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

By Bairdy1985 on July 1, 2024

Today I'm reviewing Their Castilian Orphan (The Castilian Saga Book 4) by Anna Belfrage.

Here's the 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 . . .

Review

When I was offered the chance to read Their Castilian Orphan I thought I'd give it go.. I love the authors work so why not…but being book 4 in the series would I be missing anything? I've not read the rest of the series and jumping in this late always worries me…

I need not have worried though. Belfrage is one of those authors who really understands flow and detail which effortlessly allowed me to feel at home, rather than an imposter in the tale.

The first thing that really hit me was the raw emotion.. from the outset the tale is hard hitting.. Although I didn't really know the characters yet I quickly started to warm to them and the events that took place.

I quickly learned about Lionel a foster child of Robert FitzStephan, a knight, and his wife, Noor d'Outremer. To many Lionel is simply and orphan.. but little do they know Lionel is actually an heir in his own right.. an heir of a former leader of the Welsh uprising.

I must admit I did get sidetracked here as I love a good uprising but the author keeps you focused well on the current events.

Lionel is now serving the King Edward and he's earned some respect from the man.. he likes Lionel but with this favouritism comes the downsides.. not everyone looks at Lionel like the King does, some are quite jealous too.

Robert's half-brother, Eustace is one who sets his sights on doing everything he can to bring his brother down..and one way he can do that is through Lionel.

When the worst happens and war looms tensions rise..and there's a real chance friends could end up on opposite sides of the conflict.

There's clearly friendships that have formed over the years and while I'm late to the party the emotion and pure connection is there..

So my go to for reviews is to talk about character development and for this one it's even more important since I've come to the series late.. do I fell like I've missed anything?? Yeah…of course but the flow and development is so on-point if anything it just makes me want to read the rest of the books…I want to see the connections grow… did it diminish the tale… not one bit.. I quickly got to grips with the setting and the events. I guess just knowing the authors work I can tell just how good the rest of the series must be!

Now one topic if you read my reviews is my aversion to romance.. it's not like I don't want it in a book.. I just want the romance to flow natural, to understand the connections and emotion behind the romance. Being a fan of the author I already knew I was going to appreciate the romance when it was included and I couldn't have be more correct. The emotion added with those scenes really helped me see how intertwined Robert and Noor are.. and their love for Lionel. Im a self confessed action fan… fight fight fight.. so It's the level of thought in these sections that really adds the depth I need as a reader to enjoy it.

Oh, and for the fans of the actions like me there's plenty to get to grips with but what Belfrage gets spot on is mirroring the fierceness of battle with the honest brutal emotions we go through in life..The same passion pours off the page during the battles as it does with the romantic scenes and it just gives it a wonderful balance.

Belfrage knows how to give you the perfectly rounded tale but it's a roller-coaster with your emotions high from the first page to last.

5/5 Stars.

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon!

My thanks go to Anna Belfrage to allowing me an arc to aid my review. As a fan of the author I've also purchased a copy too!