Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Countess And The King-Susan Holloway Scott

The Countess And The King
Susan Holloway Scott
NAL, Sep 7 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780451231154

Katherine Sedley is the offspring of a hedonistic womanizer and an insane mother who insists she was the queen. With that type of heritage, everyone who knows of her peerage expects her to be an affluent lunatic.

Unperturbed, in 1675 Katherine comes to the court of King Charles II to serve as a lady in waiting. She and Charles’ younger brother James are attracted to each other and begin an affair. However, when Charles II dies, James becomes the monarch while Katherine is trapped in a web of deceit and avaricious intrigue.

This is an entertaining Restoration Era biographical fiction that brings to life the courts of Charles II and James II through the latter’s mistress. The support cast enhances the deep look at the Countess and the King, who come across as genuinely decadent and lewd. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this historical and should consider reading Susan Holloway Scott’s similar treatment of The French Mistress of Charles II.

Harriet Klausner

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