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The Once and Future Queen
Not yet published
Expected 16 Dec 25Outlander-meets-The Princess Bride plus Camelot in a fresh, big-hearted, feminist, timeslip adventure reimagining the epic saga of King Arthur, as told from the perspective of his spunky and surprising queen, Vera – complete with time travel and good running shoes!
⚔DELUXE LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER with stenciled edges, a beautiful foil-stamped hardcover, exclusive interior design with full-color illustrated endpapers, and a reversible dust jacket!
Vera always knew she didn’t fit in. When she learns that she is meant to be in another time, she leaps at the chance to embrace a new life in a world of valor, intrigue, and unexpected magic in this bold and romantic retelling of Arthurian legend . . .
22-year-old Vera is at a crossroads: waiting tables, grieving her previous relationship, and jogging aimlessly each morning as if toward an uncertain future. Then an odd man shows up at her workplace, insisting that she was once the legendary Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and that her lost memories hold the key to changing both the past and the present. Somehow, it all feels like the direction she’s been looking for. But when she asks the mysterious man to tell her more about Lancelot, Arthur, and a faithless queen, he can only say that much of what she’s heard about Camelot is wrong. The truth, he claims, is something she must see for herself.
After jumping through a portal in Glastonbury’s historic center, Vera is not prepared for what she finds. Magic is everywhere, but a curse on the kingdom means it dwindles every day. She has no idea how to perform a queen’s duties. Her fast friendship with Lancelot sets gossip flowing, and the stranger she must call “husband” often refuses to meet her eye. Arthur is a puzzle: cold, forbidding, and, while angry to her face, keeps leaving secret tokens of tenderness in her chambers. Worst of all, Vera’s memories—and the answers locked within them—show no signs of returning. If Vera is truly destined to save Camelot, she’ll have to trust her instincts. And her king will have to trust her . . .
⚔DELUXE LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER with stenciled edges, a beautiful foil-stamped hardcover, exclusive interior design with full-color illustrated endpapers, and a reversible dust jacket!
Vera always knew she didn’t fit in. When she learns that she is meant to be in another time, she leaps at the chance to embrace a new life in a world of valor, intrigue, and unexpected magic in this bold and romantic retelling of Arthurian legend . . .
22-year-old Vera is at a crossroads: waiting tables, grieving her previous relationship, and jogging aimlessly each morning as if toward an uncertain future. Then an odd man shows up at her workplace, insisting that she was once the legendary Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and that her lost memories hold the key to changing both the past and the present. Somehow, it all feels like the direction she’s been looking for. But when she asks the mysterious man to tell her more about Lancelot, Arthur, and a faithless queen, he can only say that much of what she’s heard about Camelot is wrong. The truth, he claims, is something she must see for herself.
After jumping through a portal in Glastonbury’s historic center, Vera is not prepared for what she finds. Magic is everywhere, but a curse on the kingdom means it dwindles every day. She has no idea how to perform a queen’s duties. Her fast friendship with Lancelot sets gossip flowing, and the stranger she must call “husband” often refuses to meet her eye. Arthur is a puzzle: cold, forbidding, and, while angry to her face, keeps leaving secret tokens of tenderness in her chambers. Worst of all, Vera’s memories—and the answers locked within them—show no signs of returning. If Vera is truly destined to save Camelot, she’ll have to trust her instincts. And her king will have to trust her . . .
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication December 16, 2025
147 people are currently reading
10465 people want to read
About the author
Paula Lafferty
2 books324 followersPaula lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, daughter, and Otto (the sweetest dog there ever was). She received a BFA in Film Production from Chapman University and a Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology. She has a taste for finding magic in "the ordinary" and a spark for discovering stories at every turn. Telling stories is the thread that runs through Paula's life, and La Vie de Guinevere is her debut novel which she originally funded through a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 380 reviews
August 3, 2024
WOW. JUST WOW. HOLY CRAP. I AM A WRECK RN. THIS WAS SO GOOD 😭
I had to give this a few days to sink in, but here we go :D
Firstly, I want to sincerely thank Miss Paula for giving me the opportunity to be one of her ARC readers. I've followed her journey from fairly early on and seeing her achieve what she has has been really inspiring as an aspiring self published author myself. I cannot express my thanks enough.
The story starts with Vera, a resident of modern day Glastonbury, who is struggling after the death of her boyfriend. So when a mysterious man shows up claiming to be the wizard Merlin and offers to take her back in time to the seventh century, she agrees. There's only one problem, Vera is apparently the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has no memories of her past life. And so begins the quest of recovering Guinevere's memories, memories that could hold the key to saving the kingdom and their last chance to save magic before it disappears from the world for good.
As someone who's read, watched and studied various versions and retellings of the legends of King Arthur, I absolutely adored this take and its creative aspects. Paula changed just enough for it to be riddled with new and exciting twists while keeping enough for it to feel true to the source. The time travel aspect helped to add another layer of intrigue that was woven with a rather fascinating magic system that I'm really hoping we learn more about.
But I definitely think that while the world building was great, this book was character driven in all the best ways. The characters were so well written, they had very distinct personalities and were individuals that felt relatably human and realistically flawed. I fell in love with (most of) our main characters right away, particularly Lancelot and Gawain just because they were so sweet, but I adored our heroine Vera as well and couldn't help but feel for her as she battled so many things, her strength was incredible but so was her weakness, she felt truly human in all the best ways. All the side characters were amazing as well and made their own impact on the story, they weren’t just cardboard cutouts there to advance the main characters development or the main plot line, they were each memorable in their own way. Everyone's emotions had an impact on the story (and me considering I cried an ungodly amount of times for various reasons) and the relationships between the main cast were so pure. The found family was absolutely adorable and balanced humor and genuinely emotional moments really well and you could just feel that they truly cared for one another. Those tender moments, whether purely platonic or romantic or something else entirely, were so touching to me. And obviously I can't say much but I will say one particular relationship really touched me as an aromantic because it was this easy intimate relationship between friends (forehead kisses and all). So seeing that relationship held just as high as the romantic ones, acknowledged as equal, really meant a lot to me because you don't see that done often and it was so beautiful. So for me personally, the emotions and relationships as well as that found family was definitely a huge part of why I loved this book so much.
The deeper themes of acceptance and healing made me cry more than once and I think it was the perfect time for me to read this because I ended up starting it shortly after my first suicidal thought after a year clean. Which was… really hard if I'm being honest. And I can't explain why but it really really helped me get through the fact that I was starting all over again.
Another thing that really stood out to me was the pacing. I have ADHD, which lately has been making it really hard to read, so much so that it feels like a curse. But I had absolutely no problems reading this in every minute of my spare time! And this isn't a short book. The questions and mysteries had me spinning theories like crazy (maybe half of which were correct lol) and looking back there was some really good foreshadowing there.
Overall this was an incredible debut novel that absolutely will live up to the excitement! La Vie de Guinevere was full of mystery and humor, wholesome relationships and bitter rivalries. A top tier found family and a mysterious villain. I would highly recommend it to fantasy fans who enjoy character driven stories with deeper themes and lessons, or just those who like Arthurian tales or fantasy retellings.
PRE-RELEASE
JAN 30 // aaaahhhh I've been waiting for this book to show up on goodreads!!!! cannot wait till October (hopefully I can get an arc, we'll see :)
JUL 21 // I have been blessed with an ARC!! I could cry (still in that stage where you're in shock you actually got it lol) thank you so much Miss Lafferty 🤍
I had to give this a few days to sink in, but here we go :D
Firstly, I want to sincerely thank Miss Paula for giving me the opportunity to be one of her ARC readers. I've followed her journey from fairly early on and seeing her achieve what she has has been really inspiring as an aspiring self published author myself. I cannot express my thanks enough.
The story starts with Vera, a resident of modern day Glastonbury, who is struggling after the death of her boyfriend. So when a mysterious man shows up claiming to be the wizard Merlin and offers to take her back in time to the seventh century, she agrees. There's only one problem, Vera is apparently the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has no memories of her past life. And so begins the quest of recovering Guinevere's memories, memories that could hold the key to saving the kingdom and their last chance to save magic before it disappears from the world for good.
As someone who's read, watched and studied various versions and retellings of the legends of King Arthur, I absolutely adored this take and its creative aspects. Paula changed just enough for it to be riddled with new and exciting twists while keeping enough for it to feel true to the source. The time travel aspect helped to add another layer of intrigue that was woven with a rather fascinating magic system that I'm really hoping we learn more about.
