Book Review: Mistress of the Court

Mistress of the Court (Georgian Queens #2)

By: Laura Purcell

Published By: Myrmidon

Publication Date: August 4, 2015

Page Count: 448

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Historical Fiction

Mistress of the Court is the story of Henrietta, an abused wife who becomes the mistress to Prince George. It's also about the rise of Prince George & Princess Caroline's rise to the throne, with all the political intrigue that entails. 

 Henrietta was married at 17 to a man she was enamoured with, but soon learned his true nature. He was cruel, abusive, and wasted all their money on gambling and drinking. She was desperate to get her young son Henry away from him and find a better life for herself. So she goes to Hanover to try and get a place in the court with Dowager Electress Sophia. Her plan succeeds, but everything comes with a price. 

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book was especially interesting to me because it was the opposite side of the Jacobites, which I have read a little bit about. I didn't know much at all about King George so this book was quite fascinating to me. 

 Laura Purcell's descriptions of the places and events of the times are wonderful. I've been looking for another historical fiction author and I think I've found my girl! Mistress of the Court is the 2nd in a series. I did not read the first book, but this works as a stand alone because I didn't even know there was a first book in the series until I was working on this review. I plan to go back and read that one as well. I highly recommend this book for those who are fans of historical fiction!

Summary:

Orphaned and trapped in an abusive marriage, Henrietta Howard has little left to lose. She stakes everything on a new life in Hanover with its royal family, the heirs to the British throne. Henrietta’s beauty and intelligence soon win her the friendship of clever Princess Caroline and her mercurial husband, Prince George. But, as time passes, it becomes clear that friendship is the last thing on the hot-blooded young prince’s mind. Dare Henrietta give into his advances and anger her violent husband? Dare she refuse?

Whatever George’s shortcomings, Princess Caroline is determined to make the family a success. Yet the feud between her husband and his obstinate father threatens all she has worked for. As England erupts in Jacobite riots, her family falls apart. She vows to save the country for her children to inherit – even if it costs her pride and her marriage. Set in the turbulent years of the Hanoverian accession, Mistress of the Court tells the story of two remarkable women at the center of George II’s reign.