I absolutely loved this book! It was one of those reads where you don't want to leave the world and when you are reading you are completely pulled in. I can go on and on and on, but it short, I want everyone to read this. Its original, unique and a perfect edition to the growing Camelot retellings list.

Paula Lafferty slowly and deliberately draws you deeper into the her tale of Camelot with each chapter. You’ll find yourself torn between wanting to read as fast as possible and savoring every word. The ending may have been enough for Guinevere, but I want more. Bring on book 2!

Rock Paper Scissors!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avalon Books and author Paula Lafferty for this eARC

If you don’t like character driven stories - STAY AWAY!

If however, like me you enjoy books where the plot is very simple/secondary and you really get to know and connect with the characters and you enjoy Arthurian legend retellings and time travel, then this is THE book for you!

I absolutely loved this! I loved seeing Vera find her way in this unknown test still kinda familiar world, how she adapted to the struggles of such a different time and see her relationship with not only Arthur, but also Lancelot and Gawain develop.
While the book was quite long I was never bored or felt like it was repetitive or dragging.
In short I loved this and while book two hasn’t been announced as far as I know I still NEED it now!!!

I was aware of this author and book from social media and wanted to read this to see if it lived up to the hype. I'm surprised to report that it absolutely does. I loved reading this and took my time with it to enjoy the experience.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Paula Lafferty for the ARC!

The truth is, I don't know how I feel about "La vie de Guinevere". It wasn't the masterpiece I was waiting for, but it also wasn't a bad book. I am not a big fan of romantasy, but as I love Arthurian legend, I thought this book was made for me... but in fact, it wasn't.

Firstly, I would like to say that during my reading, I felt the love of the author for her characters and her story. It seems like she did a lot of research to write about this time.
The writing was good, easy to read, and easy to imagine.
My favorite part was at the beginning when Vera learns who she is and how she comes to Camelot.
The plot was the most interesting part for me, full of mysteries!

Despite all the good things, I didn't like the characters. We are talking about king/queen/knights, but most of the times they all act like teens. While they are supposed to think about their people/have great experience about war and politics, they are more preoccupied about who is in love with who or drinking game...
I liked the bit of slow life we experienced with them, a ruler has a right to enjoy life, but at the same time I thought that they didn't act their age at all.
I also didn't feel the bond between characters because everything was kind of rushed.

Vera isn't a bad FMC, but I couldn't bond with her... I don't know why because she wasn't blank, she has so much background (and a good one) but everything felt rushed for me... I rather like the way the "original" Guinevere was described than Vera.

I don't understand why the book is described as a Camelot retelling because for me, it wasn't. I don't doubt that Paula Lafferty has a deep love for the Arthurian legend, but I wouldn't describe this book as a retelling. In fact, because of this characterization, I spent a lot of time comparing this book with other retellings that I deeply love.

"La vie de Guinevere" is a romantasy that uses Camelot and Arthurian legends as a background, but it doesn't retell anything.

It's a good romantasy and I'm sure people will love it! But I wouldn't recommend this book to people looking for a deep dive into Arthurian legends.

This was a wholly original and entertaining Arthurian retelling with a compelling FMC (Vera), great side characters and relationships (especially Lancelot), fantastic plot, and romance with a splash of spice, The story begins with Vera in present-day Glastonbury, being surprised by a visit by the wizard Merlin. Merlin informs Vera that she's Guinevere reborn, and together they travel back in time and straight into the famous Arthurian legend. The plot in this book is weaved together very impressively, and the characters all feel fleshed out except for Arthur, who suffered from being a little bit of a weak lead. Vera herself was a well-fleshed out character, but I do think the book could have benefitted from more editing to make her character development a little more consistent. I also felt that the pace and world-building of the first half of the book were a bit clunky for me, but the pace did pick up a lot in the second half. Regardless, this was a great debut effort and a very enjoyable book with a fun romance at its heart. I would definitely recommend giving this book a read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avalon Books, and Paula Lafferty for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.

