I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I really found it interesting and a good historical fiction blend of adventure and romance. I definitely want to read more in this series. It includes the Black Death in Europe which feels a lot like current events in the United States as they recover from pestilence.

The Lawless Land
By Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison

This sister and brother team have written a novel which takes place in England and France during a period which is often called the dark ages. It is the time of the plague, when thousands of people died, sometimes decimating whole villages and towns. It is also a time when the Catholic Church reigned supreme, although many of the clergy were venal men. Cardinal Molyneux was such a man. Many years previously he had kidnapped the mother of Gerard Fox, the hero of this tale, and impregnated her so that he could have a son. Emmeline died during childbirth, but she bore a son named Bastian, the Cardinal's bastard.

The Cardinal, knowing that Gerard's father had no proof of his crime, gloated to him about what he had done. Gerard, a young inexperienced knight, lost control and tried to attack the Cardinal; whereupon the Cardinal excommunicated both Gerard and his father and confiscated their lands.

Some time later, while trying to prove the Cardinal's crime, Gerard meets up with a lady fleeing from her fiancé, the Earl of Tonbridge's, armed men trying to capture her. He helps her escape and the two find that they have common enemies. So they begin an adventure to stymie the Cardinal's ambition to become pope and the Earl's ambition to become King of Jerusalem.

Thus begins a tail of murder and mayhem, which includes much information about the social hierarchy of that time. The total helplessness of the "inferior" classes to defend themselves from their "betters" is very clear. It was truly a time of lawlessness, with those in power grabbing what they wanted with no one to get in their way.

This is a very interesting novel. It has a complicated plot with lots of historical background. And the best part is it leaves the reader with the prospect of a sequel.

A thoroughly enjoyable late-night read. It's been a while since I've attempted a new historical novel, as so many seem to have made the change into dark-and-gritty, with an extra helping of grime.

This is more of a YA read, reminding me a bit of Rosemary Sutcliff, except that her blend of period and modern language was perhaps closer to the ideal. The good guys are good, the villains are utter rotters, and there are plenty of fights, which are the book's high point--here the authors really knew their stuff.

I also appreciated that the authors made a praiseworthy effort to get into period headspace--not all our heroes were hip 21st century nihilists. The language is a little too modern for my tastes, but that's mostly due to unexamined expressions, like "looks that speak volumes" centuries before books were issued in volumes, and suchlike. That's a pretty small quibble.

Overall a fun, adventuresome read, which was just what I was in the mood for during late night insomnia.

This book is set in the Middle Ages, which is not usually my cup of tea, but for some reason it just appealed to my mood that day and I thought I would try it. I am so glad I did! Honestly, the title and the cover just grabbed me. They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but in this case you can.

It has action and adventure, it has mystery, it has good vs evil and it throws in a little romance. There is a highwayman, a damsel in distress, who ends up being a strong independent woman - especially for those times. There is a corrupt clergyman who you love to hate.

This book offers some really interesting history of the times, without boring you to death. There is non-stop action and some really interesting characters.

Funnily enough, as I write about this book I am realizing how much I really did love it. This will be my first 5 star review in ages!

Thank you to the authors, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

Swashbuckling 14th Century tale of two feuding half-brothers, an evil prelate and a damsel in distress.
A perils-of-Pauline type saga; good guys try, bad guys thwart, damsel in peril, heroes rescue at the very last moment, over and over again in a melodramatic soap opera. Colorful, if not fully three-dimensional characters.

The Lawless Land

This book ticks off most of the boxes for a novel set during the Middle Ages: a corrupt clergyman attempting to harness the vast power of the church for his own nefarious ends, the chivalrous defense of a distressed damsel, the menace of evil highwaymen, a main character with a history of faithful service to the Crown in bloody warfare, the specter of a crusade to the Holy Land, and more.

