I have read many biographies of Nell Gwynn so I was excited to read a new and updated biography of her. While it is a short read, there was no new information on her. Thus, this book is for those who have never heard of Nell Gwynn’s story before.

A really great addition to any lover of Stuart history. Well written and very easy to get absorbed into

Nell Gwynn is my favorite historical character, so I was very happy for the chance to review this book. Well researched and written, it gives an excellent view of Nell, her relationship with King Charles, and the events of the period.

Born into obscure poverty, not much is known of Nell's early life. Her birthday and birthplace have been lost to time. She rose from this to become the favored mistress of a king. She was loved by the British people, and known for her generosity. She was undemanding, and created a safe and serene haven for King Charles.

I loved this book, and would highly recommend it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#CharlesII'sFavoriteMistress#NetGalley

Interesting and engaging, I loved reading about the many love interests of this famously naughty English king!!!

As a former student of Restoration and British Lit and a self-professed Anglophile, I absolutely loved this book. I loved learning so much about Nell Gwyn and really getting what I felt was an in-depth look into her life, career, family, and her role in the history and context of Restoration England.

A very well researched biography of Nell Gwynn, the most beloved by the English people among King Charles II's mistresses. From a humble background as an orange seller in a theater to becoming a popular actress on the stage and subsequently catching the king's eye and eventually becoming one of his mistresses you could say that it was quite a rise. Among the three major mistresses, she alone was always faithful to Charles. She eventually bore him two sons which he recognized and supported as well as Nell. She grew up in and had a large role in Restoration circles counting nobles, authors, theater owners and merry rakes as her acquaintances. The author did an excellent job of combining the historical events that occurred during Nell'a life along with her biography. I really enjoyed reading about Nell and the Restoration period. Many thanks to Net Galley and Pen and Sword Books for allowing me the pleasure of reading this wonderful biography.
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Nell Gwyn knew that one of her rivals, another actress, was going to spend the night with the King. She would put paid to that! Nell made sure that she put purgatives into her rival's drink. I doubt that it was a good night for anyone.

This is just one of the many anecdotes in this lively book about the rollicking Nell, who made her way up from a hard life in the slums with a drunken single mother to become quite respected as an actress and Charles II's favourite mistress with many notable friends. Pretty, sympathetic and vivacious, Nell was a great comfort to the King, and she was not malicious, or grasping. There is a tale though that she wanted a title for her son, and dangled the young boy over the window sill under the King gave him the title of Lord Burford!

This almost reads like a novel about Nell, and it has many interesting stories about the other mistresses, as well.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A look into the life of Charles II's favourite mistress - Nell Gwyn. I picked this book knowing nothing about her (nor really having any interest in doing so prior), yet I came away from it feeling well-informed of her life story and glad I read it. It was concise, digestible and an easy read.

* Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very deep and in-depth look into the life of Nell Gwyn. One of the most favored and colorful of Charles II mistresses.
This novel tells of her beginnings as a commoner raised in the bowels of war torn debaucherous London, and her rise to Whitehall.

Very Informative
3 stars
I received this ARC from Netgalley for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author has drawn on lots of contemporary accounts and sources to try to give us an idea of the real Nell Gwyn - not just the glamorous mistress of Charles II but what she was like as a mother, daughter, sister and friend. I learned a lot of new things reading this book, and especially liked the details of the bickering between the mistresses all competing for Charles' attention - and how Nell expertly responded to it, sometimes with props and even dressing up! A really good read for anyone interested in Restoration Britain or women's history.

Nell Gwynn is one of these women in history that just stands out to me so I was quite happy when I saw this and was approved to read the book as an E-ARC. She's an enigma and I'm happy that it seems like she actually lived a happy life with her children and in wealth. Of course, there's no way of really knowing this, but Watkins certainly does not present a sad life story for Nell. Seems like she was a woman who enjoyed life and went for it (obviously, she bagged a king!).

I find Restoration England quite fascinating (thank you Mathew Baynton in Horrible Histories!) and there's so much to explore in this period. There so many first hand accounts - looking at you Pepys! - so it feels like you're able to really get close to the people you read about. You can find out more about their character - both the good and the bad.

All in all I enjoyed this read and I felt I got to learn more about Nell which, you know, was the whole point!

A delightful and rollicking biography of Nell Gwynn, one of the most famous royal favourites in English history and her complex relationship with one of the greatest womanizers in the history of Great Britain.
A wonderful portrait of an admirable courtesan full of delicious details about Restoration England and the frivolous court of the most famous and lovable of all the Stuarts, Charles the Second....
I really enjoyed this very entertaining biography. Very amusing and higly recommended👍👍👍

I enjoyed this well researched biography immensely.I knew very little about Nell Gwynn and was fascinated by her story.The fact that she’s still remembered in such positive terms almost 350 years later speaks volumes about her.The book relies on many contemporary sources which bring her to life.I was particularly interested in the section about Restoration theatres .
The book deals with many other areas of life at court and also the rivalry between Charles II’s mistresses ; Nell once again comes out of this very positively.The last section is very touching ,outlining all the provisions made in her will for charitable purposes .
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

A brilliant history of Nell Gwyn, superb in the attention to detail and historical research that went into the book. It is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it.