England's prestige and power and ensure the future of their mighty dynasty. In order to replenish the English treasury, Henry appoints Thomas Becket, the unordained Archdeacon of Canterbury, as Chancellor. Becket is no ordinary man: born without rank, he is charming, quick-witted, a masterful intriguer and a lavish dresser with a genius for raising money. Beneath this lies a man seething with ambition, jealousy, treachery and desire. In a dance of scheming, vengeance and forbidden passions, during one of the most turbulent and compelling periods of English history, Henry, Eleanor and Becket fight for political power and control against forces seen and imagined – each with their own agenda, each determined to hide their own shameful secrets.©2014 Blanche d'Alpuget (P)2020 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'The character of Thomas Becket will rivet [listeners] as they have not been riveted since Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell.’ (Thomas Keneally, winner of the Booker Prize)

The enjoyment continues

I enjoyed listening to the first book and wasn’t disappointed by this second one. I did find myself wondering about some of the cultural aspects portrayed by the actions of the characters and spent some time reading about them.
However, like the first book, the narration made the story. Colin Morgan’s acting/voice skills are phenomenal and carry the listener along like floating down a river.

Continuation of a wonderful story

I absolutely loved book 1 of this series, and anxiously anticipated the release of this second one - and it definitely was worth the wait! The continuation of the story grabbed me from the beginning and never let go! But for me, even more than the story itself, my love of these books is because of Colin Morgan's narration. His soft Irish lilt makes listening a pleasure, and his exceptional talent with accents, gives the characters such life. I've listened to many different, very good, narrators, but Colin Morgan is by far my favorite. I hope he will be the narrator for book 3, and I will wait anxiously for it's release!

Nice historical atmosphere

In this second book we continue to follow the adventures and misadventures of Henry Plantagenet. The rhythm is really nice and Colin Morgan narrates the story majestically performing various voices and acting all the way through. The author is quite good at rendering the atmosphere of this late middle age period, and gives the story one extra gear.
I am now looking forward to read the third and last book of the trilogy.