Maya and the Queen

by Marian Snowe

Two women. Two worlds apart.

Maya Scanlon doesn’t want a fling. The former EMT’s attempts at finding true love have been a self-esteem kick in the teeth, so it figures that the one person she hits it off with is looking for the opposite of “forever.”

Sophie Kent is charming and gorgeous, but she’s got a secret: she’s actually the princess of a tiny European kingdom, come to America for one last hurrah before she has to take the throne. The best she can promise is a few weeks, and that’s not what Maya’s heart is after. But they have too much chemistry to just walk away.
With desire mounting and queenhood looming, can they keep their promise to just be friends? In a situation that defines “It's complicated,” will common sense prevail or will they tumble into love heart first?

Maya and the Queen is a sweet, funny lesbian romance with regrettable dates, Ferris wheel kisses, and a royal happily ever after.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Royalty, Audiobook, Contemporary, Adult, Queer

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

Marian Snowe is an author of lesbian romantic fiction. She can often be found talking to trees, examining flower petals with a magnifying glass, or venturing with small steps into the frigid New England ocean. She lives with her vivacious, adventure-loving wife, Ruby Grandin, and two cats. She loves to settle down in a meadow or at her desk by a window (with a good view of the birdfeeder!) to write stories about ladies in love.

Reviews

[AnnMaree Of Oz]

DNF - Not necessarily bad, I think it's just best to go in expecting a fairly basic run of the mill lesfic rom-com and just sit back and enjoy the ride, without questioning things too much - this is where I failed miserably, so it's on me! I accept that. So take my criticisms with a grain of salt!!!


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So these two women meet when they both recently move to a small town in Vermont, and both set themselves up on a lesbian dating app to meet potential mates.

We get given the general overview that Princess Sophia took off for a while to 'sow her wild oats' or something, but it never really made much sense. Because it's stated she's out and proud, but seemingly never had an actual girlfriend? and her parents seemingly insist on her being bi/straight. She's 32 now and only looking for casual - when clearly she wants more, and is just setting herself up for heart ache before she had to go back to her home country and her responsibilities... It was just bizarre.

Both her and Maya meet by chance after being at the same cafe after a series of failed dates through the app. They didn't match with each other because one had ticked serious, and the other had ticked casual. But they become friends, spending lots of time together and an attraction sparking... only they never seem to actually communicate anything about themselves. Where Sophie comes from, her past - the same with Maya...

They just spend their time reminiscing about their ridiculously bad dates - which as I said before this is supposed to be a small town in Vermont, and yet there's HEAPS of lesbians to choose from apparently. As someone who just tried online dating and could barely find someone within 500KMs of me, I had to guffaw loudly!!!

Not to mention the stereotypical 'people are assholes' bad dates where they had perfect reacts, and saves, that play out like facebook posts, and then everyone clapped. It made my eyes roll. These women are also gorgeous, 10/10. Can't even water a plant without a random chick coming onto them and asking them for a date... yeah again, see back to the small town Vermont and not being able to throw a rock without hitting a lesbian.

It just felt staged, forced and I couldn't muster up my own enthusiasm. Maybe I'm too jaded? It's on Kindle Unlimited so please try it yourself, and ignore my depressing ramblings.

[Mildred Gail Digby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet story is truly a fairy tale come to life, set in two very different worlds: small-town Vermont and the historical monarchy of Nyvia.

Our two leads are both lovely, Maya is soul-weary from her previous job as an EMT and only wants someone to love who will love her back; Sophie carries the burden of a country she is destined to lead, but yearns for the freedom to be herself, even if it’s only for a brief time. They meet and the sweet tension sings between them, but Sophie can’t promise Maya the loving future she wishes for and so they remain friends.

The scenes with the two of them fiercely trying to deny the attraction between them are poignant and spicy in equal amounts. They are wonderful together and I was cheering for them from the get-go! Both of them attempt outside relationships but all of them fail miserably and sometimes hilariously.

The relationships blooms without the typical black moment, and we get to enjoy Maya and Sophie together as a couple for a satisfying length of the novel.

Once they are in Sophie’s home of Nyvia, we really get to see her shine as a leader and powerful woman in her own right, while still maintaining a heartwarming relationship with super cute moments between them. Maya also comes into her own here, showing strength and self-awareness as she makes a place for herself in the somewhat stuffy and unwelcoming world she’s found herself in. The trust and communication they share is a very nice touch that I enjoyed a lot.

