Olivia Rae brings an inspirational contest-winning tale of intrigue, love, and a faith that can change even the proudest hearts.
King Richard needs a royal wedding…
Richard’s niece, the feisty and resourceful Lady Ariane is to be his pawn. Though she has spent the last ten years living with the infidels in the Holy Land, Richard plans to turn her into a pious Christian lady, one fit to marry the nephew of King Phillip of France and, thus, seal a lucrative contract between the two countries.
But she needs the right teacher.
Proud and fierce, Templar Knight, Julian de Maury believes he has been chosen by God to free the holy city of Jerusalem from Saladin’s evil grip. But when Richard orders Julian to return to England with Lady Ariane and oversee her Christian education, he’s angry and terrified; he has been denied his destiny and England holds a dark secret better left buried. Now he must come to terms with his past and his attraction to the forbidden Lady Ariane.
Review
What I liked:
Julian. He is the reason I wanted to read this book. Seriously. I read the excerpt on Amazon and I loved the dynamic that is Julian. He is both a literal warrior and a spiritual one. Spiritually, he’s extremely bound to the rules and adheres them faithfully…and not necessarily in a good way. But that was part of the reason that he drew me in…because I wanted to see him break his rules (obviously not in a sin-against-God kind of way, but in a you-don’t-have-live-like-that way).
Ariane. I’m not gonna lie folks, in medieval romance novels, it is so common to have the heroine running away from her duty to the point where I rarely read them anymore. And Ariane is a runner. But. It worked for me in this book, because she was not raised in the English culture but instead in the Arab culture. And so her desire to run was in direct correlation of the Crusades and all that went along with it.
Secondary characters. There were quite a few secondary characters that had rich, complex stories making them fascinating people.
History. I learned a lot about a time period that is often brushed over, and in a way that made it feel natural to the story.
Spiritually, I enjoyed watching Julian get a better grasp of faith and Ariane learning what a relationship with Christ is.
What I didn’t like:
The one thing that really stood out to me was how quick most of the characters were to act on their emotions. Sometimes there was very little planning or thought and it drove me crazy. Half of the negative situations they found themselves in was due to the fact that they never stopped and considered and planned but instead always reacted. It was oftentimes very emotion-driven.
Romantic Scale: 8
Overall, I enjoyed Revelation. It is well-written and very intriguing!
*I received a copy from the author to review.*
remaininhislove 