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A Warrior's Redemption Trilogy #1
Healing Lance
A baby’s laughter.
A mind uncaged.
Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid.
And everything changes.
When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes.
As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.
A mind uncaged.
Lance is known as Scourge, the warrior in the black armor, the dog of the warlord Ulfr Blackwolf. He was just a boy when Ulfr found him and molded him into the perfect weapon. He slaughters and pillages on command, merciless and numb, devoid of emotions. Then a baby girl laughs at him during a raid.
And everything changes.
When Gust, a talented healer, is out deer hunting and stumbles across a magnificent horse bearing a mortally wounded rider, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Gust applies all his skills to his patient, determined to save the rider’s life, and is rewarded when the man opens his eyes.
As friendship, and more, bloom between warrior and healer, so does the danger over the horizon. Ulfr has not forgotten, and Lance must take his first steps on the long road to redemption.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2020
6 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Grimm
52 books120 followersM.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things actually, but not that!).
Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?) she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier.
Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, (or else what’s the point?) finding their soul mate in the process.
Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English, (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?) she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier.
Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain, (or else what’s the point?) finding their soul mate in the process.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
did-not-finish
December 26, 2023DNF @ 31%. No rating.
This is one of those times where I went into the book knowing it was high fantasy but I hoped that the romance would take centerstage instead of the usual fantasy worldbuilding stuff. Sometimes I win that bet but this time I didn't. The story consisted mostly of boring worldbuilding with the author making the narrative grind to a halt every few pages in order to info dump about the world's geography, history and religion. In particular, the amount of details about the world's religious views and practices was excessive (IMO). There were also too many side characters and we were told way too much information about them upfront (their physical appearance, their life histories, their family situations, their romantic escapades etc) but because none of these characters mattered, I ended up not being able to keep track of them. What was especially annoying was that some of the nobility people held important roles in the story but because there were so many royal/noble people talked about, I couldn't keep track of who was who, which meant I had no idea what the stakes were when people talked about so-and-so getting upset about such-and-such.
Lance and Gust's relationship was also a disappointing example of instalove. I didn't get to the actually love stage, but they were already making heart eyes at each other by 30% so I knew it was only a matter of time. Lance is supposed to be an emotionless killing machine who has spent his entire life knowing nothing but violence and hatred. Yet the guy immediately trusts Gust and the rest of the healers and also acts like a giant, adorable teddy bear, like when he initiates a cuddle session with Gust in bed or when he tells Gust that he's beautiful. This was after Lance has known Gust for only a few days (since Lance was unconscious for several days). The author was trying to emphasize Lance's ignorance about the world by making him act very childlike but that didn't work for me. Just because somebody's lived a very restricted life doesn't mean they'll regress and act like a child or change their entire personality when they're exposed to new things. In particular, it made no sense that Lance would trust these strangers after just a few days of knowing them and feel intensely loyal towards them.
My favorite part of the story was Brutus, Lance's 'divine' horse. The divine part meant the horse had human qualities and I love the way the author blended human-like intelligence with a horse's normal behavior when Brutus was interacting with the characters around him. Brutus' intense love and worry for Lance was a wonderful contrast with the giant horse's dangerous strength and violent tendencies, which led to some very nice scenes. Unfortunately, that's not enough for me to continue reading.
If you're a fan of high fantasy with a deep love for detailed worldbuilding then this might be for you, but I was only interested in Lance's character journey and the romance and it feels like the author's approach to both isn't what I want so I'm going to bow out of this one.
This is one of those times where I went into the book knowing it was high fantasy but I hoped that the romance would take centerstage instead of the usual fantasy worldbuilding stuff. Sometimes I win that bet but this time I didn't. The story consisted mostly of boring worldbuilding with the author making the narrative grind to a halt every few pages in order to info dump about the world's geography, history and religion. In particular, the amount of details about the world's religious views and practices was excessive (IMO). There were also too many side characters and we were told way too much information about them upfront (their physical appearance, their life histories, their family situations, their romantic escapades etc) but because none of these characters mattered, I ended up not being able to keep track of them. What was especially annoying was that some of the nobility people held important roles in the story but because there were so many royal/noble people talked about, I couldn't keep track of who was who, which meant I had no idea what the stakes were when people talked about so-and-so getting upset about such-and-such.
