The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon Book One) by Claire Luana and Jesikah Sundin 5 Stars!!!!!
I absolutely adore Arthurian legends and stories. This was just an absolutely refreshing take on the legend. I really enjoyed reading this book. I like how the authors were able to bring a refreshing twist to this and bring the story to life. I was so hooked from page one.
I like how there was new life brought to the legend of old. I was really routing for Fionna. I could just imagine myself as her trying to fight for what was right and the people I loved. This book brings such a unique twist to the legend along with more drama. I really couldn’t put this book down. I am really on the edge of my seat now awaiting the next book in this series. I have and will read more from these authors.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Caralee Loonathttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngCaralee Loonat2018-11-02 16:20:272018-11-02 19:52:06The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon Book One) By Claire Luana and Jesikah Sundin – Review by Caralee Loonat
Strong female character in an Arthurian tale? Sign me up. Fionna is a fierce and talented warrior who is the key to breaking the fae curse that Arthur and his Knights are up against. I was hooked from start to finish. I have always enjoyed Arthurian legends and this is my first RH novel so it was pretty interesting to add to the mix of what I’ve already consumed in terms of Arthurian literature. The story is told from several different POV characters, which I’ve always thought helps to flesh out characters. I also like that although Fionna is a strong willed character, she doesn’t have that irritating trope of getting in over her head to prove herself and then needing to be rescued like any old damsel in distress. It was kind of annoying that everyone seemed to fall in love with her like they’d never seen a woman before but I guess it fits in with the timeline/history/ story that the whole thing is based around. Can’t wait for the next book!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Emma Morrealehttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngEmma Morreale2018-10-31 07:55:052018-10-31 09:56:24The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin – Review by Emma Haverstock
Incredible. Fans of the Legend of King Arthur will surely appreciate this novel and the complexities of it. What’s also great about this novel is the characterization. Fionna is unstoppable and incredible, and such a strong female character, very different from the usual damsels in distress that are common in Arthurian retellings. However, her story goes beyond just representing a strong female character; it also goes to the twist in the narrative surrounding Gwenevere. It’s an interesting set-up and plot twist for the story and sets up great tension in the story as it unfolds. Readers know the eventual outcome, anyone who knows about Arthur, Lancelot and Gwenevere see the result, but the journey there, the twist to that ending makes it captivating because there are so many avenues this story and plot twist could take, making it unpredictable.
Nevertheless, the story is about more than Fionna; it’s about the Arthurian legend and how it comes to life.
Sundin and Luana knew what they were doing when they decided to make this story a reverse harem. It’s a new genre that is gaining more and more traction as of late because its concept is to have one female character and have multiple men fall in love with her. Now, there are many ways this genre can be taken, in some ways, depending on the writer, it’s clear that the goal is to create something more erotic, lacking focus on storytelling. But then you have some incredible works that develop the genre and ground it, focusing on the story and character building. This is one of those novels. The romance doesn’t overwhelm the novel; it works to create tension and build the foundation of the story. The emotion in the story, the overwhelming sense of desire and love, the different analogies like “someone smelling like home,” they all work in tandem with one another to make sure the depth keeps the romance from falling into something cheesy or dated.
I’ll say this, I’ve never read a reverse harem novel, to be honest, didn’t think it would be my cup of tea, but like with any story, as long as it has powerful writing behind it and grounded storytelling, any genre can be anyone’s cup of tea. This novel is proof of that.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jesikah Sundin, I enjoy reading Claire Luana so I was excited to read this story.
It’s an interesting take on The Knights of the Round Table. Honestly, I don’t know much about the legend so it was all pretty new to me. I found the reverse harem an interesting twist. RH is new to me and it feels like it’s the latest “popular genre”. I have read a lot of it and this seemed tamer than what I have read.
The story features a kick a** strong female lead whose destiny is written and it is not the usual direction you would think she would be going. The characters are well developed and the story is layered with a few different threads. It held my interest and I only found myself skimming a few times.
I will re-read this story when the future installments are published.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Maura Harperhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngMaura Harper2018-10-30 20:22:172018-10-31 09:03:29The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin – Review by Maura Harper
The fifth Knight is Book 1 in the series The Knights of Caerleon. This series comes from authors Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin. This is my second read from the author Claire Luana and she continues to show how great of a fantasy author she is. This is my first time reading a reverse harem read, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed the adventures our characters faced. This book was made even better by the way the author has written it – I love that we get told the story from various POV’s it gives us a better understanding to our characters, there thoughts and feelings and why they do or say certain things.
First off let’s point out how great of a spin on the story of King Arthur and his knights of the round table this read is. Then to make it even more captivating we are thrown into the world with fae and magic. I loved the mythology in this read, and how facts from history are incorporated into the story. This author has made this a mentally visual read, so whenever I plunged into this world I would feel as though I was there alongside the characters. This read is action-packed read that continues to captivate you from start to finish. It left you on the edge of your seat wondering what could happen on numerous occasions.
