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Royal Roses #1
A Queen from the North
Library Journal's Best Indie Ebook 2017 Lady Amelia Brockett, known to her family as Meels, is having the Worst. Christmas. Ever. Dumped by her boyfriend and rejected from graduate school, her parents deem her the failure of the family. But when her older brother tries to cheer her with a trip to the races, a chance meeting with Arthur, the widowed, playboy Prince of Wales, offers Amelia the opportunity to change her life -- and Britain's fortunes -- forever.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2017
296 people are currently reading
872 people want to read
About the author
Erin McRae
40 books169 followersErin McRae is a queer writer and blogger based in Washington, D.C. She owns several pieces of paper from distinguished universities, including a Master’s degree in International Affairs from American University, which qualify her to have lengthy and passionate discussions about the microeconomics of Tunisia. She also engages in lengthy and passionate discussions about military history. She likes trenches.
Erin is a cofounder of Avian 30, a literary collective dedicated to narratives with magical and sexual realism. She delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.
She lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner and their two cats.
Erin is a cofounder of Avian 30, a literary collective dedicated to narratives with magical and sexual realism. She delights in applying her knowledge of international relations theory to her fiction and screen-based projects, because conflict drives narrative.
She lives in Washington, D.C. with her partner and their two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
November 23, 2018
There is a very specific feeling I get when I’m reading a book that could have been good, maybe even great, and isn’t. It’s the feelings equivalent of the Wilhelm Scream. This book gave me that feeling, enough of it to fill every movie released this year.
The book opens with an author’s note that explains the inspiration for the story and the world the story is set in. That is a huge red flag. If you need an author’s note to explain the world of the story, you haven’t done enough writing. And if you don’t need it, why are you standing between the reader and your story? Unfortunately, this book needed it, but an author’s note can’t make up for about 6,000 missing words of worldbuilding, and it doesn’t. There needed to be way more scenes in York, so we could get a sense of why the marriage matters to Amelia, and also see the rabbit ears for a McGuffin that appears alter in the book. We also needed some more scenes to explain the world’s magic, which is both barely visible and completely inexplicable *and* the motivating force of the entire plot. It really needed to be one or the other, not both. And we needed so many more scenes for the development of the feelings part of the romance.
Which brings us to the romance. Okay, first problem: this is one of those plots where if two supposed adults spoke actual words to each other for five consecutive minutes, they would solve most of their problems. Arthur and Amelia, though, do not manage to do that. They live in the same castle for a year and attend many major events together and they never actually communicate about anything. Second problem: the authors needed a reason for their failure to communicate, so they just threw in random bad reasons to fight. The characters share a single look, and then, boom! There’s another failure to communicate, followed by another fight, followed by fifteen pages of sulking and woe. And then, as the sort of capstone problem, because the two characters can’t be allowed to communicate (because plot), they never do the actual work of falling in love. Amelia goes directly from “I might actually like this guy!” to “I am desperately in love with him and he can never know,” without ever touching ground in between. Suddenly she’s getting shivers when he touches her, and we’re just supposed to ... *get* that she’s in love now, with this vague, distant guy she barely knows. And Arthur, well. Amelia, the point of view character, never knows how he’s feeling, and the authors don’t have the knack of hinting at it, so he goes straight from “I am distant but decent” to “I passionately love you and have for months.” It’s hard to take.
(Also, side note: this book repeatedly asks me to feel sorry for a woman who a) has made her choice multiple times, and stood by it b) is already rich and privileged and c) will soon be among the richest and most privileged of anyone anywhere. Like ... I’m sorry you’re sad, lady, but please stop sobbing over luxury’s disappointments on the shoulder of a random Canadian barista. The barista has an actual job to do, and she’s not getting paid to be your therapist. Also, you could afford an ACTUAL THERAPIST. Ideally one who smacks you on the nose and yells, “JUST TALK TO HIM OH MY GOD THIS IS NOT A REAL PROBLEM.”)
So at first I thought this would be a four-star book. Then I thought it was going to be a three-star book. Then the last ten percent of it happened, and I only made it through by shrieking at my friends and relations about it. (The last ten percent: “Oh shit we have to set up the sequels and also we have to somehow resolve this! Let’s just throw a bunch of shit at the fan and see what comes flying off.”) So. Two stars. Two sad, Wilhelm-screamy stars, because this could have been great. But it’s not even good.
Alas.
The book opens with an author’s note that explains the inspiration for the story and the world the story is set in. That is a huge red flag. If you need an author’s note to explain the world of the story, you haven’t done enough writing. And if you don’t need it, why are you standing between the reader and your story? Unfortunately, this book needed it, but an author’s note can’t make up for about 6,000 missing words of worldbuilding, and it doesn’t. There needed to be way more scenes in York, so we could get a sense of why the marriage matters to Amelia, and also see the rabbit ears for a McGuffin that appears alter in the book. We also needed some more scenes to explain the world’s magic, which is both barely visible and completely inexplicable *and* the motivating force of the entire plot. It really needed to be one or the other, not both. And we needed so many more scenes for the development of the feelings part of the romance.
Which brings us to the romance. Okay, first problem: this is one of those plots where if two supposed adults spoke actual words to each other for five consecutive minutes, they would solve most of their problems. Arthur and Amelia, though, do not manage to do that. They live in the same castle for a year and attend many major events together and they never actually communicate about anything. Second problem: the authors needed a reason for their failure to communicate, so they just threw in random bad reasons to fight. The characters share a single look, and then, boom! There’s another failure to communicate, followed by another fight, followed by fifteen pages of sulking and woe. And then, as the sort of capstone problem, because the two characters can’t be allowed to communicate (because plot), they never do the actual work of falling in love. Amelia goes directly from “I might actually like this guy!” to “I am desperately in love with him and he can never know,” without ever touching ground in between. Suddenly she’s getting shivers when he touches her, and we’re just supposed to ... *get* that she’s in love now, with this vague, distant guy she barely knows. And Arthur, well. Amelia, the point of view character, never knows how he’s feeling, and the authors don’t have the knack of hinting at it, so he goes straight from “I am distant but decent” to “I passionately love you and have for months.” It’s hard to take.
(Also, side note: this book repeatedly asks me to feel sorry for a woman who a) has made her choice multiple times, and stood by it b) is already rich and privileged and c) will soon be among the richest and most privileged of anyone anywhere. Like ... I’m sorry you’re sad, lady, but please stop sobbing over luxury’s disappointments on the shoulder of a random Canadian barista. The barista has an actual job to do, and she’s not getting paid to be your therapist. Also, you could afford an ACTUAL THERAPIST. Ideally one who smacks you on the nose and yells, “JUST TALK TO HIM OH MY GOD THIS IS NOT A REAL PROBLEM.”)
So at first I thought this would be a four-star book. Then I thought it was going to be a three-star book. Then the last ten percent of it happened, and I only made it through by shrieking at my friends and relations about it. (The last ten percent: “Oh shit we have to set up the sequels and also we have to somehow resolve this! Let’s just throw a bunch of shit at the fan and see what comes flying off.”) So. Two stars. Two sad, Wilhelm-screamy stars, because this could have been great. But it’s not even good.
Alas.
May 1, 2018
This felt a little uneven. At times, I quite liked and admired Amelia. Other times I wanted to either shake her, slap her or both.
The worldbuilding was interesting, but I'm not sure how realistic it felt. I did like George, and Edward, and Priya.
The worldbuilding was interesting, but I'm not sure how realistic it felt. I did like George, and Edward, and Priya.
May 18, 2018
I was in the mood for a royal romance (gee, I wonder why?) and this was on sale. A Queen from the North is a contemporary romance with alternative history and a bit of fantasy. Sort of. I forget where I came across this book, but I was sucked in by the fantasy and alternate history angles and I was disappointed by both elements in this book.
In an England where the Wars of the Roses haven't totally ended, the north--York--feels marginalized from the southern, more Lancastrian parts of England. (Which was repetitively mentioned throughout the book, but this bit of basic worldbuilding for this premise could've been expanded so much more!) Arthur, the Lancastrian Prince of Wales, (also: supposedly this Lancastrian line has been unbroken ever since Henry Tudor killed Richard III at Bosworth, but it's never explained whom or how exactly the line is unbroken. Because, like, Elizabeth I is mentioned and if she had kids or something, then maybe mention that somewhere? Did the Hanovers even happen in this alternate history? What about Victoria and Albert?). Anyway. So there's Arthur, the widowed Prince of Wales, who is nudged by his niece Princess George ("the court witch") to marry again. Arthur meets Lady Amelia Brockett, his friend's sister, daughter of a northern earl, university student in the sciences, and decides "sure, why not, she seems pretty and smart--I'll marry her!"
I think. The entire novel is told from Amelia's point of view and while there are ways to deepen a third person pov so a reader gets a better sense of other characters, this didn't do that. So I never felt I got to know Arthur all that well and his behavior seemed distant and snippy most of the time. Also, there were several instances where I wanted to smack Amelia upside the head ("I don't want to read the pre-nup! Nope! We're not in love and this is only a business merger of a marriage!" If it's an arranged marriage, then read the goddamned pre-nup, Amelia!
The main conflict between Arthur and Amelia consisted of them misunderstanding each other and then not talking through their shit like adults. I. Hate. This. Kind. Of. Conflict. Beyond the complications of royal life and Amelia's privacy being taken from her and her life being stripped away from her quickly and vaguely dark fantastical forebodings about the bloody Tower of London ravens--because if those ravens leave the Tower, the myth says, England will fall--like, that was the entire interpersonal conflict between these two.
Arranged marriage tropes are a big thing in historical romances, so I've read them a-plenty and they were done so much better.
George turned out to be a fascinating character, though I wish we'd gone more in depth into her witchcraft. Also, Amelia's best friend Priya was adorable. In fact, I found myself liking these two more than the two lead characters.
In an England where the Wars of the Roses haven't totally ended, the north--York--feels marginalized from the southern, more Lancastrian parts of England. (Which was repetitively mentioned throughout the book, but this bit of basic worldbuilding for this premise could've been expanded so much more!) Arthur, the Lancastrian Prince of Wales, (also: supposedly this Lancastrian line has been unbroken ever since Henry Tudor killed Richard III at Bosworth, but it's never explained whom or how exactly the line is unbroken. Because, like, Elizabeth I is mentioned and if she had kids or something, then maybe mention that somewhere? Did the Hanovers even happen in this alternate history? What about Victoria and Albert?). Anyway. So there's Arthur, the widowed Prince of Wales, who is nudged by his niece Princess George ("the court witch") to marry again. Arthur meets Lady Amelia Brockett, his friend's sister, daughter of a northern earl, university student in the sciences, and decides "sure, why not, she seems pretty and smart--I'll marry her!"
