What do you think?
Rate this book
Lancelot's Fall #2
Raised from the Ruins
“I have told you before – what I desire and what is allowed me are two different things,” Lancelot said, turning his head slightly as he felt Claudas’ breath ghost over his cheek. “Nothing has changed. Nothing ever will, between us.”
Five long years have passed since Lancelot du Lac watched Claudas – his lover and his enemy – ride away into the snow.
He had never imagined that they would meet again – until King Arthur assigns him a task that takes him far from the familiarity of Camelot to the dangerous streets of Rome following the contentious papal elections.
Amidst the vicious political infighting of the Roman Senate, Lancelot finds himself thrown back into the company of the man he had sworn to give up. With his fate once more entwined with Claudas’, Lancelot finds his loyalties to his king and to his heart once again tested – and when Morgan le Fay returns to take back her son, Lancelot is forced to choose between the oaths he has taken and what he knows is right.
In the chaos that follows, Lancelot must ask whether he can once again bring himself to walk away from the man he loves.
Please note!: This is the second book in a series. While it can be read as a standalone story, the first book, Laid to Ruin (a gay Arthurian romance) can be purchased from Amazon, and may improve your reading experience.
Warning: Laid to Ruin contains explicit scenes of sexuality. It is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Five long years have passed since Lancelot du Lac watched Claudas – his lover and his enemy – ride away into the snow.
He had never imagined that they would meet again – until King Arthur assigns him a task that takes him far from the familiarity of Camelot to the dangerous streets of Rome following the contentious papal elections.
Amidst the vicious political infighting of the Roman Senate, Lancelot finds himself thrown back into the company of the man he had sworn to give up. With his fate once more entwined with Claudas’, Lancelot finds his loyalties to his king and to his heart once again tested – and when Morgan le Fay returns to take back her son, Lancelot is forced to choose between the oaths he has taken and what he knows is right.
In the chaos that follows, Lancelot must ask whether he can once again bring himself to walk away from the man he loves.
Please note!: This is the second book in a series. While it can be read as a standalone story, the first book, Laid to Ruin (a gay Arthurian romance) can be purchased from Amazon, and may improve your reading experience.
Warning: Laid to Ruin contains explicit scenes of sexuality. It is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
- GenresM M Romance
219 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2015
4 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Isabelle Arden
11 books18 followersIsabelle Arden is a good girl by day - but when she gets home from work, she likes to kick off her sensible heels and write some seriously dirty fiction.
Isabelle writes a wide variety of stories, from gay to straight, historical to contemporary, kink to vanilla - but she's always a sucker for a happy ending.
Any comments or questions at all, please never hesitate to send her a message!
Isabelle writes a wide variety of stories, from gay to straight, historical to contemporary, kink to vanilla - but she's always a sucker for a happy ending.
Any comments or questions at all, please never hesitate to send her a message!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 21, 2016
(This story was received free in return for an honest review via the GoodReads Don't Buy My Love Love program.)
Upon finishing book one Laid to Ruin, I was left bereft, needing to know what the future held for Claudas and Lancelot. Book one was told from Claudas' point of view; this time, we get Lancelot's, ending with Claudas still healing, but riding with all dignity to spend the remainder of his days in Rome. Raised from the Ruins picks up five years from where they parted. Summoned to Camelot, Lancelot is asked by King Arthur to travel to Rome as his representative in an ongoing dispute between the Roman Senate and the current Pope of the Catholic Church. With him, will travel Mordred, and a monk who insists he is Arthur's cousin.
It was no surprise that the home of Lancelot's host in Rome is also housing Claudas. The men pick up right where they left off, battling their desires for each other and then giving in wholeheartedly. The internal and external wars they faced were exceptionally shown in emotion and description. I was submersed fully in the detail and feelings of these two warriors.
Again, we are left in the lurch, but these cliffhangers don't bother me as much as others because book three is coming and while I want it now, I'll bide my time knowing it will be just as fantastic as the first two stories.
Upon finishing book one Laid to Ruin, I was left bereft, needing to know what the future held for Claudas and Lancelot. Book one was told from Claudas' point of view; this time, we get Lancelot's, ending with Claudas still healing, but riding with all dignity to spend the remainder of his days in Rome. Raised from the Ruins picks up five years from where they parted. Summoned to Camelot, Lancelot is asked by King Arthur to travel to Rome as his representative in an ongoing dispute between the Roman Senate and the current Pope of the Catholic Church. With him, will travel Mordred, and a monk who insists he is Arthur's cousin.
