The Lawless Land was a fast-paced historical adventure. Things moved quickly from the first page. I do feel like some of the “adventure” could have been left out and other situations could have been more fleshed out. After a while it started to feel like “well what else can happen?!” The story started to feel rushed and shallow. On the other hand, I liked that there was a solid villain and solid side characters. Overall it was a fun read.
Thanks NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up really enjoying this book. Set in England/France in and around 1351, we follow an excommunicated knight, Gerald Fox, as he tries to live his life after war and the Black Death. He comes to the rescue of Lady Isabel who is being hunted by a corrupt earl that is also her betrothed. From there, we follow Gerald and Isabel as they try to stay ahead of corrupt noblemen and the Church as they all want to get their hands on a relic that has been in Isabel's family for generations. I enjoyed the characters, especially Isabel. It was also an interesting read in terms of how the Black Death was viewed during the time. If you enjoy historical fiction with interesting characters, this book is for you.

Well written historical fiction book with an engaging plot and interesting characters. Looking forward to future works by the authors.

Excellent book I thoroughly enjoyed.I would recommend it to everyone more so to those who are interested in history. From the very beginning to the end it has yo gripped in the storyline to the very last page.

I have come to love historical fiction. This book takes place a few years after the Crecy Wars. It's set in the 14th century.

There was so much to enjoy about 'The Lawless Land'. First and foremost, it was well written. With it being well written, it kept my attention. I felt as if I was right there in the 1350's. Second, the characters. They were well developed. Morrison's let the characters develop throughout the book. I saw them grow and become better or worse depending on the character. Third, there was action galore. Something always happening, from a chase, fight or whatever. I never got bored. Finally, it's the first in a series and I can't wait to see what the Morrisons' have in store.

If you enjoy historical fiction, don't miss this one. It published on May 12, 2022.

Thanks to Netgalley, Head of Zeus, and the Morrisons'for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review - "The Lawless Land" (Tales of the Lawless Land Book 1) By Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison

Marvelously told! An entertaining adventure with excellent historical fiction set in the 14th century. A tale of a dishonored Knight Sir Gerard Fox who is trying to reclaim his lands and reputation taken by corrupt forces of church and government. Chivalrous Sir Gerard Fox helps a noblewoman, Lady Isabel, escape with a holy relic as they are chased through England, France and into Italy. Their friendship blooms as they encounter dangerous oppositions along the way, including the Black Plague!

Brother and sister authors blend their talents and knowledge of the Middle Ages time period to enhance the tale with wonderful descriptions of Canterbury, Mont Saint-Michel and Sacra di San Michele.

This reader will anxiously await more stories in the series to come! Thoroughly entertaining and recommended!
I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Shirley Weidner 5-16-22

A well-rounded historical fiction account set in the Dark Ages of England, during the plague. Knight Gerard saves Lady Isabel and the chase is on. Fast-paced, a different approach to historical fiction, but well written and worth the read.

I loved this book! I can't wait for this duo to create another! Fast-moving, interesting, and attention grabbing. How fun to feel like you are immersed in the 14th century in such an action adventure. What a great ride!

This 14th century action adventure novel is brilliantly written and an exciting read. My favorite chapter was thirty nine, but the whole book was enthralling, especially to someone like me who loves ancient history and is connected to a lot of well known people of the time. The knowledge of the time period, the weapons, the horses, the cities, and the different cultural healings was absolutely incredible, and if this is only the first book in a series, I can't wait to read the next!

I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story! From the very beginning, I was hooked! We follow Sir Gerard, a knight who had his lands taken from him wrongly and he is searching for a way to prove that. Along his way, he rescues a woman fleeing from guards. She was fleeing her betrothed who sought to take something that was rightfully hers. Her betrothed is the very man that Sir Gerard was going to see. Understanding he could no longer go to this man after killing some of his men, he agrees to take the woman to a city so that she can find safe passage to Paris.

There is so many aspects to the plot that I would end up spoiling so many things by going into what I loved specifically. So, I'll just say that there's a manipulative and corrupt cardinal, family drama, a holy relic at risk, adventure, battles, and a little romance. It all makes for a very well-written plot and a solid storyline to follow.

