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The Last Emir
(Knights Templar #2)
by
Risk everything; fight to the last: a taut and intense historical thriller from master author S.J.A. Turney
The relics of Christendom have been plundered during the long Moorish conquest of the Iberian peninsula. Newly minted Templar Sergeant Arnau de Vallbona must recover one of the most elusive to save his priory at Rourell in Spain.
Travelling to Majorca on a stealth
...moreGet A Copy
Kindle Edition, 308 pages
Published
November 22nd 2018
by Canelo Adventure
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Start your review of The Last Emir (Knights Templar #2)

The first book in this series - Daughter of War - introduced us to Arnau de Vallbona, a Spanish knight who ended up as a sergeant in the Knights Templar. By the end of that volume, Rourell, the priory he has joined is in a sorry state. It's lands and buildings damaged, it's income much diminished.
One of the remaining Brothers - Balthazar - believes he has a way to improve the situation. Relics are a lucrative business; religious sites who possess them can attract pilgrims; and their money. So Ar ...more
One of the remaining Brothers - Balthazar - believes he has a way to improve the situation. Relics are a lucrative business; religious sites who possess them can attract pilgrims; and their money. So Ar ...more

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 e ...more
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 e ...more

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

BLURB
Risk everything; fight to the last: a taut and intense historical thriller from master author S.J.A. Turney
The relics of Christendom have been plundered during the long Moorish conquest of the Iberian peninsula. Newly minted Templar Sergeant Arnau de Vallbona must recover one of the most elusive to save his priory at Rourell in Spain.
Travelling to Majorca on a stealth mission to retrieve the bones of St Stephen, Arnau soon discovers the raid is more complex than it first appears: the mighty ...more
Risk everything; fight to the last: a taut and intense historical thriller from master author S.J.A. Turney
The relics of Christendom have been plundered during the long Moorish conquest of the Iberian peninsula. Newly minted Templar Sergeant Arnau de Vallbona must recover one of the most elusive to save his priory at Rourell in Spain.
Travelling to Majorca on a stealth mission to retrieve the bones of St Stephen, Arnau soon discovers the raid is more complex than it first appears: the mighty ...more

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 Mediterran ...more
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 Mediterran ...more

In the aftermath of a hard defeat at the hands of the Moorish caliphate in Spain, Templar Sargent Arnau de Vallbona is sent on a secret mission alongside the aging warrior and now priest Balthesar to recover the bones of the first Christian martyr St Stephen to island of Majorca off the east coast of Spain. Thinking it to be a fool's errand, de Vallbona soon finds himself, and his aging colleague, in a battle of wits and fights, against a powerful enemy who seeks to end their quest and their liv
...more

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 au ...more
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 au ...more

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: wicke
...more

Unanswered Questions
I really am enjoying this series and find that I flew through the first two books. However, two niggling occurrences gave me pause.
First, what exactly was the object Arnau found on the site of Lucas's church ruins, and why did he not mention his discovery to his fellow knight?
Second, exactly what "thought occurred" to Arnau after the Lion of Alarcos's demise?
Finally, why did Arnau scramble to the parapet from which The Lion fell when the Emir appeared?
Very irritating omissio ...more
I really am enjoying this series and find that I flew through the first two books. However, two niggling occurrences gave me pause.
First, what exactly was the object Arnau found on the site of Lucas's church ruins, and why did he not mention his discovery to his fellow knight?
Second, exactly what "thought occurred" to Arnau after the Lion of Alarcos's demise?
Finally, why did Arnau scramble to the parapet from which The Lion fell when the Emir appeared?
Very irritating omissio ...more

A fast moving story following the adventures of two knights in their efforts to rescue an ancient relic and to restore the fortunes of the priory at Rourrel. The tension on the island between the knights, the Almohads and the supporters of the Emir is palpable. Descriptions of landscapes are evocative. Details of fights and conflicts are full of exhaustive detail, evidence of the detailed research carried out by the author. Tension comes to an inevitable climax at the end. A narrative full of co
...more

For Enthusiasts Only
A mixed bag in this tale, the spice of action mixing poorly with the tedium of overmuch historical travelogue. A propensity for biblical quotes also overdone and I found that more distracting than engaging. Overall a disjointed string of historical facts loosely strung together in a tale which starts from nothing and ends nowhere.
A mixed bag in this tale, the spice of action mixing poorly with the tedium of overmuch historical travelogue. A propensity for biblical quotes also overdone and I found that more distracting than engaging. Overall a disjointed string of historical facts loosely strung together in a tale which starts from nothing and ends nowhere.

Jul 30, 2020
Jan Locher
added it
Fun bog good til regnvejrs dage.
Good book to sit I. You Sommer house when raining and wind is making outside troublesome. Help me to a nice holliday
Good book to sit I. You Sommer house when raining and wind is making outside troublesome. Help me to a nice holliday
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Simon lives with his wife and children and a menagerie of animals in rural North Yorkshire, where he sits in an office, wired on coffee and digestive biscuits, and attempts to spin engrossing tales out of strands of imagination while his children drive toys across his desk and two dogs howl as they try to share a brain cell.
A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of country, history and architect ...more
A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of country, history and architect ...more
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