I think. The entire novel is told from Amelia's point of view and while there are ways to deepen a third person pov so a reader gets a better sense of other characters, this didn't do that. So I never felt I got to know Arthur all that well and his behavior seemed distant and snippy most of the time. Also, there were several instances where I wanted to smack Amelia upside the head ("I don't want to read the pre-nup! Nope! We're not in love and this is only a business merger of a marriage!" If it's an arranged marriage, then read the goddamned pre-nup, Amelia!
The main conflict between Arthur and Amelia consisted of them misunderstanding each other and then not talking through their shit like adults. I. Hate. This. Kind. Of. Conflict. Beyond the complications of royal life and Amelia's privacy being taken from her and her life being stripped away from her quickly and vaguely dark fantastical forebodings about the bloody Tower of London ravens--because if those ravens leave the Tower, the myth says, England will fall--like, that was the entire interpersonal conflict between these two.
Arranged marriage tropes are a big thing in historical romances, so I've read them a-plenty and they were done so much better.
George turned out to be a fascinating character, though I wish we'd gone more in depth into her witchcraft. Also, Amelia's best friend Priya was adorable. In fact, I found myself liking these two more than the two lead characters.
January 30, 2018
I don't know why I even finished this but I also feel terrible about the thoroughly negative review I want to give it because I guess it's vaguely competent but it just didn't work for me.
- The worldbuilding didn't feel complete. The characters act as if the division between the North and the South of England is so severe and dramatic that you expect to see news of sectarian violence, but in fact it seems far more peaceful than, say, English-Northern Irish relations. Equally, they're pretty specific that the monarchy has about the same power as the actual modern British monarchy, but the characters act as though the protagonist can really have an impact on the lives of her fellow Northerners. How she plans to do that, other than blunt-force symbolism, could have been a useful add; the most we see her doing is resenting bee charity meetings and one school tour ... in Canada.
- Speaking of incomplete, this character theoretically planning on doing a PhD was the least interested in her area character or person I have ever met. She vaguely attends exams and lectures for a bit but is zero percent interested or passionate about them. Really she seems to have no executable interests, hobbies, anything in her life other than this relationship of inconvenience.
- It was possibly realistic that the characters committed to something massive without ever talking about ANYTHING and then the relationship fizzled in awkward fits and starts, but it wasn't narratively satisfying. The protagonist's expectations for the relationship seemed to change frequently but it was very difficult to track! THEY NEVER TALKED ABOUT ANYTHING. And not even in a pointless misunderstanding way - like there really seemed to be no expectation or intent on either of their part to GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, even if they were planning on an amicable rather than passionate marriage, and it was quite weird. It also made the falling in love bit quite unbelievable, like oh, you hung out together for perhaps as much as 6, 7 hours but you're desperately in love with him but just KNOW he can never love you? IDK. Didn't buy it.
- George was cool.
- The worldbuilding didn't feel complete. The characters act as if the division between the North and the South of England is so severe and dramatic that you expect to see news of sectarian violence, but in fact it seems far more peaceful than, say, English-Northern Irish relations. Equally, they're pretty specific that the monarchy has about the same power as the actual modern British monarchy, but the characters act as though the protagonist can really have an impact on the lives of her fellow Northerners. How she plans to do that, other than blunt-force symbolism, could have been a useful add; the most we see her doing is resenting bee charity meetings and one school tour ... in Canada.
- Speaking of incomplete, this character theoretically planning on doing a PhD was the least interested in her area character or person I have ever met. She vaguely attends exams and lectures for a bit but is zero percent interested or passionate about them. Really she seems to have no executable interests, hobbies, anything in her life other than this relationship of inconvenience.
- It was possibly realistic that the characters committed to something massive without ever talking about ANYTHING and then the relationship fizzled in awkward fits and starts, but it wasn't narratively satisfying. The protagonist's expectations for the relationship seemed to change frequently but it was very difficult to track! THEY NEVER TALKED ABOUT ANYTHING. And not even in a pointless misunderstanding way - like there really seemed to be no expectation or intent on either of their part to GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, even if they were planning on an amicable rather than passionate marriage, and it was quite weird. It also made the falling in love bit quite unbelievable, like oh, you hung out together for perhaps as much as 6, 7 hours but you're desperately in love with him but just KNOW he can never love you? IDK. Didn't buy it.
- George was cool.
November 1, 2017
This book was really interesting. There was a lot going for it -- alternate history, compelling couple, royals, GEORGE.
Ultimately the major problem I had with it was the age old trope of "I won't talk to you even though it will solve most of our problems!"
Good communication is so key to good relationships and Amelia and Arthur struggled with it so much I feel like the ending wasn't really them learning and growing as "well we've written this much it should end"
Ultimately I liked it, especially Princess George (genderqueer witch princess!).
Ultimately the major problem I had with it was the age old trope of "I won't talk to you even though it will solve most of our problems!"
Good communication is so key to good relationships and Amelia and Arthur struggled with it so much I feel like the ending wasn't really them learning and growing as "well we've written this much it should end"
Ultimately I liked it, especially Princess George (genderqueer witch princess!).
April 19, 2018
Queen from the North is a charming contemporary alternate history romance set in England and involving royals.
Picture it, present day England, but an England in which the War of the Roses has never ended. Ireland has happily had no history of invasion or interference by Norman or English lords. (That part does not really come into the story). There is a lot of animosity between the north and south of England, which plays a huge part in the relationship of Arthur and Amelia.
Aspiring earth scientist Amelia of York is not having a stellar year. She has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is having trouble being accepted to graduate school. 'Of York' is not her official title, she is a daughter of an Earl in Yorkshire and proud of her heritage. She is studying climate change (aiming for her PhD) and is strong, principled, honest, formidable and extremely likable.
Arthur is the heir apparent to the throne of England, and is all about duty and family. All we really know about Arthur is that his marriage came to a tragic end years before, he has a reputation as a playboy, and that he has great need to marry and procreate for the good of the land.
An accidental meeting leads to an arranged marriage, with Arthur intending to unite the country by taking a wife who is descended from the House of York. Amelia accepts the proposal due to (mainly) a sense of duty to the oft neglected north of England and to her York ancestors, and also a little bit because she is crushing on the prince.
They have communication issues, mostly from refusing to talk. Added obstacles include his extremely busy schedule, the ever-present paparazzi, jostling among the York and Lancaster factions, and, to a lesser extent, the age difference (he is much older).
Points to Erin McRae for portraying a range of characters with realistic personalities. Friends, family members, and even exs of Arthur and Amelia, are wonderfully written, distinct, diverse and believable characters. And points for serving up some delicious alternate history romance fantasy that is quite believable and very engaging.
I enjoyed this book, and found it to be a really quick read. It is right on trend with royal romances being so hot right now.
Picture it, present day England, but an England in which the War of the Roses has never ended. Ireland has happily had no history of invasion or interference by Norman or English lords. (That part does not really come into the story). There is a lot of animosity between the north and south of England, which plays a huge part in the relationship of Arthur and Amelia.
Aspiring earth scientist Amelia of York is not having a stellar year. She has just been dumped by her boyfriend and is having trouble being accepted to graduate school. 'Of York' is not her official title, she is a daughter of an Earl in Yorkshire and proud of her heritage. She is studying climate change (aiming for her PhD) and is strong, principled, honest, formidable and extremely likable.
Arthur is the heir apparent to the throne of England, and is all about duty and family. All we really know about Arthur is that his marriage came to a tragic end years before, he has a reputation as a playboy, and that he has great need to marry and procreate for the good of the land.
An accidental meeting leads to an arranged marriage, with Arthur intending to unite the country by taking a wife who is descended from the House of York. Amelia accepts the proposal due to (mainly) a sense of duty to the oft neglected north of England and to her York ancestors, and also a little bit because she is crushing on the prince.
They have communication issues, mostly from refusing to talk. Added obstacles include his extremely busy schedule, the ever-present paparazzi, jostling among the York and Lancaster factions, and, to a lesser extent, the age difference (he is much older).
Points to Erin McRae for portraying a range of characters with realistic personalities. Friends, family members, and even exs of Arthur and Amelia, are wonderfully written, distinct, diverse and believable characters. And points for serving up some delicious alternate history romance fantasy that is quite believable and very engaging.
I enjoyed this book, and found it to be a really quick read. It is right on trend with royal romances being so hot right now.
June 17, 2019
review adapted from my texts to Jess last night:
it's very unfortunately Not Good. There's a LOT going on, the hero is kind of a dick, and the alternative history is lazy.
This had a lot of potential, but ultimately... nah.
Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2019: royalty
it's very unfortunately Not Good. There's a LOT going on, the hero is kind of a dick, and the alternative history is lazy.
This had a lot of potential, but ultimately... nah.
Read for Ripped Bodice Bingo 2019: royalty
October 11, 2018
I know there have been complaints about Amelia and Arthur not talking, but it is necessary to move the plot along, and I enjoyed her little escapade in Toronto. I would like to see what else happens in this universe.
Thank you to Gail Morse for her gift of this book. :-)
Thank you to Gail Morse for her gift of this book. :-)
August 10, 2017
I picked this up due to a posted sale, plus it has many of the things that are my catnip - fictional modern royalty, alternate history timeline, and sparkly things. The book exceeded my expectations significantly, and I greatly enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down for much of yesterday. An excellent surprise!
In this alternate timeline, the Unified Kingdom exists in a world where the Wars of the Roses weren't really finished, and the Lancasters have sat upon the throne in an unbroken line including Queen Elizabeth I. Incidentally, I do wish a line or two had been tossed in there about who Elizabeth had married and how she remained queen, given the laws at the time. York is considered a provincial backwater, London and the south is the urban and modern center of the kingdom, Scotland is its own country and I think so is Wales, and Ireland was never divided and is ruled over by a high king.
Into this setting come our protagonists, Lady Amelia who is from York and Prince Arthur, son of the current king. Arthur had lost his first wife in a skiing accident a decade ago, and has finally decided he needs to marry again in order to continue the line of succession as well as to find a companion. The two meet, and soon decide to approach this as a mutually satisfying arrangement that would bring a York queen to the throne one day, allowing Amelia to help her people and Arthur to help heal some of the wounds from centuries before. Of course, neither of them thought about falling in love...or not.
One GLARING error that happened more than once - if people are being careful of what they say and where, they are being DISCREET. If a person is not discrete then that's a whole different medical condition. Authors, yell at your copyeditors over this one, as it happened more than once!!
The downside of this book is that probably 90% of the conflict comes from the trope where the main characters don't talk to each other. The first time this happens makes a lot of sense, but it's never really gotten over (especially with Arthur) and it got a little tiring as the book wore on. There was plenty of external conflict, so clinging to this particular trope was really not needed.