But I definitely think that while the world building was great, this book was character driven in all the best ways. The characters were so well written, they had very distinct personalities and were individuals that felt relatably human and realistically flawed. I fell in love with (most of) our main characters right away, particularly Lancelot and Gawain just because they were so sweet, but I adored our heroine Vera as well and couldn't help but feel for her as she battled so many things, her strength was incredible but so was her weakness, she felt truly human in all the best ways. All the side characters were amazing as well and made their own impact on the story, they weren’t just cardboard cutouts there to advance the main characters development or the main plot line, they were each memorable in their own way. Everyone's emotions had an impact on the story (and me considering I cried an ungodly amount of times for various reasons) and the relationships between the main cast were so pure. The found family was absolutely adorable and balanced humor and genuinely emotional moments really well and you could just feel that they truly cared for one another. Those tender moments, whether purely platonic or romantic or something else entirely, were so touching to me. And obviously I can't say much but I will say one particular relationship really touched me as an aromantic because it was this easy intimate relationship between friends (forehead kisses and all). So seeing that relationship held just as high as the romantic ones, acknowledged as equal, really meant a lot to me because you don't see that done often and it was so beautiful. So for me personally, the emotions and relationships as well as that found family was definitely a huge part of why I loved this book so much.
The deeper themes of acceptance and healing made me cry more than once and I think it was the perfect time for me to read this because I ended up starting it shortly after my first suicidal thought after a year clean. Which was… really hard if I'm being honest. And I can't explain why but it really really helped me get through the fact that I was starting all over again.
Another thing that really stood out to me was the pacing. I have ADHD, which lately has been making it really hard to read, so much so that it feels like a curse. But I had absolutely no problems reading this in every minute of my spare time! And this isn't a short book. The questions and mysteries had me spinning theories like crazy (maybe half of which were correct lol) and looking back there was some really good foreshadowing there.
Overall this was an incredible debut novel that absolutely will live up to the excitement! La Vie de Guinevere was full of mystery and humor, wholesome relationships and bitter rivalries. A top tier found family and a mysterious villain. I would highly recommend it to fantasy fans who enjoy character driven stories with deeper themes and lessons, or just those who like Arthurian tales or fantasy retellings.
PRE-RELEASE
JAN 30 // aaaahhhh I've been waiting for this book to show up on goodreads!!!! cannot wait till October (hopefully I can get an arc, we'll see :)
JUL 21 // I have been blessed with an ARC!! I could cry (still in that stage where you're in shock you actually got it lol) thank you so much Miss Lafferty 🤍
September 8, 2025
4.75 ★— I love time travel in fiction! It’s one of my favorite tropes because it opens the door to so much chaos, fun, and a myriad of exciting possibilities when written well.
So when I saw that this book combined time travel with Arthurian legend — in an Outlander‑style story where the heroine is thrown back in time — I was immediately hooked.
This book didn’t disappoint. The FMC, Vera, is a young woman working at her parents’ inn. She’s always felt like someone on the outside looking in, until she learns why: she’s actually Queen Guinevere from the Camelot legends. That’s what the mysterious guest, who turns out to be Merlin, tells her as he insists she must return to the past to fulfill her role as King Arthur’s queen
The story kept surprising me in the best ways. When Vera arrives in Camelot, she meets Arthur, a cold, stoic-seeming man who seems almost dismissive of her presence. While Vera begins to find a sense of belonging there, she’s also thrown straight into a complicated web of problems and expectations, all tied to Merlin’s mission for her.
One of my favorite parts was how the author handled the legendary characters surrounding Arthur. Lancelot, Gawain and the others were instantly recognizable in their essence, but also felt fresh and thoughtfully re‑imagined. Magic was seamlessly woven into the world too, making Camelot feel both enchanting and alive.
And even though the book dives into some heavy themes, there’s this lovely sense of lightness in Vera’s interactions with the people she befriends. Lafferty did such a great job balancing the weight of the story with moments of humor and warmth. I also really liked how Vera’s modern outlook had ripple effects (often unintended) on Camelot and its people.
Arthur and Vera’s relationship was another part of the book I really enjoyed. Their development felt organic — full of progress, setbacks, and quiet moments of longing. It never felt rushed, and by a certain point I could really sense Arthur’s quiet yearning for her, which made their ups and downs hit even harder.
The only part that didn’t quite work for me was what led up to the ending. The final chapters had so many twists and revelations that they started to blur together a bit. Because there was so much happening, some of the big moments didn’t resonate as hard as they could have.
Still, I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited to see where the story goes next.
_____________
Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
So when I saw that this book combined time travel with Arthurian legend — in an Outlander‑style story where the heroine is thrown back in time — I was immediately hooked.
This book didn’t disappoint. The FMC, Vera, is a young woman working at her parents’ inn. She’s always felt like someone on the outside looking in, until she learns why: she’s actually Queen Guinevere from the Camelot legends. That’s what the mysterious guest, who turns out to be Merlin, tells her as he insists she must return to the past to fulfill her role as King Arthur’s queen
The story kept surprising me in the best ways. When Vera arrives in Camelot, she meets Arthur, a cold, stoic-seeming man who seems almost dismissive of her presence. While Vera begins to find a sense of belonging there, she’s also thrown straight into a complicated web of problems and expectations, all tied to Merlin’s mission for her.
One of my favorite parts was how the author handled the legendary characters surrounding Arthur. Lancelot, Gawain and the others were instantly recognizable in their essence, but also felt fresh and thoughtfully re‑imagined. Magic was seamlessly woven into the world too, making Camelot feel both enchanting and alive.
And even though the book dives into some heavy themes, there’s this lovely sense of lightness in Vera’s interactions with the people she befriends. Lafferty did such a great job balancing the weight of the story with moments of humor and warmth. I also really liked how Vera’s modern outlook had ripple effects (often unintended) on Camelot and its people.
Arthur and Vera’s relationship was another part of the book I really enjoyed. Their development felt organic — full of progress, setbacks, and quiet moments of longing. It never felt rushed, and by a certain point I could really sense Arthur’s quiet yearning for her, which made their ups and downs hit even harder.
The only part that didn’t quite work for me was what led up to the ending. The final chapters had so many twists and revelations that they started to blur together a bit. Because there was so much happening, some of the big moments didn’t resonate as hard as they could have.
Still, I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited to see where the story goes next.
_____________
Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
October 10, 2024
For her debut novel Paula did a great job!
The good:
I really enjoyed the first half of the book when Vera learns of who she is and Merlin allowed her to bring items from her time back into Arthur’s time. I got a kick out of Lancelot getting excited over her shoes. I also like how Merlin brought books back for her to read so she could feel a little more at home.
I enjoyed feeling the anticipation of Arthur and Vera as they tried to mend their relationship through the story. I especially liked the small tender moments between the
like when Vera found out Arthur changed out the flowers every week in the vase.
I liked the twist of Vivian being Lancelot’s mom and the story of his orb.
I knew Vera had powers, I called it!
Don’t let anything happen to Grady. He is sweet and innocent and deserves a happy ending.
Gawain is a better mage than Merlin will ever be. I didn’t like him at first but he’s grown on me.
Honest thoughts:
the second half of the book felt more slow up until the last 2 chapters.
I felt a little more lost and confused when it came to the world building and understand magic. I think I understand how magic is used and how it works in this world but it felt confusing at times when reading about it and wish it was simplified a little better to bring better understanding.
For me, this is just my opinion. I was a little uncomfortable with how friendly Lancelot and Vera’s relationship became. I like he was there for her to support and encourage her and be a friend for her and I know it’s strictly platonic, but It felt more intimate and more touchy feely in some areas than it should have and just didn’t feel right. Also I didn’t quite understand why he became so attached and protective of her. I know he ended up killing one of her variants that Merlin created but would that cause him to suddenly have this emotional attachment to her? They had no relationship previously I guess it just didn’t make sense in my mind.
I didn’t understand why Merlin did what he did half the time. His character is very complex, raised a lot of red flags for me and left me feeling very untrustworthy of him(and I think that’s the authors intention) I felt he used Vera more as a tool and didn’t think of her as a human being. He was absent for over half the book and I felt as though he didn’t contribute to anything unless it had to do with getting Vera’s memories back or off trying to help a town. I didn’t understand why he decided not to help save Arthur. His excuse made no sense to me, unless he was hinting at Vera helping him? I also didn’t quite understand why 3 veras were created and not just one when he saved her life. I felt it didn’t really add to the story and don’t think it was necessary.
The good:
I really enjoyed the first half of the book when Vera learns of who she is and Merlin allowed her to bring items from her time back into Arthur’s time. I got a kick out of Lancelot getting excited over her shoes. I also like how Merlin brought books back for her to read so she could feel a little more at home.
I enjoyed feeling the anticipation of Arthur and Vera as they tried to mend their relationship through the story. I especially liked the small tender moments between the
like when Vera found out Arthur changed out the flowers every week in the vase.
