The Pride of Amsterdam (Lionhearts #1) by Elizabeth Coldwell

The Pride of Amsterdam (Lionhearts #1) Reviews

• 
  Serena Yates

  This whole series sounds fascinating to me with lion shifters, international settings with a different country for each book, and mysteries of various kinds to solve. And with ‘The Pride of Amsterdam’ kicking it all off, set in the country of my birth, I was even more intrigued. Elizabeth Coldwell kept her end of the bargain – this was a great start to the series. There are two mysteries, no less, a set of characters with a complicated back story, and authentic Dutch names, foods, and places I felt right at home with. I realize that it’s taken me much too long to get around to reading this series, but I am looking forward to being able to read the available books in relatively quick succession.
  
  Kees has been away from Amsterdam for fifteen years and only returns due to his job. He had good reason to leave after an encounter with a mysterious stranger he never heard from again left him devastated. Kees has made a life for himself in NYC, excels at rooting out computer and systems security breaches, and is a lot more self-confident than he used to be. But Kees is shaken up more than a little when he finds out that the man who hired him to find the corporate spy is the same guy he lost his virginity to on Millennium Eve. The attraction is still there, but Kees is understandably reluctant to give in. Never mind the fact that his lover-of-old turns out to be a lion shifter! Kees is a lot more calm and collected than Arjan expected, but he does take his time to consider his options.
  
  Arjan is a lion shifter, son of the current leader of the pride, and knew that Kees was his fated mate when they met and made love fifteen years earlier. Arjan believed their age difference at the time was too much of an issue (with Kees only eighteen and Arjan seventeen years his senior), but I am still not sure why Arjan let that much time pass. I mean, fated mates are fated mates, right? Anyway, Arjan is happy to see Kees again and sets out to court him. But there are several issues that keep intruding: someone is killing members of Arjan’s pride, a corporate spy is wreaking havoc in Arjan’s company, and Kees is a lot more reluctant to open up than Arjan expected. There are internal issues in the pride as well, and things soon heat up to the point that Arjan’s life contains much more turmoil than he is comfortable with.
  
  If you like lion shifters with an interesting pride history of several centuries and enemies to match that heritage, if you think that two men who were separated but never able to forget each other deserve a second chance, and if you’re looking for an action-packed read with lots of mystery and more than one twist, then you will probably like this novel.
  
  
  NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on
  Rainbow Book Reviews.
• 
  Daesy

  I need a pause from this book. I can't understand why he would leave his mate for 15 years, sleep with others and just ignore him until fate brings them together again. The human, was not better, forgave him too fast, and also if he had other lovers too, I really wasn't angry at him, but the lion? well I wanted to slap him....IDK.......
• 
  multitaskingmomma

  Original Blog Post:
  eARC Review: The Pride of Amsterdam (Lionheart Book #1) by Elizabeth Coldwell
  
  The author is new to me but I was delighted to have discovered someone who could really spin a mysterious tale and kept me guessing until the very end. Yes, I did think of several suspicious characters but never really settled on one until ... yes, the very end.
  
  The Pride of Amsterdam is the first of a series about a pride of lion shifters which had settled centuries ago in the city of Amsterdam. They took part in Amsterdam's success story all those years ago when the shifters lived in secret but right out in the open and were involved in the city's merchant sector. Those days were good but soon turned sour when jealous humans decided the shifters they knew of were too successful. Those were the days when the De Jager was born.
  
  This story starts out in 1999, when the doomsayers were predicting all sorts of things negative and Kees van der Veer's life changed. It was on that night he meets a mysterious stranger and lost his heart. When the stranger leaves him, he moves on to a different country and then another until, fifteen years later, we open to see Kees a successful trouble shooter who finds and identifies corporate spies and thefts. He is called on an assignment and now he finds himself back in the land of his birth working for the very same man who broke his heart.
  
  Arjan never gave up looking for Kees, his mate, and when he found him again, he immediately calls for help. The need is legitimate: there is a hacker working as a mole in his company and it is causing him money and reputation. He not only needs Kees in an intimate way but he also needs the man's expertise. The assignment is simple enough but getting involved in a spree of murders was not something Kees thought to find himself in. As he and Arjan struggle to find the hacker and the killer, they also must settle their personal affair.
  
  This was a right good read and as I said earlier, it kept me guessing till the last on the 'who' for both killer and hacker. The romance between the men was not really there for this is a shifter/mate story. However, Kees holding on to his independence and logical thinking did not ruin this to give way to a well-known formula. That was the part that kept me interested till the very end.
  
