What do you do when skill with a blade is no match for the power of the Dark Arts? Which is it? The skill of the sword or the magic of the woman? His supernatural affinities unlocked by the presence of Lucy in his life, Caz sets out to learn how to use them. Upon his return to the city, Caz and Lucy are commanded to accompany the queen on a mission to investigate the possible emergence of the Dark Arts in a distant territory. What they find is far more powerful than they anticipated. Survival requires all the strength and talent of the three, but in the end it is the power of Lucy’s love that tips the balance. Emotionally drained after the harrowing experience, Caz wants nothing more than to relax and enjoy life with his fascinating fiancée. When man plans, the Gods laugh. An assassin leaves Caz bleeding on a dark street. Who would want Caz dead? Well, there’s a list… ★★★★★ Caz, or Casimir FitzDuncan, is a young man, who, after meeting the woman of his life, Lucy, discovers that he might not be as ordinary as everyone thought, including him. After realizing he possesses abilities given to him by the gods, he decides to learn more about them in order to be able to control them and use them to his advantage. After a pilgrimage to a monastery where he went looking for answers and tried to learn how to control his newfound abilities, Caz, together with Lucy, his beloved, becomes a part of a great mission to save humanity, set and organized by the Queen herself, asking for both of their helpful skills and services. Well-paced, written in a clear and approachable style, with endearing and courageous characters, the novel FitzDuncan's Enlightenment by John J. Spearman is a great read for relaxation and a quick getaway to the times past and imaginative old worlds full of magic, duels, and excitement. Caz's journey into finding out who he is and what he can do to reveal his full potential as a living being, as well as witnessing and finding out what kind of people he is surrounded with, from horrid family members to amazing and loyal friends, leads him on paths he never even imagined he would travel. John J. Spearman's FitzDuncan's Enlightenment is a lovely, oftentimes intriguing and exciting journey of self-discovery and finding one's own place in the world where evil often tries to destroy the innate goodness of mankind. Reviewed By Tanja Jurkovic for Readers' Favorite FitzDuncan's Enlightenment is the third book in the FitzDuncan series written by John J. Spearman. This story continues from the events of the prequel, following Casimir FitzDuncan as he prepares for his wedding with Lucy, thwarts new threats, and learns more about his supernatural affinities. Casimir FitzDuncan is the illegitimate son of the Earl of the Eastern March. After the king's ultimatum regarding the inheritance of the earldom, his chances of being ennobled increase significantly. Meanwhile, his rescuing of Siobhan Harper from an unsavoury marriage prospect marks him as an enemy of Lord Barrowton, who challenges him to a duel for his interference. Casimir later heads to the temple of Bellona at Lucy's behest to discover more about his affinities, planning to trek to the temple of Eir afterwards. Rumours of a practitioner of the dark arts appearing in Eatonford swirl about, catching the attention of the queen, who recruits Casimir and Lucy to help vanquish the evil. An old enemy resurfaces, but new friendships prove useful, giving him the upper hand. He still has to be on guard, however, as new threats arise from an unexpected enemy. This book does great work developing an intriguing narrative in just a few pages. All the novels are relatively short, but there is enough meat, for lack of a better word, for all the characters to leave an impression. Caz discovers that, lo and behold, Prince Albert has a sense of humour, signifying the deepening of their growing bond. The female characters stood on their own, magical abilities or not. Greta, for one, left quite an image that I can't quite get to leave my head, something she accomplished off-screen and with nary a supernatural aid. I like guessing when it comes on to the major plot points, both subtle and blatant, of FitzDuncan's Enlightenment . For instance, I suspected the culprit behind yet another of the assassination attempts on Caz's life, and I felt vindicated when the person's identity was confirmed. This is not a measure of the story's predictability, more of an indicator that the subplots flow well and are not far-fetched. I also believe that Jerry, an orphan under Carl's care, has a supernatural affinity with animals, though this theory has yet to be proven. I can only await the continuation of this series, in which I hope I'll be correct, if even only marginally. This instalment differs from the prequel in that the narrative took a more magical (or spiritual) direction. I felt the ladies had a more active, balanced role, with Queen Liliana and Lucy renewing their c