The main characters are endearing and relatable. I LOVE that we have a strong female lead so is intelligent and independent and not instantly falling for our hero. It's a slow-burn without much done about it until the very end. It does have a happy ending, but their story isn't over yet! I can't wait for a sequel!!

The Lawless Land by Boyd Morrison & Beth Morrison is an epic full length saga that is absolutely fascinating, steeped in historically accurate detail and set in the Middle Ages. The premise of the tale is that a treasured manuscript, handed down through generations of women via a handmaiden, is coveted by a man who would use it to gain power for himself. Gerard Fox and Lady Willa know how important it is to keep such a holy object out of the hands of those who would do evil with it. Fox, an English knight, helps Willa escape with the treasure. They flee in search of a safe guardian for the relic. Their travels take them through the English countryside, detailing their stop at Canterbury cathedral, picturesque France, including the city of Paris and the cathedral of Notre Dame, the tidal island of Mont-Saint-Michel, and the monastery La Sacra di San Michele in the northern Italy. The settings are richly detailed and awe inspiring. The characters are complex and profound. The Morrisons are masterful story tellers who weave together a fascinating tale of family dynamics, the Plague, religious tyranny, justice and love. It is an exceptionally well written, engaging tale of medieval proportions.

Thrilling medieval novel set just after the battle of Crecy years!

A knight looking to right wrongs and avenge his mother, a lady guarding a sacred item handed down from the women of the family over generations, an avaricious Monsignor who would be Pope, a lord looking to become a King. All these machinations play out across England and France, from Canterbury to Mont-Saint-Michel, to Avignon and beyond.
A tale of ideals, of friendship, and a condemnation against the might that corrupts, the unyielding power that kings and church can wield.
Can a single knight and a desperate woman change the outcome?
A gripping epic adventure written with finesse, upheld by an historian’s rigour.

A Head of Zeus ARC via NetGalley

This is the first I have read by this brother and sister team but it definitely will not be the last. I love history and so I was excited to read this book and I was not disappointed in any of it. I can’t wait to see what more adventures are going to happen with Sir Gerald and Lady Willa


I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I had hopes for this. Made it through about 40% of the book and gave up.

Cookie cutter good guys versus bad guys. The only thing historical about it is it is set in 1351 England and France. Corrupt Earl. Corrupt Cardinal. During the papal split at Avignon, corruption in the church was rampant. Weak plot. Future happenings are telegraphed by the authors. Predictable.

Too bad.

Engaging narrative which appears historically accurate. Sir Gerard Fox and Lady Isabel go from one precarious situation to the next. Thrown together while helping her escape an unfortunate marriage they travel from England to France. Circumnavigating the law, Black Death and the mighty church of Europes 14th century. First book in a series and want to read more.

Solid Middle Ages Tale Told With Modern Storytelling Structures. This is a tale where the Middle Ages comes alive in a manner very consistent with how it is portrayed in fictional tales of the era such as The Canterbury Tales (and yes, Canterbury itself features in this tale) and The Decameron. As a potential series starter, it really could go the direction of either of those historical books, though the setup for a Decameron type series is less clear here (but I could still see the ultimate direction being to do a modern version of each of the ten tales therein). There is not one thing inauthentic to the period that I was aware of, though it is possible an actual Middle Ages historian may claim that X didn't happen until some period later or some such. Still, with Beth Morrison herself being an actual Middle Ages historian... it becomes quite clear just how authentic the siblings tried to make this book. And yet even with the Middle Ages trappings re: customs and available weaponry, the actual story here, of a soldier intent on vengeance who suddenly becomes the protector of a woman and her secrets, could well be told in *any* time period and ultimately reads with a 21st century flair for storytelling even while telling a Middle Ages tale. Truly excellently done, and very much recommended.