A modern-day woman finds out that she is the legendary Queen Guinevere from Arthurian legend when Merlin summons her back in time to save magic. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the fall and I have to say I really enjoyed my time with this book. There were so many things to love but there were also some missed opportunities that would have taken this book from I really liked it to I LOVED It. That being said I think it is worth the read and I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had had the right expectations.

Full review has been submitted to SFFI blog.

4.5 rounded up for enjoyment.

I love a retelling of a legend, myth, or tale. If done well. And boy have I read some poor retellings in my day. The other thing I love is the story of King Arthur, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table ... I love it. So when I discovered Paula Lafferty on Instagram (and on TikTok) and started following her journey through the publishing world with her story about Guinevere, I was hooked. 

And, no surprises here, I absolutely loved this story. 

There have been some interesting retellings of the King Arthur and Queen Guinevere story over the many years it has existed, and yet La Vie de Guinevere felt fresh, it felt new, it well so well thought out and beautifully woven together, that I found myself devouring it probably a little too quickly. 

Lafferty's interpretations of characters that we already know pretty well already, were stunning. Vera/Guinivere was a brilliant take on the queen that doesn't get as much limelight perhaps as she should in the old tales, and while Arthur was different to what I was expecting, he had good reasons for being cold towards Vera, which plays out in the story (no spoilers here). Lancelot was by far my favourite character. He was fun and funny and their friendship was so well done. 

Speaking of characters, I really appreciated their relationships across the board, throughout the story. While some of them were similar to some of the Arthurian legend versions we've possibly read before, others were really, really different. There were friendships, romances, tensions between characters, misunderstandings, and characters who you should love but end up being super mad at. All these things brought a whole other dimension to the story, and it was pure joy to read.

Paula Lafferty has crafted a beautiful portal fantasy about love, friendship, and the impact one person‘s life can have on an entire kingdom. I sat in silence after reading this book, sincerely wishing that I could forget all about it so that I’d be able to experience it again for the first time.

Paula takes the legend of King Arthur and Guinevere and lovingly crafts a completely new and unique take on not only the characters, but the legends themselves. She balances romance, humor and betrayal with world shattering stakes and lovable side characters. I can honestly say that this is one of the best renditions of Arthurian legend I have ever read.

The characters feel so real, so relatable and I found I could hardly put the book down because I absolutely had to know what would happen next. Lancelot was a particular favorite of mine, and I loved her take on this character especially. I had misty eyes by the end and I am sincerely looking forward to her next book.

Thank you Paula for allowing me the privilege of reading an early copy of this book and for having me in your launch team.

My very first ARC so first of all how THRILLING and THANK YOU Paula and Team for letting me read this early because HOW EXCITING!

And honestly? That's exactly how I would describe this. This book had me hooked all those months ago just from the premise because it was so damn exciting!!! A breath of fresh (albeit misty) air that completely stole my attention and had me absolutely riveted until I was stress eating tteokbokki at 3am needing to finish the last few chapters - and listen I am 28 so I take my sleep very seriously these days!! That should tell you something!

The general plot is a mish mash of fantasy plus time travel. Our main character, Vera, lives in present day Glastonbury. She lives a perfectly ordinary life helping her adoptive parents run an inn and slowly trying to move on from the death of her boyfriend. Her life changes when she is told by a guest at the inn that he is really the legendary Merlin come to take her home, and she is actually Queen Guinevere who he has saved from 7th century Camelot by transporting her essence to a different timeline to heal from a mortal injury. Vera has no memories of this other life where roughly one year has passed since the injury, but it is imperative she returns and accesses her memories as she holds the key to returning a dying magic to Camelot.

I want to begin by saying I usually hate time travel in every form, books, films, anything you name it I avoid any semblance of time travel. But this was done so well I've changed my mind!!!! I usually find it all a bit silly but its a true testament to Paula's writing she dealt with it all so elegantly. The set up was fantastic and there was a lot of thought put into it to make it read well.

