I am so excited to share my review of The Castilian Pomegranate (The Castilian Saga, Book 2) by Anna Belfrage. Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in the tour.
The Castilian Pomegranate
(The Castilian Saga, Book 2)
By Anna Belfrage
An enraged and grieving queen commands them to retrieve her exquisite jewel and abandon their foundling brat overseas—or never return.
Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor, have been temporarily exiled. Officially, they are to travel to the courts of Aragon and Castile as emissaries of Queen Eleanor of England. Unofficially, the queen demands two things: that they abandon Lionel, their foster son, in foreign lands and that they bring back a precious jewel – the Castilian Pomegranate.
Noor would rather chop off a foot than leave Lionel in a foreign land—especially as he’s been entrusted to her by his dead father, the last true prince of Wales. And as to the jewel, stealing it would mean immediate execution. . .
Spain in 1285 is a complicated place. France has launched a crusade against Aragon and soon enough Robert is embroiled in the conflict, standing side by side with their Aragonese hosts.
Once in Castile, it is the fearsome Moors that must be fought, with Robert facing weeks separated from his young wife, a wife who is enthralled by the Castilian court—and a particular Castilian gallant.
Jealousy, betrayal and a thirst for revenge plunge Noor and Robert into life-threatening danger.
Will they emerge unscathed or will savage but beautiful Castile leave them permanently scarred and damaged?
Trigger Warnings:
Sexual content, violence
I don't like pomegranate, there I have said it. I don't like their shape, their texture or their taste. In fact, when I looked at the cover of this book all I could think about was my husband saying that I "needed to try new foods and that I could not spend my life eating pasta and cheese". Well, even he does not like pomegranates. But I never judge a book by its cover and it isn't really about a pomegranate - not one you have to eat anyway.
This particular blood-red pomegranate stone has some mystical powers, it “makes the birthing easier for the mother and ensures a healthy child.” Queen Elenor is desperate to get her hands upon the stone as she has only given her husband, Longshanks, one living son and she has lost so many children in the past. In her desperation, she sends Noor and Robert, the protagonists of this tale, to Castilian to fetch the said pomegranate and bring it back. A task easier said than done. Oh, and there is also the matter of Noor and Robert's foster son. Under no circumstances are they to bring the child back with them. They are exiled until they have disposed of their son and retrieve the pomegranate - what a nice person Queen Elenor is!! She is almost as nice as he husband who has locked up Lionel, the little boy who is banned from entering England again, with his brothers in Bristol Castle. It is always nice to live under a benevolent king and queen. Ummm...!
So, Robert and Noor find themselves in Spain, hoping that at some point the Queen will forget all about them and they will be able to slip back into the country and continue their lives at their estate. There is no way they would ever abandon Lionel and the only way they could bring the pomegranate jewel back would be if they stole it, which would mean they would be thieves and if caught, hung. So, there is that.
I don't know about you but we like to take road trips, but when you travel with little ones I find it both infuriating and adorable when you pull out of the drive and they ask in unison "Are we nearly there yet?" and then ten minutes down the road "I need a wee." This narrative will then continue for the rest of the trip until you get to your destination. Imagine trekking across Spain with two young children in the 13th Century. Noor and Robert, along with their maid whose name escapes me, should be given medals for even attempting such a feat, not that they had any choice. Lionel and his little sister are absolute sweethearts, although I really worried for their mental health for the journey they are on is full of danger, and they witness things no child should ever witness. And also, for a child, what a tedious journey it must have been. But, this book is not so much about the children but about Noor and Robert's relationship.
Noor and Robert make the perfect couple, although they certainly have their ups and downs. Noor is young, and Robert is a soldier, a knight. There are some horrific scenes involving Noor and Robert which are quite unsettling, but they really demonstrated the danger of this era.
Fernand was one of my favourite characters in this novel. Although I never expected to say that! He is a young Lord whom everyone seemingly wants to kill, in particular his stepfather, the vile Aznar, who wants the titles and wealth to pass onto his son—families, don't you just love them. Anyway, Fernand finds himself beholden to Robert and by doing so he hopes he can stay alive long enough not to marry Petronilla, the most patronising and annoyingly bossy woman that ever lived. During the course of this novel, Fernand becomes quietly more confident, taking his lead from Robert, and he is also a really nice person, despite the first impressions.
I LOVED this novel so much. The non-stop action, the likeable and the not so likeable characters really stole the show. I cannot wait to get my hands on the third book in this series because I really want to know what is going to happen next!
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 two absorbing interests: history 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 also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
The Castilian Pomegranate is the second in her “Castilian” series, a stand-alone sequel to her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk. Set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty, integrity—and love. In The Castilian Pomegranate, we travel with the protagonists to the complex political world of medieval Spain, a world of intrigue and back-stabbing.
Her most recent release prior to The Castilian Pomegranate is The Whirlpools of Time in which she returns to the world of time travel. Join Duncan and the somewhat reluctant time-traveller Erin on their adventures through the Scottish Highlands just as the first Jacobite rebellion is about to explode!
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.
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Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting today's blog tour stop!
ReplyDeleteWhat an extensive and well-written review! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed the book!