If you’re looking for a sweet, uncomplicated romance with royalty, down-to-earth moments, some great diverse characters (I love Ari!!), plus a love story that will warm your heart and leave you sighing in happiness, this book is for you!

Highly recommended!

My rating: five happy hearts❤️



I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Jennabeebs79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, light, and easy read. A perfect escape on a warm sunny day!

[DR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya wants a long term relationship and Sophie just wants to feel something with another woman for the short time she's visiting the USA. A well written story about finding your forever with the person you're not supposed to have. I especially enjoyed Maya unpacking a box to find some jewelry for one of her dates and the magazine article about the princess from Nyvia falls out from a card from her youth. She had a crush on that girl. And that girl happens to be Sophie. From the chance meeting in the coffee shop where Sophie worked, through many life expanding experiences for Sophie, love happens. The climbing of the castle wall was brilliant spur of the moment. And Mommy Dearest was a well written character I appropriately loathed. I enjoyed the story because I needed something to dispel my reality at this time.

[Joon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time my favourite Roman Holiday (A. Hepburn & G. Peck) is set in Vermont. Princess Alexandra as Princess Anna escapes from her royal life to taste a normal life. The Princess meets her Joe Bradley, here Maya, who introduces her to the attractions of ordinary life. However, Maya doesn’t know she’s falling for an heir to the throne.

A lovely story of two women who come from completely different backgrounds and who meet accidentally. Of course, they are attracted to each other immediately. Nevertheless, their interests in relationships differ a lot, so they decide to become best friends. What a torture! 😉 The torment develops when they spend more and more time together. The catharsis comes when Princess Alexandra gets a call to serve her country and become the queen after her grandmother dies.

This is half of the story. The rest is about dealing with the pressure of fulfilling royal duties, getting over the insecurities and getting acceptance of the chosen lifestyle. Both MCs are adorable. The supporting characters fulfill the scene perfectly. Also, the premise is appealing as it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, the state of V. However, I wish I had learnt more about this location, geographical features, nature, people, etc. This is the most common reason for reading books – to travel through the pages of a book. I did not like the epilogue as well. It contains too much ‘modern correctness.’ The idea of Alexandra and Maya being accepted in the palace by the queen’s mother was enough for me.

All in all, this is a sweet romance worth recommending. I bet future readers will love Princess Alexandra's adventure and Maya’s dream of exotic places.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book - it had everything that a good book needs: great, well rounded likeable and believable characters; a great story and some twists and hang-ups; a good flow; a good pace and a great ending. It reminded me a bit of the movie "the prince and me" - so if you like that movie you will love this book!!!

[Lesbian Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do when the person you are attached to wants something different?
This was a fun princess story romance.

Jae's SRC:
character with everyday job
character is a medical professional (EMT)
friends-to-lovers romance
character works in the food industry (barista)

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 Stars

This book was a total surprise for me. I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited on a whim and expected not much. But I got a super cute feel good story. It reminded me of the early Disney romcoms, just that it's queer now. The whole book only had fade-to-black sex scenes, and in the end there was a HEA. I read the book in two days, possibly less if I hadn't picked it up at night. So if you ever need a quick pick me up, this book is for you.

[Alexa Steli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
Well this wasn't so bad.

I'm not saying it was exceptional, beacuse it wasn't, but it's not a regrettable read.

I wish that we got to know more Maya's EMT past and less about all that barista thing going on.Like yes ,I know people mistreat people who have jobs as barista ,but like...is that the plot seriously?we don't need to have the same thing going on in almost every chapter just beacause it's true .

Otherwise a cute read

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story. Predictable at times but a fun escape read.

[Maya M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

A light friends-to-lovers story with not so much drama except one is a princess haha. If you're looking for an easy read, light story and a lesbian princess pretending to be a regular person then this book is for you.

[Riana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reding this story...

I loved reading this story. I always enjoy a story that ends fairly well, and even more when the trials and tribulations of life push a couple together instead of apart. It was well worth the read.

[Anuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Picked this one up because it's available on KU.
The story was good but somehow, it did not impress me much. Probably because I'm in a reading slump.
Good one time read since it's there on KU but if you choose to skip it, that's okay too.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of two women, who on the surface seem like they are worlds apart, but as the story unfolds you become aware that they have more in common than either of them suspected.
Maya leaves her job as an EMT due to stress and is now working at a greenhouse and nursery which she enjoys very much. She hates that she’s back in her hometown and can’t wait to escape. Sophie is working as a barista as she is on leave from her duties as the princess of a small country and will become the queen upon her grandmother’s death. Sophie works hard to appear as a working woman and does not talk about or let anyone know who she really is.
The two women meet by chance there is an immediate attraction and their interactions from that point on have an element of sexual tension until they kiss, which was extremely memorable for both women however both know that they want different things in life and do not pursue a relationship. Sophie has lead a very sheltered life and Maya shows her interesting things to see and do, through all these adventures, they talk a lot but Sophie never shares the truth of who she is.
Sophie gets called back to her country because her grandmother is very ill. By chance, Maya sees a new story about a princess who was about to become queen upon her grandmother’s death and she realizes the woman is Sophie so in typical Maya fashion, she hops on a plane to go to the small country to be with Sophie because she realizes Sophie needed a friend.
This story has interesting plot twists and some very amusing situations the main characters find themselves in. The two secondary characters in the story added a considerable amount to understanding both women. This book is very well written and is an enjoyable romance story that I would highly recommend.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

After leaving her EMT career after a traumatizing incident, Maya returns the small Vermont town where she grew up determined to find true love. After a series of horrible meetings through a dating app, she happens to meet Sophie in a cafe where both of them were supposed to meet women through the app. Despite their mutual attraction, they agree to become just friends because Maya wants a long-term relationship and Sophie only wants something casual.

What Sophie doesn't tell Maya is that she is the princess next in line to the throne of a small European country and is in the US temporarily to sow her wild oats. When Sophie is called back home suddenly, the two are devastated that they have to part. So given this, how will they ever be together?

There's MC chemistry, strong plotting and a fun time imagining what it would be like to fall in love with royalty. This is a trope that shows up periodically in WLW fiction and it's a good one. There are some leaps of faith a reader has to take with this story, but the journey is worth it.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a documentary, suspend a wee bit of “that would never happen” and just enjoy this novel! I got a wee bit confused in the beginning with viewpoints as they alternate each chapter - I have had this issue before so think it is me rather than the writer.
Bit disappointed by the only one hotel room plot device. It didn’t really further the plot and could, I think have been avoided maybe I’m just jealous in my lifetime of sharing hotels with colleagues this has never happened. (Or maybe relieved!)
The reason the mains initially did not get together was reasonable and stood the test of time. However I felt about 45% in the book was maybe slightly off pace. It’s not that it was disasters all the time but there were still a lot of frogs and the unknown identity was still looming. Then the not together part of the plot arc happened and I had no idea how it would be overcome. I read quickly to get to the next bit. Boy did the pace pick up! This is a good book. For me it probably hovered around 3.5 but the way the pace picked up in the last quarter upped it to 4.

[Gina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and Heartwarming!

With Marian Snowe writing, you know you are going to have a sweet and loving,HEA story. What I loved about this was the chemistry between Maya and Sophie but the respect they felt for each other. On a dating app, Maya was looking for a long term relationship where as Sophie was looking for something casual, the need to be who she is without the world on her shoulders. Both having dating disasters, they meet at the cafe that Sophie is working at after their perspective dates disappoint again. Talking they realize that their is a connection. Their relationship blooms into an instant friendship but both realize they have feelings for each other. Sophie is hiding a secret and as much as she wants Maya realizes she can hurt both of them if she pursues anything. As the story unfolds and both are trying to cover their feelings as they try to find what they both want. That is until Sophie is called back. This is Snowe at her best. With little twists and turns, the result is always a big smile.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sweet. It was a lovely fantasy. The first few chapters sounded like they were maybe an author’s first novel, with somewhat awkward or clunky sentences, but the book got smoother in its writing over time. The overall story was predictable, but there were enough scenes thrown in which I didn’t expect that I didn’t mind. I do personally prefer my heroines a bit more mature (Maya in particular was immature in my opinion) and I also would have liked the story to have been written somehow without Maya being so inconsiderate and hurtful to June. The story does illustrate that we do things for love that we won’t do for like such as Maya feeling very uncomfortable at how much wealthier June is than she, yet she is absolutely fine with Sophie’s being a Queen and all the changes that will mean in Maya’s life . I will refrain from knit-picking plot points that didn’t quite work for me, because overall it was a sweet story. For the curious: this book gets steamy a few times but is much lighter on explicit sex than most other modern romance novels I’ve encountered.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood dreams really do come true! Maya has had a crush of Princess Alessandra since her teenage years. After a return to her small town Vermont home to heal from emotional trauma she runs into Sophie, who has escaped incognito to America and the same small town to feel unroyal and to sow her wild oats as an out lesbian. What are the chances that Maya and Sophie meet and become friends and perhaps something more? This is a delightful, light rom-com story, if a bit unbelievable. The characters are a bit too cute but quite lovable. The story is fairly shallow but there is enough angst and happiness to carry it to the end. This would be a fun summer read when you are looking for something not too deep, to spend a relaxing afternoon in your lounge chair sipping something cold.