Lance and Gust's relationship was also a disappointing example of instalove. I didn't get to the actually love stage, but they were already making heart eyes at each other by 30% so I knew it was only a matter of time. Lance is supposed to be an emotionless killing machine who has spent his entire life knowing nothing but violence and hatred. Yet the guy immediately trusts Gust and the rest of the healers and also acts like a giant, adorable teddy bear, like when he initiates a cuddle session with Gust in bed or when he tells Gust that he's beautiful. This was after Lance has known Gust for only a few days (since Lance was unconscious for several days). The author was trying to emphasize Lance's ignorance about the world by making him act very childlike but that didn't work for me. Just because somebody's lived a very restricted life doesn't mean they'll regress and act like a child or change their entire personality when they're exposed to new things. In particular, it made no sense that Lance would trust these strangers after just a few days of knowing them and feel intensely loyal towards them.
My favorite part of the story was Brutus, Lance's 'divine' horse. The divine part meant the horse had human qualities and I love the way the author blended human-like intelligence with a horse's normal behavior when Brutus was interacting with the characters around him. Brutus' intense love and worry for Lance was a wonderful contrast with the giant horse's dangerous strength and violent tendencies, which led to some very nice scenes. Unfortunately, that's not enough for me to continue reading.
If you're a fan of high fantasy with a deep love for detailed worldbuilding then this might be for you, but I was only interested in Lance's character journey and the romance and it feels like the author's approach to both isn't what I want so I'm going to bow out of this one.
January 27, 2021
Thank you very much to my Secret Santa - Neha
3.75 Stars
I really enjoyed this one. Good start to the series
I loved the set up for this one with Lance the killing machine, starting to care about people after a baby laughed at him. After the life he had been subjected to since being found by the Warlord he amazingly had a real childlike quality in his fascination with everyday things that he had never been subjected to. He was still a highly trained killing machine that no matter what was happening and could turn it on if required but he now took great joy in the little things.
I liked Gust too but not to the same extent. I liked that he stuck with Lance when it would have been really easy to just walk away. I did pick where it was going when it mention that his parents were killed at another town.
There was a lot of work done by the author setting up the mythological aspect of this story with the gods and goddesses, I found the explanations of who was who bogged down the story at times, and to be honest I got a bit lost as to who was who.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing where the author takes this one as I really want to know more about Lances childhood before meeting the warlord.
3.75 Stars
I really enjoyed this one. Good start to the series
I loved the set up for this one with Lance the killing machine, starting to care about people after a baby laughed at him. After the life he had been subjected to since being found by the Warlord he amazingly had a real childlike quality in his fascination with everyday things that he had never been subjected to. He was still a highly trained killing machine that no matter what was happening and could turn it on if required but he now took great joy in the little things.
I liked Gust too but not to the same extent. I liked that he stuck with Lance when it would have been really easy to just walk away. I did pick where it was going when it mention that his parents were killed at another town.
There was a lot of work done by the author setting up the mythological aspect of this story with the gods and goddesses, I found the explanations of who was who bogged down the story at times, and to be honest I got a bit lost as to who was who.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing where the author takes this one as I really want to know more about Lances childhood before meeting the warlord.
April 13, 2024
This is my first exposure to this author and I was quite pleasantly surprised. Whilst the bulk of the battle/trauma scenes are confined to the start and end of the read, the 'redemption story' for a brutalized man-child killing machine kept my attention throughout the middle sections. Of course horses and puppy dogs are involved ... and food ... and quite a few nicely fleshed out secondary townsfolk characters. I warmed to both MCs and am keen to see where the 'developing friendship/relationship' will be taken in the remaining books of the trilogy; and a heads-up to M-M romance fans - there are no action scenes. 3.5 stars.
September 13, 2020
This book blew me away, I mean really blew my mind. I love historical stories especially Victorian and medieval times. This being the latter I just had to sign up to review the book. I was expecting a good read. But I got so much more.
Lance has been trained into a killing machine from the age of 6, by a warlord who goes from village to village pillaging what he can before destroying the village and everyone that lives there. And Lance aka the Scourge is renowned for his evil killing by the orders of his leader.
Gus, is a healer in a small town that pretty much caters for itself and does not have great interactions with other towns. He works and lives with his Aunt who is a fellow healer. Gus lost his parents to the hand of the scourge.
