Customer Reviews

The Lion In Glory (Zebra Historical Romance)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are 5 books in this series. Reading them in order does make a difference. I've found them all to be "hard to put down." Here is the order of the series:

Come the Morning
Conquer the Night
Seize the Dawn
Knight Triumphant
The Lion in Glory

The hero in "The Lion in Glory", Jamie, is first introduced in "Knight Triumphant." He is the much loved cousin of "Knight" hero, Eric. I loved Jamie's character in that story, so I was excited to read his entire story in "The Lion in Glory." I have to admit, I liked him better in "Knight Triumphant." He was friendly, easy- going, smart, and fun in "Knight." In "Lion", he becomes bitter and angry. The story is still a great page- turner, and a must after reading the rest of the series, but I would have liked to see his character reflect the personality I came to love in "Knight."
Several important characters from "Knight Triumphant" are again very important in "Lion in Glory." Be sure to read "Knight" first.
You will find that after reading the first few books in this series, you will want to skim through some parts of "Lion" that repeat the history of the war and certain parts of the Graham family history. These parts are, of course, included in the story for readers whom have not read the first four books in the series.


The Lion in Glory:

The English king is dead! Edward I has terrorized Scotland for nearly two decades. Over the past few years, Scotland has united under their chosen king, Robert Bruce. Bruce makes every effort to create a lasting unity and freedom for his country. There are still a few major Scottish castles sitting in the hands of the English. Bruce's most loyal knights make heroic raids to reclaim Scottish land in the name of their king.

One of Bruce's great knights is Jamie Graham. Like his cousins, he fights for the freedom of his beloved country. With his friends and his closest cousin Eric, he raids English holdings on the border lands between England and Scotland. In his kings name, Jamie collects money from the English land holders as an exchange for peace... Pay Bruce, and the Scottish will not destroy your land. However, Edward II, who is now ruling England, condemns anyone who pays the Scots off. In Edward's point of view, those who pay are traitors. England is on the brink of a civil war. Edward is too weak to protect his people, but punishes them for buying peace with Bruce.

Christina knows that the Scottish are coming to collect their "peace money." She doesn't have the funds, and is desperate to stop the Scots from raiding her home and taking everything they have for payment. She decides the only thing she can do is drug the Scots, then turn them over to the English king. Jamie is not fooled by her offer of food and wine. He trades glasses with Christina, then waits as she passes out. When Christina awakens, she is terrified that the English king will believe that she gave the Scots her families valuables as a trade for peace. Her brother, Steven, is already being held prisoner for paying the year before. Christina begs Jamie to take her hostage. It is the only way Edward will believe that she didn't hand the valuables over by choice.

The last thing Jamie wants is hostages. However, when the beautiful Christina offers to give him anything.. yes anything... in exchange for taking her, he can't resist.

Christina has one purpose in life: free her brother. She will give anything and anyone, even her own life, to save him. Jamie now finds himself stuck with the challenge of saving her from her own foolish sacrifices. He realizes the best way to save Christina, is to free her brother.


Again, the story is very good. It kept me interested from the beginning to the end. However, I liked the other 4 of the series more. Christina is a bit too foolish for me. She even challenges a knight to a sword battle while she is pregnant. Then she can't understand why Jamie is so angry about it.
I do miss Jamie's kind spirit from the last book, but having Christina to contend with I can't blame him for being hard at times.

Shannon Drake has written a 6th Graham novel, "When We Touch", but it is not truly connected with this Scottish series. It takes place years later, in the Victorian era, in London. It is the story of a female Graham descendant. I believe I will wait a while before reading it. I'm still basking in the glow of Scottish Graham men.

