I was unaware that this was a sequel when I requested it, but it stood really well on it's own! We get a fair bit of context of what happens in the first story, and the world building is strong enough that I didn't feel lost.

The world building was really the strength of this novel. You really get an idea of how wide the world is, the huge politics at play. I was constantly interested in other places that were mentioned throughout the story.

Now for my nitpicks. I really could not get on board with Ransom as a protagonist. He's just too perfect. He's kind, understanding, good with his wards, faithful to the unattainable woman, the best fighter ever, the prophesied savior of the royalty. He's just the best. And that's not great. He's got no flaws, there's nothing that makes him feel real.

The pacing really felt like it suffered when we had to stop for a letter at the beginning of every chapter. Especially when the letters summarized what had happened in previous chapters. These letters felt unnecessary, but also like they were shoved in there to give us character development for Claire that really should have been in the main story beyond just "love interest."

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for this arc.

Enjoyed this book. With diverse characters driven by their own motivation, you couldnt help but root for them and captivating fight scenes that made it so easy to read.

The second book in "The First Argentines" series has middle-book syndrome., in my opinion.

Wheeler is a good writer, but I think he could have put a bit more effort into this story. There were elements of 'tell', especially with the letters at the beginning of each chapter; flashback scenes might have worked better here.

Some of the antagonists seemed not fleshed out, compared to the very much fleshed out main character.

Alas, it's an epic fantasy, and we all know I no longer read 'epic' well.

Warrior's Ransom sends the reader on a roller coaster of emotions. Furthermore, the series has proven to be so addictive that less than an hour after finishing the book, I had to force myself to put off reading the next book in the series, Lady's Ransom, in hopes of enjoying it for longer!

“Warrior’s Ransom”, the second part of Jeff Wheeler’s four book series shows the author’s skill in planning , developing and , as far as the reader goes, writing an entertaining set of novels.
Brandon Ransom , a knight without a lord, has just returned home after a long stay abroad in the southern desert, earning wages guarding caravans. Blessed as a receiver of the Fountain source magic, he is a fearless warrior, a man who can be wounded, but not killed unless decapitated. Now, the job finished he returns to his homeland to pick up the pieces and find his lady love. But it is a divided country, a besieged king with sons who hate him, and lords who array against him. Into this maelstrom, Ransom vows to support the king against all enemies.
Author Wheeler brings the world he has envisioned to vivid life with a fully fleshed main character in Sir Ransom, and also all his supporting cast . Some , like the king struggle to hold on to power, others, like his faithless sons, to grab it, and still others to connive behind the scenes to gain riches for themselves by backing the perceived winner of the prize. If the books resemble somewhat the English Wars of succcesion, what better template for dynastic battle is there. Even then there were tales of wicked sorcery, as in this book; even then women were uses as pawns in marriage. Mr. Wheeler keeps the story moving along, with combat, conniving, and witchcraft Bloody battles are fought. And won with heroism or lost due to treachery..
I enjoy Mr. Wheeler’s books and style. He is always in command, having clearly in mind every chapter in the story done and to come. I look forward to reading further adventures of Brandon Ransom to see if there are happy ever afters or mor war. Non spoiler hint- more conflict on the way.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me the ARC OF THE BOOK.

Warrior's Ransom is the second book in The First Argentines series, and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. Ransom continues to struggle finding a master worthy of his loyalty, and I have to admire his earnestness and his steadfastness as I am not sure I would be able to do the same in his shoes. This second book explores that theme of trust and loyalty and the dilemma it imposes on men when the people they serve make poor decisions that put many lives in jeopardy.

Ransom is a character to admire and I love his growing development in this book. I was a little disappointed that his journey/quest was only a small part of the book, but he did receive a gift during his journey that would certainly help him during his difficulties later on. Even though he has many doubts and is not always sure his decisions are the right ones, he trusts in his loyalty and in his honour and his duty as a knight. There are many who mock him for his ideals and urge him to break his bonds of loyalty, but I have to admire him for his steadfastness and sticking to his oaths, even when he is torn. And having magic on his side to guide him doesn't hurt either. A lot of his decisions are made with the Fountain's guidance and blessing, even if he doesn't understand the reasons behind those pushes and pulls he receives.

Although I do find the journal writing from Claire to be intriguing, I find it irritating at the same time. I feel like I don't really know her that well and wish we got her information through her point of view rather than through chronicles. I think learning more about the machinations of the castle would have been interesting and it would have developed a few other characters that were kind of left in the background.

The plot development is coming along nicely and there is certainly a lot going on. Although the story focuses on Ransom, there is almost an innocence to him as he gets caught up in a lot of political intrigue that he only seems to sense at the last minute; I think his loyalty doesn't always let him understand how others can be so deceptive. It's not that he is blind or naive or unwary, but still seems shocked when people do dirty, underhanded things. And there is a lot going on. Ransom is constantly putting out fires or avoiding poisonous traps; the twists and turns were plenty. I do wish that Ransom would take the time to explore the Fountain blessed magic, or the legends, and see how they could help him, as they did feature more prominently in this book. I was hoping for a bit more of that in this book.

Warrior's Ransom continues to focus on Ransom and in this one, he learns more about his fountain-blessed magic and how it can help him during his battles and with his decisions. The writing, as always, is detailed and full of complex characters. Highly recommend this series.

Warrior’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler is the second book in The First Argentines Series. We continue on in this story with Ransom going on a journey to the Eastern Kingdoms seeking blessings from the fountain. He returns from his pilgrimage to meet with his love Claire de Murrow and express his feelings. He is also in need of a patron for his skills and needs to be honor-bound to his patron. On his return, he finds himself in a position of favor from the Elder King Devon Argentine and is assigned two wards of his own to take care of. With more responsibilities comes great sacrifice. Nothing comes easy for Ransom as we witnessed in the first book, and the pattern continues on in this one as well. Ransom must serve his King and make sure to keep the peace in the kingdom amid the family drama, court politics, and treachery that threatens to bring the King down. Ransom has to make hard decisions against the enemy that is bringing war and his loyalties will be tested to their extreme.

The story takes a life of its own with events being placed to bring forward certain outcomes and yet somehow Jeff wheeler manages to keep the story interesting and exciting to read. There are battle scenes, epic betrayals, moral decisions to make, and court politics devouring the peace. I love how much there were parallel circumstances events from the Kingfountain series and this series. Despite the similarities, the events take a life of their own and the author’s decisions regarding the decision-making process for the previous series really helped me see the wisdom in his writing choices. The framework is similar to the first book and follows Ransom and his patron and the choices they make. Claire’s perspective is again given to us through her letters and diary entries.

Overall, this book builds on the first book and takes us on an unforgettable journey for Ransom, and takes us through his tumultuous life. I am really excited to see how the next book will shape up to be with the cliffhanger Jeff Wheeler left us within this book. This is the perfect YA epic fantasy series all readers should try out and explore. It’s massive in its scale of world-building with parallel worlds and interwoven worlds coming into play and references to the former made in the stories. It’s easily accessible, simple in its execution, and effortlessly engaging. I am giving the book 4 stars and looking forward to reading the next book.

another great entry from Mr. Wheeler, he always has a great writing style with interesting characters. I do enjoy this story and look forward to more from the author.

A wonderful continuation of this story in the King fountain world we are thrust back into the world to follow Ransom on his quest to understand who he is. When he returns to Kingfountain he is meat with a pleasant surprise. Along the way his loyalty to be a true knight is continually tested. If you enjoy the previous stories from this world you will be struck with familiarity, but if this is your first time in the world you will not be lost and will enjoy diving right in. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-Arc! My rating is in star form and will be included with this review. I may go back to more extensive reviews in the future, but while I am catching up on everything, they will continue to be stars only. Thank you so much!

A great second installment. Ransom is such an easy character to love and root for while still having plenty of flaws and character issues to overcome. I just love this story of a knight errant and really enjoying how he is beginning to be pulled into the magic of the world. Jeff Wheeler is an auto read for me. Excited for the next one in this series!


I reviewed this on Goodreads but forgot to drop one here.

Great follow-up to Knight's Ransom! I really enjoyed the Argentine's Book #2. Fast-pacing, political intrigue, great fight sequences. Character motivations and arcs all worked. The cast of characters was diverse, all with differing goals and flaws. Great magic system and world. Loved it.

Review on Goodreads.

Jeff Wheeler has another great book in Warrior's Ransom - it more than lives up to the initial entrant in the series, and sets the reader up for a great second half of the First Argentines series. His masterful blend of historical fiction with just a hint of fantasy thrown in continues to set the stories apart from those novels that lean too heavily into one or the other. Wheeler is confident in growing his characters, bringing them up from youth to adulthood comfortably, with clear and evident development in their actions taken as adults. He also continues to show his skill in writing combat with heavy and visceral combat feeling "right" for the style and time of the story. I look forward to following the adventures of Ransom in the next two novels.

After reading the first book in this series, and finding it a little lackluster, I wasn't sure how I was going to like this one. Fortunately I enjoyed this book a lot! I was really happy that it didn't parallel the Kingfountain series too much, the way I thought the first book did. There are definitely the same themes of honor, truth, and loyalty that are included in all of Jeff Wheeler's books, but I appreciate those themes.

I especially like that the protagonists in Wheeler's books struggle with their decisions to do the right thing, but eventually do, despite the personal cost. I also really like how layered the other characters are as well. This book, just like Wheeler's others, shows us how people aren't just black and white, but many shades of gray. The king in this book did some despicable things, but also some things that made me want to like him at times too. The things that were done by certain characters in this book were truly tragic, and it was mainly because of pride. It's sad when people can't get out of their own way before their actions cause tragedy.

I also want to say that I really appreciate that this book, and all of Jeff Wheeler's books can be read and enjoyed by any age. There are not a lot of books series like that any more. This book left me wanting to read the next book right away, but it hasn't been published yet. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to reading the next two books later this year!

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for providing me with an ARC of this book.

An excellent continuation of Ransom's story with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, beginning with his pilgrimage to the East to find out if he is truly Fountain blessed.

I love Ransom and how he remains loyal to his liege throughout, even when he is on the losing side. Despite his doubts, he clings firm to his ideals and stays loyal to his oaths, even when mocked and denigrated for doing so.

The development of the magic in this is coming together nicely, albeit slowly. I know that Ransom is constantly busy fighting wars, but I do feel that he should be spending time investigating the legends surrounding being Fountain blessed so that he can learn more. Even if he doesn't have the time himself, he does have wards that could do it for him.

The plot is quite good and the pace is excellent. I read the whole book in pretty much one sitting. It's a quick read with lots going on.

Ransom is a simple knight trying to loyally serve a righteous lord, but he failed to find what he was seeking in Knight's Ransom. Now, he has gone on a great pilgrimage to find a gift to heighten his ability to protect those he is loyal to. He is a man being manipulated by so many different players; fighting wars he doesn't believe in, kidnapped by everyone, and forced out of marrying his true heart's love. Despite these machinations, Ransom stays on track with his personal goals.

Though he has failed all his kings so far, it seems that destiny had a reason for this. He is meant to serve only one king, the true king, King Arthur reincarnated. The rest of his journey has simply been training. His impressive fighting abilities have now been bolstered by a raven scabbard that heals all wounds and the grail. His strength as a competitor has raised the stakes of the competition. His enemies will become more conniving and tenacious as they try to topple this great knight.

The only time he is (almost) diverted from his path lies solely at the hands of another Fountain-blessed, proving that the power is not granted solely to the valiant or pure of heart. Trying to prove this to the ambitious is daunting.

As if his challenges aren't enough (and he spends part of the narrative contemplating the value of these very struggles), Ransom's simple living and high standards have actually made him the wealthiest man in the country--and maybe even the neighboring country. His destiny certainly wants to keep painting that target on his back bigger and brighter.

His sense of loyalty and values is refreshing in a protagonist. The pure man really is coming out on top in this series. He certainly isn't witty or charming. The best word for our stalwart knight is steadfast. And I absolutely love him.

Though this is an Arthurian retelling, I haven't become aggravated by all the courtly intrigue. In actuality, I'm quite invested in where this story goes and can't wait to see who is going to win the day, Occitania or Ceredigion. So much story was resolved, yet so many new questions were presented. I highly recommend this series.

Due to a problem with send to kindle I was unable to read the title. I realized this problem only now, but it seems there was no sychronization for the past two months.

I really enjoyed this second installment of "The First Argentines" series by Jeff Wheeler. It continued the story of Ransom, a knight who has had many changes in fortune over his 20-something years.

Which king will he serve? How will the Fountain magic express itself? Which woman will be his true love? Who else will die and allegiances will change? These questions continue to be answered as we follow along in Ransom's journey.

If you enjoyed the first book, "Knight's Ransom", then you will definitely enjoy this second novel. I look forward to the next in the series!

I received an ARC of this book as a reviewer for NetGalley.

It's another hit for me! I really enjoyed reading this book and being able to connect a lot of things in this with previous books in this series as well as in his Kingfountain/other series.
In this next installment in this series, we continue to follow Ransom and his life with how things unfold. Also, it follows Ransom and Claire's relationship with more swoon-worthy moments and it's an emotional rollercoaster again. It shows how Ransom finds and figures out certain things with the aid of Fountain Magic. Oh and then there is the poisoner and her and Ransom's interactions and relationship is quite interesting as well.
There's a lot to follow and keep up with and all the goings-on as the story continues in this book, but as usual, he's done it again with another favorite book and series. I really loved this book and the story continuation about Ransom and his life and relationships etc with everyone. I was extremely happy with the ending of this book and anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series.
If you haven't read or checked out this book or anything by Jeff Wheeler then get on it because you're really missing out on some high-quality, enjoyable, and intriguing stories.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and 47North for letting me read and review this fantastic story. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to 47North via NetGalley for the early read of Warrior’s Ransom! I am a huge fan of the Kingfountain books, and this sequel to Knight’s Ransom is another big winner for me. All opinions are my own!

I read this book back before it was released, and honestly think it put me into a weeklong book and writing hangover.

You can read my linked above review for book one in the series, and know that I already love the characters and world so much.

The action in this one was pretty breakneck. I thought we were going to spend half the book on Ransom’s pilgrimage, and was pleasantly surprised to find him right back in Kingfountain trying to play peacemaker between the king and his sons again.

Intrigue, honor, knights and warhorses, and of course war…

What I especially liked about this sequel was how it examined everyone as a gray character. Ransom and the poisoner are two sides of the same coin, both with the potential for great evil. Ransom recognizes this and does his best to serve his king with honor, vs succumbing to the black morass of his war deeds and experiences.

Devon Argentine (the elder king) is absolutely an amazing character as well, he might be sadistic and dangling the kingdom in front of his sons, but I really think that he just wanted to ease one of them into a peaceful secession. Watching his arc in this book was more than a little bit heartbreaking.

I also love love love how honorable Ransom is towards women: in the age of publish all the promiscuity, Ransom was totally ready to marry that lady that kissed him in front of his men! But Clare, oh Clare… It’s time for some Clare in the spotlight.

Estian is back… Benedict is back… we gain a few new characters that are all really nice additions too, and the poisoner is absolutely terrifying in this one.

If you’ve read this far, you will learn what this book taught me… So Wheeler makes things really, really convenient for Ransom, almost to the point that it deducts from the story. He really doesn’t though: no one can deny that Ransom is a hero, brave as anything, and deserving of all his rewards. I think things happen conveniently because Wheeler wanted to set up a certain storyline going forward, and that’s where he put his intrigue and energy. I know a lot of authors do this, and I tend to deduct for it, but here I can pretty plainly tell what the real objectives of the story are.

If I think the author is just being lazy and having things fall into place, I can’t deal with it. I think this is the first book that is carried enough by it’s intrigues and action, that I can forgive the things handed Ransom in order to further the story along.

Lastly: I really liked how Wheeler is starting to explore some of the ancient legends of Kingfountain. I think after so many books he can afford to give us a little deep lore at this point, and I hope this continues in book two!

Dialogue, self reflection, great characters, and a plot of war between King and sons that will have your head spinning… Don’t forget Ransom’s terrifically ugly horse… I fully recommend the series to pretty much anyone!

Full review can be seen on my blog at https://onereadingnurse.com/2021/05/25/warriors-ransom-arc-by-jeff-wheeler/

Additionally on Instagram (back closer to pub date) at https://www.instagram.com/p/CPEiuaBr_ok/