by Dena Hunt
REVIEWS
Critical Reviews and Praise for The Lion’s
Heart:
"Dena Hunt is a consummate storyteller who does
not shirk or shy away from the difficult questions
about life and love that her story raises. The Lion's
Heart contains not only the loves of lovers,
spouses, parents, and children but also the
demons and dragons that selfishness unleashes.
The Lion's Heart is not for the faint-hearted, nor is
it for the hard-hearted. It pulsates with a passion
that will bring true hearts to their knees."
Joseph Pearce, author of The Unmasking of
Oscar Wilde, co-editor of the St. Austin
Review
“It may be fiction but The Lion’s Heart reflects a
truth that is as real as the sunrise. The moral
conflicts and dilemmas are treated with dignity and
there are no easy answers, though, thank God,
there are answers. The style, beauty, and flow of
Dena’s writing speaks for itself. I could not give
this book a higher rating, for it is at the top of the
charts. I thank Ms. Hunt for having the courage
and the beauty of heart to see, feel, and love as
she did – for this book is, above all, a work of love.
May it be accepted as such.”
A.K. Frailey, author The Deliverance Trilogy
www.akfrailey.com
"The Lion's Heart moved me to the core. Dena
Hunt managed a rare feat: a delicately crafted
novel that is at once a work of beauty and
existential weight, and yet forces you to keep
reading with all the urgency of a thriller."
Bernardo Aparicio Garcia, Publisher, Dappled
Things
"Whatever side of the controversy you call home,
this book is a game-changer. With The Lion's
Heart, Dena Hunt gives us a compassionate story
courageously told, depicting the truth in all its
dimensions. Readers will never be the same, and
with The Lion's Heart, the landscape of faith-based
fiction is changed forever."
Erin McCole Cupp, author, Don’t You Forget
About Me
"Dena Hunt conveys some of the very real
struggles of those persons who have same-sex
attractions (SSA), especially the shame, confusion,
and misery that can accompany such feelings. She
shows how that suffering can affect family and
friends. The path to understanding homosexuality
requires abundant patience, prudence, and good
will because the topic is not primarily a
controversial cultural issue, but rather a complex
personal reality. It is one for which there is not one
simple or general explanation - or response. This
novel gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts
of those touched by SSA who are striving to
understand themselves, and so to love genuinely
after the example of Jesus Christ and the
teachings of His Church."
Rev. Paul Check, Executive Director, Courage
International
“Thought provoking. Rich with imagery.
Disturbing—and challenging. The Lion’s Heart is
all these, and more. The surface veneer of life
goes on, placid and unruffled, for Max and
Michelle, for her boss, Paul, and for Max and
Michelle’s children. The undercurrents are
anything but. Treachery, betrayal, adultery,
lies…followed by rationalization to excuse choices
based on selfish desires, at least on the parts of
Max and Paul. Reading this book is like watching a
train wreck in slow motion, excruciating yet
compelling. Ms. Hunt succeeded in making me
think. Good novels do exactly that....This haunting
tale will remain with me for a long time. While not
an easy subject, Ms. Hunt executed the writing
well. Recommended for those willing to explore the
human condition from several distinct
perspectives.”
Leslie Lynch, author, Hijacked
“If I had not been familiar with Dena's writing, I
would have passed on this novel due to the
subject matter. I read the book because I know
Dena as a daily Mass communicant and fellow
parishioner. I know I can trust her to have
something meaningful to say and to say it in a
beautiful way. "The Lion's Heart" does not
disappoint. The topic of same sex attraction might
be troublesome at first but Dena goes for the heart
of the human condition. She writes about the
universal conditions of desire, betrayal, contrition,
and forgiveness. As a devout Catholic she includes
characters we will all recognize, showing us their
shortcomings as well as their redeeming qualities.
At the core of it all is a human heart made in God's
image to be redeemed only by our loving God.”
Deacon Paul Worth
“The Lion's Heart is a rocketing page-turner that
had me hooked from beginning to end. The
characters’ very genuine experiences with same-
sex attraction, and its consequences, led me to a
much deeper understanding and empathy for all
those who must bear this burden. Above all, this
story powerfully brings to life the reality that love
often means saying “no” to one’s own desires, and
instead choosing what is truly good for the other.”
Christopher Blunt, author of Passport
EXCERPT and REVIEWS
Is love ever wrong?
Paul Meyer has never let anyone get too close. Until Max.
The Lion's Heart is a heart-rending story about love and
sacrifice. The emotional struggle of Paul's same-sex attraction,
the guilt he feels, and his ambivalence toward his Catholic faith
all come together in this look inside the heart of a tortured
man.
EXCERPT
"No, it wasn’t the deception, unpleasant as it was, that troubled him. In fact,
he simply couldn’t put his finger on it. All he knew that was truly different with
Max was that he loved him. And it was that, that single stark truth, which
made everything different. He never loved before …. He put the empty wine
glass on the balcony floor beside him and tried to find again that mysterious,
interior quiet that city noise always brought him. But he felt instead a kind of
disquiet that seemed urgent …. Love was never wrong. He’d heard that so
often from sincere people, good people … ‘Love is never wrong.’ More than a
platitude, it became a mantra. No one could argue with it, not without being
judgmental or bigoted. Paul himself always believed it, although he never
thought much about it before—never had much reason to think about it. But
then, he’d never really loved anyone before….”