However, pretty much everything else is awesome. There is a range of characters not usually seen in this type of fiction, including a black woman married to a peer, several homosexual characters of different social levels, and a genderqueer person (even including a short discussion about pronouns). A+ on the inclusion here - while not every single possible permutation was included (I don't recall any disabled or asexual characters), a wide range is included and it wouldn't surprise me to see additional different characters show up in future books. Amelia is great, right down to standing up for herself and refusing to apologize for a fight someone else started, and she's amazing at getting support from Arthur as well as her friends. There's a lot of symbolism here, sometimes a little too heavy (white and red roses, of course, plus the ravens), but it adds interest and a layer of complexity if you're looking for it.
Great book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and could probably keep writing neat things about it. Even with the repetitive trope and the discreet/discrete error, I am looking forward to the next book in the series and am likely to go look up other works by these authors. Rating on this book is a PG-13 - there is a lot of making out and one mild sex scene.
In this alternate timeline, the Unified Kingdom exists in a world where the Wars of the Roses weren't really finished, and the Lancasters have sat upon the throne in an unbroken line including Queen Elizabeth I. Incidentally, I do wish a line or two had been tossed in there about who Elizabeth had married and how she remained queen, given the laws at the time. York is considered a provincial backwater, London and the south is the urban and modern center of the kingdom, Scotland is its own country and I think so is Wales, and Ireland was never divided and is ruled over by a high king.
Into this setting come our protagonists, Lady Amelia who is from York and Prince Arthur, son of the current king. Arthur had lost his first wife in a skiing accident a decade ago, and has finally decided he needs to marry again in order to continue the line of succession as well as to find a companion. The two meet, and soon decide to approach this as a mutually satisfying arrangement that would bring a York queen to the throne one day, allowing Amelia to help her people and Arthur to help heal some of the wounds from centuries before. Of course, neither of them thought about falling in love...or not.
One GLARING error that happened more than once - if people are being careful of what they say and where, they are being DISCREET. If a person is not discrete then that's a whole different medical condition. Authors, yell at your copyeditors over this one, as it happened more than once!!
The downside of this book is that probably 90% of the conflict comes from the trope where the main characters don't talk to each other. The first time this happens makes a lot of sense, but it's never really gotten over (especially with Arthur) and it got a little tiring as the book wore on. There was plenty of external conflict, so clinging to this particular trope was really not needed.
However, pretty much everything else is awesome. There is a range of characters not usually seen in this type of fiction, including a black woman married to a peer, several homosexual characters of different social levels, and a genderqueer person (even including a short discussion about pronouns). A+ on the inclusion here - while not every single possible permutation was included (I don't recall any disabled or asexual characters), a wide range is included and it wouldn't surprise me to see additional different characters show up in future books. Amelia is great, right down to standing up for herself and refusing to apologize for a fight someone else started, and she's amazing at getting support from Arthur as well as her friends. There's a lot of symbolism here, sometimes a little too heavy (white and red roses, of course, plus the ravens), but it adds interest and a layer of complexity if you're looking for it.
Great book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and could probably keep writing neat things about it. Even with the repetitive trope and the discreet/discrete error, I am looking forward to the next book in the series and am likely to go look up other works by these authors. Rating on this book is a PG-13 - there is a lot of making out and one mild sex scene.
December 10, 2017
I found about the first 20% really delightful. An arranged marriage, an alternate modern day England in which the war of the roses has never really ended and tensions between North and South are running high. At the races a young northern woman Amelia bumps into Arthur, the heir to the English throne . They share an enjoyable few minutes of conversation which Amelia doesn’t think much of at the time but Arthur is needing to remarry, and Amelia might just fit the bill. Initially I really liked the development of Arthur and Amelia’s relationship, and the way Amelia has to find her way in a very new world.
However the world building didn’t convince me. Politicking seemed vague and Amelia’s motives for becoming queen also didn’t seem very well defined. I wasn’t sure why this world had to be alternate history- I don’t think anything was gained by it. The strengths of the book seemed to be Amelia coping with the huge changes in her life, and Arthur having to adjust to letting someone into his life. There were also magical elements I thought were out of place and unnecessary.
And the romance frustrated me- the authors have so many misunderstanding between the main couple, and ‘almost consummation scenes’, that it began to feel a bit exhausting. On the plus side there were some laudable feminist themes around sex and virginity.
Unfortunately this just didn’t live up to it’s early promise for me and I won’t be going on with the series.
However the world building didn’t convince me. Politicking seemed vague and Amelia’s motives for becoming queen also didn’t seem very well defined. I wasn’t sure why this world had to be alternate history- I don’t think anything was gained by it. The strengths of the book seemed to be Amelia coping with the huge changes in her life, and Arthur having to adjust to letting someone into his life. There were also magical elements I thought were out of place and unnecessary.
And the romance frustrated me- the authors have so many misunderstanding between the main couple, and ‘almost consummation scenes’, that it began to feel a bit exhausting. On the plus side there were some laudable feminist themes around sex and virginity.
Unfortunately this just didn’t live up to it’s early promise for me and I won’t be going on with the series.
April 22, 2018
I first heard about this in Dear Author's Daily Deals and I was intrigued by the idea.
Imagine an alternate reality where the United Kingdom took a different turn in history and the House of Lancaster still rules. Where Ireland is a separate Kingdom and the Yorkists still resent the Lancastrians. Where the North is kept poor and subject to the South. But pretty much everything else is the same.
Lady Amelia Brockett is a member of one of the rebellious York families, a York Princess if you will. Her Christmas has been ruined when her boyfriend dumps her and she fails to get accepted into MIT, just as the icing on the cake her mother announces all the bad news in front of forty of their closest friends and family.
Her brother Charlie invites her to accompany him to the Kempton Races as his wife Jo is allergic to horses, as the childhood friend of Prince Arthur they are seated in the Royal Box where Amelia strikes up an awkward conversation with the prince.
Prince Arthur is seventeen years older than Amelia and a widower. His slightly odd niece George advises him that he must remarry to get an heir and save the Kingdom. When he meets his best friend's little sister at Kempton he is amused and intrigued by a young woman who treats him more as a person than as a royal or as a prize in some kind of matrimonial game. Sedate meetings take place at garden parties and charitable events as Arthur and his parents mark out Amelia for attention.
This is pretty unique. A contemporary marriage of convenience that feels historical, very Wars of the Roses with a York princess marrying into the House of Lancaster to unify the country. There is also a distinctly magical feel to the book with superstition around the Ravens and the Tower of London and George's uncanny premonitions. There is also the May to December romance. the royal duties and media pressure.
It's intriguing and confusing and clever and sad and enlightening all at once. I loved it and I am intrigued to read more books by this author.
Imagine an alternate reality where the United Kingdom took a different turn in history and the House of Lancaster still rules. Where Ireland is a separate Kingdom and the Yorkists still resent the Lancastrians. Where the North is kept poor and subject to the South. But pretty much everything else is the same.
Lady Amelia Brockett is a member of one of the rebellious York families, a York Princess if you will. Her Christmas has been ruined when her boyfriend dumps her and she fails to get accepted into MIT, just as the icing on the cake her mother announces all the bad news in front of forty of their closest friends and family.
Her brother Charlie invites her to accompany him to the Kempton Races as his wife Jo is allergic to horses, as the childhood friend of Prince Arthur they are seated in the Royal Box where Amelia strikes up an awkward conversation with the prince.
Prince Arthur is seventeen years older than Amelia and a widower. His slightly odd niece George advises him that he must remarry to get an heir and save the Kingdom. When he meets his best friend's little sister at Kempton he is amused and intrigued by a young woman who treats him more as a person than as a royal or as a prize in some kind of matrimonial game. Sedate meetings take place at garden parties and charitable events as Arthur and his parents mark out Amelia for attention.
This is pretty unique. A contemporary marriage of convenience that feels historical, very Wars of the Roses with a York princess marrying into the House of Lancaster to unify the country. There is also a distinctly magical feel to the book with superstition around the Ravens and the Tower of London and George's uncanny premonitions. There is also the May to December romance. the royal duties and media pressure.
It's intriguing and confusing and clever and sad and enlightening all at once. I loved it and I am intrigued to read more books by this author.
January 15, 2018
I really enjoyed the alternate history vibe, especially as I am a fan of everything War of the Roses. The writing was wonderful and absorbing, however I couldn't help but feel like there were things left out of the book that made understanding the narrative and AU world difficult. There were allusions to how the AU government worked, but because we weren't sure on exact powers or roles, etc, it just sort of fell flat. Especially since I kept trying to reconcile the vagueness with what I know IRL of the UK's political system, which doesn't work. Not impossible to understand, mind, but I would have loved more fleshing out of all that and think it would have enriched the story. And then throwing in the magic/witch bit... that also needs more sussing out. Maybe that will be in future books (please tell me there will be a George book!), but that added more confusion to the mix. The relationship between Amelia and Arthur was lovely, but I really wish heroes and heroines like them would just use their words! Communication is key!
January 23, 2018
A slow-burn romance, this alternative history updates the British monarchy with feminist themes, social issues, and LGBTQ characters. (I reviewed it for Library Journal's Self-E contest in 2017)
July 10, 2018
I read this one after a recommendation from a panel at WisCon 2018, but found it unsatisfying. There are a lot of premises and elements that sound interesting in the description, but aren't really adequately explored in the book itself. There are two authors, and it just doesn't seem like they have the space to follow through on their own contributions to the narrative, let alone integrate each others'. The basic plot seems heavily based, in many ways, on the story of Prince Charles and Princess Diana (she's a much younger member of a minor noble family, she's worried about other women and whether he really likes her, her virginity is an issue), but there's a sort of half-baked background where the War of the Roses never really ended, although what that means is entirely unclear. Are there still battles? Do people still carry out campaigns on behalf of the descendants of the Yorks/Lancasters? Mostly, it just seems like the people of York are still kind of bitter about the whole thing, and their nobles don't have a lot of "power," but then neither does the king in this otherwise completely modern-sounding constitutional monarchy, where royalty are still basically figureheads. There's a lot of talk where the heroine, Amelia, worries about having her head chopped off by various people (the royal family, mobs of unhappy commoners), and whether she is being dramatic and metaphorical or actually seriously worried that this might happen seems to vacillate and vary from page to page. The reader is left wondering whether or not this is a world in which a minor noble from York could end up literally beheaded if someone decided they didn't like her marrying the Prince of Wales.
The current royal family is all apparently still descended from the Tudors, apparently via Queen Elizabeth I, but how that happened is entirely unexplored (although this would also certainly have put an entirely different spin on English history and had a number of lasting ramifications). Also, I couldn't help but be peeved at a pivotal moment in the book, which rested entirely on the seemingly universal acknowledgement, by all sides, that Richard III was unquestionably responsible for the deaths of the Princes in the Tower, even though any moderately serious historian knows that this was a piece of slander created by the Tudors, who are the most obvious suspects for the crime (as they were the only ones would would benefit from the deaths).
