A new book from Anna Belfrage is always welcome. Days of Sun and Glory is the next installment in her The King’s Greatest Enemy series. I was sent the book at no charge as part of a tour for Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
About Days of Sun and Glory:
Series: The King’s Greatest Enemy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Adam de Guirande has barely survived the aftermath of Roger Mortimer’s rebellion in 1321. When Mortimer manages to escape the Tower and flee to France, anyone who has ever served Mortimer becomes a potential traitor – at least in the eyes of King Edward II and his royal chancellor, Hugh Despenser. Adam must conduct a careful balancing act to keep himself and his family alive. Fortunately, he has two formidable allies: Queen Isabella and his wife, Kit. England late in 1323 is a place afflicted by fear. Now that the king’s greatest traitor, Roger Mortimer, has managed to evade royal justice, the king and his beloved Despenser see dissidents and rebels everywhere – among Mortimer’s former men, but also in the queen, Isabella of France.
Their suspicions are not unfounded. Tired of being relegated to the background by the king’s grasping favourite, Isabella has decided it is time to act – to safeguard her own position, but also that of her son, Edward of Windsor. As Adam de Guirande has pledged himself to Prince Edward he is automatically drawn into the queen’s plans – whether he likes it or not.
Yet again, Kit and Adam are forced to take part in a complicated game of intrigue and politics. Yet again, they risk their lives – and that of those they hold dear – as the king and Mortimer face off. Once again, England is plunged into war – and this time it will not end until either Despenser or Mortimer is dead.
Days of Sun and Glory is the second in Anna Belfrage’s series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife.
About the Author:
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveller. As such a profession does as yet not exists, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavours.
When Anna fell in love with her future husband, she got Scotland as an extra, not because her husband is Scottish or has a predilection for kilts, but because his family fled Scotland due to religious persecution in the 17th century – and were related to the Stuarts. For a history buff like Anna, these little details made Future Husband all the more desirable, and sparked a permanent interest in the Scottish Covenanters, which is how Matthew Graham, protagonist of the acclaimed The Graham Saga, began to take shape.
Set in 17th century Scotland and Virginia/Maryland, the series tells the story of Matthew and Alex, two people who should never have met – not when she was born three hundred years after him. With this heady blend of romance, adventure, high drama and historical accuracy, Anna hopes to entertain and captivate, and is more than thrilled when readers tell her just how much they love her books and her characters.
Presently, Anna is hard at work with her next project, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer’s rise to power. The King’s Greatest Enemy is a series where passion and drama play out against a complex political situation, where today’s traitor may be tomorrow’s hero, and the Wheel of Life never stops rolling.
The first installment in the Adam and Kit story, In the Shadow of the Storm, was published in 2015. The second book, Days of Sun and Glory, will be published in July 2016.
Other than on her website, www.annabelfrage.com, Anna can mostly be found on her blog, http://annabelfrage.wordpress.com – unless, of course, she is submerged in writing her next novel. You can also connect with Anna on Twitter and Goodreads.
My Opinion:
This is the second book in this series and there will be at least a third. It stands alone just fine – while having read the first book in the series enhances the understanding of this book, it can easily be read and enjoyed all on its own. It picks up pretty much where In the Shadow of the Storm left off with Queen Isabella trying to maintain relevance in a court where her husband King Edward II is in thrall to Hugh Despenser. Hugh and his father have been acquiring land, titles and riches with little care for how they get them and the nobility and the people of England are getting disenchanted with them – and the King.
The Despensers think they have won against the Queen because their enemy, Mortimer has been banished from the kingdom. All those loyal to him are being rooted out and destroyed. Our hero, Adam was one of his most loyal men but he switched his allegiance to the heir to the throne, young Prince Edward. Hugh Despenser is still suspicious though and continues to give Adam problems. And he continues to harass Adam’s wife Kit. As Adam does what he can to keep his family safe in dangerous times will he be able to stay ahead of Despenser?
Ms. Belfrage presents another well researched foray into history. Adam and Kit are well developed, compelling characters trying to just be happy in especially trying times. The author weaves her fictional characters into real events and intermingles them with historical figures as they navigate the challenges of life in the 14th century. I haven’t read a book of Ms. Belfrage’s yet that wasn’t a page turner and she doesn’t disappoint with this one.
To read my thoughts on the rest of the King’s Greatest Enemy Series you can check out my reviews: In the Shadow of the Storm, Under the Approaching Dark, and The Cold Light of Dawn. Also, if you are a fan of time travel books I highly recommend Ms. Belfrage’s Graham Saga series.
Rating:
4.5
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