I liked the twist of Vivian being Lancelot’s mom and the story of his orb.
I knew Vera had powers, I called it!
Don’t let anything happen to Grady. He is sweet and innocent and deserves a happy ending.
Gawain is a better mage than Merlin will ever be. I didn’t like him at first but he’s grown on me.
Honest thoughts:
the second half of the book felt more slow up until the last 2 chapters.
I felt a little more lost and confused when it came to the world building and understand magic. I think I understand how magic is used and how it works in this world but it felt confusing at times when reading about it and wish it was simplified a little better to bring better understanding.
For me, this is just my opinion. I was a little uncomfortable with how friendly Lancelot and Vera’s relationship became. I like he was there for her to support and encourage her and be a friend for her and I know it’s strictly platonic, but It felt more intimate and more touchy feely in some areas than it should have and just didn’t feel right. Also I didn’t quite understand why he became so attached and protective of her. I know he ended up killing one of her variants that Merlin created but would that cause him to suddenly have this emotional attachment to her? They had no relationship previously I guess it just didn’t make sense in my mind.
I didn’t understand why Merlin did what he did half the time. His character is very complex, raised a lot of red flags for me and left me feeling very untrustworthy of him(and I think that’s the authors intention) I felt he used Vera more as a tool and didn’t think of her as a human being. He was absent for over half the book and I felt as though he didn’t contribute to anything unless it had to do with getting Vera’s memories back or off trying to help a town. I didn’t understand why he decided not to help save Arthur. His excuse made no sense to me, unless he was hinting at Vera helping him? I also didn’t quite understand why 3 veras were created and not just one when he saved her life. I felt it didn’t really add to the story and don’t think it was necessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2024
I didn't take notes on this book, so apologies if this review seems a bit scattered.
This book is not bad but it has a few major flaws that detract from it. The worst of these flaws made me dock it from a 3 to a 2 star, and is a spoiler at the end.
What's good:
- The characters are overall enjoyable to read. It was easy to root for them as the good guys. None of them were particularly deep, however, and sometimes I felt they acted young for their age (they are all adults). But at the end of the day it's inoffensive. I'd much rather read a book like this than a book where all the characters are awful but the author gaslights us into thinking they are pure-hearted saviors.
- I didn't have to slog through this book. Just expect some simple fun. Maybe read this book as a palate cleanser after reading something heavier or more difficult?
- I did appreciate that Vera had a personality and was TRYING to solve the main plot problem, even if
What's questionable/bad:
- Going into this book I thought it would be an "adult fantasy" book. I was slightly confused when I started reading and quickly realized the prose was at a middle grade level. The characters all act with the complexity of what's expected in a middle grade novel too, and same with the plot. But at the same time...swearing in abundance. All of the major characters drop the F-bomb, even the ones that are supposed to be more stoic and reserved. And then there is . So who is this book really intended for? I'm not sure. A mature teenager maybe?
- Related to the fact that all of the characters swear regardless of their personalities, all of the characters talk using modern turns of phrase. This has an in-universe explanation, in that there is a spell that translates Vera's speech so that others can understand her, and in turn Ye Olde English is translated so that she can understand it. The unfortunate side effect is that this book does not feel like it takes place in the Dark Ages England. I love atmosphere, vibes, and immersion in my setting. This feels more like modern day people who are LARPing as ancient knights, but they're also new to LARPing because they haven't figured out how to get truly "in-character" yet.
- There are quite a few scenes in this book that are just slice-of-life with everyone just goofing off. There's a scene where Vera is teaching everyone to play rock-paper-scissors, there's a scene where they are playing some sort of ball game (forget which kind), and a scene where they are jousting. That's it. I don't hate slice-of-life on principle. BUT when I do enjoy slice-of-life scenes in media, it's because I love the characters dearly and know them deeply, and even when the scene is mundane there is always an underlying thread of tension/contrast between the character dynamics, or humor. I didn't get that here. Everyone just...gets along. HR-approved fun. I ended up skimming these scenes (and they are long, some of them lasting whole chapters) and wishing they would get back to the main plot. Speaking of main plot, some of these scenes happened around the 50-60% mark, which is when the plot should really be picking up. Slice-of-life scenes are usually reserved for the earlier sections of the book, where things haven't heated up yet.
- My last complaint is a big one, one that made me dock a star, and it's a spoiler, so I'll leave it below.
SPOILER SECTION
I feel bad giving a self-published book by such a nice author a low rating. But I have to be honest when I say this really detracted from my overall enjoyment. It's such an odd decision to make. Which is a shame because I really wanted to know about the real Guinevere. Oh well.
This book is not bad but it has a few major flaws that detract from it. The worst of these flaws made me dock it from a 3 to a 2 star, and is a spoiler at the end.
What's good:
- The characters are overall enjoyable to read. It was easy to root for them as the good guys. None of them were particularly deep, however, and sometimes I felt they acted young for their age (they are all adults). But at the end of the day it's inoffensive. I'd much rather read a book like this than a book where all the characters are awful but the author gaslights us into thinking they are pure-hearted saviors.
- I didn't have to slog through this book. Just expect some simple fun. Maybe read this book as a palate cleanser after reading something heavier or more difficult?
- I did appreciate that Vera had a personality and was TRYING to solve the main plot problem, even if
What's questionable/bad:
- Going into this book I thought it would be an "adult fantasy" book. I was slightly confused when I started reading and quickly realized the prose was at a middle grade level. The characters all act with the complexity of what's expected in a middle grade novel too, and same with the plot. But at the same time...swearing in abundance. All of the major characters drop the F-bomb, even the ones that are supposed to be more stoic and reserved. And then there is . So who is this book really intended for? I'm not sure. A mature teenager maybe?
- Related to the fact that all of the characters swear regardless of their personalities, all of the characters talk using modern turns of phrase. This has an in-universe explanation, in that there is a spell that translates Vera's speech so that others can understand her, and in turn Ye Olde English is translated so that she can understand it. The unfortunate side effect is that this book does not feel like it takes place in the Dark Ages England. I love atmosphere, vibes, and immersion in my setting. This feels more like modern day people who are LARPing as ancient knights, but they're also new to LARPing because they haven't figured out how to get truly "in-character" yet.
- There are quite a few scenes in this book that are just slice-of-life with everyone just goofing off. There's a scene where Vera is teaching everyone to play rock-paper-scissors, there's a scene where they are playing some sort of ball game (forget which kind), and a scene where they are jousting. That's it. I don't hate slice-of-life on principle. BUT when I do enjoy slice-of-life scenes in media, it's because I love the characters dearly and know them deeply, and even when the scene is mundane there is always an underlying thread of tension/contrast between the character dynamics, or humor. I didn't get that here. Everyone just...gets along. HR-approved fun. I ended up skimming these scenes (and they are long, some of them lasting whole chapters) and wishing they would get back to the main plot. Speaking of main plot, some of these scenes happened around the 50-60% mark, which is when the plot should really be picking up. Slice-of-life scenes are usually reserved for the earlier sections of the book, where things haven't heated up yet.
- My last complaint is a big one, one that made me dock a star, and it's a spoiler, so I'll leave it below.
SPOILER SECTION
I feel bad giving a self-published book by such a nice author a low rating. But I have to be honest when I say this really detracted from my overall enjoyment. It's such an odd decision to make. Which is a shame because I really wanted to know about the real Guinevere. Oh well.
August 9, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, I was so excited about this book and not disappointed! This book was all I wanted from an Arthurian retelling and more.
From the characters to the plot, this story had me hooked. This book and the themes of friendship, loss, and love completely consumed me.
For a debut author, Paula Lafferty nailed things that even seasoned authors have difficulty doing, like seamlessly weaving in threads of a bigger plot brewing behind the pages, tension amongst the characters, and staying true to her own voice.
I have read so many stories over the years that they all start to sound alike. But, with the unique premise of this book and Lafferty’s unique and clear writing style, I can safely say I have never read anything like this before. While it takes a few pages for the story to set off and the writing to find its flow, once you reach Camelot, there is nonstop action, drama, and fun waiting for you.
The fairytale and urban fantasy elements will surely please fans of shows like Once Upon a Time and those who prefer something more epic like Lord of the Rings. Above all, I think this book is for those who understand the importance of friendship and good storytelling. I was absorbed by this book and truly loved it so much. There is nothing I love more than a great adventure and finding my home in a book, and that's what this was for
me.✨
*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Wow, I was so excited about this book and not disappointed! This book was all I wanted from an Arthurian retelling and more.
From the characters to the plot, this story had me hooked. This book and the themes of friendship, loss, and love completely consumed me.