In the end, it was basically a fanfic take on the Charles/Diana romance, but Charles wasn't such a dick, and also there are some half-assed alternate history and magic/fantasy elements that never really get explored and don't seem to make much difference to the story.
The current royal family is all apparently still descended from the Tudors, apparently via Queen Elizabeth I, but how that happened is entirely unexplored (although this would also certainly have put an entirely different spin on English history and had a number of lasting ramifications). Also, I couldn't help but be peeved at a pivotal moment in the book, which rested entirely on the seemingly universal acknowledgement, by all sides, that Richard III was unquestionably responsible for the deaths of the Princes in the Tower, even though any moderately serious historian knows that this was a piece of slander created by the Tudors, who are the most obvious suspects for the crime (as they were the only ones would would benefit from the deaths).
In the end, it was basically a fanfic take on the Charles/Diana romance, but Charles wasn't such a dick, and also there are some half-assed alternate history and magic/fantasy elements that never really get explored and don't seem to make much difference to the story.
February 24, 2023
This story was interesting and had a good premise, which is why I wanted to read it. Royals remain fascinating, whether one likes it or follows it or not, but as always, it's the authors' version of it that can make it a good or not so good book.
This is an AU version of the UK monarchy, with a few little twists from the reality. I liked some political/constitutional elements, others not that much, but what I was interested in was the romance, of course, especially since it would have an age gap and I was curious to see how this would be played out.
Sadly, the characters didn't feel as well fleshed out as I hoped they would, they are kind of bland throughout the book and despite some of the things they said being important, I wasn't truly invested in them as a person, as an individual beyond the role they had to play for being part of the royal family. Everything related to them as individuals and as a romantic couple didn't convince me at all.
This is an AU version of the UK monarchy, with a few little twists from the reality. I liked some political/constitutional elements, others not that much, but what I was interested in was the romance, of course, especially since it would have an age gap and I was curious to see how this would be played out.
Sadly, the characters didn't feel as well fleshed out as I hoped they would, they are kind of bland throughout the book and despite some of the things they said being important, I wasn't truly invested in them as a person, as an individual beyond the role they had to play for being part of the royal family. Everything related to them as individuals and as a romantic couple didn't convince me at all.
May 18, 2018
This was not what I expected, but the synopsis was not misleading. I don't know what I expected.
Peeve time: there is no Gregory I while he's alive. He only becomes I when there's a Greg II. It's why King John is just King John, and why Pope Francis has no number. Argh.
I found Arthur frustrating because he would disappear for weeks on end and just be back. At one point, Amelia yells because she's making all these concessions, and he points out that he's making them too (which he is), but they're all happening off the page. He doesn't talk to her, like, at all, for large stretches of the story, especially when he really should.
I get that the ending is supposed to be sweet and romantic and grand gesture HEA, and I guess it works for that. But I would've enjoyed a different story more. As it is, I quite liked this. I zoomed through it and cared about Amelia.
Peeve time: there is no Gregory I while he's alive. He only becomes I when there's a Greg II. It's why King John is just King John, and why Pope Francis has no number. Argh.
I found Arthur frustrating because he would disappear for weeks on end and just be back. At one point, Amelia yells because she's making all these concessions, and he points out that he's making them too (which he is), but they're all happening off the page. He doesn't talk to her, like, at all, for large stretches of the story, especially when he really should.
I get that the ending is supposed to be sweet and romantic and grand gesture HEA, and I guess it works for that. But I would've enjoyed a different story more. As it is, I quite liked this. I zoomed through it and cared about Amelia.
February 23, 2018
This book will stand out as one of the most irritating things I've ever read. The two main characters were awful and stupid, and they spent 90% of this book mad at each other. So romantic. My favorite part of this book was when Arthur and Amelia were in different continents and hardly spoke to one another.
September 16, 2019
If you're going to go to the effort of creating an alternate timeline, then it needs to actually affect the story. There was so little here, other than the one piece of history that needed to change for the set-up. On top of that, the romance didn't feel totally earned. I did love reading the process-y bits around the marriage contract.
December 25, 2017
In a slightly alternate timeline, where the Wars of the Roses never ended in England, the enmity between the Houses of York and Lancaster is still present. Lady Amelia Brockett, only daughter of the Earl of Kirkham, born and raised proudly in Yorkshire is not having the best Christmas. Dumped by her boyfriend of two years and rejected by the graduate school she was hoping for, her mother especially seems to see her as the disappointment of the family. Her life takes a surprising and dramatic turn when her eldest brother takes her for a post-Christmas trip to the races, where she meets the long-widowed Prince of Wales, a former school friend of her brother's.
Having lost his wife in a skiing accident more than a decade ago, Prince Arthur's closest heir is his sister and her two daughters, neither of whom are interested in ever taking the throne. His eldest niece, George, insists that it is time he look for a new wife, and it just so happens that there aren't a whole lot of suitable young ladies of noble birth on the short list. Amelia is offered the chance of being the first Queen from the North in centuries, uniting the Houses of York and Lancaster in a royal marriage. Since becoming a widower, Prince Arthur has developed quite the reputation as a playboy, and he's nearly twice Amelia's age, but he's undoubtedly still fit and very handsome and by marrying him, Amelia would have a unique chance to improve the position of Northern England, a region that has long been neglected and overlooked.
She wants time to get to know the heir to the throne better, but as soon as the press gets wind of their possible romance, she finds herself constantly besieged and followed by paparazzi and the newspapers are full of stories digging into her past. While she's always been raised to behave in a certain way, wanting to be a good representative of her region, the etiquette involved in dating the Prince of Wales is on a whole new level, and potentially becoming a princess means having to memorise binders full of information. Luckily, Amelia has support from her loyal best friend/room mate, her sister-in-law and a very friendly receptionist at Buckingham Palace, who refers to himself as her "royalty customer service representative". While she's honestly not sure what the enigmatic Princess George, Arthur's niece, really thinks of her, the other members of the Royal family seem welcoming enough. Not everyone in England is enthusiastic at the thought of the potential match and there could be serious political ramifications from the match. Is Amelia ready for all this?
This is one of those e-books I got in a sale a while back and then didn't think all that much about, until it popped up on a list of recommended royal romances after the announced engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I'm not by any means a Royalist, nor do I fiercely believe that the monarchy should be abolished and we should just have a republic. In Norway, the royals are pretty down to earth, as such things go. Our Crown Prince married a single mother. His older sister runs corporate seminars about talking to angels (I'm absolutely not making this up, google it). From what I've read, Meghan Markle is way too awesome and interesting a person to basically become a glorified coat hanger who waves and smiles in public and pops out a baby once every so often, not actually allowed to express her honest opinion about anything (which seems to be all Duchess Kate does), but I'm also sure that she's weighed the advantages and disadvantages before accepting her new position, and I guess that if you truly love someone, you marry them even if it involves huge sacrifice.
What I liked about this book is that there is no whirlwind romance, but rather a very practical business arrangement that develops into something more. The unusual setting, that the book is set in an alternate timeline, where the Wars of the Roses were never properly resolved, and there are hints that the Crown Prince's niece and heir (who is also genderqueer - a very surprising and cool revelation) has supernatural powers (she considers herself the Court Witch) also added to its appeal. In a lot of aspects, this reads like a pretty normal British-set contemporary romance, but it's the small and subtle differences that made it a more fun read.
Obviously, with this being a romance, Amelia (who is called "Meels" by friends and family, possibly the worst nickname I've come across in a book in a long time) and Arthur do eventually fall in love. With the exception of the first chapter and a bit of the epilogue, however, the whole book is told from Amelia's point of view and because Arthur is very reserved, it takes her most of the book to realise that he loves her too, but there's been a number of external circumstances that make it difficult for him to reveal his true feelings. This also isn't a book that's heavy on the *insert funky bass line here*, with all sorts of things getting in the way every time the couple consider actually kicking the intimacy levels up a notch.
It seems as if this book is the first in a series, and I enjoyed the writing enough that I will happily check out more books by the Ms. McRae and Maltese.
Judging a book by its cover: Sometimes a self-published book means the cover will be awful, here I think they've done a pretty good job. There are the red and white roses that play a fairly significant symbolic part in the book, Big Ben (so you can tell at least part of the novel is set in London), ominous black birds (I'm assuming they're meant to be the ravens in the Tower) and a giant floating lady head, with a fancy updo, diamond jewelry and some sort of elegant evening gown - I'm assuming it's meant to be Amelia. Apart from the fact that the stone wall with the roses in the foreground reminds me of a war memorial, it's a perfectly decent cover.
Having lost his wife in a skiing accident more than a decade ago, Prince Arthur's closest heir is his sister and her two daughters, neither of whom are interested in ever taking the throne. His eldest niece, George, insists that it is time he look for a new wife, and it just so happens that there aren't a whole lot of suitable young ladies of noble birth on the short list. Amelia is offered the chance of being the first Queen from the North in centuries, uniting the Houses of York and Lancaster in a royal marriage. Since becoming a widower, Prince Arthur has developed quite the reputation as a playboy, and he's nearly twice Amelia's age, but he's undoubtedly still fit and very handsome and by marrying him, Amelia would have a unique chance to improve the position of Northern England, a region that has long been neglected and overlooked.
She wants time to get to know the heir to the throne better, but as soon as the press gets wind of their possible romance, she finds herself constantly besieged and followed by paparazzi and the newspapers are full of stories digging into her past. While she's always been raised to behave in a certain way, wanting to be a good representative of her region, the etiquette involved in dating the Prince of Wales is on a whole new level, and potentially becoming a princess means having to memorise binders full of information. Luckily, Amelia has support from her loyal best friend/room mate, her sister-in-law and a very friendly receptionist at Buckingham Palace, who refers to himself as her "royalty customer service representative". While she's honestly not sure what the enigmatic Princess George, Arthur's niece, really thinks of her, the other members of the Royal family seem welcoming enough. Not everyone in England is enthusiastic at the thought of the potential match and there could be serious political ramifications from the match. Is Amelia ready for all this?
This is one of those e-books I got in a sale a while back and then didn't think all that much about, until it popped up on a list of recommended royal romances after the announced engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I'm not by any means a Royalist, nor do I fiercely believe that the monarchy should be abolished and we should just have a republic. In Norway, the royals are pretty down to earth, as such things go. Our Crown Prince married a single mother. His older sister runs corporate seminars about talking to angels (I'm absolutely not making this up, google it). From what I've read, Meghan Markle is way too awesome and interesting a person to basically become a glorified coat hanger who waves and smiles in public and pops out a baby once every so often, not actually allowed to express her honest opinion about anything (which seems to be all Duchess Kate does), but I'm also sure that she's weighed the advantages and disadvantages before accepting her new position, and I guess that if you truly love someone, you marry them even if it involves huge sacrifice.