The pace is fast, and the action is essentially non-stop. The historical setting is rendered pretty accurately, the characters are well-developed, and the story is compelling. The Lawless Land has a bit of romance, some complex family dynamics, an intriguing MacGuffin, and state-of-the-art weapons in the possession of an interesting character who knows how, and is not afraid, to use them.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in medieval historical fiction, especially heroic tales with a bit a tongue-in-cheek nod to modern conceptions of action. This novel is the first in a series, and it will be interesting to see what Gerard Fox gets up to next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Fast paced, action packed, and gripping: a page turner that kept me hooked and entertained till the end.
Vivid historical background, good character development and storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a wonderful action - packed thriller! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this as Gerard Fox travels through the dark times that plague his world. It was rich in historical accuracy which for me is a plus and makes it easy for me as a reader to put my imagination into this story as I can picture the setting with all of the vivid details provided. I would highly recommend this to those interested in serious historical fiction!

The Lawless Land. A tale full of twists and turns along with everything in between. Vengeance, honour, love and betrayal, this story follows two unlikely companions across Europe, intertwined through their own motives and ambitions. Easy to like hero’s, even easier to hate villains, I really enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend!

Wow, this was a fantastic book, I really loved it and I would look forward to reading another by these authors who are siblings. There is so much that happens in this book it's hard to condense it into a review. Things get off to a bang from the first page, a knight is on his way to visit a Lord that he hopes will be able to help him with a family issue that has troubled him for some time. As he's riding he sees a carriage being pulled by several horses, one of whom has a woman riding it, after it passes, a number of men follow clearly trying to stop the carriage. The Knight, Gerard, follows the carriage which eventually runs off the road and turns over. Gerard intervenes and saves the woman, Lady Isabel, and they decide to set off together to give a holy relic to her cousin to save from being sold. The action is non stop after that opening, the pages literally fly by, Gerard and Isabel are chased across England into France, at a time when France and England were at war and the Black Plague was just ending. They have several close calls with the bad guys, hook up with some friends of Gerard's and take part in a jousting tourney. I would highly recommend reading. Thank you to #Netgalley and #Head of Zeus for the ARC.

I do love a good historical fiction novel, but "The Lawless Land" knocked my socks off. It has absolutely everything - and a lot of it feels very light-hearted, making this an incredibly engaging and fast read. I enjoyed the writing, the setting, the characters. The story though! I'm so glad this is the first of a series - and I hope it's a long series!

My thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This book was given to me by netgalley. My review is 100% honest and all my own opinion.

This book was a great historical fiction novel with detailed and interactive story weaving that kept me turning the pages. And it had it all: action, History, mystery, suspense, romance, anticipation, and making you question what will happen next

With this book being weaved during the 14th century england you have the war of France to put some danger as well as danger from highwaymen, battles, swashbuckling as well as protecting secrets and fortune that could change history and religion if put in the wrong hands.

I loved how the author has spun the story and the world was described in detail. You have heros villains , secrets and longing. I loved this and will be looking forward to the adventures our fox has.

This book is a project by two siblings: one a writer one a scholar of the Middle Ages. I found that out from the post script but make an introduction out of that because the medieval elements and the way things are explained from the viewpoint of the characters makes the book a very interesting read and then you know you are reading facts not made up nonsense. But hey I am a history lover. (So he writes down that they walk into a pub and I had to translate that to the appropriate language of those says explanation made me smile)

The story itself is more or less two heroes fleeing all the way across an Europe that just survived the Black Death but is still in the middle of The Hundredth Years War.. While I got a bit fed up with the mad cardinal and characters are not really opening up their emotions so stay quite flat it is the historical background and the well researched locations that are really coming to life in front of your eyes giving you a time travel experience..

For instance I found out why we Dutch call a joust a tournooi.: from tournee the turn knights had to do in the group fight. I never even knew there was a group fight.


The "history book" part made me award it with 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book by Boyd and Beth Morrison. It was very well done and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone

The Lawless Land by Boyd Morrison and Beth Morrison is a great historical fiction novel that is the first in what is sure to be an exciting and successful new series: Sword and Honour. Quite good!

This book is a very addictive and engaging read that has it all: history, action, suspense, mystery, intrigue, and romance. We have heroes, villains, secrets, and it continually kept me coming back for more.

England during the mid14th century was quite the happening time and place. Swashbuckling, battles, and changing fortunes and tides are all abound…I dare anyone not to find it interesting.

Gerard and Willa are great characters and I loved following along on their quests and adventures…the ending was awesome, and I am looking forward to the next move.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/12/22.