Moving on to the characters - I loved them ALL! All so well written and fleshed out, and we as the reader find ourselves in the same boat as Vera - facing characters and names of sheer legend, that we are already familiar with or perhaps have come to conclusions about - and having to redefine them in our mind. She jumps into the 7th century with little knowledge of the original story of King Arthur (hilarious tbh) but also what she does know of the legends isn't what she's seeing. It's so fun to see it all unravel throughout the book, and to see characters blooming into who we know they should be by the end. The characters also very much drove the plot, which is something I've struggled to find recently in books in general. The characters' emotions, their conversations, their relationships, all propel the plot and story forwards and it make it all the more engaging for us as the reader. I was so invested in everyone!

Setting wise, you may be thinking ew 7th century gross. Nope, Paula thought of it all. So this version of Camelot is vey different to the history books. There's magic! Magic leaves no archeological trace, hence why the history books have no record of magic of this time, and repainted the time as the "Dark Ages" but this fictional Camelot is incredibly high tech and clean due to magic. There's an intricate magic system, there's geopolitics, there's somehow magic disappearing from the country... the setting is rife for more expansion and I can't wait to see where the series goes.

To top it all off, beautiful writing style. Great action sequences, lush descriptions, no pacing issues in my opinion - I can't fault it anywhere even if I tried. I'm honestly amazed that this is a debut, and now I'm heartbroken because I will just sit here thinking about how long until I can read the next installment. Especially with that ending!

I enjoyed this book. The author did a great job of taking characters that many people at least vaguely recognize, and give them a deeper meaning and connection to each other. As a fan of several pieces of Arthurian fiction, I love that this one focused on Guinevere instead, and made it her journey. I loved it!

✨ARC Review✨ Holy smokes. It’s been almost a month since my last extraordinary read, Unlocked Dive (available now!). I was starting to think I’d never read another. Just kidding. I know there’s always another amazing read in store. But fr fr. I am so flipping glad I was able to read this book and y’all already know I’m buying the audiobook because it’s narrated by @justjuliawhelan and available via @myaudiobrary. If you don’t know what that is, please please look into it. I’m such a fan of this business model. Let’s get narrators paid what they’re worth!

Wait. I digress. Back to La Vie de Guinevere. What a fantastic book! Current day Vera is told that she’s actually THE Guinevere of Arthurian legend. And not only is she Guinevere, but she has to time travel back to the 6th century because she holds the answers that will save the kingdom. 🤯

Y’all. There’s so much going on. This book is rife with magic, mystery, love stories, betrayal, and friendships.

I don’t want to explain too much, but all the characters you expect are accounted for: Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Percival, Gawain, Viviane, and Elaine. Can’t forget Mordred.

Ugh! Just trust me and read this. Or listen to is if you’re as big a fan of Julia Whelan’s as I am. I’m positively obsessed now.

This eARC was provided by #netgalley and @paulalafferty_writes. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #fantasy #fantasybooks #romantasy #arthurianlegend #guinevere #laviedeguinevere #paulalafferty

La Vie de Guinevere
By Paula Lafferty

This book isn’t without its flaws (in my opinion) but I just had so much fun reading it so I’m giving them mostly a pass.

I thought this was a really fun take on the King Arthur myth and our heroine was fun. There were some good mysteries to be solved and it set it up nicely for book(s) to come. Gawain was probably my favorite.

My only main gripe was the Tristan thing. I won’t spoil it, but I thought it was unnecessary.

Also, check out trigger warnings. One in particular I can’t decide if it was needed as a turning point and if the fallout was… enough.

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

La Vie de Guinevere is a brilliantly immersive read that masterfully weaves together historical references and legendary lore. One of the standout features is how the author ties in Arthurian legends without straying too far from the source, keeping the balance between the familiar and the fresh. The dynamics between the characters, particularly the tension between Vera (Guinevere) and King Arthur, and the enigmatic presence of Merlin, are written with great nuance, leaving the reader constantly guessing about who can be trusted. I especially appreciated that the lines between good and evil were blurred, keeping me on my toes throughout.

The character development is remarkable—not just within each individual but in how they interact with each other, adding depth and layers to the story. Even as secrets unfold and Vera begins to piece together her memories, the relationships evolve in ways that keep the reader emotionally invested.