I received an ARC to review and comment upon.

[Sabriel Mastin]

"Maya and the Queen" was just the sweet, adorable, fluff lesfic I needed when I read it. I came here for exactly that and got what I was looking for.

I was dangerously close to closing it in the first few chapters but I'm really glad I stuck with it. I think it was how the characters spoke at first, as if the author was still figuring them out. Not bad, just still learning about these two themselves. I'm very pleased I kept with it.

While reading I kept imagining our leading characters as in their mid 20s, even if that wasn't logical with their past. Near the end when one mentioned they were thirty-two, I was a bit shocked. They just felt a tad younger. In any case, that isn't really a slight, just something that caught me.

Anyway, if you're looking for lesbian fluff with a happy ending, check it out.

[LastLookBack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strong 4.5* - a very lovely story, VERY likeable characters and I felt myself go on a roller coaster of emotions which proofs the incredible skills of this author’s authentic writing. I read it all in a matter of hours - couldn’t put it down! I deduct half a star for some grammatical/spelling errors in chapter 13, as well as an ending that came a little fast and a bit like “now everything is great. The end”. Otherwise really brilliant and I’m reading all the other books of this author now!

[Tammy Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

A good read. A sweet story about coming into yourself. A queen (Sophie) who is trying to hide to be normal before taking the reins. Maya who was a EMT after having a really bad call called it quits. Just trying to get out of Small town and do something else. The friendship they form leads them closer to lovers but cannot have that. But the heart wants what the heart wants. After Sophie has to return to her home land Maya follows. Finishing reading and she what happens

[Crystal McKinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Royalty and the working class

If you are a fan of romances between a princess and a commoner, with a nice HEA, this book is for you.
This was a good story, but I think it should be in the young adult category. The main characters are in their early 30s but act more like they are in their teens.
I was disappointed to find that after traveling the journey with Sophie and Maya, I was abruptly halted with a fade to black intimate scene.
Also, I was left with a few unanswered questions.
This was my first time reading a Marian Snowe novel.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. The characters were great and caught my attention. The plot revolves around a Princess in disguise and an ordinary. person. Maya and Sofie meet each other accidentally and become friends. Sofie is escaping from her home country and has to be secret. Maya is a former EMT and has just moved to town. They developed feelings but are afraid to act on them. The book really kept my attention and the plot was good. This a great love styory and I recommend it to romance readers.

[Stacy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was sweet-like a sapphic hallmark movie 😂.
The relationship between Maya was really sweet and I loved that they each were exactly what the other needed! Sophie was such a badass queen! She loved and was fiercely protective of her people and Maya was the calm and confident presence that grounded her and brought her peace. I really enjoyed the audiobook, and I got through it quicker than I’ve ever gotten through an audiobook before because I was completely sucked in.

[Carolyn G. Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Greenhouse Effect

Maya is a former EMT who returned to her home town and took a job at a nursery. In plants she finds a new joy. She meets Sophie in a cafe where they each have unsuccessful encounters arranged on a lesbian dating app. Can a women seeking long term relationship mesh with a short term person? Great HEA read.

[Ellen Van giessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like it took the plot from the Prince and Me.

Enjoyable read and good characters. Loved the romance, just felt like it stole the plot of the movie which bummed me out a little.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding a Queen

This was a cute romance between Maya and Sophie. They discover each other in America. Sophie must return to he country to rule. Maya makes an incredibly romantic gesture to again be with Sophie. Love is love.

[Carole Damoci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Really enjoyed this book. The sex senes need a little work but the story is solid. The 2 women very likable. You pull for their HEA.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet regal romance

Lovely sweet hidden regal love for commoner story. Maya and Sophie form an adorable couple that you cannot wait for to form a HEA!