For a debut author, Paula Lafferty nailed things that even seasoned authors have difficulty doing, like seamlessly weaving in threads of a bigger plot brewing behind the pages, tension amongst the characters, and staying true to her own voice.
I have read so many stories over the years that they all start to sound alike. But, with the unique premise of this book and Lafferty’s unique and clear writing style, I can safely say I have never read anything like this before. While it takes a few pages for the story to set off and the writing to find its flow, once you reach Camelot, there is nonstop action, drama, and fun waiting for you.
The fairytale and urban fantasy elements will surely please fans of shows like Once Upon a Time and those who prefer something more epic like Lord of the Rings. Above all, I think this book is for those who understand the importance of friendship and good storytelling. I was absorbed by this book and truly loved it so much. There is nothing I love more than a great adventure and finding my home in a book, and that's what this was for
me.✨
*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
May 3, 2025
Paula Lafferty how dare you leave me hanging like this! These are some of the most likeable and endearing characters I’ve read in a long while and I want to be back with them on their imaginative, high stakes adventures as soon as possible! The slow burn was absolute perfection and the friendships had me tearing up. I feel for Vera—she’s truly torn and I am so invested in what she’ll decide and how her future will play out. I love how Lafferty took a story we’re all familiar with and played with what to keep and what to turn on its head. I’m trying to resist looking up the story of King Arthur to get clues about what might be coming but I know it’ll be different so maybe I’ll need to in order to survive waiting for book two!
October 11, 2024
I would like to thank Netgalley and Paula Lafferty for the ARC!
The truth is, I don't know how I feel about "La vie de Guinevere". It wasn't the masterpiece I was waiting for, but it also wasn't a bad book. I am not a big fan of romantasy, but as I love Arthurian legend, I thought this book was made for me... but in fact, it wasn't.
Firstly, I would like to say that during my reading, I felt the love of the author for her characters and her story. It seems like she did a lot of research to write about this time.
The writing was good, easy to read, and easy to imagine.
My favorite part was at the beginning when Vera learns who she is and how she comes to Camelot.
The plot was the most interesting part for me, full of mysteries!
Despite all the good things, I didn't like the characters. We are talking about king/queen/knights, but most of the times they all act like teens. While they are supposed to think about their people/have great experience about war and politics, they are more preoccupied about who is in love with who or drinking game...
I liked the bit of slow life we experienced with them, a ruler has a right to enjoy life, but at the same time I thought that they didn't act their age at all.
I also didn't feel the bond between characters because everything was kind of rushed.
Vera isn't a bad FMC, but I couldn't bond with her... I don't know why because she wasn't blank, she has so much background (and a good one) but everything felt rushed for me... I rather like the way the "original" Guinevere was described than Vera.
I don't understand why the book is described as a Camelot retelling because for me, it wasn't. I don't doubt that Paula Lafferty has a deep love for the Arthurian legend, but I wouldn't describe this book as a retelling. In fact, because of this characterization, I spent a lot of time comparing this book with other retellings that I deeply love.
"La vie de Guinevere" is a romantasy that uses Camelot and Arthurian legends as a background, but it doesn't retell anything.
It's a good romantasy and I'm sure people will love it! But I wouldn't recommend this book to people looking for a deep dive into Arthurian legends.
The truth is, I don't know how I feel about "La vie de Guinevere". It wasn't the masterpiece I was waiting for, but it also wasn't a bad book. I am not a big fan of romantasy, but as I love Arthurian legend, I thought this book was made for me... but in fact, it wasn't.
Firstly, I would like to say that during my reading, I felt the love of the author for her characters and her story. It seems like she did a lot of research to write about this time.
The writing was good, easy to read, and easy to imagine.
My favorite part was at the beginning when Vera learns who she is and how she comes to Camelot.
The plot was the most interesting part for me, full of mysteries!
Despite all the good things, I didn't like the characters. We are talking about king/queen/knights, but most of the times they all act like teens. While they are supposed to think about their people/have great experience about war and politics, they are more preoccupied about who is in love with who or drinking game...
I liked the bit of slow life we experienced with them, a ruler has a right to enjoy life, but at the same time I thought that they didn't act their age at all.
I also didn't feel the bond between characters because everything was kind of rushed.
Vera isn't a bad FMC, but I couldn't bond with her... I don't know why because she wasn't blank, she has so much background (and a good one) but everything felt rushed for me... I rather like the way the "original" Guinevere was described than Vera.
I don't understand why the book is described as a Camelot retelling because for me, it wasn't. I don't doubt that Paula Lafferty has a deep love for the Arthurian legend, but I wouldn't describe this book as a retelling. In fact, because of this characterization, I spent a lot of time comparing this book with other retellings that I deeply love.
"La vie de Guinevere" is a romantasy that uses Camelot and Arthurian legends as a background, but it doesn't retell anything.
It's a good romantasy and I'm sure people will love it! But I wouldn't recommend this book to people looking for a deep dive into Arthurian legends.
August 23, 2024
Thank you to Paula Lafferty and Net Galley for this ARC!
Full review coming soon when I can sort out my feelings about this. On one hand, this was a really fantastic story and I was surprised around the halfway point that I was enraptured. On the other hand, I really wish this wasn’t a Camelot retelling, rather I wish it was just a story, and the first half was a slog to get through.
Ok updated review, I’m leaving the above in for honesty’s sake. Potential spoilers below, I’m not sure what will come out when I start writing. (Definite spoilers now that I’ve finished writing 🤣)
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first:
- I stand by my original assessment that I wish this was just a story and wasn’t a Camelot retelling. Having real characters/people to compare this to was a major disservice to Lafferty’s otherwise awesome story.
- I liked the story a lot, save for some of the time travel elements which didn’t feel fully thought out or well described, and a small bit at the end where medieval characters are tasked with addressing homophobia which was not convincing and largely I don’t think was necessary.
- I didn’t relate to or even really like Vera all that much. She was an oddly written character. Self pubs are a tough nut to crack and I hate to say that this book would have benefited from an editor, but Vera’s characterization was very contradictory and not fully fleshed out.
- Arthur read as a side character and ended up being largely unimportant to the novel aside from lending a command as king to make characters reveal pertinent info - another reason I think this story would slay if it wasn’t a Camelot retelling
- definitely spoilers now that I’m writing it, (here’s your warning…exit now if you don’t want spoilers) but there was something I hated so much about the twist of there being 3 Vera’s. Conceptually, I don’t even really mind that being a plot point. But practically, it was not well written. It ended up being a throwaway line to explain Arthur’s increased pain at seeing our Vera when she arrives. It read as a cheap character building bullet point rather than a staggering revelation which is how I believe it was intended.
Now onto the good:
- Lafferty’s writing has a TON of potential, there were a lot of bits that needed editing, but I find myself thinking about some of the lines/prose she wrote that have stuck with me since finishing the book.
- despite some of the elements I didn’t like regarding the way the time travel was employed, etc. The plot weaved by Lafferty in this novel was spectacular. I believed a lot of the story and the motivations of the characters, or rather, I would if this was a standalone story and not a retelling. I would really love to read this again with characters we’re not familiar with!!
- Lancelot was a boon. I loved him so much! He was clever and funny and loyal, really a spectacular character. He took almost all of the slack left behind by arthur’s weak lead character energy.
As I mentioned before, the first half was a slog for me. The world building was poor, and getting us to the point where the action picked up was a gargantuan task. I let days go by between reading chapters in the first half because nothing energized me to keep reading. After the 50% ish mark, I finished the rest at lightning speed. Once we got there, the plot was killer. I loved the puzzle we needed to solve and had plenty of theories, some right and some wrong. I always enjoy when an author keeps me guessing. If there’s more novels planned in this series, I will certainly give them a shot. I would be more inclined to prioritize them if Lafferty gets picked up by a traditional pub and an editor, but I will still keep reading even if they’re all self pubs.
Overall giving this a 3/5, verging on a 4
Full review coming soon when I can sort out my feelings about this. On one hand, this was a really fantastic story and I was surprised around the halfway point that I was enraptured. On the other hand, I really wish this wasn’t a Camelot retelling, rather I wish it was just a story, and the first half was a slog to get through.
Ok updated review, I’m leaving the above in for honesty’s sake. Potential spoilers below, I’m not sure what will come out when I start writing. (Definite spoilers now that I’ve finished writing 🤣)
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first:
- I stand by my original assessment that I wish this was just a story and wasn’t a Camelot retelling. Having real characters/people to compare this to was a major disservice to Lafferty’s otherwise awesome story.
- I liked the story a lot, save for some of the time travel elements which didn’t feel fully thought out or well described, and a small bit at the end where medieval characters are tasked with addressing homophobia which was not convincing and largely I don’t think was necessary.