  As this is the first of a series, it is obvious that there are some loose ends which were left there on purpose for us readers to discover in the next installments. The best part is, I really like these two men and the way their story developed. It is a given: I am following this series and these men until I find the answers I am seeking.
  
  
  Note: Copy provided by publisher for an honest review.
• 
  Debra Guyette

  On Millennium Eve, Kees van der Veer finds himself at a party with a friend. There he meets and is seduced by a stranger who tells him they will be together when the time is right. However, not long after, Kees leaves Amsterdam and does not return for fifteen years. His company sends him to Amsterdam on business and the person he is to meet turns out to be the stranger.
  
  Arjan is a lion shifter and his pride has been in Amsterdam since its Golden Age. He knew he could not claim his destined mate all those years ago. It was too soon. He knows there is danger from an ancient enemy. That enemy is still working to destroy the Pride and Arjan is determined to keep not only his family and Pride safe but also the man he has come to love.
  
  Arjan knew that Kees was meant to be his mate, but he also knew he had to keep him safe. Now fifteen years later, he finds Kees to be even more desirable, but there is a legitimate threat that seems to be coming closer. He will need to work quickly to keep his mate and his Pride safe.
  
  One of the things I liked about The Pride of Amsterdam is Arjan’s willingness to work with Kees. He did not go and insist that Kees had no choice, but allowed nature, love and even lust to take its course. He offered alternatives. But he knew he would do anything to keep him safe. These two together were amazing and made the pages fly. Excitement, danger, suspense and some hot loving make The Pride of Amsterdam a book to be added to your reading list.
  
• 
  Qin

  Fabricated, contrived, feeble from beginning to end, and I am not stating it the least bit lightly. Mrs Coldwell may burst with ideas of her own on shifters, some of which, handled by a talented or even a competent writer with experience under their belt of creating (good) fantasy stories, could have been interesting, her twist on the genre nonetheless evinces no interest whatsoever. Overburdened with idle matters and wholly unnecessary details, the story falls flat to a rare degree, cortesy of the two heroes' unengaging blandness beyond their good looks (Kees spends most of the novel as if high with weed, for the amount of thought he does; Arjan comes off much more as a business tycoon with some snarly perks and beastly needs than as a shifter whose human front happens to be in corporate matters), while the universe created by Mrs Coldwell never becomes alive, which is a shame in the case of so splendid and picturesque a city as Amsterdam (what are repeatedly told about her beauty, yet never once is it sketched up in any way). What is more, the author writes dialogue that lacks the orality and informality without which the reader seems to be faced with lectures; all her characters thus seem stuffy or pedantic and mechanical:
  
  (ARJAN AND HIS FATHER TALKING)
  "“Papa, this is not some figment of my imagination. I was there when he murdered Danny.”
  
  “And you're really sure that was De Jager? I read the papers all the time, you know. So many terrible things happen every day. All the drugs and the gang-related crime…”
  
  Now Cornelis sounded every year of his age, an old man seeking to hide himself away from the perceived dangers of modern life.
  
  “How many more of us have to die before you start taking this seriously?” He kept his voice low, not wanting to attract attention.
  
  The waiter arrived with his drink, and the bill. Arjan paid him before fixing his father with a steady look. “We need to be taking steps to protect ourselves. Everyone needs to be aware that De Jager is a very real and present threat. After Uncle Danny, who's next? Mama? You?”
  
  “This is a matter that should be raised in a full pride meeting, not here.” Cornelis seemed determined to give no ground."
  
  (KEES AND ARJAN TALKING)
  "“Yes. Wait, you were expecting me to say I'd been attacked by De Jager, weren't you?”
  
  Arjan nodded. “It had crossed my mind, yes.”
  
  “Well, that's not possible, so you can stop worrying about it. Like I told the police, I never got a proper look at whoever was driving the car that hit Danny.”
  
  “Wasn't Lise supposed to be providing a description of the man who stabbed her to the police, so they could produce an e-fit?” Arjan persisted.
  
  “Yes, and I'm sure that's been circulated, but I haven't seen it. Look, Arjan, I'm not blind to the fact that someone is out there killing members of the pride, but maybe your concern that I might be at risk from him is misplaced. There are other people who have reason to cause me —and you — more immediate harm, and maybe we should be considering that possibility.” He sighed. “What have we got ourselves into, Arjan?”"
  
  Another weakness of this story lays in the (many) bedroom scenes; for these are nothing but extended bouts of corny, purple prose, witness the very first sexual encounter of the book. It is actually so bad that it deserves to be quoted at some length:
  
  "“Got to get you out of those clothes,” his lover murmured.
  