Generally speaking, Shannon Drake is one of my favorite authors. One where - if I see her name on a book, it is an automatic purchase. Her historical research for the background is excellent, and her characters and storylines, normally engaging. Mostly, her books are a Good Read.
This one just didn't seem to measure up to her previous efforts. It is a follow-up book to Knight Triumphant, telling the story of the Jamie Graham a cousin mentioned in that story.
I found myself skip-reading large sections where she got way too wordy and involved in details that did nothing to advance the story. It seemed like she was trying to stretch out the story to make the book longer (500 pages or bust!)
Parts of the dialog between the main characters, I had to re-read trying to figure out what they were really trying to say because the dialog got lost in between the wandering character musings.
Where, normally, we would have been made sympathetic to the heroine/hero - or at least made to understand their point of view; the heroine, Christina, was too self-absorbed and the hero, Jamie, did nothing but be irrationally angry for the length of the book. Even the bedroom scenes fell short of interesting.
Don't let this review keep you from enjoying her other books. Knight of Fire and Blue Heaven Black Knight (just to name a couple) are both good books - and her vampire series is outstanding. I highly recommend them. But this one needs editing - and shortening.

I loved this book! I think maybe I must of have read a different book then the first reviewer but this book is great! I love Shannon Drake and have read all the previous books in this series about the Grahams. To be honest, this story is not a disappointment. In all fairness to the first reviewer, she did state this was her first Shannon Drake book; therefore, she has not read the previous ones. Go back to the begining "Come The Morning" and read the rest in order, "Conquer The Night, Seize The Dawn, and Knight Triumphant." I highly recommended this book as either part of the series or even as a stand alone.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT BOOK!!! I LOVE THE GRAHAM'S. I HOPE THAT SHANNON DRAKE CONTINUES WITH THIS FAMILY. THE MEN ARE WONDERFUL. BIG, MUSCULAR, MANLY MEN WHO ARE CAPABLE OF LOVE. SOMETHING EVERY WOMAN WANTS. THE HEROINES TEND TO BE A BIT SELFISH AND AT TIMES FRUSTRATING, BUT, THAT DOES NOT KEEP THIS FROM BEING ONE OF THE BEST SHANNON DRAKE BOOKS THAT I HAVE READ. WELL, ALL OF HER BOOKS ARE GREAT, BUT, THE GRAHAM SAGA IS EXCEPTIONAL. FOR ANOTHER GOOD GRAHAM NOVEL, TRY ERIC'S STORY THE KNIGHT TRIUMPHANT.

This was my first Shannon Drake story. She told the tale exceptionally well. The heroine is well developed; anyone who likes headstrong, independent women will like Christina. Jamie is a somewhat typical warrior/hero - he's smart, cunning, brave, strong, and, of course, believes a woman should be at home.

These two fight constantly throughout the story, he mistrusts her beyond reason (IMHO), and she is constantly thinking of how she can save her brother who is held prisoner by King Edward II. This leads her to make a a stupid decision that risks her life. And she cannot understand why anyone could be mad at her, which proves she was a bit dense too. Overall, I like the story, but by the end, I wasn't convinced that they should've ended up together. The ending felt undeveloped and rushed. Christina reminded me of a Stockholm syndrome sufferer in that she falls in love with a man that has constantly held her prisoner, is still half in-love with his dead wife, and threatens to keep her baby from her! For all the independence that she portrays, I was disappointed that she gave in so easily. For this reason, I give 4 instead of 5 stars.

This is the first one I read of the Graham family series. I very much enjoyed it, but felt that I would have been better off getting them in order and holding this one until I have read the rest. blue Heaven, Black Night was my first Shannon Drake novel and I have loved her books since. I had simply gotten away from reading them and think I should have read this series in order so that it would not feel quite so confusing.

In July 1307 the mighty King Edward I died just prior to leading his Army against the upstart Scots. His son Edward the Second did not carry out his sire's wishes having to deal with civil war with his barons. The Scottish rebels led by King Robert the Bruce interprets the non-attack of Edward II as an opportunity to regain occupied land back from the English.

