The Questionable Queen

Misfit Monarchs #2

by Nancy S. Brandt

Princess Ursula of Valborough wants nothing more to improve the lives of her sister’s poorest subjects, but reading and writing aren’t priorities for mothers whose husbands remain prisoners of war. When the King of Heyton offers marriage, Ursula sees an opportunity to use herself as leverage to bring her countrymen home, but it would means giving up a future with the man she’s always loved.


Prince Gideon of Heyton would love to serve his kingdom, but he is relegated to diplomatic work while his warrior cousins advance in ranks of King Killian’s court. He reluctantly accepts his uncle’s mission to Valborough. He’s a safe choice, after all. What princess would be tempted by a crippled stand-in when she would soon be in the bed of a king? After a rapid proxy wedding and awkward night in the bridal chamber, Gideon escorts Ursula home only to learn Killian has died. To free her people, Ursula must take the reins of a country she’s never seen from people who have a head start on remaking Heyton as they please.


When she uncovers something hidden for more than twenty-five years, Ursula suspects Gideon is not simply a crippled diplomat, Killian didn’t die of natural causes, and he’s not the only casualty of a long-game plot to seize the throne of Heyton.

Genres: Young Adult

407 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2017

About the author

Nancy S. Brandt is a stay-at-home mother of two children, a married daughter, 34, who works at an orthopedic clinic; and a son, 21, who works in an artisanal pizza restaurant. She is also the grandmother of one beautiful little girl. Nancy's husband, Steven, is also an author and an adjunct professor of computer science at Louisiana State University.

In about sixth grade, an English teacher gave an assignment to write a descriptive essay. Nancy's was all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds, emeralds, and other precious gems. From that experience, she walked into every English class hoping to get to write something, and she learned three things:

1. The difference between stalactite and stalagmite,
2. That fantasy was probably the genre she should concentrate on, and
3. Never end a story with "It was all a dream."

Nancy is a two-time kidney transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor for the first one), a thyroid cancer survivor, a brain surgery survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on a paranormal romance called The Demon's Pregnant Girlfriend.

Reviews

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. At first I was disappointed it would not be able Mariana and Orlando. Once they got Heyton I just loved the characters and storyline. The more magical elements were fab, I would love to hear more about that world another time

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much better than the first, but again I would have given 5 stars except that the whole prisoners issue... she married the king to free the prisoners yet as soon as she was at the palace 'with nothing to do' she never once asked about them, saw to them or demanded they be unharmed until towards the end of the book, like with everything else going on they were just an afterthought. I did enjoy the rest of the story line and might look into the authors other works

[Elysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelous Monarchs

I enjoyed the world building and the political machinations, but I’m glad I don’t live under this kind of monarchy. The romance was sweet. Hope there are more Misfit Monarchs book.

[C.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the political elements of this book, and the socially relevant aspect. Something I’ve always wondered with fairy tales is how would the commoners feel about things? Being pretty common myself, it appeals to me. In this story, the main character cares about commoners and tries to do something about their plight. But she encounters resistance from other royals who’d rather maintain the status quo and who also want to preserve their secrets.

So, there’s intrigue, action, magic.

Another interesting thing in the book is the way the magic is handled. The characters are well-developed and fun. I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed the first book in the series. I’m looking forward to reading more.