What I liked about this book is that there is no whirlwind romance, but rather a very practical business arrangement that develops into something more. The unusual setting, that the book is set in an alternate timeline, where the Wars of the Roses were never properly resolved, and there are hints that the Crown Prince's niece and heir (who is also genderqueer - a very surprising and cool revelation) has supernatural powers (she considers herself the Court Witch) also added to its appeal. In a lot of aspects, this reads like a pretty normal British-set contemporary romance, but it's the small and subtle differences that made it a more fun read.
Obviously, with this being a romance, Amelia (who is called "Meels" by friends and family, possibly the worst nickname I've come across in a book in a long time) and Arthur do eventually fall in love. With the exception of the first chapter and a bit of the epilogue, however, the whole book is told from Amelia's point of view and because Arthur is very reserved, it takes her most of the book to realise that he loves her too, but there's been a number of external circumstances that make it difficult for him to reveal his true feelings. This also isn't a book that's heavy on the *insert funky bass line here*, with all sorts of things getting in the way every time the couple consider actually kicking the intimacy levels up a notch.
It seems as if this book is the first in a series, and I enjoyed the writing enough that I will happily check out more books by the Ms. McRae and Maltese.
Judging a book by its cover: Sometimes a self-published book means the cover will be awful, here I think they've done a pretty good job. There are the red and white roses that play a fairly significant symbolic part in the book, Big Ben (so you can tell at least part of the novel is set in London), ominous black birds (I'm assuming they're meant to be the ravens in the Tower) and a giant floating lady head, with a fancy updo, diamond jewelry and some sort of elegant evening gown - I'm assuming it's meant to be Amelia. Apart from the fact that the stone wall with the roses in the foreground reminds me of a war memorial, it's a perfectly decent cover.
July 8, 2018
A Queen from the North by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese, published in 2017, is an interesting take on a contemporary romance featuring royals.
In this book, set in the present day, everything in the United Kingdom seems mostly recognizable, except the Kingdom is not as united as one might think. In this alternate universe story, England’s War of the Roses never quite ended. Mind you, Richard III, the last York king, was still defeated on Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor’s forces. However, instead of wiping out all sentiment for rebellion through the marriage of Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor, there had not been a marriage and there's been simmering resentment against the resulting Lancaster kings and queens that has lasted for centuries. In this situation, the royal family is a bit unsettled. The reigning King Henry XII is ill and Arthur, Prince of Wales, is destined to secede him in this unsettled time. Arthur, a thirty-nine year old widower, has no children and the next in line to the throne after him are his two teenage nieces, the older of whom believes she’s a witch — an actual being who’s a seer and is in touch with the natural world. It’s this young woman who begs her uncle to please marry again and ensure that there will be additional heirs other than herself. Enter twenty-two year old Lady Amelia Brockett. Amelia is finishing up her college work in one of the sciences, with hopes of attending graduate school. She is also the daughter of a prominent, titled York family from the north of England and is engaged to be married. But, immediately into our story, we learn that Amelia’s engagement is off and her applications to graduate school are uncertain. At loose ends, she accepts her older brother’s invitation to attend a horse racing event which is also being attended by his old school mate, the Prince of Wales. It’s here that Arthur meets Amelia and they find they have a camaraderie which grows into an understanding that might change the future of the country they both love. Is it possible that Arthur, descendant of the Lancaster royal line, can marry Amelia, a daughter of York, and finally end the War of the Roses forever?
Being a fan of Shakespeare’s history plays, the premise of this story really appealed to me. I thought it was a marvelous way of writing a modern royalty romance that uses real history, but doesn’t fall back on creating William and Harry-type clones or making up some other European-like playboy prince or princess. I also thought the interjection of a bit of mysticism and superstition was a good way of maintaining that other-worldly, alternate feel. My only problem with this story is that I wanted even more mystical happenings, as well as more examples of the estrangement of North and South. If you’re going to go this route, you should really commit, and I found this story to be a little too light on giving us the problems between the different halves of England as well as only hints of the supernatural elements that prophesied the fate of the nation and of our potential royal couple. This story could’ve been better if the authors had taken it to the next level. But, I still think they deserve applause for a very, original premise. I’d give it a strong B+.
In this book, set in the present day, everything in the United Kingdom seems mostly recognizable, except the Kingdom is not as united as one might think. In this alternate universe story, England’s War of the Roses never quite ended. Mind you, Richard III, the last York king, was still defeated on Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor’s forces. However, instead of wiping out all sentiment for rebellion through the marriage of Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor, there had not been a marriage and there's been simmering resentment against the resulting Lancaster kings and queens that has lasted for centuries. In this situation, the royal family is a bit unsettled. The reigning King Henry XII is ill and Arthur, Prince of Wales, is destined to secede him in this unsettled time. Arthur, a thirty-nine year old widower, has no children and the next in line to the throne after him are his two teenage nieces, the older of whom believes she’s a witch — an actual being who’s a seer and is in touch with the natural world. It’s this young woman who begs her uncle to please marry again and ensure that there will be additional heirs other than herself. Enter twenty-two year old Lady Amelia Brockett. Amelia is finishing up her college work in one of the sciences, with hopes of attending graduate school. She is also the daughter of a prominent, titled York family from the north of England and is engaged to be married. But, immediately into our story, we learn that Amelia’s engagement is off and her applications to graduate school are uncertain. At loose ends, she accepts her older brother’s invitation to attend a horse racing event which is also being attended by his old school mate, the Prince of Wales. It’s here that Arthur meets Amelia and they find they have a camaraderie which grows into an understanding that might change the future of the country they both love. Is it possible that Arthur, descendant of the Lancaster royal line, can marry Amelia, a daughter of York, and finally end the War of the Roses forever?
Being a fan of Shakespeare’s history plays, the premise of this story really appealed to me. I thought it was a marvelous way of writing a modern royalty romance that uses real history, but doesn’t fall back on creating William and Harry-type clones or making up some other European-like playboy prince or princess. I also thought the interjection of a bit of mysticism and superstition was a good way of maintaining that other-worldly, alternate feel. My only problem with this story is that I wanted even more mystical happenings, as well as more examples of the estrangement of North and South. If you’re going to go this route, you should really commit, and I found this story to be a little too light on giving us the problems between the different halves of England as well as only hints of the supernatural elements that prophesied the fate of the nation and of our potential royal couple. This story could’ve been better if the authors had taken it to the next level. But, I still think they deserve applause for a very, original premise. I’d give it a strong B+.
December 1, 2017
I bought this book because it was on sale in honor of Harry and Meghan's royal engagement. I was a bit iffy about buying a book from authors I'd never read before (what if it was bad? what if it was boring?), but the synopsis was intrigued me.
I am SO GLAD I bought this. It was SO GOOD, and it was EVERYTHING I wanted. Ever since the Harry & Meghan announcement, I have been craving tropey royalty romances, but with very specific tropes in mind. And this book delivered on every count. Not only was it wonderfully written, it actually contained every single trope I was craving at that very particular moment, which made it perfect for me!
So let's talk about this book! Without being too spoilery, let's just say that I loved the author's writing style, I loved their narrative voice, and I loved the fact that it's set in modern day (even though an AU of modern day!) and yet deals with archaic systems so it has everything I might want from a Regency romance, but with modern language and modern considerations - like paparazzi! (Yes, paparazzi was one of the tropes I was craving, and this delivered on that front.)
I was impressed with the way every piece of this book was so realistic, even in a world that seemed fantastical. Everything from the very real PR fallout, the non-spontaneous decisions that still are not completely thought through, that the heroine's feelings and emotions are exactly what I would feel in her place! And as someone who doesn't actually like "people get married and then they fall in love because of course" stories, this one hits every single one of my buttons and does everything to make me love this plot/trope for once!
And of course, I can't leave a review without talking about the AU setting. If you've gotten this far, you've probably read the synopsis yourself and know this takes place in a universe where York and Lancaster never reconciled. That in itself was enough to make me buy the book. In the end, though, while I'm intrigued by the historical deviations that the authors posit, I don't actually buy how this plays out in the book - specifically, the York/Lancaster AU setting really only comes into play at narratively convenient moments. There weren't enough ripple effects in the background, weren't enough small details when you set aside the Big Narrative Differences, to convince me that York really cared that much. And I totally buy that it could! But this book didn't convince me, and that meant the plot events later on were not as as compelling or as big a deal to me as they were to our hero and heroine. It doesn't matter, though, because the romance was enough to sell me where the AU elements did not - and the AU elements were still very intriguing, and immediately had me hunting down the authors' websites to see if there was another book out yet!
This book was so good, as soon as I finished it, I group-texted my friends about it and recommended it to them! And I would definitely recommend it to you!
I am SO GLAD I bought this. It was SO GOOD, and it was EVERYTHING I wanted. Ever since the Harry & Meghan announcement, I have been craving tropey royalty romances, but with very specific tropes in mind. And this book delivered on every count. Not only was it wonderfully written, it actually contained every single trope I was craving at that very particular moment, which made it perfect for me!
So let's talk about this book! Without being too spoilery, let's just say that I loved the author's writing style, I loved their narrative voice, and I loved the fact that it's set in modern day (even though an AU of modern day!) and yet deals with archaic systems so it has everything I might want from a Regency romance, but with modern language and modern considerations - like paparazzi! (Yes, paparazzi was one of the tropes I was craving, and this delivered on that front.)
I was impressed with the way every piece of this book was so realistic, even in a world that seemed fantastical. Everything from the very real PR fallout, the non-spontaneous decisions that still are not completely thought through, that the heroine's feelings and emotions are exactly what I would feel in her place! And as someone who doesn't actually like "people get married and then they fall in love because of course" stories, this one hits every single one of my buttons and does everything to make me love this plot/trope for once!
And of course, I can't leave a review without talking about the AU setting. If you've gotten this far, you've probably read the synopsis yourself and know this takes place in a universe where York and Lancaster never reconciled. That in itself was enough to make me buy the book. In the end, though, while I'm intrigued by the historical deviations that the authors posit, I don't actually buy how this plays out in the book - specifically, the York/Lancaster AU setting really only comes into play at narratively convenient moments. There weren't enough ripple effects in the background, weren't enough small details when you set aside the Big Narrative Differences, to convince me that York really cared that much. And I totally buy that it could! But this book didn't convince me, and that meant the plot events later on were not as as compelling or as big a deal to me as they were to our hero and heroine. It doesn't matter, though, because the romance was enough to sell me where the AU elements did not - and the AU elements were still very intriguing, and immediately had me hunting down the authors' websites to see if there was another book out yet!
This book was so good, as soon as I finished it, I group-texted my friends about it and recommended it to them! And I would definitely recommend it to you!