- I didn’t relate to or even really like Vera all that much. She was an oddly written character. Self pubs are a tough nut to crack and I hate to say that this book would have benefited from an editor, but Vera’s characterization was very contradictory and not fully fleshed out.
- Arthur read as a side character and ended up being largely unimportant to the novel aside from lending a command as king to make characters reveal pertinent info - another reason I think this story would slay if it wasn’t a Camelot retelling
- definitely spoilers now that I’m writing it, (here’s your warning…exit now if you don’t want spoilers) but there was something I hated so much about the twist of there being 3 Vera’s. Conceptually, I don’t even really mind that being a plot point. But practically, it was not well written. It ended up being a throwaway line to explain Arthur’s increased pain at seeing our Vera when she arrives. It read as a cheap character building bullet point rather than a staggering revelation which is how I believe it was intended.
Now onto the good:
- Lafferty’s writing has a TON of potential, there were a lot of bits that needed editing, but I find myself thinking about some of the lines/prose she wrote that have stuck with me since finishing the book.
- despite some of the elements I didn’t like regarding the way the time travel was employed, etc. The plot weaved by Lafferty in this novel was spectacular. I believed a lot of the story and the motivations of the characters, or rather, I would if this was a standalone story and not a retelling. I would really love to read this again with characters we’re not familiar with!!
- Lancelot was a boon. I loved him so much! He was clever and funny and loyal, really a spectacular character. He took almost all of the slack left behind by arthur’s weak lead character energy.
As I mentioned before, the first half was a slog for me. The world building was poor, and getting us to the point where the action picked up was a gargantuan task. I let days go by between reading chapters in the first half because nothing energized me to keep reading. After the 50% ish mark, I finished the rest at lightning speed. Once we got there, the plot was killer. I loved the puzzle we needed to solve and had plenty of theories, some right and some wrong. I always enjoy when an author keeps me guessing. If there’s more novels planned in this series, I will certainly give them a shot. I would be more inclined to prioritize them if Lafferty gets picked up by a traditional pub and an editor, but I will still keep reading even if they’re all self pubs.
Overall giving this a 3/5, verging on a 4
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2024
« guinevere met her end here. »
first of all, i would like to thank paula lafferty for this advance reader copy. it was my very first and what a first to start with!! i have had SO much fun reading this i could not put it down, i have read it all in one go.
it was such a nice little read, i didn't expect Much and was so very pleasantly surprised all throughout my read.
the characters were charming, funny and they had depth. even the side characters did not feel like they were just there and then they weren't anymore, they had a backstory and a personality and i loved that.
of course my favourite character had to be lancelot, and it's not even because i'm biased when it comes to him, i just really genuinely enjoyed his character. he was funny, he was complex, he was just really well written in my opinion.
this book hasn't even come out yet (go preorder it or get in in stores on october 29!) and i'm already eagerly waiting for a sequel. that's how much i enjoyed myself.
first of all, i would like to thank paula lafferty for this advance reader copy. it was my very first and what a first to start with!! i have had SO much fun reading this i could not put it down, i have read it all in one go.
it was such a nice little read, i didn't expect Much and was so very pleasantly surprised all throughout my read.
the characters were charming, funny and they had depth. even the side characters did not feel like they were just there and then they weren't anymore, they had a backstory and a personality and i loved that.
of course my favourite character had to be lancelot, and it's not even because i'm biased when it comes to him, i just really genuinely enjoyed his character. he was funny, he was complex, he was just really well written in my opinion.
this book hasn't even come out yet (go preorder it or get in in stores on october 29!) and i'm already eagerly waiting for a sequel. that's how much i enjoyed myself.
December 5, 2024
Nedaudz pārslavēta, jā.
Var just, ka debija? Jā.
Bet bija interesanti un aizraujoši.
Pirmā trešdaļa lasījās kā parastais laika ceļošanas vēsturiskais romāns, kur meiteni aizsūta uz vidusslaikiem tikai ar tamponiem ķešā. Tad intriga paaugās, spriedze, likmes un emocionālā piesaiste pastiprinājās, un bija labi.
Bet ļoti var just, ka tā ir autores pirmā grāmata. Rakstības stils nav nekas īpašs. Sižetiskā ziņā svaigs skatījums uz Karaļa Artūra leģendām, bet tikai tik daudz kā pamainot saskaitāmo kārtību.
Beigas pārsteidza ar to, ka tās nemaz nebija beigas, jāgaida nākamā grāmata. Laikam.
Var just, ka debija? Jā.
Bet bija interesanti un aizraujoši.
Pirmā trešdaļa lasījās kā parastais laika ceļošanas vēsturiskais romāns, kur meiteni aizsūta uz vidusslaikiem tikai ar tamponiem ķešā. Tad intriga paaugās, spriedze, likmes un emocionālā piesaiste pastiprinājās, un bija labi.
Bet ļoti var just, ka tā ir autores pirmā grāmata. Rakstības stils nav nekas īpašs. Sižetiskā ziņā svaigs skatījums uz Karaļa Artūra leģendām, bet tikai tik daudz kā pamainot saskaitāmo kārtību.
Beigas pārsteidza ar to, ka tās nemaz nebija beigas, jāgaida nākamā grāmata. Laikam.
December 17, 2024
4.5⭐️
Booktok has done me dirty too many times in the past that I was so hesitant to buy this one. But I needed a debut novel for Book Club and I didn’t want to reread one so I took a chance. And boy am I happy I took that chance.
I can’t say that I’m well versed in King Arthur lore, I mean “The Sword in the Stone” was my favorite Disney movie and I watched it almost every weekend as a kid, but that was about it. This book breathed a whole lot of life into the characters whose names i knew and that was it. Lancelot was goofy, Gawain shy and nerdy, Marion a boss babe, Tristan the jock we love, Percival loyal to a fault, and Arthur, wise, kind, and courageous. I loved getting to know all of them in this book, I loved the time traveling aspect and the liberties taken with the storyline that didn’t ruin anything but instead gave a fun alternative. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for book 2.
The ONLY complaints I had was that all I wanted to do was give Guinevere a good shake to get her to SEE that she wasn’t everyone’s problems, and to stop finding faults in everything and just live in Camelot, but it all worked itself out in the end, mostly
Booktok has done me dirty too many times in the past that I was so hesitant to buy this one. But I needed a debut novel for Book Club and I didn’t want to reread one so I took a chance. And boy am I happy I took that chance.
I can’t say that I’m well versed in King Arthur lore, I mean “The Sword in the Stone” was my favorite Disney movie and I watched it almost every weekend as a kid, but that was about it. This book breathed a whole lot of life into the characters whose names i knew and that was it. Lancelot was goofy, Gawain shy and nerdy, Marion a boss babe, Tristan the jock we love, Percival loyal to a fault, and Arthur, wise, kind, and courageous. I loved getting to know all of them in this book, I loved the time traveling aspect and the liberties taken with the storyline that didn’t ruin anything but instead gave a fun alternative. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for book 2.
The ONLY complaints I had was that all I wanted to do was give Guinevere a good shake to get her to SEE that she wasn’t everyone’s problems, and to stop finding faults in everything and just live in Camelot, but it all worked itself out in the end, mostly
November 1, 2024
3.5 rounded down
The first third of this was so great! I had all those feeling you feel when you’re reading something you know you’ll love. But a third of the way through it got needlessly complicated and had too many twists, turns, side moments - felt like a hard edit was missed there at the end. It went from clever-time-traveling-historical-romcom to something overly complicated and less romancy. But still so impressive for a debut author and I love the buzz she’s worked up online.
The first third of this was so great! I had all those feeling you feel when you’re reading something you know you’ll love. But a third of the way through it got needlessly complicated and had too many twists, turns, side moments - felt like a hard edit was missed there at the end. It went from clever-time-traveling-historical-romcom to something overly complicated and less romancy. But still so impressive for a debut author and I love the buzz she’s worked up online.
September 25, 2024
WOW
Oh boy, where do I start?! This was genuinely such an entertaining and fun read. I would have read it all in one sitting, if I didn’t have boring life stuff, like work to do...smh.
This story was well written, fun and the characters were so enjoyable and loveable. There were complex relationships, sweet romances and I would even describe one of the bonds as queerplatonic—which I’m a sucker for—it felt so deep and genuine, like it went beyond friendship but still very much platonic; I have to say, the love and bonds between the characters are the jewel of this story!