We start the story on one such ransacking of a town. When Lance finds a baby crying in a house. Something about the baby sparks, Lance to give the baby to its mother and set them free. Lance does not know why he was affected by the baby, but it starts the long journey to his redemption.
Of course when Lance refuses to chase after the woman and baby to capture and kill them, he has to walk the gauntlet and face a beating by his fellow soldiers, most die but Lance hangs on to his life by a thread, and with his horse Brutus’s help he escapes.
Gus whilst out in the forest comes across Brutus and Lance and leads them back to the town. It is soon obvious that there is a connection of some sort between Lance and Gus.
What follows is tale of redemption, forgiveness, As Lance learns what kindness and love really looks like through watching the people of the town. He yearns for that but does not believe he will ever find anything remotely like it in his life, and he does not believe he deserves any kindness either.
We watch as the two men grow closer, both have hidden feelings, secrets, but they tentatively start to trust each other.
The story world is rich in mythology and vividness of medieval traditions and cultures. Some readers may find the book slow, but to truly give an epic story you have to give it the time to create the world and culture of the times and to show the believes and reasons behind the mythology.
I loved all three main characters, yes you read it right I did say three. Lance you soon realise he is as much a victim of the warlord as are the people he was ordered to kill.
Gus is such a gentle but strong character; he believes in the best of people often to his own suffering. But when he finds out Lance killed his parents, even he struggles with the truth. He has to decide how to balance his parents death against the many times Lance has helped and saved him and the town since his arrival, and the fact he did not know any life different than he was taught and grew up in the warlords gang.
Then there is Brutus the divine horse that has a colourful character all his own, often stubborn, and occasionally funny. He is truly loyal to Lance and watches over his recovery through an open window in Lances room in the healing hut.
The plot was good, with tension leading us up to the final battle between Lance and his Warlord. The story world was so believable I could see the healing hut, even vision the stubborn old mule Brutus stamping the ground when he was annoyed. Even the battle scenes are real and exciting to read. I also thought the townspeople’s weariness toward Lance and some who plainly resented his presence in their town felt real and sincere. Even at the very end Gus has accepted who Lance was and who he is, but you get the feeling there will always be a small part of Gus who can never 100% forgive Lance. He just decides that the two versions of Lance are two different people at different times.
If you like historical medieval stories and enjoy the mythologies of the time periods, you will love this book. I am so eager for book two as Lance, Gus and Brutus go on their new mission.
Review Rating 5+ Stars
Lance has been trained into a killing machine from the age of 6, by a warlord who goes from village to village pillaging what he can before destroying the village and everyone that lives there. And Lance aka the Scourge is renowned for his evil killing by the orders of his leader.
Gus, is a healer in a small town that pretty much caters for itself and does not have great interactions with other towns. He works and lives with his Aunt who is a fellow healer. Gus lost his parents to the hand of the scourge.
We start the story on one such ransacking of a town. When Lance finds a baby crying in a house. Something about the baby sparks, Lance to give the baby to its mother and set them free. Lance does not know why he was affected by the baby, but it starts the long journey to his redemption.
Of course when Lance refuses to chase after the woman and baby to capture and kill them, he has to walk the gauntlet and face a beating by his fellow soldiers, most die but Lance hangs on to his life by a thread, and with his horse Brutus’s help he escapes.
Gus whilst out in the forest comes across Brutus and Lance and leads them back to the town. It is soon obvious that there is a connection of some sort between Lance and Gus.
What follows is tale of redemption, forgiveness, As Lance learns what kindness and love really looks like through watching the people of the town. He yearns for that but does not believe he will ever find anything remotely like it in his life, and he does not believe he deserves any kindness either.
We watch as the two men grow closer, both have hidden feelings, secrets, but they tentatively start to trust each other.
The story world is rich in mythology and vividness of medieval traditions and cultures. Some readers may find the book slow, but to truly give an epic story you have to give it the time to create the world and culture of the times and to show the believes and reasons behind the mythology.
I loved all three main characters, yes you read it right I did say three. Lance you soon realise he is as much a victim of the warlord as are the people he was ordered to kill.
Gus is such a gentle but strong character; he believes in the best of people often to his own suffering. But when he finds out Lance killed his parents, even he struggles with the truth. He has to decide how to balance his parents death against the many times Lance has helped and saved him and the town since his arrival, and the fact he did not know any life different than he was taught and grew up in the warlords gang.