January 15, 2018
My few forays into alternative history have been interesting, but nothing terribly exciting. Often they require a great deal of suspension of belief. So I am pleased to announce I have found an alternative history romance I love – The Queen of the North by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese.
Imagine the War of Roses never truly ended. That’s what the co-authors Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese do in this alternative history of Great Britain set in modern times. In their version, the north (York region) and the south (London/Lancaster region) are in social and political conflict with York as the loser being treated as a second-class part of the country.
The heroine is the daughter of a northern earl. She has just suffered a broken engagement and a rejection from grad school, but otherwise lives a normal life as a college student.
The hero is the Prince of Commonwealth. His wife has died, and he is under pressure to marry again and produce an heir for the throne, which for some rather unclear reason none of his relatives seem to want.
Lady Amelia (the peerage seems to function normally in the story) literally crashes into the prince at a horse race, and they sort of hit it off. Fifteen minutes of conversation leads to a cold request for her hand in marriage—her being the only likely candidate of the right age and status.
Truly a daughter of York, Amelia, while distrusting the prince and his motives, sees this as an opportunity to help her people gain status. But the situation is rife with tension and confusion. Especially, after she realizes she has fallen in love with, at least on the surface, a cold uncommunicative man.
There are two things that make this story exceptional for me. First, the authors have brilliantly depicted the hardship and actual pain being in the public eye imposes on royalty. While Amelia starts the story forthright and open, she soon learns everything about her life as a future princess is fair game for the media. The prince, on the other hand, who has grown up in a media fishbowl, maintains a stiff and contradictory relationship, which she can’t figure out. Second, the delightful character of Priya, Amelia’s roommate, adds just the right touch of irrelevance and practicality to a story that could have turned dark and serious.
The alternative history works so well in this case, I believe, because the authors have made only a minor tweak for the reader to adjust to. Other than the York/Lancaster bit, everything functions the way we would expect in a contemporary British royal romance. Add in the mix of tongue-in-cheek humor and character torture of the most exquisite royal kind, and you have a winner.
If you like reading well-written contemporary romance about royalty, and are willing to suspend belief slightly (there are some very strange ravens), this is the book for you.
Imagine the War of Roses never truly ended. That’s what the co-authors Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese do in this alternative history of Great Britain set in modern times. In their version, the north (York region) and the south (London/Lancaster region) are in social and political conflict with York as the loser being treated as a second-class part of the country.
The heroine is the daughter of a northern earl. She has just suffered a broken engagement and a rejection from grad school, but otherwise lives a normal life as a college student.
The hero is the Prince of Commonwealth. His wife has died, and he is under pressure to marry again and produce an heir for the throne, which for some rather unclear reason none of his relatives seem to want.
Lady Amelia (the peerage seems to function normally in the story) literally crashes into the prince at a horse race, and they sort of hit it off. Fifteen minutes of conversation leads to a cold request for her hand in marriage—her being the only likely candidate of the right age and status.
Truly a daughter of York, Amelia, while distrusting the prince and his motives, sees this as an opportunity to help her people gain status. But the situation is rife with tension and confusion. Especially, after she realizes she has fallen in love with, at least on the surface, a cold uncommunicative man.
There are two things that make this story exceptional for me. First, the authors have brilliantly depicted the hardship and actual pain being in the public eye imposes on royalty. While Amelia starts the story forthright and open, she soon learns everything about her life as a future princess is fair game for the media. The prince, on the other hand, who has grown up in a media fishbowl, maintains a stiff and contradictory relationship, which she can’t figure out. Second, the delightful character of Priya, Amelia’s roommate, adds just the right touch of irrelevance and practicality to a story that could have turned dark and serious.
The alternative history works so well in this case, I believe, because the authors have made only a minor tweak for the reader to adjust to. Other than the York/Lancaster bit, everything functions the way we would expect in a contemporary British royal romance. Add in the mix of tongue-in-cheek humor and character torture of the most exquisite royal kind, and you have a winner.
If you like reading well-written contemporary romance about royalty, and are willing to suspend belief slightly (there are some very strange ravens), this is the book for you.
June 25, 2017
I raced through it, only to feel a bit blah at the end. This is one of those books where the two leads are unable to use their words for pretty much the whole story arc. It's not so much miscommunication as no communication and all the angst that goes along with it. Then, just as things are sorted out - in the matter of no more than 15 minutes - the book ends. We deserved more of a payoff, even more of a grovel.
Although the summary talks about magic, there's only the faintest shred of it. It's more a bit of superstition than anything else. So, this is not a fantasy novel, which suits me perfectly.
The alt history - with everyone in the U.K. still holding grudges over the wars of the roses - didn't really come off IMO. It's a big part of the story line -- presented as the reason for why the prince chose Amelia as well as why there's so many stress afterwards what with protesters. Maybe if I were British I would have understood this at a gut level, but only knowing history from books, this didn't feel real to me. In part I think it's because we don't get much set up or context about why something that happened 500 years ago still matters. We briefly hear York is poor and the south has cut their government funding, but that's about it. So, the drama around this didn't resonate for me.
The rest of the book is fairly typical for royal wedding fiction. The woman living in a tiny flat, the descent of the paparazzi, learning to live with security digging one's footsteps, princess training with the queen mother at a remote location, fancy formal clothing, etc.
To the author's credit, this version is slightly more feminist than most. And there are half a handful of LGBTQ and WOC characters. Plus, the dresses, balls, wealth, etc are never treated as anything more than an uptight duty. No one's delighting in shopping or drinking or any kind of giddy excess. These are characters who take pain killers as preemptive measures before wearing old heavy tiaras for a state dinner. I liked all of that. This is adult, not some glittery child's idea of monarchy.
I just wish we could have had more of a relationship between the leads instead of chapters on end of being unable to communicate.
Although the summary talks about magic, there's only the faintest shred of it. It's more a bit of superstition than anything else. So, this is not a fantasy novel, which suits me perfectly.
The alt history - with everyone in the U.K. still holding grudges over the wars of the roses - didn't really come off IMO. It's a big part of the story line -- presented as the reason for why the prince chose Amelia as well as why there's so many stress afterwards what with protesters. Maybe if I were British I would have understood this at a gut level, but only knowing history from books, this didn't feel real to me. In part I think it's because we don't get much set up or context about why something that happened 500 years ago still matters. We briefly hear York is poor and the south has cut their government funding, but that's about it. So, the drama around this didn't resonate for me.
The rest of the book is fairly typical for royal wedding fiction. The woman living in a tiny flat, the descent of the paparazzi, learning to live with security digging one's footsteps, princess training with the queen mother at a remote location, fancy formal clothing, etc.
To the author's credit, this version is slightly more feminist than most. And there are half a handful of LGBTQ and WOC characters. Plus, the dresses, balls, wealth, etc are never treated as anything more than an uptight duty. No one's delighting in shopping or drinking or any kind of giddy excess. These are characters who take pain killers as preemptive measures before wearing old heavy tiaras for a state dinner. I liked all of that. This is adult, not some glittery child's idea of monarchy.
I just wish we could have had more of a relationship between the leads instead of chapters on end of being unable to communicate.
February 2, 2019
I was open to the idea of this book, but I didn't think the execution was very good.
The main conceit of the book is that the Wars of the Roses never got resolved, so when a contemporary Prince of Wales chooses the daughter of a northern earl as his fiancée, the decision has social and political meaning with repercussions that form an obstacle to their romance. The problem was that there is almost zero detail to bolster this idea--either in terms of backstory or action beyond what the main character personally witnesses. Every once in a while, the characters mention something like riots, and you wonder who is rioting and what their opinions or aims are. The nature and extent of the ongoing conflict are never accounted for. Is it a serious dispute? If so, why do some of the main northern characters live in London? If it's not, why is anyone upset about the engagement? The counterfactual fails to feel significant enough to motivate the protagonist's actions or worries because there's just no there there.
Two plot strands are then left. One is the fiancée's struggles to learn to become a royal in the public eye, which was handled much better in The Royal We (a book that seemed fluffy when I read it, but I remember it fondly several years later so it must have been really all right). The other is a traditional romance-novel plot where the characters have various tragic misunderstandings that could be easily solved by having an actual conversation with each other. I can tolerate this in romance novels that are fizzy, but this one isn't because neither of the protagonists is very likeable.
In the end, I can't recommend this even on sale. What I can recommend is York. I visited a few years ago, and like the co-author who wrote the foreword, was completely captivated.
P.S. If the authors wrote a book in which all of the characters died except the one who comes out as genderqueer near the end, and they took over and became King, I'd probably read that. They were interesting and the authors aren't bad writers.
The main conceit of the book is that the Wars of the Roses never got resolved, so when a contemporary Prince of Wales chooses the daughter of a northern earl as his fiancée, the decision has social and political meaning with repercussions that form an obstacle to their romance. The problem was that there is almost zero detail to bolster this idea--either in terms of backstory or action beyond what the main character personally witnesses. Every once in a while, the characters mention something like riots, and you wonder who is rioting and what their opinions or aims are. The nature and extent of the ongoing conflict are never accounted for. Is it a serious dispute? If so, why do some of the main northern characters live in London? If it's not, why is anyone upset about the engagement? The counterfactual fails to feel significant enough to motivate the protagonist's actions or worries because there's just no there there.
Two plot strands are then left. One is the fiancée's struggles to learn to become a royal in the public eye, which was handled much better in The Royal We (a book that seemed fluffy when I read it, but I remember it fondly several years later so it must have been really all right). The other is a traditional romance-novel plot where the characters have various tragic misunderstandings that could be easily solved by having an actual conversation with each other. I can tolerate this in romance novels that are fizzy, but this one isn't because neither of the protagonists is very likeable.
In the end, I can't recommend this even on sale. What I can recommend is York. I visited a few years ago, and like the co-author who wrote the foreword, was completely captivated.
P.S. If the authors wrote a book in which all of the characters died except the one who comes out as genderqueer near the end, and they took over and became King, I'd probably read that. They were interesting and the authors aren't bad writers.
November 8, 2017
This was quite an entertaining read in several ways I wasn't expecting. First of all, it's a quite interesting modern alternate monarchy, still steeped in history and tradition, for the British Monarchy. This is the story of Arthur, Prince of Wales, who is a widower next in line for the throne with no heir.
It's also the story of Amelia, a daughter of nobility from Northern York, which in this world is still under conflict with the South.
They meet at a garden party, and Arthur asks her to consider marrying him.
What follows, and what kept me reading up late at night to find out what happens, is Amelia slowly becoming sucked into the regimented, isolating, and public life of a Princess. And while Arthur is a heartthrob of a Prince, he kind of waxes hot and cold depending on his public duties.