It was no surprise that the home of Lancelot's host in Rome is also housing Claudas. The men pick up right where they left off, battling their desires for each other and then giving in wholeheartedly. The internal and external wars they faced were exceptionally shown in emotion and description. I was submersed fully in the detail and feelings of these two warriors.
Again, we are left in the lurch, but these cliffhangers don't bother me as much as others because book three is coming and while I want it now, I'll bide my time knowing it will be just as fantastic as the first two stories.
May 16, 2021
I think I enjoyed this installment more than the first. Raised from the Ruins takes place directly five years from its predecessor, Laid to Ruin. Here, the story is told from Lancelot's POV. While the story got off to a bit of a slow start (Lancelot is still working as a knight while being pursued by Guinevere), things pick up quickly enough when Lancelot is tasked with escorting Arthur's nephew (a priest) to Rome along with Mordred.
I LOVED the setting here. From bathhouses to the elaborate dinners, ancient Rome jumped off the pages! The author did her research. I'll repeat, the author did her research! I was so happy to see One thing which got me hook, line, and sinker, was the brilliant characterizations. They felt like real people to me and acted in accordance with the timeline. My only critique here
But all that aside, I truly loved this book and am deeply saddened that there is no more to Lancelot's Fall. Hopefully, one day, there will be final addition to the story (I have so many questions!) but until that day comes, I'll keep a special place in my heart for Lancelot and Claudas.
This book is highly underrated and deserves more credit. 5 stars.
I LOVED the setting here. From bathhouses to the elaborate dinners, ancient Rome jumped off the pages! The author did her research. I'll repeat, the author did her research! I was so happy to see One thing which got me hook, line, and sinker, was the brilliant characterizations. They felt like real people to me and acted in accordance with the timeline. My only critique here
But all that aside, I truly loved this book and am deeply saddened that there is no more to Lancelot's Fall. Hopefully, one day, there will be final addition to the story (I have so many questions!) but until that day comes, I'll keep a special place in my heart for Lancelot and Claudas.
This book is highly underrated and deserves more credit. 5 stars.
August 20, 2017
Beautifully written, fascinating take on both Arthurian and early Papal history. Yet it also seemed so much longer than 200 pages...a very dense story, which I guess I just wasn't in the mood for right now.
March 17, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's Don't Buy My Love review program in exchange for an honest review.
This story picks up five years after the end of Laid to Ruin where King Claudas and Lancelot past ways. Claudas had made it clear at that point that he wanted Lancelot, but Lancelot was sticking to his loyalty to King Arthur even though he was fighting his feelings for Claudas, his enemy. We see at the beginning of this story that Lancelot has not stopped thinking of Claudas through the years. When Arthur sends Lancelot to Rome to assist with the dispute over whether Pope Symmachus is rightfully elected, Lancelot ends up staying with the same senator whom Claudas has been living with. The attraction between Claudas and Lancelot is immediate and electric and they pick up where they left off, although Claudas seems cautious at first. He wants Lancelot but not if Lancelot is not willing to admit he wants Claudas too. Lancelot has to go on a dangerous task involving the pope so Claudas goes with him in order to protect him. It's clear at this point they both feel strongly for each other but aren't willing to admit anything. If you enjoy a good dose of angst and stubborn men, this one fits the bill. Then Lancelot ends up with even bigger problems. As if political and papal unrest weren't enough, Morgan le Fay shows up to claim her son, Mordred, who is one of Lancelot's party. Hire is Lancelot going to go back to Arthur and explain all that went wrong? Despite all that does go wrong, Lancelot finally does get something right. He stops fighting his feelings for Claudas. We finally get somewhat of a happy ending with Claudas and Lancelot, or at least a happier for now. At least they are sticking together at the end of this one. This is not the end of the story. There are still plenty of loose ends that need to be tied together before the story is over.
I'm enjoying this series very much. It has historical figures in it but it's not heavy on historical facts and although it's a period piece, it has a modern day feel. I'm fine with that. It's easy reading with an enjoyable pace and good dialogue. It has just the right amount of angst and action to keep me hooked. You could probably read this as a standalone as far as the plot goes, but to get the full effect off their relationship, I really think you need to read Laid to Ruin first.