Then there is Brutus the divine horse that has a colourful character all his own, often stubborn, and occasionally funny. He is truly loyal to Lance and watches over his recovery through an open window in Lances room in the healing hut.
The plot was good, with tension leading us up to the final battle between Lance and his Warlord. The story world was so believable I could see the healing hut, even vision the stubborn old mule Brutus stamping the ground when he was annoyed. Even the battle scenes are real and exciting to read. I also thought the townspeople’s weariness toward Lance and some who plainly resented his presence in their town felt real and sincere. Even at the very end Gus has accepted who Lance was and who he is, but you get the feeling there will always be a small part of Gus who can never 100% forgive Lance. He just decides that the two versions of Lance are two different people at different times.
If you like historical medieval stories and enjoy the mythologies of the time periods, you will love this book. I am so eager for book two as Lance, Gus and Brutus go on their new mission.
Review Rating 5+ Stars
July 28, 2020
I really, really loved this story, but it reminded me of the cruelness of people at times. Not because of the warlord and what he did to make Lance his. It was when Lance was healing and many times stood for the people of the town, and when push came to shove and they found out his past, all of a sudden, he was no good. His trying to turn a new leaf was thrown in his face and he was shoved away. The one redeeming thing for me was the one person in that town who had every right to hate him, every right to want to see him dead and gone, was one who stood up for him and beside him when the time came.
Not many knew Lance’s real name. Most knew him as Ulfr’s wardog or as Scourge. Matter of fact, most feared Scourge much more than they did Ulfr, because he was deadly and had no emotion about what he did. He didn’t rape or pillage but he killed and did it well. But this one particular raid set a course of change in Lance that he couldn’t come back from. All because of a baby. Lance no longer wanted to be Scourge, he wanted to save life. He no longer wanted to take it. So he saved the baby and her mother. And when told to go kill her, faced his own death because he was now considered a traitor. He ran the gauntlet but his horse, Brutus, got to him in time and saved him before the final blow. After many days, they run into Gust, a healer, and healing begins. Gust is also the only one who can deal with Brutus, who they learn is divine. healing speeds along, they become friends. Lance saving Gust’s life several times. But Ulfr is coming for Lance and he knows it. And he also knows that when the secret of who he is comes out, what he’s worked so hard for will all be lost.
You know, I more than anyone understands what it’s like to have a hard time forgiving or forgetting. But before life beats most of us down, it’s in our inherent nature to want to forgive and redeem the person who has wronged us. Until the wrongs keep coming, then it’s over. So I get that people have a hard time seeing Lance as anyone but Scourge if they truly know who he is. But what bothers me about this town, is while he was healing, all they knew is he was a warrior who was badly injured. Gust just wanted to save him and see where things led. And the people of the town were becoming friendly to him as he healed. He was making friends and finally happy with his life. No matter how many times he stood for this town because of what they did for him, they turned on him. And that hurts me for him. He was seriously trying to make up for his past, make up for the wrongs he had done. And Gust was the only one that seemed to see into the heart of the one man he should hate more than anyone. But he didn’t. He loved him. That for me is what made this book. Lance turned over a new leaf, no matter what anyone thought of him or his past. He truly wanted to be free of the bad. And no matter what they threw at him, he was determined to make things right. Even if that meant hunting down every warlord and bad guy the world had to offer. And for Gust to forgive him, when he didn’t have to, made all the difference to me. And then made me remember, there are still people who are determined to see the good no matter the cost.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
Not many knew Lance’s real name. Most knew him as Ulfr’s wardog or as Scourge. Matter of fact, most feared Scourge much more than they did Ulfr, because he was deadly and had no emotion about what he did. He didn’t rape or pillage but he killed and did it well. But this one particular raid set a course of change in Lance that he couldn’t come back from. All because of a baby. Lance no longer wanted to be Scourge, he wanted to save life. He no longer wanted to take it. So he saved the baby and her mother. And when told to go kill her, faced his own death because he was now considered a traitor. He ran the gauntlet but his horse, Brutus, got to him in time and saved him before the final blow. After many days, they run into Gust, a healer, and healing begins. Gust is also the only one who can deal with Brutus, who they learn is divine. healing speeds along, they become friends. Lance saving Gust’s life several times. But Ulfr is coming for Lance and he knows it. And he also knows that when the secret of who he is comes out, what he’s worked so hard for will all be lost.
