The Royal Court

A Medieval Tale #4

by Lina J. Potter, Kristina Tatarian (Translator)

The capital. It's the quiet before the storm. Countess Lilian Earton is now on the threshold of the royal palace, ready for a diplomatic and eloquent fight. A fight which will decide her destiny in a world she’s sacrificed so much for.
The royals and noblemen are far more sophisticated in matters of intrigue, gossip, and slander than anyone she has dealt with before. Lilian steps up to another level of negotiation and intricacy in her relationships: much deeper and more dangerous than in her native Earton Castle. Everyone in the capital of Ativerna has sharp teeth and are not afraid to use them to their own advantage… and they all have heard contradictory gossip about Lilian Earton.
New land, new friends, and new rivals mean new opportunities. She could push medicine and industry forward, could bring lots of inventions to this world, new guilds and so on… the only thing in her way now: King Edward. Meeting him might ruin everything or it could save and protect all. Still, he is not the only ruler who has his sights set on Lilian. The situation is nearing an international crisis.
She has to win the hearts and minds of the members of the Royal Family and of her own family. She writes a letter addressed to her husband to come and meet her in the Royal Palace. Will Jess accept this invitation?
The Royal Court is the fourth in the Medieval Tale series by Lina J. Potter. The story is coming to its culmination; there are central questions to be answered, meetings to be had, mysteries to be unraveled. Read the continuation of the saga as the plots of different characters entwine.

Genres: Fantasy, Time Travel, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Medieval, Romance

580 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Call it inspiration, the voice of a Muse, or plain obsession… Lina J. Potter has been dreaming up stories for as long as she can remember. She has a light-hearted approach to writing. Whenever she is not writing, you can find her practicing karate and lace-making. Nowadays, she lives in the quite town of Tambov with her husband, daughter and two cats.

Lina is looking forward to hearing from you! Connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/linajpotter

Connect with readers and join in the discussion
www.facebook.com/groups/1041553379344...

Also have a look at:
www.lithunters.com
www.facebook.com/LithuntersPH/

Reviews

[Lois Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editor and translator did the author no favors with the 4th book in this series. As I can only read the English translation, I feel that there has been much lost in translation and I put the blame squarely on the editors and translators. For example, the author would not have her characters coming out of a "gun shop" with 2 knives, when it has been repeatedly mentioned in the first 3 books that there are no guns in this alternate medieval world. There are too many grammatical and storyline errors smattered though out the book to list them. With that said, with the editors doing such a poor job, the author may want to consider choosing a few of her avid readers that would certainly do most of her editing for free. I think the author is a good writer and has an interesting tale to tell, I wish for her and the story that her editor and translators step it up and do better work.

[Carmina Valdizán · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite book in the series so far, Lina, the author, did a flawless job, she delivered the message and I can feel Lily’s frustration and dilemma, the fact that you are a strong woman doesn't make you less vulnerable. She needs love, support, admiration and passion like everyone else. Radical feminists won’t agree but we are humans after all, and we need someone by our side that loves and support us, I quote from the book: “No one seemed to acknowledge the feminine side of her. They viewed her like they regarded a battleship and noticed the number of its guns”. ... “If a woman chose to fight instead of crying in the corner, it did not mean that she was an Iron Lady. It only indicated the type of her defense mechanism.”

Enjoyed this book tremendously, nonetheless I am a bit anxious about the next one and last one of the series, there are many loose ends that need to come together.

The characters have grown tremendously, specially Lily and Mirrie, I still have serious doubts about Jess and I’m not sure he is up for the challenge. Hopefully he’ll surprise us for good.
From the new characters I like Lydia and suspect we haven’t seen her in whole, she has a lot of potential and honestly I cannot stand Anna.

[Ray Midddleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first books a great deal more than this one; I found the translation for this one to be very clumsy and inaccurate.

[Barkelnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Special

As an avid reader of fiction, I particularly love medieval stories with a twist. This tale is simply one of the very best.

[Veronica245 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Четыре книги(прочитанные в оригинале) и Лиля все ещё не потеряла голову, хотя покушались на неё уже больше раз чем у меня пальцев. Написано увлекательно хотя романтики там до пор нет, с этим перетянули и я теперь и не знаю 🤷🏻‍♀️ муж, друг, принц? Хз?

