IN THE SHADOW OF A QUEEN is a beautifully written historical novel in which HEATHER B MOORE gives us insight into the lives of Queen Victoria and her children, especally her fourth daughter Princess Louise. We see the close family relationships and the protective love of a mother who wants the best for her children, whilst expecting them to uphold the monarchy and her very strict rules.
We follow Louise’s life from childhood, seeing her pain at the death of her beloved father and the ongoing pain caused by her mother’s grief and long years of mourning.
Louise is an artist whose main passion is sculpture, and we see how she gradually obtains permission from her mother to pursue this gift. She is also passionate about women’s rights and avidly follows politics, although these interessts are frowned upon by the,queen. In fact she can do noting without the queen’s permission.
I like to see how Louise honours Queen Victoria as her queen and how she loves her mother and her siblings, in spite of the criticism that comes from all sides.
The author has obviously done a great deal of research, but this book is definitely not merely an historical account. We are taken right into life at that time and get to understand the characters and their feelings. I highly recommend In the Shadow of a Queen as a most enjoyable read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Shadow Mountain Publishing The opinions in this review are completey my own.

Loved this book. Well researched historical fiction. Especially loved all the time and effort the author put into the Chapter Notes at the end of the book. In the Shadow of the Queen is based on Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Louise (sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert born in 1848).

Evidently Queen Victoria kept quite a journal and in addition there were many letters sent to/from Princess Louise. So fascinating being a young woman assisting the queen and the efforts that went into finding a husband for Princess Louise. Loved having this unique glimpse into the royal world of this by-gone era.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review In the Shadow Of the Queen in exchange for an honest review, and to the author Heather B. Moore and to the publisher Shadow Mountain Publishing. Publication Date is Oct 4, 2022.

Also thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to Heather B. Moore. I also highly recommend The Slow March of Light by this author.

In the Shadow of A Queen was an addicting read. It's rightly titled in the shadow of a Queen because I haven't heard anything about Louise ( One of Queen Victoria's Younger Children.) I really appreciated the detailed research that Heath B. Moore does in her books. ( Having read a book of hers before.)

Louise Daughter of Queen Victoria her passion is sculpting and artistic mediums. Shes very vocal and opinonated and not a shy wallflower. Louise life was restricted due to her father dying when she was young. When all her siblings were getting married off to poltical advatages she wasn't really thought about as much. She was called Loosy. I was hooked from page one the book was an addicting read it got so intense and I just couldn't stop even though I had to keep setting it aside. I appreciate the chance of being contacted to read this book!

Please check this book out October 4 2022 and I received a chance to review this arc in exchange for an honest review.

So much is known of Queen Victoria but there isn’t much interest in her children most of whom were married off to various monarchies all over Europe. Naturally I wanted to read In the Shadow of a Queen to learn more about Queen Victoria’s children. After the unfortunate death of her father Prince Albert Princess Louise the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is thrust into a role of a lifetime. She becomes personal secretary to her overbearing mother and sequestered to a life of subservience to the Queen. This book was bit slow to start but as we delve deeper into her life, love and marriage we find she was more than royal she was talented and courageous. She had a pension for the arts, women’s rights and was clearly ahead of her time. I enjoyed this book but wished it would have delved specifically into the causes, charities and personal contributions of Princess Louise rather than focusing so much on her upbringing, and engagement.

I just thoroughly loved reading In the Shadow of a Queen. Louise is Queen Victoria’s 6th child. The queen had nine children. The paparazzi are always following the royalty in England and this book felt like you had the inside news on them. I loved all the details of royal life including how sheltered they were. Louise tries to break the mold by wanting to learn how to sculpt which in those days was seen as a male, not female, activity. Queen Victoria over the years sees her daughters skill and does allow her to eventually pursue her desires. Louise also breaks the mold when it comes to getting married. There are not many eligible royals at the time Louise comes of age . This becomes quite a dilemma for both her and Queen Victoria. The novel is very cleverly written including many true events on how she eventually finds a spouse. It is a very fun read about a princess who finds her way in life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone! I just loved it!!!

In the Shadow of a Queen is my new favorite book written by the talented Heather B. Moore. I loved learning more about Louise and the author's vision of her. Five stars.

