I loved all of the Jane Series from this trio- so I was so excited to get to dive into this one.

My Contrary Mary is about one of the greatest Mary’s of all time- Mary, Queen of Scots.

As with the previous series, these books seek to rewrite history for these famous females and make it better. There may also be additional magic and characters and current pop culture references. This is definitely not a true story.

I thought this was such a fun take for Mary and would be great for those who are also fans of shows like Reign. Much like the show- this book skirts history but I really wish it had happened like the book.

I look forward to the next in the series and meeting the next Mary to be saved!

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!! I'm not a huge historical fiction reader but I was very excited to pick this up. This is a retelling of Mary, Queen of Scotts. Now I'm horrible with my history so I certainly will not be speaking to the historical accuracy but as far as the book goes, what a great adventure! I loved the little magical elements sprinkled in, the cast of characters, and the storyline from start of finish. I also enjoyed the cutins from the authors, it reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books in that case.

I originally received this as an audiobook through NetGalley. It was mentioned that the audiobook would be a synthetic voice since it's just for the material. Since I picked this up after it was released, I did check out the audio book while I was reading along with the physical book. It was narrated by Fiona Haringham who did a great job! There were so many characters and different accents and I felt like each character was distinct enough.

It looks like these will be a series like the Lady Jane series and I'm excited to pick up the rest of the books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! Why did it take me so long to read this one? What a great first book by these ladies and I really enjoyed that. Ik I was going to love it but not this much. There was a plot twist I didn't see coming and I didn't knew anything about queen mary of scott. But thanks ladies for making me learn! Five out five stars a more detialed review coming soon....

I loved this book. It was a nice mix of historical fiction and fantasy. Loved the audiobook narrator and I felt like I was in this setting. Mary, Queen of Scotland is one of my favorite queens of Europe and this was a nice way of depicting her and her court. Can't wait to read the next books in the series. These authors are going to be on my reading radar The only reason for not a 5-star rating is that it was slow at the beginning.

Historically, women in power don’t get treated very well. This trio of authors tries to fix that with this fantasy series, focusing on Mary, Queen of Scots.

This is another fun installment in a fantasy series with shapeshifters. This story has a little bit of everything. Humor, fantasy, messing with history, romance.

It’s a fun read, but I got a little tired of the pop culture references, which is a major facet of the humor throughout the story, Some were funny and clever, but others, like a reference to the Alamo were too much for me,

I really like the concept of rewriting histories. And the fantasy aspects made for some really interesting story workings.

The ending was a little abrupt for me, and there was a twist in the last 20 minutes that left kind of a bad taste in my mouth.

I don’t properly have the words to describe how incredible this book was, but I’m gonna try my best.

For one, I’ve always been a fan of the audiobooks. ‘Cause personally, I think they enhance the story and it’s a better reading experience as a result. Plus, the narrator is fantastic and does an amazing job at bringing each character and the world to life. I would highly recommend reading the audiobooks for this series (and also for the “Jane” series as well).

As for my thoughts on this particular book; this was my personal favourite of all the Janies’ books. It was incredibly entertaining and laugh out loud funny. Plus, I was the most familiar with Mary Queen of Scots before diving into this book. So I knew some of her history beforehand and it was nice for her to get a happier ending here.

Mary and Francis were great characters; I loved reading from their perspectives. They both felt relatable to me considering the fact they’re from the 16th century. With Ari on the other hand, I had a harder time deciphering her. While I did like her at times, she definitely wasn’t my favourite. She kept doing what others told her to do and I just wanted her to stick up for herself more. I also loved her f/f romance with Liv, one of Mary’s lady in waitings, but I wanted more from it.

Overall, this was an incredible start to a brand new series by the “Janies’” and I’m excited to see which "Mary’s" they’ll write next.

I received an audio galley ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this trio of authors and I loved how fun and funny this book was. I listened to the audio, which I didn't love as much as I thought I would, but it's also not the finished product. So don't let that deter you from getting it.