This story picks up five years after the end of Laid to Ruin where King Claudas and Lancelot past ways. Claudas had made it clear at that point that he wanted Lancelot, but Lancelot was sticking to his loyalty to King Arthur even though he was fighting his feelings for Claudas, his enemy. We see at the beginning of this story that Lancelot has not stopped thinking of Claudas through the years. When Arthur sends Lancelot to Rome to assist with the dispute over whether Pope Symmachus is rightfully elected, Lancelot ends up staying with the same senator whom Claudas has been living with. The attraction between Claudas and Lancelot is immediate and electric and they pick up where they left off, although Claudas seems cautious at first. He wants Lancelot but not if Lancelot is not willing to admit he wants Claudas too. Lancelot has to go on a dangerous task involving the pope so Claudas goes with him in order to protect him. It's clear at this point they both feel strongly for each other but aren't willing to admit anything. If you enjoy a good dose of angst and stubborn men, this one fits the bill. Then Lancelot ends up with even bigger problems. As if political and papal unrest weren't enough, Morgan le Fay shows up to claim her son, Mordred, who is one of Lancelot's party. Hire is Lancelot going to go back to Arthur and explain all that went wrong? Despite all that does go wrong, Lancelot finally does get something right. He stops fighting his feelings for Claudas. We finally get somewhat of a happy ending with Claudas and Lancelot, or at least a happier for now. At least they are sticking together at the end of this one. This is not the end of the story. There are still plenty of loose ends that need to be tied together before the story is over.
I'm enjoying this series very much. It has historical figures in it but it's not heavy on historical facts and although it's a period piece, it has a modern day feel. I'm fine with that. It's easy reading with an enjoyable pace and good dialogue. It has just the right amount of angst and action to keep me hooked. You could probably read this as a standalone as far as the plot goes, but to get the full effect off their relationship, I really think you need to read Laid to Ruin first.
March 13, 2016
3.5 of 5 stars – Nice, Easy Romance, Sort of Set in Arthurian Times.
[Thanks to the author and Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program for a free copy in exchange for an honest review]
I'm a fan of Arthurian legend, especially with a gay twist; and this was mostly what I was hoping for.
I've read quite a bit of historical fiction, and love it when it takes you back in time. In this one, it was a historical in terms of the setting, people and events of the times; but it wasn't a rich historical, in that it wasn't detailed or descriptive enough with the language and scenes for me to feel like I was actually there. It actually was in modern language and felt pretty generic - much of it could have happened anywhere, anytime.
Other than that, Isabelle Arden's style made it an easy, quick read, with a moderate pace and some tension built around a knight torn between his perceived duty and forbidden love. While the plot wasn't extremely compelling early on, things got more interesting when Morgan appeared after halfway in, precipitating several new developments and jacking it up a notch.
Arden's strength here is the romance, in terms of both the emotional relationship and the physical yearnings and experiences. While I personally felt the several sex scenes could have been more sensuous to what a man might feel, they were still pretty hot; and like the plot, they got better.
Along with the romance, what kept me in it was the Arthurian time and characters. Yet, except for Lancelot, there weren't too many of the other Camelot crew; so it wasn't distinctive enough to be any different than any other knight story, which was still okay for me.
The story is told in third person, from Lancelot's POV, so I was limited to only knowing what Lancelot saw, heard and felt. By design, Lancelot wasn't the sharpest sword in the rack, which was fine, but it did get rather tiring how helpless he was in Claudas' presence. If you accept that, you'll like the guy, especially as his character shows development.
For those interested, it was okay as a standalone. Despite it being obvious that there was prior history, I was brought up to speed nicely by Arden's mixing the background info into the story as it was told, making it overall an enjoyable m/m romance.
[Thanks to the author and Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program for a free copy in exchange for an honest review]
I'm a fan of Arthurian legend, especially with a gay twist; and this was mostly what I was hoping for.
I've read quite a bit of historical fiction, and love it when it takes you back in time. In this one, it was a historical in terms of the setting, people and events of the times; but it wasn't a rich historical, in that it wasn't detailed or descriptive enough with the language and scenes for me to feel like I was actually there. It actually was in modern language and felt pretty generic - much of it could have happened anywhere, anytime.
Other than that, Isabelle Arden's style made it an easy, quick read, with a moderate pace and some tension built around a knight torn between his perceived duty and forbidden love. While the plot wasn't extremely compelling early on, things got more interesting when Morgan appeared after halfway in, precipitating several new developments and jacking it up a notch.
Arden's strength here is the romance, in terms of both the emotional relationship and the physical yearnings and experiences. While I personally felt the several sex scenes could have been more sensuous to what a man might feel, they were still pretty hot; and like the plot, they got better.