[Sky Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bit of grammar error but other wise awesome!

Man this author really knows how to dangle the ending off a cliff! I'm already dying for the next book in the series. Though this book probably should have been edited a bit more thoroughly, I don't think it truly took away from the actual story itself. A great continuation and I can not wait for the rest.
Slight spoilers ahead!****








I can't wait for Lily to bring the hammer down on Jess!!!! Omg I died when they bought lily's products, as a gift, for her. Like dude for real. So much frustration! Gag Lily is going to blow him away when he sees her again and if he continues to act like a stubborn asshole and doesn't use his brain and realize at least a bit how awesome she is, I will find a way to get to Ativerna and beat him bloody. I swear on Aldonai!!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

Beautifully told, yet frustrating! I want more! How do all the plots and sub plots reach their conclusion? I want to see how this wonderful heroine's life comes to, what I feel sure will be, a satisfying point for a better future!

[Evelyn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the story, the feeling of what will Lily do next. Will head remain an ass?why do her in-laws want her dead? I don't like cliff hangers.is there another book in the works?

When will it be released? I enjoy the story line but at some point there needs to be an end.
eries

[cathy mitchem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent need more

Excellent book, love Lilly and her whole story but left us wanting so much more...need another story to her life and the happy ending must come.

[Donna L Araman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journey with the countess

As she embraced a life that was not hers to creating a new reality blending the 21st century with the medieval times in which she found herself. I couldn't wait to read what would happen next.

[Linda L. Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read.

I love this series and am looking forward to the next book to come.
A more practical look at time travel, and human nature.

[Patricia Carcasses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait!

I can barely contain myself waiting for the next novel (there better a next one!). Can't wait until Lily and Was finally meet...

[TM Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I'm hooked, where is the next one?

Nearly the only complaint I have about this series is waiting for the next volume. The adventures of Lily and the cast surrounding are fascinating from the obvious attention to detail and character development. A marvelous landscape of people and places, heroes and villains, adventures and simple everyday life, all woven into an entrancing, enthralling tapestry. A good read, now where is the next one?

[bobbi stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hungry for more

I waited so long for this book thinking i would find out the rest of the story. Arrhggg! Now I have to wait for the next book! How long? When is it coming out?
This is the most interesting series I've read in awhile, please hurry with the next book.
Having said that I did have some issues with the editing, misspelled words, missing words, etc. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misleading content length but entertaining

These books are interesting but it is extremely disappointing to purchase only 3/4 of a full novel. The true length of these books is between 65%-75% of what is advertised. Why do authors do this? If I like the book, I will purchase The sequel. I don't want to be "manipulated" to it by presenting the first few chapters at the end of the previous book. It's ridiculous.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuity problems continue

I continue to enjoy the story. That said continuity problems remain. In the first three volumes Lily’s husband is an Earl But in volume 4 he is a Count. I could give other examples but it would be a waste of time. Also, I felt that there were at least two different authors. In places the writing was stilted and strained and in others the dialogue was excellent. It seemed like a poor translation at times. There were also more grammatical and spelling errors that should’ve been picked up by beta readers. For example when referring to a persons waist the author used the word waste. Don’t mean to be overly negative; however, book 4 needed a better editor. Looking forward to the next volume. Hopefully the author will smooth out the rough edges.

[Lawrence Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different ,not in a good way, from books 1,2,and3. Won't be buying book 5. Book 4 is confusing and hard to follow plot and identify characters. The story seems deliberately strung out to sell more books. So disappointed. The ability to look up characters you may have forgotten is not enabled with this book.r

Would recommend only the first 3 books even though you won't get to see the meeting of Jess and Lily until book 5. It isn't worth the wait.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good! Waiting on the next one!

[Jacque Brin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler: The husband is a jerk!

