For Castle and Crown Author: Sian Ann Bessey
Genres: Historical Romance
Format: Audio, eBook, Print
Pages: 272
Date: November 1, 2017
Publisher: Covenant
After years spent fighting alongside King Richard in the crusades, Lord Edmund of Hawksford is finally returning to his ancestral home. But far from a joyful reunion, what awaits him is devastation. His elder brother is dead, killed in a tragic fire at Hawksford Castle—and the title of duke now falls to Edmund.
When he strives to rebuild the fire-scarred castle, Edmund learns that his was not the only life the fire shattered: his childhood friend Lady Phillipa survived the flames that took Edmund’s brother, but badly burned, she has hidden herself away from those she loves. Yet as the pair renews their acquaintance, they find that their affection runs deep—perhaps even deeper than they’d ever realized.
As Edmund and Pippa begin to question whether the fire was truly an accident, they must discover the truth of the past before they can plan for their future. While coming perilously close to the answers they seek, Edmund and Pippa find themselves at the mercy of a dangerous foe who will stop at nothing to lay claim on Hawksford—and he will destroy any who stand in his way.
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I’ll be honest, at times I was quite bored with this book. I did end up finishing it in four days but I think that’s mostly because I’m on a rather crazy reading spree right now and the book isn’t that long anyway (it’s like around 250-ish pages, I think?) There were some worthwhile bits of action throughout and although it got me on the edge of my seat, I did feel like it felt a bit choppy like everything would be going along slowly and then suddenly there would be a random spurt of action and then it would go back to inching along.
I did like the characters though! I think the author making it so that one chapter/section would be from Pippa’s POV and another chapter/section would be from Edmund’s POV was pretty effective. I especially liked Pippa, who was super sweet and caring but also strong and brave, which modern society seems to think isn’t possible even though it most certainly is. I also really appreciated the historical context and facts that was so natural and well-researched.
Overall, it was a nice read! Some mild violence but nothing super graphic at all. There were a few kisses, I think, and a reference to a possible rape attempt but it didn’t bother me beyond being angry and really disgusted at the potential guy.
Also, the book has a GORGEOUS cover! I love it so much!