You know, I more than anyone understands what it’s like to have a hard time forgiving or forgetting. But before life beats most of us down, it’s in our inherent nature to want to forgive and redeem the person who has wronged us. Until the wrongs keep coming, then it’s over. So I get that people have a hard time seeing Lance as anyone but Scourge if they truly know who he is. But what bothers me about this town, is while he was healing, all they knew is he was a warrior who was badly injured. Gust just wanted to save him and see where things led. And the people of the town were becoming friendly to him as he healed. He was making friends and finally happy with his life. No matter how many times he stood for this town because of what they did for him, they turned on him. And that hurts me for him. He was seriously trying to make up for his past, make up for the wrongs he had done. And Gust was the only one that seemed to see into the heart of the one man he should hate more than anyone. But he didn’t. He loved him. That for me is what made this book. Lance turned over a new leaf, no matter what anyone thought of him or his past. He truly wanted to be free of the bad. And no matter what they threw at him, he was determined to make things right. Even if that meant hunting down every warlord and bad guy the world had to offer. And for Gust to forgive him, when he didn’t have to, made all the difference to me. And then made me remember, there are still people who are determined to see the good no matter the cost.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
August 3, 2020
I’ve only read one other book by this author and loved it (Leopold), so since the blurb for Healing Lance piqued my interest with the redemption theme, I decided to give it a go. It’s a long road for Lance given everything he’s done in the service of a warlord, starting with one epiphany that serves as his awakening and changes his entire outlook.
This was a bit of a slow read for me. I’m not sure if it’s the setting—think medieval timeframe but with strong mythology themes regarding religion—or if it’s the writing. As the author acknowledges after the end of the story, the mythology upon which the religion of the times is based pulls heavily from Egyptian beliefs along with some Greek/Roman (including the basis of the deity names and their general representations). That basis was easy for me to understand since I’ve been a reader of these mythologies since I was a kid.
Lance’s road to redemption though is a slow one, as the way he interprets and comprehends the world around him is on a very basic level and the process is quite detailed. The friendship that forms between him and Gust does so very slowly, and there is much they don’t know about each other—even by the end of the book. A bit of unrevealed information is to be expected since there are two more books after this one, and this does help to keep readers on the hook for what might happen later.
If you’re expecting a romance here, you may be waiting a bit. Lance finds it difficult to understand his eventual reactions to Gust since he’s never been such a position before and frankly the examples to which he was exposed while with the warlord’s raiders were not even in the universe of ideal. Lance comes from a life of no emotion, no feelings, just pain, fear, and violence. That is one of the hurdles he and Gust would need to overcome, and I suspect that will be a long road for them as well…particularly since only the barest of glimpses can be found here in book one. This story is more steeped in the redemption aspect of Lance’s journey, and even that still has quite a ways to go.
Healing Lance is getting 3.5 stars from me; it did feel a bit drawn out, and the couple of short scenes of action were fleeting compared to the rest of the story. It will be interesting though to see how things progress from here for Lance and Gust…if you are a fan of characters who have a long, hard road to their absolution, you’ll find that Lance definitely fits that bill. He did evoke plenty of sympathy from me given his past and his newfound need to make things right.
This was a bit of a slow read for me. I’m not sure if it’s the setting—think medieval timeframe but with strong mythology themes regarding religion—or if it’s the writing. As the author acknowledges after the end of the story, the mythology upon which the religion of the times is based pulls heavily from Egyptian beliefs along with some Greek/Roman (including the basis of the deity names and their general representations). That basis was easy for me to understand since I’ve been a reader of these mythologies since I was a kid.
Lance’s road to redemption though is a slow one, as the way he interprets and comprehends the world around him is on a very basic level and the process is quite detailed. The friendship that forms between him and Gust does so very slowly, and there is much they don’t know about each other—even by the end of the book. A bit of unrevealed information is to be expected since there are two more books after this one, and this does help to keep readers on the hook for what might happen later.
If you’re expecting a romance here, you may be waiting a bit. Lance finds it difficult to understand his eventual reactions to Gust since he’s never been such a position before and frankly the examples to which he was exposed while with the warlord’s raiders were not even in the universe of ideal. Lance comes from a life of no emotion, no feelings, just pain, fear, and violence. That is one of the hurdles he and Gust would need to overcome, and I suspect that will be a long road for them as well…particularly since only the barest of glimpses can be found here in book one. This story is more steeped in the redemption aspect of Lance’s journey, and even that still has quite a ways to go.