This book engaged me into the story and characters so much the ending came much too quickly – with that being said I really am looking forward to Book 2 in this series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Chantelle Smithhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngChantelle Smith2018-10-30 18:20:202018-10-30 20:57:57The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon #1) by Jesikah Sundin, Claire Luana – Review by Chantelle Smith
The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana is a fantasy romance and is an interesting twist to the story of King Arthur and his knights and Merlin. I must admit as I started to read I thought here we go, another knights of the round table, it’s been done to death, but no Jesikah and Claire have written a unique tale which includes a woman as the fifth knight and how they each react to this startling revelation. The action and the flow of the words kept me fully engaged. Fionna is a kick arse sassy heroine and the knights are fun and playful and hot to boot but with a woman in the mix it certainly livens things up. Like every story there are villains and dark fae adding to the complexity of the quintet and their task.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Jenni Bishophttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJenni Bishop2018-10-30 03:15:192018-10-31 10:49:30The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon #1) by Jesikah Sundin – Review by Jenni Bishop
I have read books by one of these authors previously and liked her writing style so I was looking forward to reading this book written by two authors. I love it when authors come together to write. I thought that their writing styles went together really well and the story flowed seamlessly. It was hard to tell that it was written by two people. I really enjoyed the story and the characters that they created. I am quite new to this genre so I am still getting used to it but I thought that it was really well written and I found myself easily captivated by what I was reading. I loved the fantasy side of the story and thought that the descriptions were really rich which enabled me to imagine exactly what I was reading. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series and for more from these two brilliant authors.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Katie Matthewshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngKatie Matthews2018-10-29 14:11:232018-10-29 14:50:00The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon #1) by Claire Luana and Jesikah Sundin – Review by Katie Matthews
I give The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin, 5 stars.
Fionna will do anything to save her family. When she is sent to Caerleon to steal Excalibur, she accepts. She is a fierce warrior, she can handle it. But she does not expect the king and his knights to be so welcoming, and so sexy. But her family comes first. Although, the more she is around these men, the more she is accepted and feels comfortable. But she has to steal the sword, doesn’t she?
This takes the legend of King Aurthur and his knights and flips it into something you have never read before. There has been a lot of taking old fairytales and stories and rewriting them lately. But this book really stands out as something new and different. It takes some of the characters you know and makes a whole new story out of them. It is written so well, the two authors do a superb job of blending their skills into making this a fun and interesting book. I really like Fionna as a lead character and cannot wait to see where the next book takes her and her fellow knights.
I highly recommend this book to those who like fantasy with some reverse harem romance.
A great read about mysterious fates. To save her father and sister from a rival Irish clan, Fionna strikes a deal to go to England and steal a faerie sword, the famous Excalibur. To get into Arthur’s kingdom, she fights in a tourney and suprises everyone. But fate has more suprises in store for her than she could ever expect. With a cursed land at stake, can Fionna help her new friends? A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns that I just couldn’t put down. Well developed characters like Fionna trying to save her family but also a fiercesome warrior. Brillaint set of supporting cast like the humourous but kind Percival or the sensible Lancelot.I loved the visual detail throughout the novel with its sense of nature as a home and a part of everyday life shaping the people and full of the senses as if you were there. A great twist on the Arthurian legend with Irish additions to the tale. I also loved the use of Irish mythology in the novel with Morrigans and the sidhe fae true to their origins. Overall a brillaint read and I would give it five stars.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Sarah Oakeshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngSarah Oakes2018-10-26 05:36:582018-10-31 12:27:40The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon 1) by Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana – Review by Sarah Oakes
The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon #1) by Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin was a fast pace, entertaining read that had me hooked from start to finish.
What a start to a new series, and being that this is the first book I have read from this author, I have to say I will be checking out other books Jesikah Sundin has written. I’m no stranger to RH, though I don’t read it as much as I use to, but it’s still a genre I like. In saying that, there ways to do it wrong and there are ways to do it right, and this my friends, is an exemplary example of a RH done, all kinds of right.
I’m going to be real with you, it wasn’t the RH that caught my eye, no it was the fact that this is a King Arthur tale, and I love anything that has Arthurian elements. This is more a retelling with our MC tossed into the mix. Now I will say that our MC Fionna is for the lack of a better word, a Mary-sue.. yes, yes, I know, I have dissed on that before, how I don’t like, it.. But.. I have also said there are ways to do it right.
To be even more honest, Fionna, though has all the markings of a Mary-Sue, also has many elements of a OP(Overpowered) character as well. Normally that mix, isn’t a good one, but, and there is a but. The writing, the character development, and the complex multi layers of Fionna, offset those two, normally, annoying traits. Jesikah Sundin managed to humanize Fionna, causing the reading(me) to connect. Fionna was nice, she wasn’t a, –I’ll do it myself, then have to get rescued– type. She wasn’t mean or mlishious to other female character (Which is the most annoying of the mary-sue tropes). She was witty but, was also flawed. I loved her as a lead characters and despite having everyone she met fall in love with her, she was probably one of the best female MC’s I’ve read about this year.
