Arrian's Lion

by A.J. Cullen

Arrian's Lion is the story of twenty-one year old Jay Holsley, the bastard son to Arrian's king, who feels that no matter how hard he works to better his social circumstances, he has been doomed to suffer in this life from the moment sin gave it to him. He knows himself and what he desires to be, but he does not know how to survive as himself in a world of predators and prey. He hates mornings, the abandonment of logic, and how Arrian's social elite use their status to tear others down, but what he craves is control of his life despite these things. He is a man, but he fancies men. Yet the worst part is, his best friend is a man who fancies him. As it turns out, that's the best part, too. Jay just needs something to push him out of his own way, and fortunately for him, fate uses his tendencies for inner conflict to oblige.


Struggling to survive among the prey of his country's noble predators, Jay's life is a minefield of restrained desires, recycled excuses, and lucky recoveries. Combining wit, adventure, and mystery with an exploration of complicated relationships, mental health, and life beyond "coming out," Arrian's Lion invites the reader to follow Jay's growth through a broader historical lens.

298 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2021

Reviews

[Lynn Lipinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young gay noble must conceal his love for another man while trying to solve the mysterious assassination of his father, the King and his half-brother, Sam in AJ Cullen’s historical fantasy novel Arrian’s Lion. Jay is the son of the King, who has raised him as one of his own alongside his half-brothers and sisters even though Jay’s mother is not the Queen. The book opens the morning after a night of love between Jay and Kit, but readers quickly see the tension between the two as morning light brings the realities of their forbidden love in the Kingdom of Arrian. The story is told entirely from the perspective of Jay Holsley. Cullen’s descriptive abilities and psychological insights create a full and lovable character that readers will root for, even when he acts badly and unwittingly opens the castle door to the murderer of his father and half-brother. The on-again, off-again romance between Jay and Kit forms the beating heart of the book and will keep readers turning pages in the hopes the two will find their happy ending. A dense set of characters and shadowy villains using magic and curses to control their victims creates some intrigue and keeps the plot moving forward, though I would have liked to have seen more character development of these enemies and some streamlining of the plot. Overall I enjoyed Cullen’s beautiful way with words, as in this passage “The love in his eyes had returned, accompanied by the movement of the Earth, the beautiful collision of our lives, and the feeling of a feather carried high by a summer breeze…” The theme that runs through is that love wins. A very satisfying and emotional love story with plenty of palace of intrigue.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the bastard son of Arrian's king, Jay's life has never particularly been a walk in the park, but when a murder investigation turns his life upside down, how far will Jay have to go to mend his family and his own heart?

First of all, the writing in this book is absolutely 100% stunning. From page one, I was in love with the writing and just how beautiful it was. Sometimes I can find myself struggling with first person, but not for a second did I struggle with it in this book! The way that it was written sucked me in and made me feel like I was Jay himself.

I also adored the way that the relationships were written in this book. It all felt so relatable, and that was what really sucked me in and made me care so much for the characters that I didn't want to put the book down.

Then there was the plot itself with the murder mystery combined with almost two other mysteries for Jay and his friends to figure out along the way. There may not have been the classic "action" but there was so much intrugie and mystery that it kept me desperately wanting to know more.

If you like royalty combined with mystery, this is the book for you!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a proof of this book as part of the June TBR indie authors event. I don’t read much fantasy, and especially not high fantasy so it was a pleasant change of pace.
I thought that this was a strong first novel and would be coveted within fantasy circles if it had a big release. I liked Daphne’s character and the setting. I also liked the relationships between the main characters and others in the story. However, I also felt that it was over complicated in parts and was very slow in places.
With some good editing and potentially some more in-depth world building, this novel could be a huge hit!

[Kelsey Nudd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. The story is written beautifully and there is always a new twist and turn at the end of every chapter. When I picked up the book, I had trouble putting it down. If you enjoy murder mysteries that include LGBTQ+ love interests and magic as well as kings and queens, then this is a good book for you!

[Blanche Maze · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enticing story with fascinating characters

-Big thanks to the author for the free copy for the indie TBR takeover event-

Jay is the bastard son of Arrian's king. Between his complicated love-life and his duties, his life isn't easy. But when an unexpected event changes everything around him, he will need to face his feelings and obligations once and for all. Tasked to find his exiled brother, he will set on a journey to save his kingdom from demise.

From the very first chapters, I knew I would like this book. The writing was enthralling and it pulled me in right away. I really liked Jay as a character. He was quite fascinating and realistic and it was easy to relate to him and understand what drove him to made such decisions. He is a tormented man, but not always for obvious reasons, but what I liked the most about him was his need to always do what's best and right no matter the rest. It was truly inspiring. I also really enjoyed the pacing, as the book was both fast and slow when needed. The friendships between the characters were simply beautiful and that's probably what I liked best about this book. There was romance, yes, but the sheer trust and love between the siblings and their friends was truly inspiring. The story was full of twists and turns and surprised me several times. I couldn't read fast enough but at the same time, I really wanted to take it all in and take my time discovering the intricate world and complex characters because it was all worth it. All in all, it was a very intersting book about friendship and political schemes.

I'd recommend to fans of medieval fantasy and the like!

"Trouble will only find you if you think long enough on your actions for it to catch up."

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first this book seemed to start slow. I started to really get into it though and definitely enjoyed reading it!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana Lion was a delightfully interesting read. Kept me guessing through out on who the BBG was. It has a nice touch of romance to add to the fantasy storyline as well. I will admit I don’t normally pick up LGBTQ + books just cause my own preferences are not in that alignment but I very much enjoyed this book. 10/10 and 5/5 stars.

[BookTrib.com]

ARRIAN'S LION deftly combines historically-minded fiction with romance, family relationships, and timeless questions about identity and empowerment.

Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/05/24/a-j-c...