The King's Favorite

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Pub Date 19 Jul 2018 | Archive Date 30 Jan 2019

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Description

The King's Favorite is a mystery thriller set during one of the most spirited, scandalous, and memorable periods in English history—the Restoration—when the son of an executed king brought monarchy back to England after the repressive years of the Commonwealth. Following the coronation of Charles II came a reopening of the theaters, with the first women performing on the English public stage. What follows is a devastating London plague and fire, a monarch who openly indulged his sexual proclivities, a series of plots against the crown, and the first true collection of female celebrities—as actresses, mistresses, and even orange girls.

The King's Favorite is a mystery thriller set during one of the most spirited, scandalous, and memorable periods in English history—the Restoration—when the son of an executed king brought monarchy...


Advance Praise

“Vance has masterfully captured an exciting moment in English history, filled with dark political intrigue and radiantly salacious liaisons.” –Michael Hartnett, author of Generation Dementia

“A complex, fascinating mystery…” –Preston Holtry, author of the Arrius Trilogy

“Vance has masterfully captured an exciting moment in English history, filled with dark political intrigue and radiantly salacious liaisons.” –Michael Hartnett, author of Generation Dementia

“A...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781684331031
PRICE $6.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 16 members


Featured Reviews

Honestly I wanted to love this but didn’t. I found the language coarse, plot weak and the characters unlikeable. I ended up skim reading the second half.
There are some good points, the descriptions of the clothing and buildings is lovely and evocative but I just couldn’t get into this.
Not one for me I’m afraid.

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I was so eager to get this book and I am grateful to the publisher for supplying me with a copy. However, I was only able to get a bit over 100 pages in and I had to stop. I couldn’t find myself being able to get in the story it felt too heavy with, in my opinion, were tedious details. I am sorry to not be able to give a better review. Perhaps it’ is just this particular book wasn’t my taste. I definitely still say give it a go it may be just perfect for other readers!

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Who will be the King's favorite mistress? It's a very sought out postion, but is it worth killing for? When one of the King's mistresses is found dead in his bed, there is a search to find out who killed her. Does it have something to do with a plot to overthrow the king? Full of intrigue, jealousy and suspicion. I mostly enjoyed this book. It did have a tendency to drag in certain parts. The constant talk of who is the king's favorite was too much. Explicit language. I received this book from Net Galley and Black Rose Writing for a honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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I really enjoyed the historical parts of this book but did find the mystery a little contrived i would have liked a longer ending it felt a little abrupt to me

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it is not from the time period I generally read about. I was really intrigued by all of the Mistresses so much so that after finishing the book I had to Google all of them just to see how much was fact and how much was fiction. The Mistresses were my favorite characters and the author made me feel like I knew each one. I actually learned a great deal reading this book. Although some sections were very slow it was very hard to put the book down. There are minor typos throughout the book but I'm sure those will be corrected prior to publication. This book has absolutely inspired me to read others surrounding Charles II.

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I liked reading this book, and I cared about most of the characters. and what would happen to them?
It was an interesting view of this historical period I will be looking for more by this author.

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I love books about King Charles II. He's my favorite Stuart Monarch. Nell Gwynn is my favorite of his ladies, although she was in this book, she was a secondary character. I enjoyed this book very much. It's a good mystery and a well written book. If you've never read about His Majesty, King Charles II and his wonderful long list of ladies who fight for his affections, this is a good book to start with! Highly recommend!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.Thank you so much ,Netgalley!!
All opinions are my own!

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*Many thanks to John Vance, Black Rose Writing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
The King's Favorite is an interesting HF novel that concentrates on the plot to assasinate Charles II and in the background reaaders learn about the court intrigues and the world of the theatre in the 17th century. I found the latter truly interesting and enjoyable. The Author presents us with vivid descriptions of the theatre interior, the atmosphere, the behavious of the audiences and actors of those times. The novel reads well and I woud recommend it to anyone interested in the 17th century England.

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I wanted to love this book. It's set in my favourite period, the Restoration. But I finished it out of a sense of duty.

It began confusingly. The cover, a picture of Nell Gwynn, and the title made me expect it would be about... well, Nell. But no, the heroine is an invented court beauty. Though that wouldn't have mattered if she'd been one that I could like, or even sympathise with. Perhaps it was the fact that this book needed - badly - some serious editing that put me off, but it never convinced me that the author really knew the period more than skin-deep.

This novel may be perfectly fine for someone who's less of a history geek, it romps along and there are some amusing scenes. It just didn't work for me.

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Great historical fiction! started a bit slow but came together to make an amazing book with some twists that were totally unexpected!

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I love this period of history and find Charles II and his mistresses fascinating. This is so easy to read and immerse yourself in that I raced through it and felt a little bereft when I'd finished. The intrigue has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end. I will be on the lookout for further titles by this author.

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I greatly enjoyed this novel! Being a lover of the Tudor Era, I have to admit that I am not as familiar with the court of King Charles II. After a bit of study and reading up on his life and reign, I felt ready to dive into THE KING'S FAVORITE, and the author does not disappoint! He does justice to the king himself, as well as to the women he kept. But John Vance goes even beyond that, plunging his readers into the very life of England in the mid 1600's. Beautifully done and highly recommended.

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