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

April 2019
Audio & Kindle

Review for entire series
Book 1 - 4 Stars
Book 2 - 4 Stars
Book 3 - 3 Stars
Book 4 - 2.5 Stars
Book 5 - 3 Stars

This is the premise of the series in a nutshell:

Aliya is a medical school graduate gifted with both smarts and an athletic body. Her life seems perfect...until she finds herself in a fatal car accident. Instead of dying, however, she wakes up in a completely different body, in the middle of a half-ruined castle during alternate medieval times. Confused and dismayed, Aliya realizes she was given a second chance in life as Countess Lilian Earton, so she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work on restoring the castle and her new life.

This series is promoted as a romance, but I would disagree with that. This series is more of a Historical/Fantasy/Time-Travel/Adventure. The main "couple" don't even meet until the last book. Well..... the "hero"

who is Lilian's estranged husband, has met Lilian - that is - the real Lilian, but he has no idea what this new Aliya/Lilian person is like. He's not even around. His marriage to Lilian was arranged and he wasn't attracted to her at all. He married her, drunkenly bedded her, then shipped her off to one of his old crumbling estates and only visits once or twice a year. In the meantime, he sleeps around and has mistresses that he doesn't bother trying to hide.

Lilian is over weight. There is a lot of fat shaming on the part of the husband. Aliya/Lilian isn't used to being in an out of shape body and she doesn't feel good in it, so she immediately gets to work on getting in shape. She also quickly realizes her vulnerable situation and that her husband doesn't care what happens to her or the estate. So she decides she needs to get busy on getting things put to rights.

Aliya was a very smart girl and she is able to put her twenty-first century knowledge to work. This is what made the story so good for me.

This series was translated from Russian and the translation isn't always good. The first few books are available in audio, and I recommend going that route. The narration helps to smooth the rough edges (and there are a lot of rough edges). I'm not sure what the translators native language is, but I doubt it's English, because she got a lot of the translation wrong. Just some stuff that didn't flow or make sense. If that type of thing bothers you, you should steer clear of this series. If you can work through such things, then you might enjoy these books.

What I liked about the first couple of books is the world Ms. Potter has created. I liked watching Aliya/Lilian learn to make her way in her crazy situation and I really enjoyed watching her use her knowledge to bring new advances to this medieval type world. What I didn't like was the estranged husband. The POV's switch between several different people, one being the husband. What an asshole!! Seriously grade A jerk. And he stays that way through the first 4 books. I'm not sure he ever redeemed himself completely in the final book, but I learned to live with it. The only thing I had to hold on to was that he didn't know THIS Lilian. Still, I feel sorry for the life the real Lilian had to live. She didn't have the inner strength of Aliya to make something more of her situation.

I really liked the first couple of books, the third book was still likable but a little slower, and the 4th book felt like a different translator took over and the writing got worse and not much happened. The final book picks back up and everything happens quickly. We do get answers to our questions and everything wraps up.

I would definitely consider more books by this author if I could get them in audio. I really liked her overall story. I was engrossed from the beginning.

Side Note:
It's been a few months since I read the books so I can't remember some details, but I think a trigger warning is likely needed for harm against women/children. Also, the estranged husband cheats on Lilian and there are a couple of mildly detailed sex scenes with other women.

[Damie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t normally write reviews. Expect minor spoilers.
Let me start by saying that I genuinely enjoy this story.
That being said, I need to vent a few frustrations about this series.
There are SO many continuity errors. I am almost done with the fourth book. The author seems to get confused and can’t seem to remember previous descriptions.
In the first book our protagonist loves horses. She loved to ride in her original life. In the second book, she was gifted a horse and was “never really fond of horses”.
Erik goes from blue eyes, to brown eyes back to blue eyes.
She had a skirt made with buttons only later to describe how fascinated the seamstresses were when she introduced buttons to them for the first time.
Her dog Nanook goes from male to female to male again.
Miri’s dog goes from female to male to female.
The main character describes herself as 5’6 in book one only to change to 5’10 later on.
The carpenters that were rescued slavers are later described as being a part of the team of apprentices that she picked up when she was in Altver.
The prince is described as being about 15-18 then later said he was not much older than Miri who is 8.
It just goes on and on.
Am I nitpicking? Probably.
If not for the fact that I do genuinely want to know how this tale ends, I’d have stopped reading after book 2 and not purchased the last three.
I feel like her editor strongly failed her.
If you’re not bothered by small details then I’m sure you will love this series.

