Anna Belfrage

I will open by noting that I was very excited to learn that this was not the last book in this series. I’ve come to enjoy my forays into the world of Adam de Guirande and his lady, Kit. They are deeply drawn characters that feel so real. In this chapter Adam is finally feeling some peace as his tormentor, Hugh Despenser is dead but he is also feeling a certain unease as to the manner of his death. It was not well done (read a particularly gruesome description here) and while Adam wanted show more him dead he didn’t want him dead like that. But now life goes on and all they have to worry about is the imprisoned Edward II. Nothing major….

As history rolls out the fictional Adam is seamlessly dropped into the unfolding events to protect his young lord, Edward III. As Edward grows from a teenager to a young man Adam is there to help guide him and teach him – much more than how to handle himself on the battlefield. This closeness between them leads to jealousies among certain members of the court who feel they are superior solely due to their birth. Adam does his best to stay out of the controversies that swirl all around the court but he is soon placed at the center of one murder attempt through no fault of his own and it almost costs him his life.

The history books tell us what happens to Edward II, Edward III, Isabella and Roger Mortimer with dry facts. Ms. Belfrage fleshes out that dry history with a fiction writer’s flourishes. She brings her readers into history with a writing style that makes them feel as if they are in the room with her characters – this is why I enjoy her books so much. There are very few authors I look forward to as I do her. When I enter into her world I feel as if I am dining at the table, riding madly across the field or just walking in a fragrant English garden. So grab one of her books and settle in – you will laugh, you will cry, you will cringe and you will turn the last page with a sense of loss. Loss because you won’t want to leave the characters and their world behind. show less

This is the third and final book in the Wanderer Series featuring the characters of Helle, Jason and Sam. They are not your ordinary types – in fact they have been chasing each other through time for almost 3,000 years since Helle fell in love with Jason instead of Sam. She was pledged to Sam as a young girl in a time long ago but her heart was stolen by the Wanderer, Jason. But Sam did not like being thwarted in his love so after he extracted his revenge in their time he has followed them show more from century to century through era after era as Jason tried to find Helle again so they could reunite. Now that it has finally happened Sam is determined to destroy them both.

This book brings the story forward to where Jason and Helle are living a relatively peaceful life but are still looking over their shoulders because they know that Sam will be coming for them. They know that he will not let them just live in peace. But this time they have an ally in Jason’s mother – or do they?

Ms. Belfrage has such a delightful writing style. I have read all of her books but one (I did not read A Rip in the Veil – the first in her Grahamn Saga) and not one of them disappointed me. She has a magical way of drawing you into her world so that you don’t want to leave – whether that world belongs to a time traveler to 17th century Scotland or a man of torn loyalties in 14th century England or this tale of a trio hurtling through time trying to find love.

The book is sexy, fast paced and populated with compelling characters. I’m sorry that this is the end of the series but am definitely looking forward to where Ms. Belfrage will take me next. show less

Okay. Okay, okay, okay. I am just going to jump right in and get started, because OHMYHOLYMEDIEVALSTARS it’s Anna Belfrage, you guys!

I have read, to the best of my knowledge, every book that Anna Belfrage has written. (I have an entire bookshelf devoted to her novels, because I have so many of them and it’s glorious to behold.) I absolutely adored her series, “The Graham Saga.” I couldn’t get enough of “The King’s Greatest Enemy” series. I couldn’t put “The Wanderer” show more series down. But His Castilian Hawk might be her best work yet. (Which I can’t believe I am even saying, because I didn’t think she could top herself. But Y’all, I think she might just have.)

I love medieval stories from the very bottom of my book-nerd-heart. His Castilian Heart takes place in the time of Edward Longshanks, i.e. King Edward I of England. Robert FitzStephan is rewarded for his service to the king with land, property, and a wife. Marveling at his good fortune, he humbly accepts his prize, and quickly obeys his king’s order to marry the heiress of his newly acquired lands as soon as possible.

Eleanor “Noor” d’Outremer knows that she should be grateful to be under a new husband’s protection. But her fiery spirit balks at being under the thumb of anyone, let-alone a stranger. Especially one with secrets to hide and a devious mistress lurking in the shadows.

Okay, let me just come right out with this. Robert pissed me off. Like setting-my-book-down-just-to-glare-at-it-until-I-felt-better, pissed me off. He is ridiculously easy to love, mind you. You just want to gently shove Noor out of the way and take her place as Robert’s wife the majority of the time. But the way that he handles his long-time mistress…who I seriously want to throw something at…as he is navigating this new marriage of his drove me to eat way more cookies than I am comfortable divulging.

Noor, on the other hand, I flipping adored. She isn’t your typical, flawless, photo-shopped beauty. She is real! Finally! Thank you, Anna, you amazing woman, you. Noor has curves that border on plump, she isn’t the tallest woman around, and leans more to the quiet and shy side. But her spirit! When she witnesses an injustice being done or looked-over, when she feels that she herself is not being treated as she ought to be, she is not afraid to speak her mind; be it to her husband, his mistress, or even to the king. And I loved her fiercely for it.

With all of that said, I couldn’t even sit here and share with you how these characters made me feel, were the writing not superb. Ms. Belfrage is an exceptional author, with a staggering ability to tell a story and to flump the reader right into the middle of the happenings. (Sorry Y’all, but the author isn’t exactly gentle about pulling you into the story. Once you’ve opened that book, you’re there. Thus, you shall be flumped.) Besides the amazing interplay between Robert and Noor, and their complete inability to stay on the page, the story is so beautifully set in the time period of King Edward I that you forget your surroundings. Everything from the sights, the dress of the time, court life and daily living is between the first and last pages of this book, and I could. not. get. enough.

Bottom Line: Robin Hood and Maid Marian, who? show less

Anna Belfrage's Their Castilian Orphan is a riveting historical novel set in the turbulent 13th century England and Wales. Belfrage's rigorous research and passionate narrative bring the era to life, from King Edward's court intrigue to her characters' personal hardships. Eustace de Lamont's unwavering quest of vengeance endangers not only Robert and Noor, but also their foster son, Lionel, whose hidden lineage lends suspense and dimension to the story.
The work expertly combines political show more intrigue, familial loyalty, and the emotional impact of loss and love.
A gripping climax to a beautifully imagined narrative, it is both heartbreaking and optimistic, leaving readers completely immersed in the fates of its unforgettable characters.

A KU read show less