Edward II of England is a weak king and has fallen under the influence of Hugh Despenser. The barons are restless, none more so that Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, who raises a rebellion against the king.

Adam de Guirande is Mortimer's man, so he has to obey when Mortimer orders him to marry a former mistress. But unknown to both of them, Adam is wed not to Katherine de Monmouth but to her secret, illegitimate half-sister Kit, who is conveniently identical to her.

Luckily Adam is not only obedient but handsome and so Kit isn't as disappointed as she might be. The Mortimer summons Adam to fight for him. And Despenser wants the happy couple dead.

This is standard romantic historical fiction and is an easy read.

The first in a new historical fiction series with a touch of romance. Set in the England of 1321 i found the story engaging and the characters very interesting, can't wait for the next one

In the Shadow of the Storm is the first in the series of The King’s Greatest Enemy.
Lord Roger Mortimer saved the life of Adam de Guirande as a child, now an adult and knighted Sir Adam will so anything in his allegiance to his lord including marry. But is the lady he marries really who they both think she is?

The Guirandes are fictional but Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March was very real and most certainly rose in rebellion against the king, the first instalment follows Mortimer, Adam and his new wife Kit. When the rebellion begins Adam has no choice but to ride with Mortimer whether Kit supports this or not.

Before they can ride off to war Adam discovers his new wife Katherine de Monmouth is actually Kit de Courcy both daughter of De Monmouth but different mother's and until now Kit had not been known about to any but her parents. Katherine was having an affair with Mortimer which Adam is jealous over until he realises he didn't marry Katherine he married Kit. But was this betrayal any better?

The war makes Kit realise she has fallen for Adam and will do anything to save his life but will it be enough? Hugh Despenser, enemy of Mortimer is determined they should all die, so who lives and who dies?

Fantastic historical fiction with romance thrown in. I love the characters. Belfrage has  created characters you just cant help but love or hate. The depiction of Despenser is incredible! I couldn't put this down until I'd finished. I'm already lining up the next in the series!

England around 1321: King Edward the Second is a weak king who is heavily influenced by male favourites. The current favourite is Hugh Despenser the Younger and the barons of the realm despise the man.

In those days England had a feudal system with the king as the big boss and under him and sworn loyal to him the higher nobility. Under those lords and loyal to them there were knights who would own a few manors that were like large farms and who served like officers in the army of the lords. In case of war these knights would bring their men-at-arms to act as soldiers. This whole system was tied together by sworn allegiances of the lower ranked to the one a step higher on the ladder.

Kit and her mother lived on such a manor in a very rural area. Just after the death of her mother she is snatched from home and forced to marry a knight who was chosen by his lord to marry his mistress. That mistress turns out to be Kit's legitimate half-sister (she finds out a knight is her true father) and her double ganger who has run away with a lover. The wife of her father wants to keep that a secret and threatens Kit to kill her and her tenants if she does not do as she is told end pretends to be her half-sister.

So far the book reads like a romance novel. But then it turns into an action adventure.

Luckily for Kit the man she is forced to marry is a very nice person and also good to look at. But their happiness is threatened by what now is called the Despenser War. Her husband's lord and the one who saved him as a young boy from harm plans to lead a rebellion against the king and although Kit's husband thinks that is wrong he is pledged to follow his lord.

When I was a few pages in I realised I had read the book a few years ago (and even reviewed it on Amazon in those days) but remembered it to be a very good story so read it again. As far as I can see it is also historically correct and it sheds a light on a part of English history I was not familiar with.. I can certainly recommend it.


5 stars out of 5

When I requested this book I failed to realize that it was published almost a year ago. I am a history buff and have read stories of these tumultuous times in England.
I can't seem to reconcile the character of Roger who has a loving wife and children he supposedly adores with the womanizing baron who seems to have had multiple affairs and ultimately marries off one the young women to one of his captains. Of course as it turns out it's Katherine's half sister Kit who ends up marrying Adam. As Kit and Adam work through their relationship war is looming on the horizon. Even knowing that challenging the king alone is folly Adam is bound by his loyalty and oaths to his over lord.
This is a beautiful love story with some horrific scenes of war and torture and yet love wins out at the end. I was surprised that all the events depicted in the story only span a 2 year period because it definitely feels longer.

I really enjoyed this and I just chose it on a whim in the read now section, fast paced and full of great characters, an interesting plot , this historical fiction with romance is a great read, I loved the relationship between Kit and Adam. An enjoyable read.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

It's amazing the things you can find perusing the the READ NOW section - I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. Engaging, quick read! I'll definitely read the other books in this series.