[Olga Akdogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is twisting and this series is taking very interesting turns.
I love how the relationship between Jess and Lily develops and matures.
I was very touched by those intimate moments of self-awareness and ethical restraints of Aliya through Lily - how she cannot recognize herself anymore and is losing ground in this new world she is in.

As a cultural anthropologist, I wonder whether feminism has a different cultural interpretation and perception in Russia. Lilian repeatedly claims that being an ambitious woman is not at odds with having a family and devoting oneself to one's children and husband. In the Western world, we are convinced that these elements are incompatible. However, in contemporary Russia I have witnessed how female researches and lecturers invited to research conferences are allowed to take there children with them. Maybe the Russian society is simply much more female friendly - partly because of the Soviet legacy?

Albeit, 5* because it makes me ponder on these questions and opens new discussions.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series!

This is an entertaining series on the spirit of a Russian surgical student from the 21st century, who is given a 2nd chance in life, by taking over the body of a sad simple minded woman from a medieval type of world, who no longer wished to live.
Lots of palace intrude, ridiculous court trivialities, and world building on Lily’s growing businesses, while the story slowly culminates the main characters together into the final 5th book, coming up next.
The story ebbs & flows, but the world the author builds has grown exhilarating and fun for a modern mind in a medieval time! This particular book in the series, seemed to either tie up lose ends on various characters, while preparing the readers for the main show. The stage is all set! Now, onto the final book!

[Darlene Schnatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the series a disappointment

Lillian Earton has brought 20th century products, ideas and medicine to her medieval place in time. I eagerly read the first 4 of this series and look forward to the 5th. However , this 4th book seems to have been rushed with less careful editing and poorer quality translation . There is some word misuse- like waste instead of waist, and several instances where two words are together without a space between them. This is not one of those 90 cent books, it had a hefty price tag for such poor editing .
I still plan to read the 5th in the series due out next month but sincerely hope that more care is taken to present better quality.

[Alicia Araya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series!

I was so excited to find this series! It is different from other "time travel" book you will find. I like how the main character did not immediately fall in love with someone and she works hard to improve her new life.

The one thing I find hard about this series, not that it will stop me from finishing it, is how the author will jump from one character to another. That would not be so bad if it was two or three, however there are so many characters it's hard to keep up.

Please keep up the excellent work and can not wait to read on!

[Herma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was a major disappointment.

Was it just me or did it feel like the author had absolutely no idea where to go with this story? I don't know what happened but I liked the first book. Loved the second and third too and then the next book went down drastically. Let's be honest here. I am so curious about this series because well, I find it interesting in the first place, but I end up being disappointed and frustrated. And when we finally meet Lilian and her jerk husband in this story??! It's too f***in long!

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Baffled

I have read all 4 books in this series and Lily still hasn't met her husband, Jess. This is a very boring story that should have been concluded in the first book. Why this author thinks she needs 4+ books is beyond my comprehension. I'm fairly certain that this series was never proofread. If there is a book 5, I'll probably read it just to see if Lily and Jess ever meet. (I'm a glutton for punishment). I could never recommend this series and have a clear conscience.

[Virginia Accurso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book a lot. I thought that I liked the other three but,.... You really get to know Lily in this book far more then in the others. She is a woman deep down but has to put on a front in order to survive. I'm still a little confused about Jerrison, but I hope that his character isn't really as cold as he seems. As for the other characters,...they keep you on your toes. Looking forward to reading this last and final book in the series.

[Glenn Cover · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 for intent but 3 for selling the same words twice.

Book 3 at 66% the book ended and the remaining 33% was book 4. Repeated again in book 4. So book 4 had 33% of its content printed in book3 and ended at 77%. 100 - 77 is 23 plus 33% is 55 So 45 % is all that is not part of book 3 of 5.

Just not worth it to me but a nice scam for the author. I did not really mind in a dead for free novel but that ended and so does my reading of this series

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that they changed translators. Unlike the first three books in the series, this one suffers from awkward phrasing and spelling and grammatical errors. There's numerous cases of the wrong word entirely being used peace instead of piece, heeling instead of healing and there's inconsistency in the translated names Maldonaya vs Maldonay, Lidar vs Lidarh.