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Cover of The Once and Future Queen

The Once and Future Queen

by Paula Lafferty

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate·spoiler·The Lives of Guinevere #1·Ongoing Series

Why Read This?

A bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian legend told from Guinevere's perspective. The slow-burn romance between Vera and Arthur is achingly tender, the Lancelot friendship subversion is refreshing, and the time-slip framing adds genuine stakes. Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook.

Synopsis

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! Outlander -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! 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 . . .

At a Glance

4.27 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

slow burnreincarnation romancearranged marriage

Mood

epicromanticfeministadventurousemotional

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.27 ★

Page Count

512 pages

Published

2024

Primary Genre

Romantasy

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Unabridged

Narrator

Julia Whelan

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

sign in to see all 9 tropes

Mood & Vibe

Mood

sign in to see writing style, pacing & more

Characters

FMC: reluctant chosen one who questions destiny - modern waitress thrust into legendary role sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

mix of fade-to-black and on-page intimate scenes, emotionally driven rather than explicit

on-page sexual assault of protagonistviolence and executionnon-consensual magical proceduressuicidal ideationgrief and bereavementmind control and memory manipulation

World & Setting

historical fantasy with time travel sign in to unlock

Reading Context

moderate sign in to unlock

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