Though the story, the world-building, was also fascinating. The way the author explained and played with the misinformation around “the dark ages” was interesting. It’s definitely more of a modern take on Arthuriana, but it worked well with the magical medieval setting created here. It doesn’t always take itself—and by that I mean the Arthurian lore—too seriously, and plays with it in fun ways; like the origin of the round table…no spoilers but let’s just say they were thinking of a different type of equality and it was pretty funny to make those modern connections in a medieval setting. It felt modern but not too out of place, a bit silly at times but in good amounts.
For my niche: I really believe BBCM fans will like the pace, adventure, romance, queerplatonic bonds and found family dynamics of this story!
Honestly, I was getting stresses out the last 20%, as I did not remember this being anything other than a standalone, and there was still so much to resolve and explore...but thank god this is planned as a series!!
Highly recommend for an escape into a wonderful world. I can’t wait to discover and uncover more of this magical world, the mysteries, and spend more time with these characters <3
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC. This is my honest review.
The only thing I would add is that it lacked diversity. Though descriptions aren't always too explicit so I guess you could imagine more ethnic diversity than probably intended.
Oh boy, where do I start?! This was genuinely such an entertaining and fun read. I would have read it all in one sitting, if I didn’t have boring life stuff, like work to do...smh.
This story was well written, fun and the characters were so enjoyable and loveable. There were complex relationships, sweet romances and I would even describe one of the bonds as queerplatonic—which I’m a sucker for—it felt so deep and genuine, like it went beyond friendship but still very much platonic; I have to say, the love and bonds between the characters are the jewel of this story!
Though the story, the world-building, was also fascinating. The way the author explained and played with the misinformation around “the dark ages” was interesting. It’s definitely more of a modern take on Arthuriana, but it worked well with the magical medieval setting created here. It doesn’t always take itself—and by that I mean the Arthurian lore—too seriously, and plays with it in fun ways; like the origin of the round table…no spoilers but let’s just say they were thinking of a different type of equality and it was pretty funny to make those modern connections in a medieval setting. It felt modern but not too out of place, a bit silly at times but in good amounts.
For my niche: I really believe BBCM fans will like the pace, adventure, romance, queerplatonic bonds and found family dynamics of this story!
Honestly, I was getting stresses out the last 20%, as I did not remember this being anything other than a standalone, and there was still so much to resolve and explore...but thank god this is planned as a series!!
Highly recommend for an escape into a wonderful world. I can’t wait to discover and uncover more of this magical world, the mysteries, and spend more time with these characters <3
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC. This is my honest review.
The only thing I would add is that it lacked diversity. Though descriptions aren't always too explicit so I guess you could imagine more ethnic diversity than probably intended.
September 3, 2024
La vie de Guinevere
Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Summary: La vie de Guinevere is about Vera, who is living her ordinary present-day life when she finds out that she’s actually from the 7th century and she’s the legendary Queen Guinevere. And when she comes back to her time, she sees Arthur for the first time, his reaction is: « It’s not her ».
Review:
The first time I saw this book was on TikTok, Paula Lafferty viral TikTok when she’s writing all her chapters and putting them on top of the others until she’s completely finished writing the book. When I learned it was an arthurian book, I was like 1000% hooked.🙌🏻 I love the tv show Merlin and I always liked the arthurian story. At the time, I was like October cannot come soon enough. When I saw Paula comments about ARC and I was so excited because I knew that maybe I could be lucky enough to get it and I was.🩷 Thank you so much @paulalafferty_writes and @netgalley for this ARC.
More about the book, it was the book I was waiting for. 🥰 It didn’t disappoint one bit and I was hooked immediately. I was reading it like my life was depending on it. The storyline and the characters were exactly what I needed in this book. Lancelot was so nice and funny. He gave puppy energy haha. Vera/Guinevere was such a good main character with her complexe situation that she had to deal with. The pressure to fit in this new life was so real… 🥺 Arthur was so cold at first but the more you learn the more you understand where he is coming from. And for Merlin, I never thought I could be mad at him but I was. 😡
This story is so magical and compelling.✨ Arthurian retelling fan will be so pleased and happy to read this book. But I would totally recommend it to every fantasy lover or anybody who want to get into fantasy. 🩷
La vie de Guinevere is out October 29 and is available to preorder on Amazon and many bookstores.
Happy reading!
Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Summary: La vie de Guinevere is about Vera, who is living her ordinary present-day life when she finds out that she’s actually from the 7th century and she’s the legendary Queen Guinevere. And when she comes back to her time, she sees Arthur for the first time, his reaction is: « It’s not her ».
Review:
The first time I saw this book was on TikTok, Paula Lafferty viral TikTok when she’s writing all her chapters and putting them on top of the others until she’s completely finished writing the book. When I learned it was an arthurian book, I was like 1000% hooked.🙌🏻 I love the tv show Merlin and I always liked the arthurian story. At the time, I was like October cannot come soon enough. When I saw Paula comments about ARC and I was so excited because I knew that maybe I could be lucky enough to get it and I was.🩷 Thank you so much @paulalafferty_writes and @netgalley for this ARC.
More about the book, it was the book I was waiting for. 🥰 It didn’t disappoint one bit and I was hooked immediately. I was reading it like my life was depending on it. The storyline and the characters were exactly what I needed in this book. Lancelot was so nice and funny. He gave puppy energy haha. Vera/Guinevere was such a good main character with her complexe situation that she had to deal with. The pressure to fit in this new life was so real… 🥺 Arthur was so cold at first but the more you learn the more you understand where he is coming from. And for Merlin, I never thought I could be mad at him but I was. 😡
This story is so magical and compelling.✨ Arthurian retelling fan will be so pleased and happy to read this book. But I would totally recommend it to every fantasy lover or anybody who want to get into fantasy. 🩷
La vie de Guinevere is out October 29 and is available to preorder on Amazon and many bookstores.
Happy reading!
December 6, 2024
I have no words. This book was exceptionally amazing! & I cannot wait till the next book comes out! Thank you Paula for creating this story and bringing it to life for us. This was such a special read for me. I can’t thank you enough. I have literally all the versions of this book also. The audio, deluxe edition, ebook, & hardback! I even have my name in the back of the book as an early supporter and that means so much to me. Thank you for this amazing adventure of a book! I want to hug this author for creating this story lol 😂
September 18, 2024
I am so enamored with this book. It is the King Arthur legend retelling I’ve been waiting for my whole life. It was magical, adventurous, romantic, nostalgic, and heart-wrenching all in one in the best way possible! I am extremely impressed with author Paula Lafferty’s debut novel, and I will be recommending this one to everyone! Well done.
December 6, 2024
DNF at 70%.
This book is just ok. I’m not connected to any of the characters. Nothing is really happening with the plot… the book could use some developmental editing. Excellent start for a debut author though!
This book is just ok. I’m not connected to any of the characters. Nothing is really happening with the plot… the book could use some developmental editing. Excellent start for a debut author though!
November 23, 2024
This is an amazing debut, and I am already dying for a sequel. Arthur. Magic. More please!!
September 25, 2024
Thank you so much to Paula, Avalon Books, and Netgalley for the ARC!
I was quite excited for this book when I read the blurb, and it definitely did not disappoint! I looooved this book, simply could NOT put it down. I was reading this over a weekend when I was attending a wedding… that was a though one. But we made it through without wipping out the book during the ceremony!
Going into it a little more in depth, the beginning felt a little bit out of place/ short. It was both nice and not that Merlin showed up so soon. I think this pre-part of the story could have been explored a little bit more, but also not complaining about meeting Lancelot and Arthur so soon ;) So, not perse a bad thing, just felt like a fast change of scenery.
I loved the characters in this book so much, would love some special chapters with POV from Arthur’s side (wink wink), curious what he was thinking in those first couple of weeks. And the found family just felt so wholesome, I was really ready to give up my 21st century lifestyle and go join them 😍 And all the love for Lancelot, that guy is FUNNY.
Only reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because I really felt that the ending of the book was not in the right place. It felt like we hadn’t reached the right climax of this part of the story/book yet, as if we missed a couple of chapters in this book.
But aside from my confusion about the end, I am so excited for the second book! Very, very sad that I have to wait to continue this story 🥹😭
I was quite excited for this book when I read the blurb, and it definitely did not disappoint! I looooved this book, simply could NOT put it down. I was reading this over a weekend when I was attending a wedding… that was a though one. But we made it through without wipping out the book during the ceremony!
Going into it a little more in depth, the beginning felt a little bit out of place/ short. It was both nice and not that Merlin showed up so soon. I think this pre-part of the story could have been explored a little bit more, but also not complaining about meeting Lancelot and Arthur so soon ;) So, not perse a bad thing, just felt like a fast change of scenery.
