Oh my!! Another lovely read by an author that's quickly become one of my favorites, and an auto-read for me the past couple of years. I love how the author weaves historical facts into her historical romantic fiction. This one takes place in the court of King George III, his wife Queen Charlotte, and Prince George (Prinny) when Aribella is summoned by the Queen to be one of her ladies-in-waiting in the place of her recently deceased mother.
Aribella is the daughter of a duke but she and her father are struggling to get by. It's been a rough year because of drought and tenants leaving, in addition to her father's ill health. When he dies the estate will be taken over by a distant cousin, who's also proposed marriage to Aribella. Before that thought can settle into her mind enough for a response, a letter from Queen Charlotte arrives requesting Aribella to take her mother's place as one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting for the next several months.
Prince Layton, the youngest of eight sons, goes to England to request help from King George III for help with Napoleon's privateers off the coast of his country. On the way there he helps a carriage which is also going to the palace, and is captivated by one the young ladies he encounters. Layton finds the bright side of spending (wasting) time in King George's court waiting to speak to him, is getting to spend time with one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, the charming Lady Aribella.
Aribella and Layton were perfect for one another, and neither liked the politics of the court. They were both honorable and cared for their countries enough to resist their mutual attraction to each other and forgo a relationship to help their respective countries even though circumstances kept throwing them together. Theirs was a sweet love story and I loved how they managed to be together in the end.
I loved Aribella and Layton's meet-cute. Right away Layton knew she wasn't like the other ladies-in-waiting in the Queen's court. Speaking of the Queen's court, I never knew what ladies-in-waiting did and loved learning about it. This book made me want to learn more about King George III, Queen Charlotte and their many children. I loved Aribella and Layton's story and devoured it as much as I could without neglecting everything else in life. I hope the author has more stories in store for us about Layton's brothers.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Covenant Communications, but also purchased a copy for my personal library. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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A Fun New Series
Amidst mourning the loss of her mother and trying to keep the family estate afloat, Lady Aribella, daughter of the Duke of Sumter, receives the summons to take her mother's place as one of Queen Charlotte's ladies-in-waiting. Arriving at the castle she is forced to conceal truths, forge her allegiance to the crown, and to Queen Charlotte and help in any way she can to convince the people that King George is mentally fit to rule.Prince Layton Christian Wilhelm, the youngest son of the King and Queen of Oldenburg, sails to England with only one job in mind: convince King George to aid his nation against the attacks of the French and pirates of the coast of his country. What he didn't expect was the lovely Lady Aribella to steal his heart.Both are torn between duty and their hearts. Is it possible to be loyal to one's country but still find a way to achieve your own happiness?Unlike any other late Georgian era/early Regency-era novels, I've read. "A Foreign Crown" takes you to the center of the British Monarchy and the decline of King George's mental state, affecting his ability to lead. It was truly intriguing to have their lives unfold as the story progressed. Queen Charlotte's love for her husband and her desperation to keep her family safe during tumultuous times, is a fascinating story in itself, but adding Lady Aribella and Prince Layton to the mix creates a unique and gratifying adventure.Filled with moments of history, love, devotion, loyalty, and true pain, Author Jen Geigle Johnson creates another adventure that makes me want to spend hours pouring over historic accounts of that time. The only thing I wish is that a sequel would be due to come out soon because I mourned over the fact I read this story too quickly. I want more of the Princes' of Oldenburg, to read their stories and to meet all 8 of the brothers.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020
Amidst mourning the loss of her mother and trying to keep the family estate afloat, Lady Aribella, daughter of the Duke of Sumter, receives the summons to take her mother's place as one of Queen Charlotte's ladies-in-waiting. Arriving at the castle she is forced to conceal truths, forge her allegiance to the crown, and to Queen Charlotte and help in any way she can to convince the people that King George is mentally fit to rule.
Prince Layton Christian Wilhelm, the youngest son of the King and Queen of Oldenburg, sails to England with only one job in mind: convince King George to aid his nation against the attacks of the French and pirates of the coast of his country. What he didn't expect was the lovely Lady Aribella to steal his heart.
Both are torn between duty and their hearts. Is it possible to be loyal to one's country but still find a way to achieve your own happiness?
Unlike any other late Georgian era/early Regency-era novels, I've read. "A Foreign Crown" takes you to the center of the British Monarchy and the decline of King George's mental state, affecting his ability to lead. It was truly intriguing to have their lives unfold as the story progressed. Queen Charlotte's love for her husband and her desperation to keep her family safe during tumultuous times, is a fascinating story in itself, but adding Lady Aribella and Prince Layton to the mix creates a unique and gratifying adventure.
Filled with moments of history, love, devotion, loyalty, and true pain, Author Jen Geigle Johnson creates another adventure that makes me want to spend hours pouring over historic accounts of that time. The only thing I wish is that a sequel would be due to come out soon because I mourned over the fact I read this story too quickly. I want more of the Princes' of Oldenburg, to read their stories and to meet all 8 of the brothers.
Prince Layton Christian Wilhelm, the youngest son of the King and Queen of Oldenburg, sails to England with only one job in mind: convince King George to aid his nation against the attacks of the French and pirates of the coast of his country. What he didn't expect was the lovely Lady Aribella to steal his heart.
Both are torn between duty and their hearts. Is it possible to be loyal to one's country but still find a way to achieve your own happiness?
Unlike any other late Georgian era/early Regency-era novels, I've read. "A Foreign Crown" takes you to the center of the British Monarchy and the decline of King George's mental state, affecting his ability to lead. It was truly intriguing to have their lives unfold as the story progressed. Queen Charlotte's love for her husband and her desperation to keep her family safe during tumultuous times, is a fascinating story in itself, but adding Lady Aribella and Prince Layton to the mix creates a unique and gratifying adventure.
Filled with moments of history, love, devotion, loyalty, and true pain, Author Jen Geigle Johnson creates another adventure that makes me want to spend hours pouring over historic accounts of that time. The only thing I wish is that a sequel would be due to come out soon because I mourned over the fact I read this story too quickly. I want more of the Princes' of Oldenburg, to read their stories and to meet all 8 of the brothers.
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