Healing Lance is getting 3.5 stars from me; it did feel a bit drawn out, and the couple of short scenes of action were fleeting compared to the rest of the story. It will be interesting though to see how things progress from here for Lance and Gust…if you are a fan of characters who have a long, hard road to their absolution, you’ll find that Lance definitely fits that bill. He did evoke plenty of sympathy from me given his past and his newfound need to make things right.
August 1, 2020
3.5 Stars rounded UP
This is a hard to take tale about redemption. I often thought how far could we accept someone’s repentance and willingness to do a one-eighty from their earlier way of life. Say, a killer with no conscience suddenly acquired one. Lance was such a character. This trilogy centered on his journey of redemption with HEALING LANCE as the start of it, ever since a particular sighting of a baby girl turned his life around and his true ally only his mighty divine horse, Brutus.
The story was told through multiple POVs revealing Lance’s past and the impact some of that sins had on people he came to care for. It was raw, brutal, upsetting, yet at the same time sweet and hopeful where the budding friendship (and more) blossomed. Lance tore me apart with his childlike wonder of newfound heart and soul while keeping the horrifying truth of his identity from others. I felt for Gustum over the awkward feeling and situation he found himself in. My heart went to Lance and Gus for the suffering they felt and the predicament should the truth of the past revealed to all.
Hence my questioning whether human’s willingness to forgive others extended to one’s bloody hands - in the truest sense of the words - and a couple of good deeds could erase the slate clean. It’s a tricky situation and kudos to Grimm for coming up with this terrible and riveting tale. I loved how caring the three important characters (of the trilogy) were to each other and how tune-in they were to the others. I wasn’t too fond of how the mastermind play seemed untouchable (so far) on the book as it spells bad things to come to our protagonists. At the same time, it opens potential and promising stories on the two installments after this.
While not exactly having cliff-hanger ending, HEALING LANCE certainly an unfinished tale as Lance took on the mantle to - for want of a better word - avenge the people he wronged by hunting his former comrades in evil. Which really irked me that the next two books are not here (to read) yet and had me dreading over what would follow and befall Lance next.
Copy of this book is kindly given by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This is a hard to take tale about redemption. I often thought how far could we accept someone’s repentance and willingness to do a one-eighty from their earlier way of life. Say, a killer with no conscience suddenly acquired one. Lance was such a character. This trilogy centered on his journey of redemption with HEALING LANCE as the start of it, ever since a particular sighting of a baby girl turned his life around and his true ally only his mighty divine horse, Brutus.
The story was told through multiple POVs revealing Lance’s past and the impact some of that sins had on people he came to care for. It was raw, brutal, upsetting, yet at the same time sweet and hopeful where the budding friendship (and more) blossomed. Lance tore me apart with his childlike wonder of newfound heart and soul while keeping the horrifying truth of his identity from others. I felt for Gustum over the awkward feeling and situation he found himself in. My heart went to Lance and Gus for the suffering they felt and the predicament should the truth of the past revealed to all.
Hence my questioning whether human’s willingness to forgive others extended to one’s bloody hands - in the truest sense of the words - and a couple of good deeds could erase the slate clean. It’s a tricky situation and kudos to Grimm for coming up with this terrible and riveting tale. I loved how caring the three important characters (of the trilogy) were to each other and how tune-in they were to the others. I wasn’t too fond of how the mastermind play seemed untouchable (so far) on the book as it spells bad things to come to our protagonists. At the same time, it opens potential and promising stories on the two installments after this.
While not exactly having cliff-hanger ending, HEALING LANCE certainly an unfinished tale as Lance took on the mantle to - for want of a better word - avenge the people he wronged by hunting his former comrades in evil. Which really irked me that the next two books are not here (to read) yet and had me dreading over what would follow and befall Lance next.
Copy of this book is kindly given by the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 8, 2020
A first read for the author which I really had my fingers crossed to love it..
A great start as Lance rescued a baby girl from death with her mother on a raid of the village. But he pays the price...badly (with violent scenes included). Ulfr was a deadly deceitful man and killing was nothing to him.
Gust was a healer of his village along with his aunt, sees a naked blooded man on horse back.
includes
• Warlords and Gods and magic.
• vengeance and love in a county.
• a special special horse.