  Kees went limp as he was relieved of his jacket and sweater, the layers that he’d worn in a vain attempt to keep warm on the walk to the squat now seeming unnecessary and cumbersome. His companion tossed the clothes to the none-too-clean floor. His jeans soon followed. Kees shrugged them down and off his skinny hips. He was all too aware that his tight, white briefs did nothing to conceal his excited state. The fabric clung to the curve of his uncoiled dick, and a damp spot had formed where his pre-cum seeped through.
  
  “I see you're ready for me.” The man — God, Kees wished he knew what to call him, but he'd made no effort to share that information and this didn’t seem like the time to ask — traced a finger over the swelling erection. It stiffened further at his touch. He pulled the cotton down, letting that hard length spring free. Kees shuddered with desire and shame at being so exposed, stripped down for another man's pleasure.
  
  “You have a gorgeous cock…”
  
  Kees sucked in a breath as long, cool fingers grasped his shaft. No one had ever touched him there, and he felt too shy to offer any kind of instructions as to how he liked to be stroked. But somehow this man, who looked to have around five or six years in age on him and so much more experience, already knew. Maybe all men just wanted the same thing, those hard, direct back-and-forth tugs. Each one had him rising up on his toes and panting with need."
  
  Needless to say, this is a book that is entirely too wordy and superficial, if not illogical, as evidenced by its numerous descriptions worthy of an Harlequin heterosexual romance:
  
  "Cornelis de Wit rose from his chair as Arjan approached. Even though his hair was now more white than gold and there were deep wrinkles etched at the corners of his eyes, he was still an exceptionally handsome man. Arjan couldn't help but notice a couple of women sitting at a nearby table discreetly checking his father out. How, he wondered, would they react if they knew the man was in his late eighties, and his striking looks were due to him being of genetic stock that was not human?
  
  One of the women, a plump, middle-aged redhead, glanced at Arjan as he strode past. He flashed a little smile at her and noticed a flush appear on her pale cheeks. Even though he had no interest in her, it would have been rude not to at least acknowledge her open appreciation of him."
  
  "As they left the building, Kees noticed a young dishwater blonde standing on the pavement smoking a cigarette. She was pretty but a little too thin, with the washed-out look of someone who spent all day in a room that received little natural light. He recognized her from the personnel files Arjan had given him."
  
  Too bad, really, for Mrs Coldwell exibits literary chops that, by current standards in the MM genre, are nothing to scoff at. She owed us something far more polished and airtight than this lengthy mess of a book.
• 
  Eva Millien

  Kees van der Veer returns to Amsterdam and is reunited with the mysterious stranger that he has never forgotten but Arjan has a shocking secret one that has brought an old enemy back to hunt everyone Arjan loves in this intriguing m/m paranormal romance. Although the story is a little slow in a couple of scenes, I was completely caught up in all the intrigue and the captivating characters and I will be waiting to read the next Lionheart’s book.
  
  3 ½ STARS
  
  See my full review at:
  
  
  http://www.thejeepdiva.com/review-pri...
• 
  Jae Moran

  %sigh% Not my cup of tea, I guess.
  
  I couldn't connect with either of the MCs... Both seemed unemotional and unconnected to each other or anyone else. There was absolutely no point to the the MC being a shifter. He could have been any CEO from a prominent family and the story would have played out exactly the same.
  
  I finished it, but disappointed to the end.
• 
  Lioness7

  I really enjoyed parts of this book. It was a fun read with a unique take on shifters and how they have been hunted down. I also liked that the shifters were lions.
  
  The two biggest things about the book that I didn't like were that the mystery was too easy to solve. I knew who was after the lions right away. I also didn't like that the book felt rushed. I am hoping that is because it is the first book in a series. Maybe some of the plot lines that were left unanswered will be in upcoming books. I really want to know about the cemetery. I won't say more, but that was a mystery that still has me wondering of its importance.
  
  Overall, I think the series has lots of pluses. It stands a chance at becoming a great series. I can get by with guessing the bad guy. I just wish it would have been a little harder.
• 
  Rissa

  It was ok. New author to me so I was excited and wow, it was very interesting because I honestly don't know a lot about Amsterdam.
  
  But after 15 years, I didn't feel the pining or anything. We were told they never forgot each other but it was not shown. Plus why did he leave anyway? I don't think that was fully explained?
  
  There are more books in the series so maybe one day, I will continue on. But I am excited to take a look at the author's backlist!
  