Under the Scottish reclamation program, Jamie Graham takes Hamstead Heath, but has to deal with the chatelaine, Christina Steel who will do everything including selling herself to keep her brother Steven safe. The English monarch believes Steven allied with the seditious nobles so Christina throws her lot in with Jamie offering to become his hostage. Jamie has no use for a hostage, but the intrepid Englishwoman intrigues him as he tries to learn why she is so willing to do his bidding. As they fall in love, he wonders if she will prove traitorous, but against which side.

THE LION IN GLORY is as much an interpretive historical tale as it is a medieval romance. The story line is loaded with historical tidbits and historiographic explications that paint Robert the Bruce as an incredible leader and Edward II as a hedonistic individual who does not have nearly the strength of his father or his Scottish counterpart. Sort of like Khrushchev may not have been Stalin, but without his courage there is no Gorbachav (this reviewer's explanation for the tumbling of the curtain). Still that aside, readers obtain a deep star-crossed historical romance that displays Shannon Drake's talent with the latest glorious Graham gala.

Harriet Klausner

This is the 5th in the series of Drake's (aka Heather Graham's) Graham clan saga based in Scotland (the list: Come The Morning, Conquer the Night, Seize the Dawn, Knight Triumphant, The Lion in Glory, The Queen's Lady and When We Touch). This one, set in the early 14th century, tells of the rising power of Robert the Bruce, the King of Scotland and the story of Sir James ("Jamie") Graham, cousin to Eric. We met Jamie in Knight Triumphant when he was ever by Eric's side and helping to secure Eric and Igrainis's holding, Langley. Robert Bruce has granted leniency to any English who will pay tribute to him to keep their holdings untouched. Since the King of England, now Edward II, is not protecting his barons and noblemen, many are taking advantage of the Bruce's offer. Lady Christina and her brother Steven of Hamstead Heath have paid the tribute before, but Steven is now held prisoner in another fortress and Christina is left alone with Steven's fiance when Jamie comes to collect for the Bruce. Without the necessary tribute funds, Christina thinks to trick them but the trick is turned on her and they will take all and burn the Manor. She persuades Jamie not to take all the resources her people need to survive and to leave the Manor and she demands he take her as hostage so it will look like she put up some resistance to the Scots. Jamie reluctantly agrees to her demands but finds the feisty lass who can wield a sword with the best of them creates constant conflict both with him and within him. She is beautiful and rebellious and irresistible, but having lost his wife to a horrible death at the hands of the English he is not willing to give his heart and he treats her with disdain. He will not marry again. But then Christina finds herself pregnant with his child. He is mean to her throughout most of the book which the Graham men seem to be in this series. One could have wanted a bit more tenderness from him. It seemed to me Jamie was more easy going and charming in Knight Triumphant than in this, his own, story. I did like the ending but felt his change of heart came too grudgingly and too late. He should not have allowed her to suffer for so long in my opinion. I think I've made that comment before with Graham's "heros" but still and all, her writing is splendid, her characters well developed, her history wonderfully woven into the threads of the romance, so it's a keeper. For Graham fans, and I am one, you will love it!

The Lion In Glory is the fourth book about the Graham family. I enjoyed all of series. A good, fast read. I only wished that the series would have continued!

I thought this was a worthy read, and Drake is an adept writer. Her strength here lies in her story and less in her characters. I was fascinated in the story line of Jamie and his allegiance to Robert the Bruce. I admired Christina, thought she was a great heroine, also.

My problem then? I would have to say the ending. (Please don't read if you don't want a spoiler!) I was captivated throughout the WHOLE book and was up til 2am reading...it's just the ending... (after that great final battle.)

She's expecting, they are married and emotions are finally on the table...and i thought it was just so flat. I feel like Drake just sort of ran out of room or steam with the ending. I didn't close the book thinking these two were madly in love (which, let's be honest, is why most of us read these books!) I thought Jaime's former wife haunted him and wasn't explored enough, and I don't think there was the required closer that I (personally) was looking for.

Honestly, just my humble opinion! I love her writing and will gladly read her other books. I was just a wee bit disappointed.