Their courtship is at first tantalizing slow in a low-steamy kind of way. They have to steal private moments and there's definitely an attraction, but then the nature of royal life gets in the way, or Arthur ghosts her (and actually about halfway through when they'd already intellectually commited to each other, Arthur's ghosting became something difficult to believe and annoying rather than teasing). The last third of the book, this "hero and heroine never in the same room" dealio wasn't as interesting any more, because when Arthur and Amelia are together, it's awesome.
And there's quite a lot of cool stuff here. Insight into what it might be like to be suddenly thrust into the public light, having to close your drapes all the time, not being able to run to the corner store for milk, etc. And there's definitely some awesome side characters I hope get a book themselves one day. There's Arthur's younger sister, who is spooky and genderqueer and has a tie to the ravens of the Tower. And there's the irrepressible Mr. Jones who becomes Amelia's personal royalty customer service representative.
Definitely worth a read for any Anglophile or lover of more formal, less steamy romances.
It's also the story of Amelia, a daughter of nobility from Northern York, which in this world is still under conflict with the South.
They meet at a garden party, and Arthur asks her to consider marrying him.
What follows, and what kept me reading up late at night to find out what happens, is Amelia slowly becoming sucked into the regimented, isolating, and public life of a Princess. And while Arthur is a heartthrob of a Prince, he kind of waxes hot and cold depending on his public duties.
Their courtship is at first tantalizing slow in a low-steamy kind of way. They have to steal private moments and there's definitely an attraction, but then the nature of royal life gets in the way, or Arthur ghosts her (and actually about halfway through when they'd already intellectually commited to each other, Arthur's ghosting became something difficult to believe and annoying rather than teasing). The last third of the book, this "hero and heroine never in the same room" dealio wasn't as interesting any more, because when Arthur and Amelia are together, it's awesome.
And there's quite a lot of cool stuff here. Insight into what it might be like to be suddenly thrust into the public light, having to close your drapes all the time, not being able to run to the corner store for milk, etc. And there's definitely some awesome side characters I hope get a book themselves one day. There's Arthur's younger sister, who is spooky and genderqueer and has a tie to the ravens of the Tower. And there's the irrepressible Mr. Jones who becomes Amelia's personal royalty customer service representative.
Definitely worth a read for any Anglophile or lover of more formal, less steamy romances.
January 18, 2020
I really liked the setup of this series: the Wars of the Roses have gone cold, magic is real, and the Unified Kingdom is restive. I liked Amelia as a heroine (STEM girls represent) and I really liked that the book didn't forget that England (and the Commonwealth) are quite diverse. I liked Arthur when he remembered to be a human (charming and funny; the two of them could make me laugh!) and not a coronet on a stick. The politics were fascinating, and oh, what a delicious slow burn. I also liked Amelia's firm, flat refusal to be boxed into specific types of Good Princess; they were really good.
Things I didn't like: Arthur could be amazing when he was On, but he was such a fucking prat when he was not. (His groveling was excellent, and I understand that Amelia was making a specific political deal and not a love match regardless of the fact that this was a romance and Things Happen, but wow when he turned the prat on, he was a FUCKING PRAT.) Sometimes Amelia's bullheadedness in sticking to her plan was really frustrating as a person who wanted her to have a happy ending, even as I recognized and admired her willingness to be like, this is my price and I'm paying it.
Parts of their story felt weirdly dramatic even as they also felt weirdly emotionless, and it was an odd suspension in between the two. The politics of York, and of York vs Lancaster, felt really intense in a way that seemed jarring to me, and maybe it's because I hadn't taken enough of a mental sidestep to a world where the Wars of the Roses never really ended (in retrospect, I think that was the actual problem; my brain categorized "cold war" as "settled" rather than what it actually was, and that's on me, not the book.)
I was constantly anxious to get back to reading the book when I had to put it down, and now I'm SUPER AGGRAVATED that book two isn't available, not even for preorder to let me salivate over the cover and cry over how far away the release date is. GIVE ME MORE WARS OF THE ROSES. PLEASE.
Things I didn't like: Arthur could be amazing when he was On, but he was such a fucking prat when he was not. (His groveling was excellent, and I understand that Amelia was making a specific political deal and not a love match regardless of the fact that this was a romance and Things Happen, but wow when he turned the prat on, he was a FUCKING PRAT.) Sometimes Amelia's bullheadedness in sticking to her plan was really frustrating as a person who wanted her to have a happy ending, even as I recognized and admired her willingness to be like, this is my price and I'm paying it.
Parts of their story felt weirdly dramatic even as they also felt weirdly emotionless, and it was an odd suspension in between the two. The politics of York, and of York vs Lancaster, felt really intense in a way that seemed jarring to me, and maybe it's because I hadn't taken enough of a mental sidestep to a world where the Wars of the Roses never really ended (in retrospect, I think that was the actual problem; my brain categorized "cold war" as "settled" rather than what it actually was, and that's on me, not the book.)
I was constantly anxious to get back to reading the book when I had to put it down, and now I'm SUPER AGGRAVATED that book two isn't available, not even for preorder to let me salivate over the cover and cry over how far away the release date is. GIVE ME MORE WARS OF THE ROSES. PLEASE.
June 19, 2021
This is a difficult review to write because I had such high hopes for Queen From The North. An alternate UK history involving the Royal family (but not as we know it), closely tied to the War of the Roses, with Yorkists and Lancastrians railed against one another, with some witchy magic stuff thrown in. YES, I wanted to read that and see what the authors did with it and where they would take it.
I finished the book, which says a great deal, but I was so bitterly, bitterly disappointed. I should have paid attention to my instincts; any book that requires the author to explain the foundations of the plot BEFORE you start to read, is problematic.
AMELIA: In general, I liked her, but wanted her to show some grit. In a world that hates women, how did she manage to study a science degree to a level good enough to apply for a PhD? The environment in which she studied would have been rife with male privilege, insidious and overt sexism, bullying, and anti-Yorkist sentiments. She MUST have been strong enough to stand up to all this, yet she is rather spineless when it comes to Arthur. There are moments that made me cheer; when she stood her ground against Slingsby, for example, and the occasions when she did call Arthur out on his terrible silences and disappearances. The sad thing, however, is that she spends far too much time being weak-willed, and almost no time thinking about her future role as his wife. It is a nonsense to think, as the daughter of aristocracy, she would have to have the notion of supporting charities and had to have it pointed out to her. Comes across as naïve and childish at different times, yet occasionally we have flashes of maturity and insight. It is down to the writing sadly that she is painted so feebly.
ARTHUR: I flipped back and forth with Arthur – like – dislike. I did not buy the idea that having met Amelia (whom he did NOT know despite being good friends with her older brother), he was able within an extremely short space of time to think about a ‘marriage of convenience’. He is meant to be about 40 years old, yet we know almost nothing about what he does within his role as Prince of Wales. His character is opaque and unclear. Could not accept that the King and Queen would single Amelia out in public BEFORE meeting her in private. Not done. Arthur’s constant disappearances and silences were annoying and his excuses were just as bad – could the writer’s not have come up with something better?
Their relationship is a bad alternate version with a happy ending, of Charles and Diana. IF Arthur and Amelia had spent time together, alone not at dinner parties and with other people etc, getting to know one another, then this tale would be so much more believable. To invite Amelia to his gathering at Gatcombe as an after-thought was supremely insulting. Helen, the Queer Peer plays the role of Camilla, but as the authors’ make her gay, there is no conflict. Very nice but lazy.
WHAT I LIKED:
The whole premise of the War of the Roses still greatly impacting England and English politics, culture, and social divide.
The notion that witchcraft and magic was still a ‘thing’ and permitted.
The Ravens – Very Important Birds 😊
The reflection of society with regards to gender and sexual orientation: George a witch and genderqueer; Helen the ‘Queer Peer’ who marries her love; Edward, Amelia’s gay Personal Protection Officer.
Strangers to lovers
WHAT WAS ‘BAD’:
‘a lightning road for hate the southerners have for the north’ Giving the Lancastrians a southern centre and stronghold is a bit of a stretch, but the reader can go with it. Yet if the War of the Roses is the foundation for a political and social divide, the authors’ use of the north/south social, cultural, and political division and hatred as a device makes no sense whatsoever. Lancashire is a northern county with Yorkshire along the vast majority of its border.
If Amelia is so rooted and loyal to her York home why is she at a southern/London university and why is she applying to American universities for her post-graduate degree? The ruthless treatment of her home has not bothered her before.
‘could she trust him to pay her any more attention after they slept together’ : Sex? They’ve barely spoken! Apart from that, he kissed her and then didn’t speak to her for two weeks.
The ex-boyfriend: an apology? Even with evidence of his insulting behaviour? Get a grip! Just wrong, wrong, wrong.
‘I invited you to visit Gatcombe on a whim….but then I proposed to you, also on a whim’ – Why was this NOT unacceptable to Amelia? WHy is she not outraged? Too spineless at this point.
The wedding dress: A real face palm! No Royal bride in the history of Royal brides, particularly modern ones, would have their future husband, his team of courtiers, admins, and publicist, foist that red and white rose monstrosity on her. IF there had been a tradition of such a thing within this alternate realm then it would have been acceptable to the reader, but it is clear that there was NO such tradition.
Baring her soul to a barista: NO. NO. NO. NO. Completely out of character. Amelia is the daughter of an Earl, she had been brought up in a strict aristocratic manner to behave in certain ways – this is demonstrated well and repeatedly throughout the book. If she were to breakdown with anyone it would be Edward, her policeman; they have a good and close relationship.
WHAT WAS MISSING:
Witchcraft and Magic in any meaningful and overt way – its barely there
‘the hate nearly everyone has for women’: no explanations for this whatsoever
Why does Parliament gets away with not funding Yorkshire schools? Where are the Yorkist politicians? Are Yorkists disenfranchised?
No idea of how society works in general – employment, education, voting rights, and so forth. These would explain a great deal about this alternate UK.
The political and social aspects are things that Amelia and Arthur could have discussed when ‘getting to know one another’ (which didn’t happen) and as part of the basis of their marriage contract, especially given the fact that Amelia sees her marriage to Arthur as a way to help her home. It would also set the reader up for future books as I believe this will be a series.
Never before has a book I have read induced me to write as many notes as I have with QFTN. I wonder if the problems are the result of two authors who have approached the story from different viewpoints? Did they each compromise valuable plot points to accommodate the other’s? I have no idea. They introduce some important issues but fail to tackle them in any meaningful way. I don’t want an overtly issue based book that lectures, but what I can say is that both authors have missed a tremendous opportunity to produce a novel that could subtly inform readers while entertaining them.
Will I read the next in the series? Probably not. At best I’ll give it my 3 chapter rule and see what happens.
I finished the book, which says a great deal, but I was so bitterly, bitterly disappointed. I should have paid attention to my instincts; any book that requires the author to explain the foundations of the plot BEFORE you start to read, is problematic.
