Die Köchin von Castamar

There's no reason to get long-winded about it. It was worth every minute spent watching. I wish the 12 episodes were 30. The only thing you can call disappointing is a rather rushed ending to a truly compelling watch.

If you like period pieces, this series is worth the watch. That said, keep in mind that unless you speak Spanish you will need to rely on English subtitles. Most of the characters are typical archetypes (villain, clueless do-gooder, envious maid, etc.). However, the series was quite engaging though also very predictable and drawn to an obvious conclusion. The biggest hurdle for me was the casting which was way off, and the main reason I gave the series 6 stars. Roberto Enríquez, who played the role of Diego Duke of Castamar is a good actor. However, he should NOT have been cast as the lead romantic role for the series. Even with make up, he looked closer in age to an older brother (or even possibly Clara's father). This makes sense since there is an 18-year age difference between Roberto Enríquez (the Duke) and Michelle Jenner (Clara Belmonte). A better option for the Duke's role would have been Maxi Iglesias, who sadly was relegated to playing Francisco Marlango. There were other casting mishaps too, though not quite as egregious as the main romantic leads. If you want to be entertained, and don't mind watching a May-December romance, then this series is well worth your time.

We thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries, the setting, the actors and the story were rocksolid. We felt like the ending was rushed and left many loose ends. This seems to be a pattern with Netflix. It would be worthwhile to spend the extra episode to end a series with high-quality.

Nice romantic story, it is a kind of a light version of Grand Hotel series (Spanish version), the production is superb, the acting is fantastic, all the characters fits in the role, excepting the main actor Don Diego which looks "too mature" in my opinion for this show, don't know if in the novel happens the same, I didn't feel the chemistry in both lovers, it was not a good match, even their kisses looks quite repulsive, he could be his father!. But anyway, Amelia actress robbed entirely the show, she produces that kind of love-hate feeling, she's a 10. Although it is a mild & light classic romance-drama, give it a chance.

I just love the chemistry between Clara and Diego, it feels so natural. I fell in love of their love story!

I do agree the end feels rushed, wish they had at least 1 more episode to explain.

This show makes me want to learn Spanish so I can read the book! Hopefully someone will translate it into English and REALLY with for another season!