21 May Book Review Their Castilian Orphan Anna Belfrage #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #MedievalEngland #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @abelfrageauthor @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: ANNA BELFRAGE

I am delighted to host Anna Belfrage again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between May 13th – 24th, 2024. Anna Belfrage is the author of the Historical Fiction / Romantic Historical Fiction / Historical Romance,  Their Castilian Orphan (Book 4 The Castilian Saga), released by Timelight Press on 23 March 2024 (400 pages).

Below are highlights of Their Castilian Orphan, Anna Belfrage’s author bio, and my 5-star review of her book. 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/03/blog-tour-their-castilian-orphan-by-anna-belfrage.html

HIGHLIGHTS: THEIR CASTILIAN ORPHAN

Their Castilian Orphan
(Book 4 The Castilian Saga)
by Anna Belfrage

Blurb:

It is 1294 and Eustace de Lamont is back in England after five years in exile. He will stop at nothing to ruin Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor d’Outremer.

Robert’s half brother, Eustace de Lamont, has not mellowed during his absence. He is more ruthless than ever, and this time he targets Robert’s and Noor’s foster son, Lionel.

Lionel is serving King Edward as a page when Eustace appears at court. Not only does Lionel become the horrified witness to Eustace’s violent streak, Eustace also starts voicing his suspicions about Lionel’s parentage. The truth about Lionel’s heritage is explosive—should King Edward find out, all would be lost for Robert and Noor.

In October of 1294, Wales rises in rebellion. Robert must leave his family unprotected to fight the Welsh rebels on the king’s behalf, comforted only by the fact that Eustace too is called to fight.

Except that Eustace has no intention of allowing his duty to his king—or a mere rebellion—come between him and his desire to destroy Robert FitzStephan . . .

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal buy link: https://mybook.to/TCO

AUTHOR BIO: ANNA BELFRAGE

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. Anna has just released the final instalment, Their Castilian Orphan, in her other medieval series, The Castilian Saga, which is set against the conquest of Wales. She has recently released Times of Turmoil, a sequel to her time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion. She has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

“A master storyteller”

“This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”

Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website: https://www.annabelfrage.com/

Sign up to Anna’s newsletter to keep up with new releases, give-ways and other fun stuff: http://eepurl.com/cjgatT

Author Links:

Website: www.annabelfrage.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abelfrageauthor
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/abelfrageauthor.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabelfrageauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annabelfrageauthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-belfrage
Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449528.Anna_Belfrage

BOOK REVIEW: THEIR CASTILIAN ORPHAN

The epic tale of Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor d’Outremer, continues in Their Castilian Orphan (Book 4 The Castilian Saga), set in 13th Century Medieval England during the reign of King Edward I. When the book begins in 1294, the couple is happily married with three children and a foster son named Lionel, but Noor nearly dies giving birth to a baby daughter. Dark clouds of political turmoil portend the upheaval of their family harmony. The Welsh are secretly uniting to rebel and King Philippe IV of France is outmaneuvering King Edward to relinquish Gascony. The exiled Eustace de Lamont has returned to court to destroy the family of his half brother, Robert.

Unbeknownst to the twelve-year-old Lionel, serving as a page to King Edward, he is the youngest son of a Welsh prince brutally slain in the last rebellion. Noor saved him as a babe but disguised his identity as the orphan of an unknown Castilian knight. With rebellion brewing in Wales, the discovery of Lionel’s true identity could have deadly consequences for him and his foster family. While serving the king, Lionel experiences Eustace’s cruelty firsthand and tries to steer clear of him. The political situation reaches a crisis when King Edward gathers an army to regain Gascony, but the Welsh take advantage of his distraction and besiege some English cities. Lionel accompanies King Edward as he turns his forces on the Welsh rebels, with Robert fighting as his commander. The story culminates in a heart-wrenching climax leaving you in tears.

Author Anna Belfrage seamlessly weaves the backstory of the previous three books to focus the story on Lionel, the Castilian orphan. Once I grasped how the cast of characters were related to each other, I was drawn into the epic tale full of romance, political intrigue, and betrayal. The sensory descriptions capture the essence of the Medieval era and reflect the author’s impeccable research. Battles and conflicts are riveting but not overly graphic with violence. The sexual scenes are explicit but tastefully done, which will appeal to romance readers. The theme of familial love and loyalty bringing hope beyond tragedy will long resonate in your mind after you finish the book.

The epic tale is character-driven and full of romance between Robert and Noor and their shared love for their family. By the end of the story, I was fully invested in the cast of characters and cared about what happened to each. The complex relationship between King Edward and Lionel was particularly poignant, wavering between loyalty and distrust. Lionel cared for Edward when he was most vulnerable, suffering from gout. The boy ultimately wins the king’s trust but at times bears the brunt of his explosive wrath. Although most of the characters are well-developed, I found Eustace to be more of a one-dimensional villain who did not come across as a cunning and worthy opponent.

For those who have read the previous books in The Castilian Saga, you will find Their Castilian Orphan a compelling addition to the series.

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