  (Also, I totally knew who the killer was, GO ME!)
• 
  Stella ╰☆╮╰☆╮

  Kees van Der Veer + Arjan de Wit
  
  Set in Amsterdam
  
  REVIEW @
  Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
  
  The Pride of Amsterdam is the first book in the Lion Hearts series by Elizabeth Coldwell, a new and really interesting series. I think it has great potential but in my opinion it wasn’t well developed in this book. This is one of the reasons I gave it only 3.5 stars but I’m waiting (not so) patiently for the next one.
  
  This is a “second chance at love” story featuring destined mates, two of my absolute favourite themes to read about.
  
  At the Millenium Eve night party Kees meets a stranger with blond hair and amber eyes. Kees is a shy eighteen years old, he’s soon attracted to the guy who will be his first. But the guy with no name takes his virginity and leaves him five seconds after the sex with a promise.
  
  “I need to know— Will I see you again?”
  “When the time is right. You are meant to be mine, but only when you are ready to learn what I really am.”
  
  Kees comes back home to Amsterdam, his home, after fifteen years of being away, for the biggest job in his carrier. What he doesn’t know is that the azienda he will have to help is Arjan’s.
  
  Arjan de Wit is a lion shifter. He waited for his mate to come back to him since the first time he lost his heart to that all too young man he met at a party. Now it’s time for them to start their life together but De Jager (the Hunter) is back in town to track the shifters down and to kill every member of the pride.
  
  I liked a lot of things in this book. First of all the sex was really hot, maybe a little too much sometimes, but I found it well written and in the right places in the story so I didn’t care if I read one scene too much. There were some very light BDSM elements that will not bother you if you’re not a BDSM stories fan. I liked the character of Arjan, he isn’t the usual alpha shifter I’m used to read about, he is insecure and rightly so, cause even if he knew Kees was his destined mate since the first time they met, the young man is still hurt from the way Arjan left him and he is scared of the man who already left him one time. He needs to win Kees’ trust and they still need to know each other.
  
  One thing “ruined” me the ending, the fact that I realized pretty soon who the hunter was, so I was a little disappointed to know I was right. I’d have preferred to be surprise.
  
  If you like a book well written and well paced, with some suspense and a lot of passion, this book is what you’re looking for. I can’t wait for the next one to come out and hopefully know more about Arjan’s pride.
  
  Cover Art by Posh Gosh. Love this cover, especially the choice of the colors. It catched my eyes, really well done.
• 
  Love Bytes Reviews

  3 heart review by Kimberley
  
  This is first book in the Lionhearts series and it features two of my favorite elements: shifters and felines. This was a good read, only I found it just a little bit difficult to connect with the characters. The story felt a bit rushed with Kees’s and Arjan’s characters not as fleshed out as they should’ve been. I had the slight issue with how quickly these two were able to pick up where they left off without missing a beat. I mean, it’s been fifteen years since a one night stand and they didn’t even know each other’s names but was able reconnect so easily. That could’ve been explored a bit more, I felt. I was reading thinking maybe I missed something…like maybe they’ve been communicating by phone, email, snail mail, text message, smoke signal…something. It was just too easy and it wasn’t believable. So that threw me off a bit.
  
  Of course, there were a few things that I liked. The sex scenes were fire hot steaming. And there was quite a bit of it but not so much that it saturates and ruined the storyline. There was some very light BSDM written in but not too much; it was very light so it won’t turn you off if you’re not a fan of the lifestyle.
  
  Arjan’s character was different. He was not the overly confident Alpha that you would expect from a lion shifter. He was somewhat insecure and unsure when it came to Kees, and rightly so. After all, he walked out on the man fifteen years prior without an explanation as to why and Kees was understandably leery of restarting a relationship with Arjan because of this. These problems also stemmed from the fact that they really didn’t know each other all that well.
  
  You will figure out who the hunter De Jäger is by the middle of the story, but that’s okay. I liked the book. This is a new author to me and the series seems like it will be a nice one to get into. I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
  
  A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit
  www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
• 
  Ashley D

  A different take on shifter book. One shifter, one human meet at a party, go separate ways and don't meet again for 15 years. While overall that isn't to different of a story, the mystery element helps to make this story a bit different. While I had a pretty good idea of who was involved in the mystery, it wasn't so easy that it distracted from the book.
  
  Kees left Amsterdam after spending a night with Arjan, he never set a foot back into his country until 15 years later when he is hired for a job. Both of these characters were well developed, each had realistic issues that made the characters more believable for me.
• 
  Leigh

  
  http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
• 
  Ericka Walden

  3.75***
• 
  Brandielle

  Insta-love through ‘mates’ but somehow more awkward. Felt more like a travel brochure of Amsterdam.