Along with the romance, what kept me in it was the Arthurian time and characters. Yet, except for Lancelot, there weren't too many of the other Camelot crew; so it wasn't distinctive enough to be any different than any other knight story, which was still okay for me.
The story is told in third person, from Lancelot's POV, so I was limited to only knowing what Lancelot saw, heard and felt. By design, Lancelot wasn't the sharpest sword in the rack, which was fine, but it did get rather tiring how helpless he was in Claudas' presence. If you accept that, you'll like the guy, especially as his character shows development.
For those interested, it was okay as a standalone. Despite it being obvious that there was prior history, I was brought up to speed nicely by Arden's mixing the background info into the story as it was told, making it overall an enjoyable m/m romance.
March 24, 2016
I got this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review through the DBML program of the M/M Romance group at goodreads.
The main plot was between Lancelot and Claudas and much of the story takes place in the Roman empire after the Germans take over and the in-fighting between two candidate who think they are the rightful pope of the Catholic church. This takes place five years after the events of the first book which I haven't read. I might have missed some of the nuance of the book because of that. The writing was good and the story followed a good pace and logical progression but there was too much politics for me to get into the romance between Lancelot and Claudas (both a Lover and enemy of Lancelot).
There were some interesting takes on the Authurian legend and I would have loved the story more if it was more about the Arthurian Legend and less of the back stabbing Roman and Church politics. I found the characters were well fleshed out. I should have loved it more than I did but I never connected with the characters.
The main plot was between Lancelot and Claudas and much of the story takes place in the Roman empire after the Germans take over and the in-fighting between two candidate who think they are the rightful pope of the Catholic church. This takes place five years after the events of the first book which I haven't read. I might have missed some of the nuance of the book because of that. The writing was good and the story followed a good pace and logical progression but there was too much politics for me to get into the romance between Lancelot and Claudas (both a Lover and enemy of Lancelot).
There were some interesting takes on the Authurian legend and I would have loved the story more if it was more about the Arthurian Legend and less of the back stabbing Roman and Church politics. I found the characters were well fleshed out. I should have loved it more than I did but I never connected with the characters.
March 24, 2016
I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read this book because we follow the famous Sir Lancelot. I also liked the Roman setting (although I honestly don't know much about it and can't comment on how historically accurate it was). This book was easy enough to read, although I did trip up on some of the names (I ended up having to switch a character's name from Eliwlod to Eli in my mind).
I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the characters, but I read this primarily for the romance which I didn't particularly like. I didn't read the first book so I knew I was missing some background information, but I hated the interactions between Lancelot and Claudas. Lancelot was too weak around Claudas, and I thought Claudas was kind of a jerk. I didn't really like either of the characters, so I don't think I'll be reading any of the rest of the series. This was good enough as a standalone for an afternoon read though!
I was excited to read this book because we follow the famous Sir Lancelot. I also liked the Roman setting (although I honestly don't know much about it and can't comment on how historically accurate it was). This book was easy enough to read, although I did trip up on some of the names (I ended up having to switch a character's name from Eliwlod to Eli in my mind).
I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the characters, but I read this primarily for the romance which I didn't particularly like. I didn't read the first book so I knew I was missing some background information, but I hated the interactions between Lancelot and Claudas. Lancelot was too weak around Claudas, and I thought Claudas was kind of a jerk. I didn't really like either of the characters, so I don't think I'll be reading any of the rest of the series. This was good enough as a standalone for an afternoon read though!
November 7, 2024
Not as good as the first one for me, the pacing suffered a little more here I think, but still a really fun read with a lot of very intense emotions. And it was WONDERFUL getting to see Lancelot's POV, though I think I liked what happened in Claudus' half of the story better I think I may have liked Lancelot's way of telling it better.
Overall, these two were just really fun and ID-stroking reads. I'm definitely going to look into what else the author has done!
--
Reread #1: I'm not even gonna attempt to pretend that I'm reviewing this objectively. It made me incredibly happy at a tough time, that's it.
Overall, these two were just really fun and ID-stroking reads. I'm definitely going to look into what else the author has done!
--
Reread #1: I'm not even gonna attempt to pretend that I'm reviewing this objectively. It made me incredibly happy at a tough time, that's it.
May 2, 2021
Ending seemed rushed, but I still liked the story. Hopefully book 3 will tie those loose ends.
And while the storyline is definitely not without flaws, I am so invested in Claudas and Lancelot’s relationship, I simply do not care.
And while the storyline is definitely not without flaws, I am so invested in Claudas and Lancelot’s relationship, I simply do not care.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews