If you recall my review of the prior book in this series - and honestly, why would you? I rated it just Four Star though I am certainly what most would characterize, fairly, as a Jeff Wheeler fan. Here are the highlights from that review -

Honestly, this review pains me to write. I've struggled with it, delayed it, written it, deleted it, rewritten it, deleted it again, and... I'm still not perfectly happy with it. Sadly, I feel the same with Knight's Ransom, the First Argentine. and disclosure, I received an Advance Copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Quote] [...]
Structurally, King's Ransom is hung on a familiar framework, but with some inspired choices. By placing the novel, chronologically, prior to earlier works, Jeff avoids the pitfalls of some of his earlier crossover works. Dedicated and experienced readers can rediscover the magic of the world all over again, without passages of explanations for readers new to the world. It also obviates the need for particular reading order, whether chronologically in world, or chronologically by order of writing. This is another choice I strongly applaud.

That brings me to Claire, and the reason for a four star rating, after the praise above. In the first book of the series, Claire is one of many background characters, but a clearly important one to future works. Knowing Jeff's style and themes, I expect certain things of her character, her story arc to raise to the fore in future works. In short, I bring baggage to the story, baggage this work failed to satisfy. Scenes where Claire was present were fine - not exceptional - but fine. Too brief to show the kind of development I was seeking, but enough to lay groundwork for future novels.

Jeff Wheeler also, quite effectively, makes use of epigraphs in prior works. Some of which contain profound quotes which remain with me long after the last page is turned, the novel done. Here, however, many epigraphs are given over to letters or diary entries attributed to Claire. I absolutely hated these. They captured almost nothing of the character for me, and did little to advance the story line. Mostly, they consisted of brief reporting of events happening to her, and her response at times, but little enough of her struggles to comprise those responses. I believe the book would have been better had they been entirely stricken from the work.

For that reason, a book I loved is rated just four star. I'm eagerly looking forward to Claire getting the pages she deserves in a future work.

[/QUOTE]

Having set the groundwork then, this is another Four Star work.in the series, which I will continue to eagerly consume. Claire gets more pages, and they are markedly better than her appearance in the epigraphs of the prior novel, but that is, honestly, a very low bar. Ransom continues in his efforts to find a Master worthy of his trust and loyalty, as events buffet him from place to place, ruler to ruler. Job like, he continues to suffer while passing the tests before him admirably, the Reader's hopes buoyed through these setbacks by a certain sense of "rightness", confident that - eventually - Ransom will be rewarded in his efforts.

Some few of the scenes seemed a little rushed, Ransom's luck (or fate) changing rapidly for reasons not always evident, but behind it all, a chessboard is played by an unseen hand. Other characters, besides Claire, receive further development as well - enough so that as I anticipate the release of "Lady's Ransom" (Book 3) in the coming months, I begin to hope that its not about Claire at all....

and in the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a very Advance Readers copy at no charge to myself, though I'd have used my Kindle Unlimited subscription on release date otherwise (and may still) - as some scenes may have undergone minor edits before final publication.

Thank you so MUCH Netgalley and 47North for giving me this opportunity to read this series!

Jeff Wheeler has easily become my favorite author! I have read every book by him and this one definitely does not disappoint!

Here we find Ransom in this second book in the First Argentine series. He still loves Claire, even though he is not matched with her. Not to mention that she is still locked in the tower with the Queen. He now finds himself learning about his blessing from the fountain, and begins learning how to trust and follow it. He gets taken into service of the old King and in this book, you will see that he is still following his heart and still extremely loyal.

Battles, love, magic, what can go wrong?

These books are SO AMAZING! From the first book of Wheeler's, I was hooked! Now I am impatiently awaiting Lady's Ransom! 😰

I was given a free copy of Warrior’s Ransom by Jeff Wheeler (author), 47North (publisher) and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Warrior’s Ransom is the second in the First Argetines series and will be published on May 18, 2021. Knight’s Ransom is the first in the series and was published on January 26, 2021 and the third and fourth books will be published soon.

I did not read Knight’s Ransom.

This review will not contain any spoilers.

I would characterize Warrior’s Ransom as high fantasy featuring knights, kings, warring royal families, romance, and a bit of magic.

The setting of the story in what appears to be medieval European kingdoms at war with noble families choosing sides.

The magic system is limited to the main character and one of the antagonists and it seems the ability to use magic is innate.

Warrior’s Ransom has one main character who is knight and is virtuous, kind, loyal, honest, reliable, and nearly infallible. The main character is three-dimensional and very engaging. Mr. Wheeler does a commendable job in fleshing out several of the side characters so that each character appears individual and distinct particularly the king, his sons, and wife.

I thought, however, the antagonists are flat and one-dimensional. I think I would have preferred if Mr. Wheeler wrote some of this story from their perspectives to get a better idea as to their motivations and reasons for doing what they are doing.

The pacing of the story is at a steady clip and the story flows from beginning to end without the mushy middle.

Even though the pacing is solid, I thought there is more telling than showing. It came in sharp relief when the main character’s romantic interest is featured in letters in the beginning of each chapter. I think if this character’s arc was featured in scenes, instead of letters, the story would have additional layers and would have had more of an emotional impact.

Mr. Wheeler presents several interesting plot and character bits that I would have preferred to be fleshed out and expanded to make this story more complex and emotionally satisfying, but this is Mr. Wheeler’s novel and not mine.

Even with these quibbles, I think I would be interested in reading the next novel in the series because the main character is engaging and interesting.

I would recommend Warrior’s Ransom to readers who like fantasy stories featuring knights, warring within royal families, some political intrigue, and told in a straight-forward manner.

I rate Warrior’s Ransom 3.5 stars.

I would like to thank Jeff Wheeler, 47North, and Netgalley for the free ARC.

Another excellent story from Jeff Wheeler! I love that his books promote honor, loyalty and doing the right thing, while telling a great story. This is book 2 of the Argentine series, set in the world of Kingfountain. As always, there are heroes and villains, young love, adventure and strife - and in this case, war - along with that special touch of Kingfountain magic. Ransom is a worthy hero - and I especially love Clare, who brings a bit of humor to the story. I can't wait for the next book in this series. Many thanks to NetGalley and 47North for the e-arc. 4.5 stars!

I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in order to provide an honest review.

First let me say that this is book 2 in a new trilogy - The First Argentines. But, this trilogy is based in the Kingfountain world which already has several series and trilogies that have come before it. While I do not think that you necessarily need to read any of the other series in this world to be able to enjoy this trilogy, I DO think that this book can not be read as a stand alone. You really need to read the first book - Knights Ransom - to get the set up, the timeline and just an understanding of what is going on at this moment in time.

This book brings back memories because it starts us with two children who meet and become friends while being kept as "wards" of the King at the Palace in Kingfountain. In other words, the King had the children to keep their noble parents in line. Sound familiar? Here is where knowing the events in earlier books gives the reader a much bigger picture of the dynamics.

The trilogy itself is based on the writings of a journal found in the archives of one of those children as she is growing up and is said to be one of the only books or writings that have been found that is able to give scholars a better idea of the events that happened so long ago - at the beginning of the Argentine reign.

Claire is hilarious. I loved her right away. She has spunk, tenacity, and she is cheeky and full of snark. The inclusion of a diary entry at the beginning of each chapter is done brilliantly. I will say that I'm glad Mr. Wheeler placed a map at the beginning because geography is important in this series and people are traveling everywhere in the world so the map was very useful.

But, the star of the show is Ransom. What an absolutely wonderful character. I fell in love with him immediately. I ran the gamut of emotions because a lot of things happen to Ransom in the first book and I can not tell you how many times my eyes watered for him, just thinking about what he had to endure. But, this is book 2.

Ransom starts off on his quest and we finally get to see him getting more information on what it means to be "fountain blessed". In the later trilogies, that knowledge is more common knowledge, but back then not only were there not many people who were "fountain blessed" but on the Argentine side of things, they were pretty clueless about what they were up against.

Without giving away spoilers, book 2 is a fantastic continuation of Ransom's story. What can I say other than there is so much drama and intrigue going on in this book that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of all of the schemes in place. And of course, Ransom ends up in the middle of it...EVERY TIME.

If book 1 was the set up, book two throws everything at the wall. There really was more action than I was expecting because Mr. Wheeler tends to build and build as the books go forward so if this is book 2...man, I can not even begin to imagine what to expect in books three and four.

I do have to say that it has been a while since I have been in the Kingfountain world and I really did forget how Mr. Wheeler just is able to pull the reader in and then grab tight and hold the reader on the edge of your seat as things go from bad to worse. I kept saying to myself, "okay, just one more chapter" and before I knew it, it was morning and then I thought, "might as well finish it" because apparently sleep wasn't happening.

One thing I want to say. Ransom is such a wonderful character. His loyalty is something to behold and his sense of honor makes it hard not to just absolutely fall in love with him. I am looking forward to the Argentines learning more in the books to come about the Fountain Blessed and for them to begin to understand the power of the Fountain, the Wizr board, and all of the other things that this involves. As I said before, if you have read all the previous books, it is so exciting to try to see where everything fits in to later things (**hint hint* the heir that will be born that needs to be protected) Oh, and the "thing" with Brythonica! How exciting! It's almost like Easter eggs being found. Kind of.

So, yep. I really liked it. Have REALLY liked the first two books and was excited to see that the wait for book 3 will not be too bad.

This review and my opinions are completely my own and I thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to get a sneak peak at this book.

Review for Warrior’s Ransom – Book #2 of The First Argentines Series by Jeff Wheeler
My rating: 5 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for access to the book.
I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this book as I hadn’t read the first in the series, however I shouldn’t have been concerned – it was a fantastic read. Plenty of battles and action, intrigue and a sprinkle of romance for a change of pace. I was expecting a little more ‘fantasy’ however even without dragons, shifters and huge amounts of magic, as a predominantly urban fantasy reader, I still got a lot out of the book.
Plot Overview: Sir Ransom Barton returns home a fountain blessed knight after a long journey through the east with two goals in mind: returning to his lost love and finding a patron for his warrior skills. He has to navigate a complex family feud, maintain the support of his erratic patron Elder King Devon, whilst being true to himself and his ideals whilst being manipulated by enemies inside and outside the kingdom.
Excellently written. Fast paced and exciting. The main characters were interesting and though there were quite a few it was still easy to follow. You can’t help but admire our hero Ransom for his honour and kindness. As I said above, I had not read the first book in the series however I was still able to enjoy book 2 and am extremely interested to see what happens in the next instalment. I don’t really have any critiques and would recommend this to anybody who likes books with kings, knights and battles as well as suggesting it to fantasy readers in general despite it not being heavily fantasy based (in my opinion).
Highly Recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm loving having more books set in the Kingfountain world, my favorite of all of Wheeler's series. I feel like Wheeler hits his stride in these books where he draws from European history. There's always lots of heart and critical choices being made.

Warrior's Ransom follows directly after Knight's Ransom, picking up with the layers of intrigue and warring nations. Will this Devon king ever figure out what he's done? King Devon jumps off the page as the most willful and inconstant king - making me crazy, but Ransom is loyal to a fault. Devon's sons are all a mess. Mind you, these messes make for an exciting read.

I liked how we got to see more of the mysterious caped woman in this one. Have you guessed her background? I had my sneaking suspicions, but I'll keep them to myself to let you make your own discoveries.

I'm still giving it five stars because I'm so happy to be back in Kingfountain with its special brand of magic.
And love. Let's talk about that for a moment. Are you worried because of what happened with Owen? I fussed over it too. That's all I can add without giving anything away. But I will add one tidbit, and it's this: you are not left hanging and wondering by the end.

I've saved Ransom for last. He's an interesting character because he has so much going for him, but the world is always slapping him down. Seriously, this knight doesn't catch much of a break. The dichotomy of him being a killing machine and noble is so interesting. I seriously want things to work out for him.

The one point I didn't feel completely satisfied with was Claire. She's a strong character with so much potential. (I totally love her.) I wanted to see her getting to DO more and felt like her talents were left by the wayside. Underutilized seriously comes to mind. There's a reason Ransom loves her so much and that's because she's feisty and full of abilities to be an inspiring leader. Hopefully, she'll get more action in the future installments in this series.

In this, the second in the First Argentines series, Ransom finds himself once again serving the king. But machinations and deception abound as he works to ensure the safety of the country without betraying his own heart. It's a nail-biting, one-sitting read that is both enchanting and absorbing! And, just when one thinks the story-line might fall into the predictable, it completely twists again and the reader is racing in another direction! Luckily all those turns lead to a very satisfying end that leaves one happy they read - while still anxious to continue!

*It is highly recommended that the previous book in this series be read first, as much of the background is contingent upon that story.*

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

I truly cannot get enough of these stories! Jeff Wheeler never fails to meet my expectations. I love Ransom's character and cannot wait to see where this leads. Every one should give this series a try!

THE SECOND BOOK IN THE FIRST ARGENTINES SERIES

I put the above in capital letters because it was something that I had not initially realized when requesting this book. Fortunately, I figured it out before I started the book and went back and read The Knight's Ransom, which I also really enjoyed. I also think that it's important to note that upon further research I have also found that this series is a part of the larger Kingfountain world. I am looking forward to going back to see how this series started and then coming back to the First Argentines series.

In terms of my thoughts on this book, I think that Ransom is an intriguing and fun character to follow, and I really enjoyed getting to see what trials and tribulations he was going to face next. I also liked his dynamic with Claire, and I just wanted to keep reading to see how their story would turn out! I think that Wheeler's pacing was masterful, and you can really tell that he knows his craft well--I just kept wanting to turn the pages! My only complaint is that the worldbuilding with the Kingfountain confused me a bit, but I'm not going to hold this against the book, given that it's my fault for not reading the earlier Kingfountain series.

TLDR: This book is really great and intriguing, with excellent characters, but I recommend going back and reading the earlier Kingfountain books in order to feel the full impact.

**I received an ARC through netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

I'll start by saying I loved this book! I read the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. The story between Ransom and Claire left me turning the pages to see how things ended and how the honorable ransom handled all the twists and turns in his journey. This is a book I would highly recommend people read once they've finished the first in the series. It's good to be back in the King Fountain world and I'm loving the way the story is progressing. **Spoiler** I was a little afraid We'd see another Owen/Evie story with Ransom & Claire but I was so happy with the way the story went.

I'd rate this book a solid 5/5 with a high recommendation for anyone to read if they are looking for a fantastic, clean fantasy novel.

Jeff Wheeler is another of my favorites in the fantasy genre. I adored the Kingfountain and the Harbinger series by Wheeler. Warrior's Ransom is "The First Argentines #2."

Somehow, I missed the first book in this new series. I'll probably go back and pick it up at some point.

I enjoyed it, but not nearly so much as the earlier Kingfountain and Harbinger books. That said, missing the first book in "The First Argentines #1" series may have had something to do with it.

All three series are related to the Kingfountain books (my favorite) which are great fantasy fun and adventure.

Read in February. Blog post scheduled for March 11.

NetGalley/47 North

Fantasy. May 18, 2021. Print length: 363 pages.

An entertaining, action filled and well paced second installment of the Argentine series!! I always find myself immediately pulled into the story and can't wait to find out what trials Ransom is going to have to face next. Ransom begins in the east as he journey's to find what gift the Fountain will bless him with. Once he returns to Kingfountain, he is surprised by being brought back into service for King Devon. As he tries to keep the country from falling into chaos with a war between father and son, Ransom comes to find out the identity of the mysterious cloaked woman who he knows is also Fountain-blessed. In addition he is finally given permission to contact Claire again, but only through letters. Ransom and Claire begin to reconnect and find they still have the same feelings for each other as complications continue to force Ransom into dangerous and unexpected situations.
I really enjoy the pacing of the story and how quickly we get to move along and discover new things about Ransom and his powers and also with the mysterious woman. There is clearly so much left to learn about Ransom's connections to the Fountain and the Argentine line. Ransom's loyalty is constantly being challenged but I love how he never seems to waver and finds unexpected turns because of it. I can never seem to put these books down and am certainly looking forward to the next installment in the series. I highly recommend this series to fantasy readers, especially those who enjoy connections to the Arthurian legends. A fun read!!!