I loved the characters in this book so much, would love some special chapters with POV from Arthur’s side (wink wink), curious what he was thinking in those first couple of weeks. And the found family just felt so wholesome, I was really ready to give up my 21st century lifestyle and go join them 😍 And all the love for Lancelot, that guy is FUNNY.
Only reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because I really felt that the ending of the book was not in the right place. It felt like we hadn’t reached the right climax of this part of the story/book yet, as if we missed a couple of chapters in this book.
But aside from my confusion about the end, I am so excited for the second book! Very, very sad that I have to wait to continue this story 🥹😭
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January 11, 2025(Note: This is Book 1 of at least a 2-part series and not a standalone story. This isn’t readily apparent in the title, cover, description, or the inspiring marketing of this book, so I wanted to clarify that upfront. Many beloved fantasy books are series, so I’m not saying this to discourage anyone from reading it, but rather to provide the context and transparency I didn’t have going into it.)
If you are an avid romantasy reader, dismiss my review from your court. Many other reviewers have praised this book for being exactly their cup of tea, served in a golden chalice. Since I only sip sparingly from this genre, it’s entirely possible my review is swill.
I loved the King Arthur retelling, The Mists of Avalon. So being gifted a copy of a book about a modern-day Guinevere who must go back in time to save not just King Arthur but the future of the world felt like I’d just pulled Excalibur from the stone. However, about 100 pages in, I started slipping into a lake of confusion. Sometimes, with pronouns like he, it, this, I wasn’t sure what they referred to. Additionally, there were moments when the FMC’s reactions—or lack thereof—didn’t track for me. This book has so much potential, it just needs another round of polish and edits to really help it shine.
Again, I acknowledge I’m an outlier here. If you disagree with my review, I’ll gladly accept your jousting. I am not attaching a star rating to my review because I wish this author nothing but success.
If you are an avid romantasy reader, dismiss my review from your court. Many other reviewers have praised this book for being exactly their cup of tea, served in a golden chalice. Since I only sip sparingly from this genre, it’s entirely possible my review is swill.
I loved the King Arthur retelling, The Mists of Avalon. So being gifted a copy of a book about a modern-day Guinevere who must go back in time to save not just King Arthur but the future of the world felt like I’d just pulled Excalibur from the stone. However, about 100 pages in, I started slipping into a lake of confusion. Sometimes, with pronouns like he, it, this, I wasn’t sure what they referred to. Additionally, there were moments when the FMC’s reactions—or lack thereof—didn’t track for me. This book has so much potential, it just needs another round of polish and edits to really help it shine.
Again, I acknowledge I’m an outlier here. If you disagree with my review, I’ll gladly accept your jousting. I am not attaching a star rating to my review because I wish this author nothing but success.
August 6, 2025
This was so good! 😭 I fell in love with the characters and the magic and the story. I can’t wait to read the sequel
November 25, 2024
wait guys i’ve spent the last two days enamored by this book you don’t even understand and you all must read it if you’re looking for a wholly original and thrilling take on king arthur—or a fantasy that’s not formulaic like soooo many of the ones coming out now 🤐
this is the kind of book that deserves the sprayed edge and gorgeous cover treatment!!!!!
this is the kind of book that deserves the sprayed edge and gorgeous cover treatment!!!!!
August 30, 2025
First of all, Ms. Lafferty, how DARE you. Madam. Why am I ugly crying you had no right to make me love this book so much. I am affronted by how delightful the banter was and how much YEARNING you managed to squeeze into 500 pages. Straight to jail for you. Please release book 2 ASAP I am unwell.
July 30, 2024
I received this as an ARC through NetGalley, but I’d been waiting anxiously to read it since discovering the WIP on TikTok forever ago.
This story is a fun and interesting take on the legend of King Arthur. The mystery makes a reader question everything they thought they knew about the legend and what really might be true. The magic and life of the world only add to the enjoyment of reading it. If I had to choose, I would say that Lancelot is my favorite, and I would like to think that many will enjoy his characterization. All and all, this was a great read, and I would gladly re-read it. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for book two!
This story is a fun and interesting take on the legend of King Arthur. The mystery makes a reader question everything they thought they knew about the legend and what really might be true. The magic and life of the world only add to the enjoyment of reading it. If I had to choose, I would say that Lancelot is my favorite, and I would like to think that many will enjoy his characterization. All and all, this was a great read, and I would gladly re-read it. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for book two!
August 12, 2024
I’ve looked forward to reading this book since I first heard Paula Lafferty talk about the premise. The fact that I was able to be an ARC reader is just the best news I could have received.
We follow Vera who is about as average as they come. Forgettable. One day she meets an older man who says he’s Merlin. (Yes! That Merlin! 🧙) He tells her she is actually the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has to go back in time to save Camelot.
The story had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down! The relationships between the characters are fun, heartbreaking, and so real. If you love Arthurian stories, medieval escapades and amazing bestie banter, this is absolutely the book for you!
We follow Vera who is about as average as they come. Forgettable. One day she meets an older man who says he’s Merlin. (Yes! That Merlin! 🧙) He tells her she is actually the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has to go back in time to save Camelot.
The story had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down! The relationships between the characters are fun, heartbreaking, and so real. If you love Arthurian stories, medieval escapades and amazing bestie banter, this is absolutely the book for you!
September 20, 2024
Prepare to have Arthurian retellings ruined for you because THIS version is the one true Queen! 👑🌟
Paula’s writing is lyrical and witty and had me laughing, swooning, and on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved this book and I can hardly wait for Vera’s story to continue in book 2!l
October 11, 2024
I was aware of this author and book from social media and wanted to read this to see if it lived up to the hype. I'm surprised to report that it absolutely does. I loved reading this and took my time with it to enjoy the experience.
Want to read
September 2, 2025Thank you to Avalon Books and NetGalley for the ARC copy :)
December 4, 2024
4⭐️
The storyline starts with Vera aka Guinevere from Arthurian myth living in current modern world with cellphones and everything contemporary lol and Vera is still mourning for her death boyfriend then one day her life completely changes because Merlin comes to her time and tell her who she actually is and taking her to 7th century through some magical portal but my poor girlie has no memory of who she was and what was her life in medieval times as queen. She is queen Guinevere who is married to our delicious mmc Arthur but of course nothing is that easy lol
Honestly let me tell you how much I love this debut novel. I have my issues and will tell you but first I wanna praise how good of a storyline is! I am blown away by the attention and research went to this book because you can actually tell while reading it. The suspension the mystery the freaking secrets are kept me on my toes. Pacing of the book was immaculate omg I couldn’t stop reading it and I was thinking about while not reading (creating and guessing theories lol) amnesia and time travel trope aren’t my favorite but as I am big fucking fan of Arthurian legend. I literally read anything Arthurian! This story is completely completely reimagining though. Everything you know you might not know it at all
I love characters so much especially Vera! I loved being in her head so much but my girl was adapted mediaeval times so damn easily. I’d loved to see more of her struggle in that sense it felt like she was completely okay where she was despite of her whole life uprooted. She was utterly human with guilt, shame, anger, sadness, happiness and of course her soft heart was admiring. I love the fact that she felt so many emotions and we have witnessed it with her she actually made me cry in her helplessness. I really really love her and can’t wait to get to know her more. Honestly can’t wait to see my Queen and her long loss memories 👸🏻
Arthur agh my broody and sensitive cutie pie and he was everything but honestly I wanna see this mighty Arthur more!
⚠️⚠️(Tiny Spoilers in this paragraph) ⚠️⚠️
Lancelot omg I love him so much! He was that side character you don’t know if he is in love with vera or they are just friends and that annoyed me little bit. (Recent book series I read gave me literal ptsd from love triangle/poly lol) nevertheless I love him and can’t wait to know him more! Their friendship was one of my favorite things ever!
Agh Gawain! He truly stole my heart! I love his character so much and how it come along because wow 🤩 intelligence man does something to me every single time 🫠
I honestly love all the other side characters as well but world building and how it connects with modern Arthurian myth was delicious I loved that part, modern time references definitely make it better. World building is pretty standard medieval times but has plumbing lol Magic system is pretty much connected to overall plot so I am excited to see more.
Yea I really wasn’t expecting to love this much and now I am gonna explain why isn’t 5⭐️ because I have couple issues.
I felt underwhelmed by the end of the book it wasn’t enough big aha moment it felt flat after building that much mystery and suspense and I was like “that’s it!?” That was the main plot!? and of course it brought more suspense and questions afterwards and it was not enough revelation in the end.
My other issue is romance I think writing slow burn is truly a talent and you can miss the point when you don’t know how to do it right. Half of the books they didn’t have any dialogue or any contact because MMC was running away from Vera and then even they started talking it was still weird gaps and romance literally has no depth to it and has so much reliance of “jealousy” Romance was lacking in feeling department and I don’t understand how they’re in love with that much interaction!? Regardless I love them together and I’d love to witness their love more.