I love that the authors stared this Mary series with Mary Queen of Scots. The way they rewrote history this time was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the world of My Lady Jane. All of the pop culture references were fun to listen to and I loved seeing so many characters from history.

DNF at 25%! I know I would have loved this if I was 10 years younger, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me. It felt very whimsical. I didn't like the main character and I just couldn't force myself to continue

As I have read the previous trilogy by the Lady Janies, I absolutely needed to read this next series by them as well! I was so excited to see that I got approved for the audiobook arc and I am not sure what took me so long to actually start it! I fell in love with all of the characters instantly and loved watching their journey unfold in this first installment. The only issue that I really had with this first installment was the random sex scene that popped up that was violent. I wasn't expecting it when it happened and it kind of felt a little forced.

The Lady Janies went back to their roots with this fun and clever story, set in the world of MY LADY JANE and featuring cameos from those beloved characters as well.

So clever and so much fun! As with the Lady Janies series, a magical blend of of history and humor with just the right amount of romance thrown in. While Mary Queen of Scotland and her betrothed Francis were both wonderful characters in this story, my personal favorite was Ari, the favored daughter of Nostradamus. Her pop culture prognostications had me chuckling throughout the story. Narrator’s multiple accents added considerably to the listening experience of this story and really helped to differentiate between the French and Scottish players.

Beautifully narrated and a wonderfully written I was immediately immersed in this storyline. I really love this combination of authors.

Having not read any of the other books in the series, I decided to dive in with this one. I'm a huge fan of all Tudor historical fiction and was intrigued by the fantastical twist.

Mary, Queen of Scots, has spent most of her life growing up in the intrigue and bustle of French court. She is greatly loved among the people, but she might not be if the people knew her secret. Mary can turn into a mouse. Mary is one of the Eoian, a people born with the ability to shapeshift. She lives in a world that doesn't accept her kind, ruled by a class of people, Verities, that are particularly prejudiced. How will Mary navigate the court and keep her life with her secret intact?

To start out, the whole of Mary, Queen of Scots being a shapeshifter at first seemed absolutely absurd. But the more as book went along and as it got established with other characters, I really dug it. It was a way to see other insights into the world. It was a way to draw further divisions between people and allow other explanations for it. The whole bit seemed to work rather seamlessly within the story.

Where it really got me the most is in what it allowed. When all the sudden there were historical figures popping up that should have been dead. Oh my goodness. Can you please write Jane Grey's story? Please? I know you've already done a Jane, but honestly not that that it has been established in this story, I really want to read it. I want to know how Edward and Jane ended up together. See the history nerd monster you all have created!

For the most part, I did enjoy the book at the relationship between Mary and Francis. I found it interesting to see him portrayed as someone who was not necessarily sick, but just weak next his virile father. It makes sense. Henry demanded attention. And I also loved that he was technically a frog prince. It was so perfect to bring in that folklore. I could make French jokes, but I won't.

I think the real demise of this story comes in the Artistotle storyline. I know it had some meat to it and I think it was trying to carry some significant weight (lesbian couple in 16th century, sex roles, etc.) But I think it was asking too much for the book to focus on Mary and Francis AND another storyline. Mary and Francis with all of their court intrigue was plenty, promise. Now if you all wanted to these characters justice and write them an offshoot novella? By all means, please do. Because their story deserves to be heard too.

Overall, I found this book very intriguing. I might have to go back and read others! Thank you!

A fun jaunt, just like the Jane books!I liked the alt-history take on Mary, Queen of Scots. The audio is delightful (same as the Jane books), and the humor perfectly lighthearted.

I'm such a fan of the Jane series, so I was super excited to read more from this team of authors. As usual, this book is packed with lots of witty jokes and humor, which is what I was reading for. This book is about Mary Queen of Scots--someone who I vaguely remember learning about in high school history. My COntrary Mary also had some extra magical elements thrown in and a happier ending than in real life. I loved that this book doesn't take this book too seriously, and my absolute favorite part of this book were all the subtle pop culture references.