This just goes to show you, that you don’t need to following the normal “outline” of a character, to have something amazing.
Overall this book is worth your time, energy and brain power. I know I was gushing about Fionna, but I just feel like she carried the story and truly outshone the others. Yes King Arthur and his knights were well developed and great to read about, but I was drawn to Fionna. This was all due to knowing how to write a OP character and not make it cringe otherly. And for me, really showcased the authors magical writing talent.
On that note I will leave you with my super high recommendation and, my stamp of approval.
This is a fantasy book and is my favorite of hers as of yet. I enjoy how this author is able to pull me in with creative characters and a plot that is creative and easy flowing. This is a story about a girl who will do anything to get her family back even if it means stealing from a king. Fionna is my favorite character, she is strong, fierce and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Will she be the last hope for Caerleon? I highly suggest reading this book to find out.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Bobbi Wagnerhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngBobbi Wagner2018-10-16 11:42:382018-10-31 12:28:27The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Claire Luana and Jesikah Sundin – Review by Bobbi Wagner
The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) By: Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana 5 out of 5 stars
The story The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon series Book 1) by Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana is a medieval/fantasy book. It is a story that hooks you in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put it down until I had read the final page. I love fantasy books as they spark my imagination and I find myself lost in the pages of the story. I loved reading about the character of Fionna. She is a fierce and talented warrior. She is also independent and stubborn. She is forced into a course of action to save her father and sister. That action will have her stealing a faerie sword from a king. She is unprepared for what happens next. I also enjoyed reading about Arthur Pendragon and his sword brothers Lancelot, Galahad, and Percival. These four have a strong bond between them and I loved hearing them playfully banter back and forth with each other. Lancelot is one that has feelings for guilt and also a secret that he keeps. Arthur is a man of honor and believes that all that is happening in the Kingdom of Caerleon is his burden to bear. These brothers are all shocked and surprised when the fifth knight that Merlin has spoken of turns out to be Fionna. That the brothers and she are attracted to each other is undeniable. Their thoughts frequently turn toward each other. Is Fionna as the fifth knight the key to breaking the curse on the Kingdom of Caerleon? Fionna feels conflicted as she has to choose between betraying the king and knights that she has feelings for and saving her family. What will she do? Read this book to find out. This is a story that does have passion and romance included. There is also magic, enchantments, and danger. There is one that has their own selfish plans and will do anything to achieve them. The story is told from the POV of several of the characters. This is a wonderfully written story that had me turning pages to find out what happens next as well as rooting for the success of Fionna, Arthur, and the knights. This is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading further stories.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Laura Furutahttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngLaura Furuta2018-10-16 02:55:342018-10-16 10:22:26The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon Series Book 1) By Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana – Review by Laura Furuta
The description of this book immediately drew my attention. I was unsure what to expect from a reverse harem Arthurian fantasy. But it did not disappoint in the slightest. I love historical fantasies and this take on the Arthurian legend was refreshing, captivating, and dynamic. The book is full of rich detail, relatable characters, and a well-paced plot. This author collaboration is stellar and cohesive. I cannot wait to read more in this series. I will wholeheartedly recommend this book the others.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Heather Lovelacehttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngHeather Lovelace2018-10-15 22:48:382018-10-16 10:21:10The Fifth Knight (The Knights of Caerleon Book One) by Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana – Review by Heather Lovelace
I will be completely honest and start off this review with a disclaimer. I didn’t really go into this novel for the Knights and King Arthur stuffs. I love Reverse Harem novels and Jesikah Sundin and Claire Luana are both new authors to me. The cover was gorgeous and the title was pretty much calling out to me, “read me!” So I dove in blind. With that in mind I must say on that alone this book just didn’t really hit all the notes of a reverse harem for me. I get its building a slow burn to get there, and I for sure will be back in the next installments to see how it gets there, I just wish it hadn’t been so slow to get there. This only got to what I would call steamy read not a make me need to fan myself read. I understand understated, I just wanted a bit more. Otherwise, it was a great read and I look forward to seeing if it continues to blossom in the future books as far as this story layer goes. As far as the other layers the world building was fantastic. I was swept away into a whole new world and loved every second of it!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Liz Vrchotahttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngLiz Vrchota2018-10-02 23:41:142018-10-28 10:52:13The Fifth Knight: An Arthurian Legend Reverse Harem Romance (The Knights of Caerleon Series Book 1) by Claire Luana & Jesikah Sundin ~ Review by Liz Vrchota
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
Google Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Other cookies
The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:
Privacy Policy
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