The storyline starts with Vera aka Guinevere from Arthurian myth living in current modern world with cellphones and everything contemporary lol and Vera is still mourning for her death boyfriend then one day her life completely changes because Merlin comes to her time and tell her who she actually is and taking her to 7th century through some magical portal but my poor girlie has no memory of who she was and what was her life in medieval times as queen. She is queen Guinevere who is married to our delicious mmc Arthur but of course nothing is that easy lol
Honestly let me tell you how much I love this debut novel. I have my issues and will tell you but first I wanna praise how good of a storyline is! I am blown away by the attention and research went to this book because you can actually tell while reading it. The suspension the mystery the freaking secrets are kept me on my toes. Pacing of the book was immaculate omg I couldn’t stop reading it and I was thinking about while not reading (creating and guessing theories lol) amnesia and time travel trope aren’t my favorite but as I am big fucking fan of Arthurian legend. I literally read anything Arthurian! This story is completely completely reimagining though. Everything you know you might not know it at all
I love characters so much especially Vera! I loved being in her head so much but my girl was adapted mediaeval times so damn easily. I’d loved to see more of her struggle in that sense it felt like she was completely okay where she was despite of her whole life uprooted. She was utterly human with guilt, shame, anger, sadness, happiness and of course her soft heart was admiring. I love the fact that she felt so many emotions and we have witnessed it with her she actually made me cry in her helplessness. I really really love her and can’t wait to get to know her more. Honestly can’t wait to see my Queen and her long loss memories 👸🏻
Arthur agh my broody and sensitive cutie pie and he was everything but honestly I wanna see this mighty Arthur more!
⚠️⚠️(Tiny Spoilers in this paragraph) ⚠️⚠️
Lancelot omg I love him so much! He was that side character you don’t know if he is in love with vera or they are just friends and that annoyed me little bit. (Recent book series I read gave me literal ptsd from love triangle/poly lol) nevertheless I love him and can’t wait to know him more! Their friendship was one of my favorite things ever!
Agh Gawain! He truly stole my heart! I love his character so much and how it come along because wow 🤩 intelligence man does something to me every single time 🫠
I honestly love all the other side characters as well but world building and how it connects with modern Arthurian myth was delicious I loved that part, modern time references definitely make it better. World building is pretty standard medieval times but has plumbing lol Magic system is pretty much connected to overall plot so I am excited to see more.
Yea I really wasn’t expecting to love this much and now I am gonna explain why isn’t 5⭐️ because I have couple issues.
I felt underwhelmed by the end of the book it wasn’t enough big aha moment it felt flat after building that much mystery and suspense and I was like “that’s it!?” That was the main plot!? and of course it brought more suspense and questions afterwards and it was not enough revelation in the end.
My other issue is romance I think writing slow burn is truly a talent and you can miss the point when you don’t know how to do it right. Half of the books they didn’t have any dialogue or any contact because MMC was running away from Vera and then even they started talking it was still weird gaps and romance literally has no depth to it and has so much reliance of “jealousy” Romance was lacking in feeling department and I don’t understand how they’re in love with that much interaction!? Regardless I love them together and I’d love to witness their love more.
September 30, 2024
My very first ARC so first of all how THRILLING and THANK YOU Paula and Team for letting me read this early because HOW EXCITING!
And honestly? That's exactly how I would describe this. This book had me hooked all those months ago just from the premise because it was so damn exciting!!! A breath of fresh (albeit misty) air that completely stole my attention and had me absolutely riveted until I was stress eating tteokbokki at 3am needing to finish the last few chapters - and listen I am 28 so I take my sleep very seriously these days!! That should tell you something!
The general plot is a mish mash of fantasy plus time travel. Our main character, Vera, lives in present day Glastonbury. She lives a perfectly ordinary life helping her adoptive parents run an inn and slowly trying to move on from the death of her boyfriend. Her life changes when she is told by a guest at the inn that he is really the legendary Merlin come to take her home, and she is actually Queen Guinevere who he has saved from 7th century Camelot by transporting her essence to a different timeline to heal from a mortal injury. Vera has no memories of this other life where roughly one year has passed since the injury, but it is imperative she returns and accesses her memories as she holds the key to returning a dying magic to Camelot.
I want to begin by saying I usually hate time travel in every form, books, films, anything you name it I avoid any semblance of time travel. But this was done so well I've changed my mind!!!! I usually find it all a bit silly but its a true testament to Paula's writing she dealt with it all so elegantly. The set up was fantastic and there was a lot of thought put into it to make it read well.
Moving on to the characters - I loved them ALL! All so well written and fleshed out, and we as the reader find ourselves in the same boat as Vera - facing characters and names of sheer legend, that we are already familiar with or perhaps have come to conclusions about - and having to redefine them in our mind. She jumps into the 7th century with little knowledge of the original story of King Arthur (hilarious tbh) but also what she does know of the legends isn't what she's seeing. It's so fun to see it all unravel throughout the book, and to see characters blooming into who we know they should be by the end. The characters also very much drove the plot, which is something I've struggled to find recently in books in general. The characters' emotions, their conversations, their relationships, all propel the plot and story forwards and it make it all the more engaging for us as the reader. I was so invested in everyone!
Setting wise, you may be thinking ew 7th century gross. Nope, Paula thought of it all. So this version of Camelot is vey different to the history books. There's magic! Magic leaves no archeological trace, hence why the history books have no record of magic of this time, and repainted the time as the "Dark Ages" but this fictional Camelot is incredibly high tech and clean due to magic. There's an intricate magic system, there's geopolitics, there's somehow magic disappearing from the country... the setting is rife for more expansion and I can't wait to see where the series goes.
To top it all off, beautiful writing style. Great action sequences, lush descriptions, no pacing issues in my opinion - I can't fault it anywhere even if I tried. I'm honestly amazed that this is a debut, and now I'm heartbroken because I will just sit here thinking about how long until I can read the next installment. Especially with that ending!
And honestly? That's exactly how I would describe this. This book had me hooked all those months ago just from the premise because it was so damn exciting!!! A breath of fresh (albeit misty) air that completely stole my attention and had me absolutely riveted until I was stress eating tteokbokki at 3am needing to finish the last few chapters - and listen I am 28 so I take my sleep very seriously these days!! That should tell you something!
The general plot is a mish mash of fantasy plus time travel. Our main character, Vera, lives in present day Glastonbury. She lives a perfectly ordinary life helping her adoptive parents run an inn and slowly trying to move on from the death of her boyfriend. Her life changes when she is told by a guest at the inn that he is really the legendary Merlin come to take her home, and she is actually Queen Guinevere who he has saved from 7th century Camelot by transporting her essence to a different timeline to heal from a mortal injury. Vera has no memories of this other life where roughly one year has passed since the injury, but it is imperative she returns and accesses her memories as she holds the key to returning a dying magic to Camelot.
I want to begin by saying I usually hate time travel in every form, books, films, anything you name it I avoid any semblance of time travel. But this was done so well I've changed my mind!!!! I usually find it all a bit silly but its a true testament to Paula's writing she dealt with it all so elegantly. The set up was fantastic and there was a lot of thought put into it to make it read well.
Moving on to the characters - I loved them ALL! All so well written and fleshed out, and we as the reader find ourselves in the same boat as Vera - facing characters and names of sheer legend, that we are already familiar with or perhaps have come to conclusions about - and having to redefine them in our mind. She jumps into the 7th century with little knowledge of the original story of King Arthur (hilarious tbh) but also what she does know of the legends isn't what she's seeing. It's so fun to see it all unravel throughout the book, and to see characters blooming into who we know they should be by the end. The characters also very much drove the plot, which is something I've struggled to find recently in books in general. The characters' emotions, their conversations, their relationships, all propel the plot and story forwards and it make it all the more engaging for us as the reader. I was so invested in everyone!
Setting wise, you may be thinking ew 7th century gross. Nope, Paula thought of it all. So this version of Camelot is vey different to the history books. There's magic! Magic leaves no archeological trace, hence why the history books have no record of magic of this time, and repainted the time as the "Dark Ages" but this fictional Camelot is incredibly high tech and clean due to magic. There's an intricate magic system, there's geopolitics, there's somehow magic disappearing from the country... the setting is rife for more expansion and I can't wait to see where the series goes.
To top it all off, beautiful writing style. Great action sequences, lush descriptions, no pacing issues in my opinion - I can't fault it anywhere even if I tried. I'm honestly amazed that this is a debut, and now I'm heartbroken because I will just sit here thinking about how long until I can read the next installment. Especially with that ending!
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