I guess I deserve this for jumping in at book two of a four book series - I picked up no. 2 and 4 from a box of freebies because I recognised the author's name and I'd enjoyed the Brother Cadfael novels years ago. Thrown in the deep end, English & Welsh history, lots of characters, lots of places in the landscape, I think you'll need a map and a family tree to follow what's going on. Mostly just went with the flow and enjoyed it as it went, letting the bigger picture lose itself in the background