The audiobook was extra fun because the narrator did such a great job with their tone and joke delivery. I will definitely read these future book by audiobook because of how much I liked listening to this one.

I enjoyed returning to the world of My Lady Jane! It's unique and enjoyable and I could tell the authors enjoyed writing another book set there.

I liked the relationship between titular character Mary and her fiance and best friend Francis. Despite their arguments and everything that happened, they always came back together and stood by each other.

Ari's no-nonsense character was good balance to Mary and Francis, and I thought her motivations and drive were very well executed. Her visions of movie scenes made me laugh aloud, and it was hilarious that they were actually considering a plan from her visions at one point.

While the plot on this one did not always feel serious, it was cohesive and well-paced and all the players involved had believable motivations and machinations.

Before reading this book, I had read both My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane (My Calamity Jane is on my TBR). I had pretty high expectations for this story because of how much I loved those other books. I can happily say that My Contrary Mary exceeded all of my expectations!

This is my favorite book by the Lady Janies so far.

It is definitely the funniest book I’ve read this year; I spent so much time laughing in the car while listening to this book.

I enjoyed the relationship between Mary and Francis. Mary was very witty and brave, and I found myself really enjoying her as the protagonist. Francis was super awkward and adorable, and I loved how sweet he was towards Mary. I could tell how much he cared for her and her well-being.

Like their other works, I loved the writing style of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. They write with sarcastic humor and leave witty comments throughout their stories, which makes their writing so much fun to read.

One of my favorite parts of this story in particular was the movie references in Ari’s visions. When the first one was mentioned, I laughed so hard because it was so unexpected. I appreciated the way that pop culture was included in historical fiction.

Overall, this book is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year.

Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail. Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

I loved My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows! The @ladyjanies have circled back to the same world of My Lady Jane (one of my favorite humorous books ever) and given us Mary Queen of Scots's story… with some serious liberties taken and a whole lot of magic. Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have a talent for providing well-researched historical fiction mixed with fantasy elements and a lot of adventure. The audiobook was fantastic and made me laugh aloud multiple times! There are also two lovely romances in this book, one M/F and one F/F, both of which I really enjoyed. If you need a good laugh I can't recommend the @ladyjanies's books enough!

So.....I didn't enjoy this book at all. Okay so, I DNF'ed this like 60% in. I was honestly really bored with this book. I couldn't remember much of what happened, mainly because it really was hard to pay attention. Nothing was really happening it felt like. It felt like nothing much was going on, even when things were going on. I just decided to end the book when I was reading and I kind of zoned out and had to go back. I just didn't care anymore, and I didn't want to really put myself through this book and end up in a reading slump later on. This book had moments where it was funny, but overall I didn't think the humor really kept me interested in this book. I do recommend their books, and if you're into books like this you will really enjoy it! I just didn't find it enjoyable at all. But I loved My Lady Jane, so if you're done with this book, highly recommend checking out My Lady Gray!

Finally, another book back in the world of [book:My Lady Jane|22840421] with Eðian (shapeshifter; pronounced eth-e-an). I loved My Lady Jane so much that I was eager to pick up the next few books in the Janies series and was not rewarded as I thought I might be. Sigh. Thankfully, this book brought us right back to the world of historical figures turning into animals and doing all sorts of interesting things in their animal form. My Contrary Mary follows Mary, Queen of Scotts as she marries her childhood best friend, Francis, in line for the throne of France. There is plenty of shapeshifting and spying and scheming in this story to keep you, dear reader, thoroughly entertained. I especially loved the scene where Jane and G from My Lady Jane made an appearance. I absolutely love book worlds where characters cross over and meet characters in a newer installment. This was such a fun book and didn't make me completely hate this historical fiction series. I am excited to see there are more books about historical figures named Mary in the works. I hope they are just as entertaining as this one.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!