Eliza dreams of being a playwright for the king’s theater, where she will be admired for her witty turns of phrase rather than her father’s wealth.Beth is beautiful as the day but poor as a church mouse, so she must marry well, despite her love for her childhood sweetheart.
Zabby comes to England to further her scientific studies—and ends up saving the life of King Charles II. Soon her friendship with him becomes a dangerous, impossible obsession. Though she knows she should stay away from the young, handsome king, Charles has a new bride, Queen Catherine, and a queen needs ladies in waiting.
And so Zabby, Beth, and Eliza, three Elizabeths from very different walks of life, find themselves at the center of the most scandal-filled court that England has ever seen.
Goodreads: 2/5 stars
**ARC courtesy of publisher via NetGalley
My review:
I really, really, really wanted to like this book. If I hear "royal" or "scandal" or "court" in the same sentence, I'm totally down to read the book. Sounds like fun, right? Well, the beginning, for me, was a solid four stars. The middle wavered at a three. And the ending? I was so p!$ed off with how this book ended that I dropped another star rating. I mean, how can that (what occurred in the book) happen? It's just...ugh. I HATE YOU, ZABBY!
Out of all three girls, Zabby was my least favorite. She was a bit conniving (as seen in the end) and all she thought about was whether or not she was in love with the king. *gags* Eliza was hilarious and witty. But Beth was my favorite. She was kind and lovely. And I felt SO BAD for her in the end. You guys have no idea. I was just... I was... I don't even know how to put it into words. I felt hurt and let down by this ending--as hurt and let down as I'm sure Beth felt. Gahhh. I had to go back and re-read the final three pages to make sure my eyes weren't crossing. Alas, what I read was, well, what I read. :,(
Overall, if you enjoy historical novels with a bit of scandal, intrigue, and romance, then you should pick this up.
Out of all three girls, Zabby was my least favorite. She was a bit conniving (as seen in the end) and all she thought about was whether or not she was in love with the king. *gags* Eliza was hilarious and witty. But Beth was my favorite. She was kind and lovely. And I felt SO BAD for her in the end. You guys have no idea. I was just... I was... I don't even know how to put it into words. I felt hurt and let down by this ending--as hurt and let down as I'm sure Beth felt. Gahhh. I had to go back and re-read the final three pages to make sure my eyes weren't crossing. Alas, what I read was, well, what I read. :,(
Overall, if you enjoy historical novels with a bit of scandal, intrigue, and romance, then you should pick this up.
I SO Wanted to read this one- but hesitated because I wasn't sure the execution would end up being what I had hoped for. I think it was the cover that gave me that impression. And yours is the first review I've read on it, and I have to say that I am SO Glad I didn't request this one.
ReplyDeleteBrenna from Esther's Ever After
It was well-written, with wonderful, historical detail, but it just didn't live up to what I expected. :/
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