The Once and Future Queen: Deluxe Special Edition (The Lives of Guinevere)

Heather Willis

Coming off a book high...so much love for this book!

"OMG, OMG, OMG. I'm so thankful I saw someone post about this book in a Facebook group I'm in. I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately and this book snapped me out of it. Thank God it's going to be part of a trilogy! Praying for flowing ideas and fast typing fingers for the author so I can jump back into this adventure! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I don't love "potty language," but I loved the characters and the creative writing and ideas the author came up with. This is the kind of book that makes you want to shirk all responsibilities, call out sick from work and wish some of that magic from the book would jump through and feed and entertain your children so you can just hibernate and read straight through! So much love for this book ♡. ["

Show more

January 27, 2026 Verified Purchase

AllHis

Is Book 2 out yet???

"Am I a fan of King Arthur rewrites? Absolutely not. But I LOVE this take. Do I enjoy reading stories set during the Dark Ages? Not really. But this one has time travel in it, which, in this case, makes up for that in my mind for some reason. I picked up what I thought I was a spicy-ish standalone novel as a winter-vacation-on-the-beach read based on a random recommendation from social media. What I got was an intense sunburn, because I couldn't spare the time to peel my eyes away from the book long enough to apply more sunscreen and save myself from skin cancer in 20 years... and to be honest I'm okay with that. The relationships, the twists, the magic, the questionable side characters... I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen and then being completely wrong. This is the best. I was beside myself as I realized this was not a standalone, but the first book of an unfinished series. (I've done this to myself a lot lately... I should research more. Lesson learned? Probably not.) The good news is that I get to return to this fabulous world a few more times before the actual end. There was enough of a cliffhanger to make me sad it was only the first book and to want to read more to find out what happens... but not so much that I experienced that uncomfortable feeling that my life literally is unfinished until I have the next book in my hands. Paula Lafferty - Thank you for this amazing book. It was the sweet surprise I didn't know I needed this winter. I will continue to sit, not patiently, for the next round table tale. Spice: 2-ish. When I picked it up, I understood it was a 3... Maybe my spice-o-meter is skewed, but I felt like there were only 1.5 scenes that I'll be blocking out from my daughter's eyes. I'd say the one is relatively explicit.. so I guess it depends on which Spice scale you're referring to if it's a 2 or a 3. ["

Show more

May 7, 2026 Verified Purchase

Rhiannon Green

Perfection!

"I cannot state enough how much I loved this book. It has immediately secured itself as a favorite read of the year and we're only 5 days into 2026. I'll admit that I was drawn to the stunningly beautiful cover and sprayed edges and the fact that it was a Guinevere retelling with time travel definitely piqued my interest. This story did not disappoint. It had me from the beginning and kept me through the entire book. I simply loved it. The story is a fresh take on the Authurian tale while also holding much original lore throughout. The changes felt natural and appropriate and time travel aspect brought a modern feel to a very old story. Have I mentioned I loved it??? The found family was a delight and brought so much to the story. Vera's story is heavy and sad yet she still brings both levity and strength to the plot. There's some hilarious scenes, and some dark scenes, and I didn't want to stop listening to the well done audio. The ending is a cliffhanger, but not near the devastating ending I thought we were going to get. I cannot wait for book 2. This is an absolute must read! ["

Show more

January 30, 2026 Verified Purchase

Ashton Bryan

Great story telling

"Really this book is 4.5 stars I’m about 70% of the way through and it’s so good. The story telling is remarkable. I also love a good time travel/transmigration story. I love the story of King Arthur, in college I was obsessed with it and now we get to see this from Guinevere’s perspective which is refreshing. It gives quest for Camelot meets outlander. This would be 5 stars but some of the language to me is a turn off and is unnecessary. ["

Show more

January 11, 2026 Verified Purchase

Leah L.

Beautiful Edition, Average Read

"This book is absolutely gorgeous, and that’s what initially drew me in. I was excited for an Arthurian, Guinevere-focused read with a bit more romance and adventure. While the concept is great, the execution felt flat for me. The stories didn’t have the depth or spark I was hoping for, and I struggled to stay engaged. If you love collector editions and beautiful artwork, you may still enjoy it. If you’re looking for a truly captivating retelling, you might want to look elsewhere. ["

Show more

February 2, 2026 Verified Purchase