The Lawless land is a worthy addition to my Pendragon Cycle and Bernard Cornwell collections. Set in the thirteenth century, a chance encounter between a knight errant and, of course, a damsel in distress begins a saga taking us through the aftermath of The Pestilence and across England, France, and Italy as righteous protagonists do battle against corrupt nobles and churchmen. I rarely get surprised much by a plot, so when it happens, it is a rare and precious moment, and these moments abound in The Lawless Land. Pestilence was an interesting plot line having just gone through COVID in our time which makes the period seem more relevant than it might have pre-COVID. Finally, the blooming of Gerard and Isabel's relationship was a great and well-done plot line and makes one eager to see how they fare in the promised continuation of this first book of a new series. The Lawless Land is a good and fun read.

This is the 1st book in the Tales of Lawless Land Series. Set in England in 1351, the Pestilence has left the country decimated and with nothing but bodies and crows left. Gerald Fox is put on the wrong road and the wrong time and has a chance encounter with a woman, a relic, and a family secret. Can stay alive and discover what he must to help save the world?

This book was fantastic! I read all of it in one sitting because it was engaging, light-hearted, had intrigue and was very well written. It made me feel as if I was part of the journey that Gerard and Isabel were on and had me rooting for them the entire way.

The story draws you in from the first page, where Gerard, a knight, is on a mission to meet with a Lord that he hopes will help him restore his family's good name. On that journey he comes across a woman driving a carriage while a group of men are chasing her. You instantly know that something is wrong and are waiting to see what the good knight will do.

Gerard saves Lady Isabel and together the two set off on a journey to save a holy relic that has been in Lady Isabel's family for generations and that her husband is trying to steal from her. Throughout this journey, Isabel and Gerard stave off capture, ride though England and France, manage to find some friends of Gerard who help them reach their end destination relatively unscathed.

This is not as cut and dry as it sounds. The action, storyline, and banter between Gerard and Isabel make the pages fly by and leave the reader wanting more at the end. Good thing this is the first book in a series! Definitely looking forward to reading more from the sibling writers, Boyd and Beth Morrison.

I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of historical fiction, medieval fiction or just looking for a captivating, light-hearted read that will leave you feeling all the feels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC, all thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.

Sir Gerald Fox was traveling down the road when he heard the on the rumble of pounding hooves running toward him. He was wary of marauders roaming highways preying on pilgrims and haggard families escaping from villages ravaged by the Pestilence as the ones. He had never encountered bandits, riding horses but he couldn't be sure of anything these days. He steered Zephyr his horse into the woods concealing himself behind a huge blackberry bush so that only his head picked out above the brambles. He always spoke Latin to Zephyr of rare, mottled silver Arabian courser with a black mane and tail. Fox lowered the hood of his cape hoping he would blend in with the trees. What he saw was a woman the atop of the saddle of the lead horse where the coachman would normally set with the coach behind her. The coachman had fallen from his horse and were being dragged along the ground by his foot he was dead with a crossbow bolt jutting from his chest. Her pursuers the same men that killed the coachman that they were not bandits because bandits didn't use crossbow's they were men-at-arms. The woman saw his face. He debated helping the woman out and finally decided to do so him and Zephyr raced into the road and followed after the soldiers following the woman the two crossbowmen were his biggest concern their weapons were easy to use while riding though they were impossible to reload on horseback without a cranequin to crank the bowstring back. He killed all but one man who he severely injured that got away from him. She was wrestling with the soldier trying to take the reins from her in the carriage with no semblance of steerage appeared to the side of the road and it dropped into the creek bed. The coach tipped over and smashed into a tree the team of horses’ drug in a little further before stopping. The last living man called to Lady Isabelle saying he was not done with her. Pulling her towards him he pulled his dagger from his scabbard, Lady Isabelle turned over and with a stick from the creek bed crying get away from me and jabbed him in the face. He howled at what she had done and screamed you'll die for that and reared back ready to plunge than the dagger into her chest unaware that Fox had closed the distance and with one slice of his sword and cut his head off. She introduced herself as Lady Isabelle to work and he introduced himself as Gerald Fox. The Morrisons have written an excellent book which is a page turner. Keeping you trying to find out what will happened next. It leaves you wondering exactly how and when they will be free from the man tracking them. It's an excellent book that you need to read, and I highly recommend it...