AMELIA: In general, I liked her, but wanted her to show some grit. In a world that hates women, how did she manage to study a science degree to a level good enough to apply for a PhD? The environment in which she studied would have been rife with male privilege, insidious and overt sexism, bullying, and anti-Yorkist sentiments. She MUST have been strong enough to stand up to all this, yet she is rather spineless when it comes to Arthur. There are moments that made me cheer; when she stood her ground against Slingsby, for example, and the occasions when she did call Arthur out on his terrible silences and disappearances. The sad thing, however, is that she spends far too much time being weak-willed, and almost no time thinking about her future role as his wife. It is a nonsense to think, as the daughter of aristocracy, she would have to have the notion of supporting charities and had to have it pointed out to her. Comes across as naïve and childish at different times, yet occasionally we have flashes of maturity and insight. It is down to the writing sadly that she is painted so feebly.
ARTHUR: I flipped back and forth with Arthur – like – dislike. I did not buy the idea that having met Amelia (whom he did NOT know despite being good friends with her older brother), he was able within an extremely short space of time to think about a ‘marriage of convenience’. He is meant to be about 40 years old, yet we know almost nothing about what he does within his role as Prince of Wales. His character is opaque and unclear. Could not accept that the King and Queen would single Amelia out in public BEFORE meeting her in private. Not done. Arthur’s constant disappearances and silences were annoying and his excuses were just as bad – could the writer’s not have come up with something better?
Their relationship is a bad alternate version with a happy ending, of Charles and Diana. IF Arthur and Amelia had spent time together, alone not at dinner parties and with other people etc, getting to know one another, then this tale would be so much more believable. To invite Amelia to his gathering at Gatcombe as an after-thought was supremely insulting. Helen, the Queer Peer plays the role of Camilla, but as the authors’ make her gay, there is no conflict. Very nice but lazy.
WHAT I LIKED:
The whole premise of the War of the Roses still greatly impacting England and English politics, culture, and social divide.
The notion that witchcraft and magic was still a ‘thing’ and permitted.
The Ravens – Very Important Birds 😊
The reflection of society with regards to gender and sexual orientation: George a witch and genderqueer; Helen the ‘Queer Peer’ who marries her love; Edward, Amelia’s gay Personal Protection Officer.
Strangers to lovers
WHAT WAS ‘BAD’:
‘a lightning road for hate the southerners have for the north’ Giving the Lancastrians a southern centre and stronghold is a bit of a stretch, but the reader can go with it. Yet if the War of the Roses is the foundation for a political and social divide, the authors’ use of the north/south social, cultural, and political division and hatred as a device makes no sense whatsoever. Lancashire is a northern county with Yorkshire along the vast majority of its border.
If Amelia is so rooted and loyal to her York home why is she at a southern/London university and why is she applying to American universities for her post-graduate degree? The ruthless treatment of her home has not bothered her before.
‘could she trust him to pay her any more attention after they slept together’ : Sex? They’ve barely spoken! Apart from that, he kissed her and then didn’t speak to her for two weeks.
The ex-boyfriend: an apology? Even with evidence of his insulting behaviour? Get a grip! Just wrong, wrong, wrong.
‘I invited you to visit Gatcombe on a whim….but then I proposed to you, also on a whim’ – Why was this NOT unacceptable to Amelia? WHy is she not outraged? Too spineless at this point.
The wedding dress: A real face palm! No Royal bride in the history of Royal brides, particularly modern ones, would have their future husband, his team of courtiers, admins, and publicist, foist that red and white rose monstrosity on her. IF there had been a tradition of such a thing within this alternate realm then it would have been acceptable to the reader, but it is clear that there was NO such tradition.
Baring her soul to a barista: NO. NO. NO. NO. Completely out of character. Amelia is the daughter of an Earl, she had been brought up in a strict aristocratic manner to behave in certain ways – this is demonstrated well and repeatedly throughout the book. If she were to breakdown with anyone it would be Edward, her policeman; they have a good and close relationship.
WHAT WAS MISSING:
Witchcraft and Magic in any meaningful and overt way – its barely there
‘the hate nearly everyone has for women’: no explanations for this whatsoever
Why does Parliament gets away with not funding Yorkshire schools? Where are the Yorkist politicians? Are Yorkists disenfranchised?
No idea of how society works in general – employment, education, voting rights, and so forth. These would explain a great deal about this alternate UK.
The political and social aspects are things that Amelia and Arthur could have discussed when ‘getting to know one another’ (which didn’t happen) and as part of the basis of their marriage contract, especially given the fact that Amelia sees her marriage to Arthur as a way to help her home. It would also set the reader up for future books as I believe this will be a series.
Never before has a book I have read induced me to write as many notes as I have with QFTN. I wonder if the problems are the result of two authors who have approached the story from different viewpoints? Did they each compromise valuable plot points to accommodate the other’s? I have no idea. They introduce some important issues but fail to tackle them in any meaningful way. I don’t want an overtly issue based book that lectures, but what I can say is that both authors have missed a tremendous opportunity to produce a novel that could subtly inform readers while entertaining them.
Will I read the next in the series? Probably not. At best I’ll give it my 3 chapter rule and see what happens.
April 2, 2019
This was a case of fascinating premise, poorly executed. I am sure the authors watched The Crown and loved it as much as all of us and went from there. But the setting doesn't feel different enough from modern Britain that the horrible treatment of York makes any sense. The romance is never developed - - suddenly she realizes she's in love with this guy, after spending time with him like four times? The main characters are not winsome. His hot and cold behavior is jerkish. She is supposedly a scientist, but after the engagement, she never thinks longingly about science again. I hate it when I am told something vital about a character, but they don't act like it's vital. Did I come in on the second book of a series? When was her character developed? Her supposed love for the North is never really shown, besides the weird trip to York. Why should I believe she cares about a part of the country that she barely spends time in?
Pacing and substance were sophomoric. Large portions of the book seem to be spent with Amelia wondering if she should/will sleep with Arthur before their wedding. No one seems to care that they're living in the same palace for months before the wedding. And about 80% of the way into the book, when his niece comes in randomly to hang out with Amelia and explains that she is genderqueer and they have a conversation about pronouns, it was so shoehorned in out of the blue and unconnected to the plot at that time that I had to laugh. This was such a weird place to go that direction with the story...and then it gets dropped again. I mostly pushed through to the end so I could legitimately review how weirdly awful this book was.
Pacing and substance were sophomoric. Large portions of the book seem to be spent with Amelia wondering if she should/will sleep with Arthur before their wedding. No one seems to care that they're living in the same palace for months before the wedding. And about 80% of the way into the book, when his niece comes in randomly to hang out with Amelia and explains that she is genderqueer and they have a conversation about pronouns, it was so shoehorned in out of the blue and unconnected to the plot at that time that I had to laugh. This was such a weird place to go that direction with the story...and then it gets dropped again. I mostly pushed through to the end so I could legitimately review how weirdly awful this book was.
April 23, 2018
Fated love
3.5 stars
Amelia has just been dealt a blow. Her boyfriend breaks up with her right before Christmas and she doesn’t get into her top grad school. Her confidence is at an all-time low but it perks up when she attends the horse races with her oldest brother. She’s thinking it will be nice to visit London from York while she reviews her life choices and makes plans for the future. It’s at the races where she meets the Crown Prince.
Arthur, the Crown Prince, has mourned his wife for 10 years. He’s now being asked to settle down again so that he can produce an heir. Not the most romantic of circumstances but it’s under this umbrella that he meets Amelia. She’s much younger than he is, but is smart, attractive and also happens to be the only sister of one of his best friends. Could he could make this work?
Amelia and Arthur enter this ‘relationship’ like a business transaction. They go over just about everything except what to do when the relationship stops being for show and starts to get real. Can Arthur love her? Will their differences be too much to create a healthy marriage?
There’s quite a bit I’m leaving out for the sake of not providing spoilers but know that this book is not set in current UK but an environment where the country is very much fractured and magic is believed and witches hold court. It’s interesting, entertaining and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
3.5 stars
Amelia has just been dealt a blow. Her boyfriend breaks up with her right before Christmas and she doesn’t get into her top grad school. Her confidence is at an all-time low but it perks up when she attends the horse races with her oldest brother. She’s thinking it will be nice to visit London from York while she reviews her life choices and makes plans for the future. It’s at the races where she meets the Crown Prince.
Arthur, the Crown Prince, has mourned his wife for 10 years. He’s now being asked to settle down again so that he can produce an heir. Not the most romantic of circumstances but it’s under this umbrella that he meets Amelia. She’s much younger than he is, but is smart, attractive and also happens to be the only sister of one of his best friends. Could he could make this work?
Amelia and Arthur enter this ‘relationship’ like a business transaction. They go over just about everything except what to do when the relationship stops being for show and starts to get real. Can Arthur love her? Will their differences be too much to create a healthy marriage?
There’s quite a bit I’m leaving out for the sake of not providing spoilers but know that this book is not set in current UK but an environment where the country is very much fractured and magic is believed and witches hold court. It’s interesting, entertaining and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
October 17, 2017
Purchased because I needed something fluffy and absorbing, and this did the trick, with authors whose work I have enjoyed before.
So: AU where the Wars of the Roses ( Houses of Lancaster vs. York) resolved differently. This is mostly for political background to raise the stakes of the central romance between Lady Amelia (York) and the Prince of Wales (Lancaster). I knew very little about the original history for this AU, and it was fine-- explained well enough to get you through, without getting bogged down.
Come for the AU royal stuff, stay for the epic banter. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of points. One of my favorite parts of this novel is that the dialogue is not only snappy, everyone sounds like plausibly real people, all of whom have multiple modes of speaking depending upon the context in which they find themselves. Which is all the more important when dealing with the whole royalty thing. All of the characters felt like real people, stuck in enormously public roles as an accident of birth, and desperately trying to navigate that while not creating an international incident OR making bad emotional life choices. Okay, WORSE emotional life choices that may turn out okay after all.
Thoroughly enjoyable modern royal romance. Recommended.
So: AU where the Wars of the Roses ( Houses of Lancaster vs. York) resolved differently. This is mostly for political background to raise the stakes of the central romance between Lady Amelia (York) and the Prince of Wales (Lancaster). I knew very little about the original history for this AU, and it was fine-- explained well enough to get you through, without getting bogged down.
Come for the AU royal stuff, stay for the epic banter. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of points. One of my favorite parts of this novel is that the dialogue is not only snappy, everyone sounds like plausibly real people, all of whom have multiple modes of speaking depending upon the context in which they find themselves. Which is all the more important when dealing with the whole royalty thing. All of the characters felt like real people, stuck in enormously public roles as an accident of birth, and desperately trying to navigate that while not creating an international incident OR making bad emotional life choices. Okay, WORSE emotional life choices that may turn out okay after all.
Thoroughly enjoyable modern royal romance. Recommended.
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