The Last Emir was a very enjoyable read, continuing the adventures of our hero, Arnau of Valbona, a sometime Spanish knight who joins a small Templar Preceptory (run by a woman!) That was in the last book, in this one he and Brother Balthesar go to Majorca in search of a relic lost nearly a century before.

As more details about his companion's past come to light, Arnau and Baltesar get caught up the the vicissitudes of politics and war during a fascinating period in the history of the Mediterranean. 'The Last Emir' in this book referes to the last independent Moorish ruler of the island, before it fell to the control of the Almavorids. Who were not popular with anyone, Muslim or Christian, it appears.

The novel has character development, and nearing the end, plenty of danger and action. Whilst you came to really care for the character of Arnua, and others who only played a minor role but showed great courage I did have a couple of minor niggles with this story. The character's attitudes didn't always ring totally true for the time period. Yes, I suspect mutual cooperation was normal in societies like 12th century Majorca, and most people rubbed along perfectly regardless of who ruled them, but I'm not sure absolute peace and harmony was always the order of the day.

Also, I don't think Christians had any particular aversion to baths, or bathhouses. Charlemagne is said to have been quite fond of bathing in a large pool. and that was 400 years before this.
Turney's Templar novels are nevertheless a good read, bringing to life little known places and historical incidents. I look forward to following the story of Arnua in the subsequent titles in this series.

Thanks to Caneo for approving me request for this title. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Canelo and the author, S.J.A. Turney, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Last Emir in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Firstly, the cover art is amazing. I love it.
The storyline itself was well thought out and written. The characters are well defined and the scenery descriptive.
Honestly, I loved everything about this book.
Well worth a read and not just to fans of the genre.

As fan of SJA Turney I find he either writes good books or very good books. For me this is a good book. A very readable quest as Templar Sergeant Arnau de Vallbona accompanies a world weary older Templar, Bathesar, a man with a hidden past Arnau is desperate to uncover, as they seek a relic to restore the fortunes of their priory. Ending up on Majorca was anything but a vacation as they then battled to save the Last Emir and his “taifa", having seen and been subjected to the Iberian mainland under Moorish rule. Perhaps this was their true destiny rather than the relic.

MY REVIEW

Set the year 1199 in Spain.

The Priory of Rourell has a poor reputation, which is something what compared to other Templar establishments. Due to this they are unable to get new ‘recruits’ and may disappear into obscurity.

So, Vallbona and his companion, Balthesar are sent on a mission to collect/steal a holy relic from the Island of Majorca, which is currently held by some Almohad, the enemy.

This is an exciting, life or death, will they won’t they drama with plenty of action and the author has created likeable characters in Valbona and Balthasar. A real blood and gore, gripping page turner.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Maybe I missed something or it was the lack of reading the First book in the series, but I just couldn’t get into this book at all. I felt no enjoyment or interest at all throughout this book. I just didn’t connect with the characters and I felt that the story was very bland. While a lot seemed to happen, I felt like nothing really happened.

Thanks to SJA Turney and Canelo Adventure for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

It was an absolute thrilling read from start to finish, starting with the quest to find St. Stephen's rumored saintly relic to the fight against the Almohad's prized warrior, the Lion of Alarcos. Left me at the edge of my seat towards the end of the book. Simon Turney is a master of telling the story, especially in The Last Emir, of the Templar knights, giving us an overview of the tumultuous time filled with blood, gore and greed. In the end, the author leaves us with an important lesson: wickedness is the enemy of all peoples, be you Christian, Moor, or Jew.

The Last Emir is the second book in S.J.A. Turney’s fabulous series recounting the exploits of the Knights Templars in Spain during the Moorish Conquest of the country. The first book in the series, Daughter of War was a gripping drama which followed the struggles of Titborga and Arnau as the found sanctuary and a purpose in the Templar preceptory at Rourell, run by the incredible preceptrix, Ermengarda, as they battled an unscrupulous Spanish nobleman intent on getting his hands on Titborga’s lands – at any cost. It was a wonderful, gritty story with every page filled to the brim with action.

And The Last Emir is no less immersive. The second book takes Arnau on a quest to Majorca, in search of a Holy relic, but finding only trouble and a dispute between rival Moorish factions. The story is skillfully told, weaving a tale of intrigue and betrayal, and blurring the lines between the rival factions. S.J.A. Turney paints a wonderful image of the island of medieval Majorca, taking the reader on a journey across the island, re imagining the amazing landscape, the loud, busy markets and the sumptuous palaces with such precision that you can almost see, hear and smell the bazaar, the preserved manuscripts in the library … and the blood and passion of battle.

The only downside of this book is that not all the characters we met in Daughter of War appear in this story. Arnau and Balthesar are far away from their familiar surroundings, having to rely on their wits and their own abilities in order to survive and win their way back home. Arnau, in particular, is on a journey of discovery, of his own strengths and weaknesses, the differences between Islam and Christianity and of his companion in arms. Through his own trials, he has to learn that not everything is black-and-white, lines blur and whether a person is good or evil is not necessarily defined by their religion. He has already learned the brutality of war, but in The Last Emir, he also has to learn about the subtleties of war.

This is a fabulous novel, which takes a reader away from the preconceptions and mysticism of the Knights Templar and presents the Templars as they were, and as they were created; warrior monks fighting for Christianity and what is right.

S.J.A Turney has created a marvellous, gripping story. The narrative is wonderfully written with every page pleasure to read – long into the night. Arnau and his Templar colleagues are the best kind of heroes – those the readers can invest themselves in and always want to read more.

Waiting for Book 3 is already proving a challenge…

The ever brilliant Simon Turney returns with yet another hugely enjoyable read. The second book in his new Knight's Templar series, Turney takes the young Arnau to Majorca in this fast paced, gripping historical thriller.

The plot in concise and the cast of characters in kept to a minimum, which really helps speed long the story without letting up.

Its clear that Turney has walked the streets and done his research (as he always does!), and the book is wonderfully descriptive.

As i commented on the first book in the series, its wonderfully refreshing to get a different take on period of history thats been tacked so many times (1199 being the year Richard I is killed of course!).

Cracking read overall, bring on book 3 (and Praetorian IV, which is due in a few weeks!)

4 stars

It is the year of 1199 in Spain.

The Priory of Rourell is in trouble. They don’t have a good reputation, even among other Templar strongholds. They are recently unable to attract many recruits which puts the order in trouble of disbanding or even disappearing altogether.

Sergeant Arnau de Vallbona and his trusty, but elderly, sidekick Balthesar are sent on a secret mission to Majorca to retrieve a holy relic – the bones of St. Stephen. However, the island at present is being held by the enemy, the Almohads.

What follows is an exciting and action-packed drama with Arnau and Balthesar trying to complete their mission – and stay alive. Besieged on all sides, it looks rather grim for our intrepid heroes. Balthesar disappears and Arnau narrowly escapes the keep on the island.

This is a very well written novel. It has some great poetry in it as well. The story is exciting, thrilling and it flows well. The transitions are smooth and well thought out. I enjoyed this book very much. I liked Arnau and Balthesar and admire their courage and skill in attempting to complete their mission. (I certainly couldn’t live in those times. I don’t have the strength or courage to do so.) This is my first S.J.A. Turney book and I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books by this author.

I want to thank NetGalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.