A little disappointed in this book. While there was some excitement and action, I feel like the book started and ended in the same place. While there is a new king, the story didn’t really progress much in my opinion. I’ll say it again, the second book in a series always seems to lag behind the first and last and I think this happened.

I do want to say, that I am a huge Jeff Wheeler fan and think he is an excellent writer and amazing story teller. Maybe I am being too strict because I expect so much.

Thanks to NetGalley, 47N, and Jeff Wheeler for providing me with an advanced reading copy..

The second instalment of The First Argentines book series.

The story picks up close to where the last one left off, where Ransom is on a pilgrimage into the deserts to seek out a Fountain and find out for once and for all if he truly is Fountain Blessed. He is then caught up in a continuation of Devon the Elder's war games with his sons. Ransom and Claire's fates are uncertain as King Devon dangles heiress after heiress in front of Ransom, and pressures Claire into accepting one of his many marriage schemes.

But beneath all the pressure from the King, there are legends and relics of the court of the fabled King Andrew coming to light, as well as deceit and intrigue from the Occitanians.

Allegiances shift, and all eyes are on Ransom, watching and waiting to see if he will remain duty bound to his Mad King. What is done cannot be undone.

I would not recommend reading this book unless one has read the first book in the series, Knight's Ransom.

It was a nice historical fiction book. It is a fun and a light read. The not-sharing-of-the-names of the main characters' name is one of my favorite arcs and I thoroughly enjoyed it however, the one thing that I was not so happy in this book was how Rafe proposed to Anne.

This was my first book by Jeff Wheeler, I didn’t realize that I should be familiar with his other book first. While it took a little adjusting, I was able to catch up quickly with the plot (though I think I will go back and read the first one!) A good plot, with a well paced storyline and interesting characters.

This was my first book from this author, so I was unfamiliar with the backstory/history when I requested it from netgalley. My lack of background knowledge made it difficult to keep track of all of the characters some of whom go by multiple different titles and names.

I also was a little lost at how the magic worked. It seemed that the people who possessed the "gift" didn't care to explore how it worked or how to control it which is different from many fantasy novels. Ransom seemed to have little clue how his magic worked or how to control it, even though other characters were able too.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and felt it was hard to put down. I just wish there was more details about the magic, but maybe that is coming in a later installment.

I loved this book! Wheeler continues to be brilliant at pacing with the perfect tempo to this story. The action propels the story forward and there’s never any downtime. As always with these books I never want to put them down. This book picks up at the end of Ransom’s journey east which he was just preparing for in the last book. He quickly returns to Kingfountain and prepares to find service as a knight. Claire remains imprisoned in the tower with the Queen as the story begins and her letters narrate the end of each chapter. At times it’s a journal entry for her and at others she narrates for the reader the action off the page and time jumps. The King continues to have conflicts with his sons and the risk of war. This novel goes into more detail on the duties of a knight both in being ready for a call to battle and the gathering of men to one’s service. Ransom balances his duties and heeding the call of the Fountain. The story also shows the ever present risk of one’s fortunes being tied to that of a king or lord who may rise or fall depending on who rules. This book goes into more detail on some things readers of The Kingfountain series will already know that I enjoyed very much. We get more of a trajectory for where Ransom’s story is going and I was thrilled to learn in the Author’s Note that this will be a four book series and not just a trilogy. As always with this series my only complaint is having to wait for the next one! A must read for fans of the first book and do start with the first book if you happen upon this one. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another enjoyable book by Jeff Wheeler! This second book is full of adventure. The story follows Ransom on his pilgrimage to the East Kingdom. Upon his return , he joins the service of Devon, the Elder. He also sets his eye on resuming his relationship with Claire. The story is full of adventure and I enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to the next book in the series! Thank you, NetGalley!