Not being acquainted with historical novels it was with an open mind that I felt it long overdue that I corrected this oversight. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this account Princess Louise’s life was both extremely interesting and concisely written, without overloading the reader unnecessary detail. Princess Louise came across as a charming, free-spirited young lady, bound by the traditions of her time. The love she shared with her husband, John Campbell, was insurmountable and very much in keeping with modern times. The author’s in-depth research has produced a remarkable novel, particularly with regards to the disharmony within the Royal family at times of war.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy.

Princess Louise was a young girl when her father, Prince Albert died. Her mother, Queen Victoria, remained in mourning the rest of her life. This book details how the family survived his death as well as surviving the Queen's life long mourning of her husband, Prince Albert. In all there were 9 children whose lives we learned about in this novel, but only one really stood out and that was Princess Louise. A gifted talent who struggled with the will and domination of her mother. Not to say she was the only one whose relationship with Queen Victoria, however, while the other siblings literally branched out to become "royalty" in other countries, Louise certainly was much more than a Princess waiting for her Prince. I enjoyed this book immensely and wish to thank Ms. Moore for her research and her skill as an author. My thanks to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

hank you to NetGalley and Heather B. Moore for providing me with a free digital ARC of In the Shadow of a Queen.

Queen Victoria has always fascinated me. She ruled for a long time; she loved her husband Prince Albert and she had many children.
This book follows Queen Victoria’s daughter, Louise. She’s the fourth child. It begins with her at age 13.
I enjoyed the real letters at the beginning of the chapters. I always love when historical nonfiction elements are added to historical fiction.
There were a lot of characters. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children. Unfortunately, Prince Albert passes away fairly quickly in the story.
I thought the book was well researched, even though I’m sure some liberties were taken when it came to the actual dialogue. There was great attention to detail.
It was interesting Louise wasn’t in a rush to get married. I thought as a princess, she would be matched with a future husband fairly quickly after she turned marrying age. It seemed like she didn’t have many options.
Some of the book was a bit dry. To be honest, I definitely thought the love interest would show up sooner and I thought there would be a bit more chemistry between him and Louise. Things picked up more after around chapter 28 and the story was a lot more interesting. I just wasn’t into her teenage years as much. It seemed like there wasn’t a real feel for her character until she was older. I did really admire that she made a love match instead of marrying the first Royal she saw.

Overall, the book was well written and informative. It had a lot of historical background in Louise’s life. However, I wasn’t as invested in the story. It was a bit dry for my taste and I wasn’t in the mood to read it at times. I think it was just lacking something for me. I would’ve liked to see more about her married life and less about her teen years. I have other books by Heather B Moore, so I’ll definitely read more of her work.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys English Royal stories.

I absolutely loved this story. Louise was such a strong woman even in her younger years she was way ahead of her time. I really enjoyed following her growing up and all her family dynamics. Her relationship with John was very special. Being a Campbell I especially enjoyed reading about my Scottish heritage. This a very sweet, clean romance.

Interesting historical fiction about one of Queen Victoria's daughters, Louise. I was not at all familiar with her, and she was a fascinating and ahead-of-her-time woman. I enjoyed learning about her and other aspects of life under Queen Victoria.

Love this book. I love anything about Queen Victoria. It does drag a little at times, especially during the morning period for Albert. I understand the queen mourned for him for a long time but you have to move things along in a book or you lose the reader's interest. Overall, I liked it.

Heather Moore has done it again, This was stunning! It was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. It was both intriguing and fascinating. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This book was fantastic! This is a historical fiction piece, looking a the life of Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's daughter. Louise is a few spirit and wants to be out from under her mother's shadow. However, after the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria tightens her reigns over her children. Victoria is doing her best to keep the Crown looking good to the public and Louise simply wants to create her own life and Do what she desires to do. I enjoyed getting this glimpse into the lives of royalty. Heather Moore is a fantastic author and this book did not disappoint! It is well written, easy to read, and entertaining.

3.5*
Firstly I just want to say that the cover is gorgeous and when I rate something 3.5 that means I enjoyed it, I'm just unnecessarily harsh, for literally no reason. Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about In the Shadow Of A Queen by Heather B. Moore. In the Shadow of A Queen is about Queen Victoria's fourth daughter Princess Louise, it follows her story from when she was a child (I forgot if it was 11 or maybe 13) till when she is a 23 year old married women.