• dark tales if Lance's younger life.
Lance only knows war and death meeting and getting to know Gust but he has to adapt to a new life although his first mission is to heal. The threat of Ultr coming after him puts danger to the community's peacefulness. Natures beasts have their go at the pair too. A fantastic book to read, the only thing for me i got lost in all the names of gods infos, and places. A slow friendship & beginning of a romance between the two MCs. The ending has violent scenes and a finish as a HFN story as they continue with their story.
A great start as Lance rescued a baby girl from death with her mother on a raid of the village. But he pays the price...badly (with violent scenes included). Ulfr was a deadly deceitful man and killing was nothing to him.
Gust was a healer of his village along with his aunt, sees a naked blooded man on horse back.
includes
• Warlords and Gods and magic.
• vengeance and love in a county.
• a special special horse.
• dark tales if Lance's younger life.
Lance only knows war and death meeting and getting to know Gust but he has to adapt to a new life although his first mission is to heal. The threat of Ultr coming after him puts danger to the community's peacefulness. Natures beasts have their go at the pair too. A fantastic book to read, the only thing for me i got lost in all the names of gods infos, and places. A slow friendship & beginning of a romance between the two MCs. The ending has violent scenes and a finish as a HFN story as they continue with their story.
August 7, 2020
This was a hard novel to rate - there was a lot of action and some character-driven dialogue. But it just didn't quite come together for me.
A peeve is spelling. I've noticed there were a few misspellings (raise - raze, Semesy - Semsey, etc) Not a lot but just enough to annoy me. Spellcheck wouldn't catch so a sharper eye would be helpful.
A map or a chart of the land would've helped a lot here, also placing the glossary and a list of people upfront would've helped tremendously. It's important to make each character distinct and memorable and I don't feel the author did a good job here.
Toward the end, it started to feel like a m/m Xena/Gabrielle novel - evil warrior turns good because of a good hearted person and they go on an adventure doing good.
I'm not sure if I'll continue to read the other two novels when they come out. It'll depend on the preview.
A peeve is spelling. I've noticed there were a few misspellings (raise - raze, Semesy - Semsey, etc) Not a lot but just enough to annoy me. Spellcheck wouldn't catch so a sharper eye would be helpful.
A map or a chart of the land would've helped a lot here, also placing the glossary and a list of people upfront would've helped tremendously. It's important to make each character distinct and memorable and I don't feel the author did a good job here.
Toward the end, it started to feel like a m/m Xena/Gabrielle novel - evil warrior turns good because of a good hearted person and they go on an adventure doing good.
I'm not sure if I'll continue to read the other two novels when they come out. It'll depend on the preview.
August 23, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this first installment of the trilogy. There’s a lot going on but the world building is very well done and fairly easy to follow. The opening sequence was rather violent but once Lance winds up in Gust’s care, I couldn’t help joining Gust in falling in love with Lance little by little.
The epilogue is really not an epilogue since it doesn’t give us any update on Lance and Gust. It is, however, clearly setting up the next part in the trilogy.
The epilogue is really not an epilogue since it doesn’t give us any update on Lance and Gust. It is, however, clearly setting up the next part in the trilogy.
October 9, 2020
Good fantasy story
I really enjoyed this book. I love Lance and Gust and can't wait to read their next book. I like that Lance is learning to feel and care, with Gust unknowingly making a it happen. There is emotional upheaval, battles and healing. I also really love Brutus!
I really enjoyed this book. I love Lance and Gust and can't wait to read their next book. I like that Lance is learning to feel and care, with Gust unknowingly making a it happen. There is emotional upheaval, battles and healing. I also really love Brutus!
April 1, 2021
I quite liked this book. The characters were interesting and engaging, and the setting was well done. I would have preferred fewer typos and some more relationship development between Lance and Gust. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read.
January 22, 2022
More brutal than I usually prefer but very gripping and thought-provoking.
December 3, 2020
Healing Lance by M.D. Grimm
Rating: 3.5 stars
A good start to a series. The author kept me fully vested in Lance and Gust’s future. My only complaint is the number of pages that the author devoted to mythology. I found it a bit tedious and skimmed many of those sections.
Rating: 3.5 stars
A good start to a series. The author kept me fully vested in Lance and Gust’s future. My only complaint is the number of pages that the author devoted to mythology. I found it a bit tedious and skimmed many of those sections.
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