Honeslty is knew nothing about Queen Victoria's kids so was going into this blind, and can I just say Princess Louise was lowkey giving girl boss energy, like she was sculptor because you know she wanted to, she went to an art school even though that was 'below' royals, she married a peasant (gasp) and she founded this science and art school for impoverished girls. Honestly idk how I've never heard of her, but good for her.

Anyway back to the book, I thought the book was slow but I actually really liked the part where she was hunting for a husband. It was so funny to me because it was this big deal and like 30% of the book (maybe more), the guys were such characters (by that I mean they were given one personality trait, like being into racehorses and that was it lol). And even though at my core I am a hater, I think Louise and the guy she picked were kinda cute, until they got to together then it was too sappy for me. The writing didn't do for me but I had no problems with it either. it did the job of telling the story.

To conclude, I enjoyed learning a bit more about English history and Princess Louise, so maybe check this out if you've been craving a historical fiction, it was a fun time.

I have been trying to read more historical fiction and broaden my horizons, so I was excited to try out this book. In the Shadow of a Queen was a fascinating book about Princess Lousie, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s daughter, by Heather B Moore.
This book was really interesting to read and learn more about Princess Lousie. I had actually never read or seen anything about her so it was really cool to read. Princess Louise was trying to balance being herself and being a princess. This book takes us through many movements in Princess Lousie’s life, the death of her father, her sister’s marriages, starting school, and even getting married herself are some of the things that this book takes us through.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, it was easy to read and understand. It did drag a bit more for me but that could be because I am just slowly getting into historical fiction. However I feel as if I learned a lot about Princess Louise, her family, and the time that she lived in. The Princess was truly amazing to read about, she stood firm in her ideas and beliefs and did many great things.
In the Shadow of a Queen was a good book. I would recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction or those who are interested in learning more about Princess Louise. It displays a world that seems so far away and different and yet it shows how these people were just human too.


I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I read this book because I am a huge fan of HB Moore's historical fiction. She is such an expert at weaving fact and fiction. This is probably the first book that I didn't really care for. I felt a little lost at times. The chapter quotes from actual letters rarely pertained to the 'going ons' in the chapter and were sometimes out of date and that confused me. I also felt like the book covered so much time. For a while, we would read about Louise day to day activities and then suddenly we jump a year. I was confused about her attending the public academy to study sculpturing and then there isn't much mention to how it ends- did she just stop? I was also a little confused by the lack of narrative about her bout with meningitis when it is revealed during the epilogue that this is probably what caused her to not be able to bear children. So it was actually quite serious! There was a bit a history that I was unfamiliar with so I did learn a lot about that I had to remind myself many times that I was reading about the Queen of England and her family! You feel like you are just reading about any family which is both startling and strangely rewarding. Overall, if you enjoy English history and want to know more about the Victoria's daughter Louise- this is a great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Queen Victoria's daughter, Louise. Apart from learning in detail about her personal life and her development as an artist, I learned a lot about being a daughter of Queen Victoria's, and this was definitely no easy task! Though Victoria was a doting mother, she also was dominating, having a say in most decisions if not all! Had she been always so controlling, or did the death of her darling Albert lead to this ? Reading about Louise, I kept wondering how her life would have like when her father had lived younger... Louise proved to be a woman with modern ideas. Will she be able to influence her mother, starting with her art? A very interesting (marriage, women's rights and role in society, politics,) informative and compelling read!
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much.

In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B. Moore is an excellent historical fiction that highlights Princess Louise, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters. I loved it!

I have read several books by Ms. Moore, and have enjoyed all thus far. I am also a huge fan of anything Queen Victoria, so I loved this book that focuses on one of her daughters, Louise.

I loved the way the author blended historical details and known facts/events with a fictional narrative. It felt as if it all just fit perfectly and we were able to peer into Windsor through a window.

It was engaging, entertaining, and I really enjoyed reading it.

I also enjoyed the notes of historical detail and inspiration by the author at the beginning.

Thank you NG and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/4/22.

I have rated this book 4.5 stars and deducted a half star for the use of Ms. in the story. That title was not in existence during that time period. Other than that this is a wonderful book about Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria. I knew nothing about her and now want to learn more. The author does a wonderful job of allowing the reader to really get to not only know Louise but learn about the protocols of having to live your life as a royal. A book not to be missed. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.