While the book ends on a cliffhanger, I found the conclusion satisfying and impactful, leaving just enough unresolved to make me eager for more. La Vie de Guinevere is a rich, engaging story that’s perfect for fans of history, legend, and complex character dynamics.

Vera is a normal girl living a quiet 21st century life when a stranger (who turns out to be the legendary Merlin) turns up and says Vera is actually Queen Guinevere and must return back to her original time in the 7th century to help restore magic to Camelot. Vera has no memory of this and so her time-traveling adventure begins.

I was immediately hooked in by the first couple chapters and found the book difficult to put down as my mind buzzed with questions: Are Vera's memories ever going to come back? Why is Arthur such a jerk? Will she choose to go back to the 21st century? How is she washing the underwear she smuggled into medieval times?! The author puts her own unique spin on the legend and characters. While this could upset some purists, I enjoyed her changes. They kept me guessing, gave the plot twits, and set up the cliff-hanger ending.

As a debut author, I thought Lafferty did an excellent job structuring the story and weaving a complex plot without creating confusion. I was especially impressed with her depiction of Vera's panic attack. I also chuckled when she kind of broke the fourth wall in the "round table" scene. She did a wonderful job building the tension of the slow-burn romance because I was extremely frustrated and impatient!!!! (a sign of a job well-done!!)

"La Vie de Guinevere" is a must-read for a romantasy girlie, but can also appeal to a non-fantasy reader with its historical fiction roots. I'm already excited for the second book! Congratulations to Paula Lafferty- thank you for sharing this special story with the world!

4.5🌟 I absolutely loved this book. It was so unique and had me trying to guess what was happening and who to trust at every turn. I’m not particularly knowledgeable in Arthurian legend, so I can’t speak much on how this relates to the original.
Vera was a great FMC—she was thrown into an unimaginable situation and handled it so well. I like that she was realistic and had flaws. I wish Arthur had been a stronger MMC, but his character got better closer to the end, and I imagine that he’ll continue developing in future books.
The characters in this were very complex, and it is very much a character-driven story. Lancelot was absolutely the highlight of this book.
This does end on a cliffhanger, and I will absolutely be reading future books in this series!

Amazingly written and such a brilliant spin on Merlin. This will be a book I can read over and over and never get bored.

Thank you so much to Paula, Avalon Books, and Netgalley for the ARC!

I was quite excited for this book when I read the blurb, and it definitely did not disappoint! I looooved this book, simply could NOT put it down. I was reading this over a weekend when I was attending a wedding… that was a though one. But we made it through without wipping out the book during the ceremony!

Going into it a little more in depth, the beginning felt a little bit out of place/ short. It was both nice and not that Merlin showed up so soon. I think this pre-part of the story could have been explored a little bit more, but also not complaining about meeting Lancelot and Arthur so soon ;) So, not perse a bad thing, just felt like a fast change of scenery.

I loved the characters in this book so much, would love some special chapters with POV from Arthur’s side (wink wink), curious what he was thinking in those first couple of weeks. And the found family just felt so wholesome, I was really ready to give up my 21st century lifestyle and go join them 😍 And all the love for Lancelot, that guy is FUNNY.

Only reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because I really felt that the ending of the book was not in the right place. It felt like we hadn’t reached the right climax of this part of the story/book yet, as if we missed a couple of chapters in this book.

But aside from my confusion about the end, I am so excited for the second book! Very, very sad that I have to wait to continue this story 🥹😭

WOW

Oh boy, where do I start?! This was genuinely such an entertaining and fun read. I would have read it all in one sitting, if I didn’t have boring life stuff, like work to do...smh.

This story was well written, fun and the characters were so enjoyable and loveable. There were complex relationships, sweet romances and I would even describe one of the bonds as queerplatonic—which I’m a sucker for—it felt so deep and genuine, like it went beyond friendship but still very much platonic; I have to say, the love and bonds between the characters are the jewel of this story!

Though the story, the world-building, was also fascinating. The way the author explained and played with the misinformation around “the dark ages” was interesting. It’s definitely more of a modern take on Arthuriana, but it worked well with the magical medieval setting created here. It doesn’t always take itself—and by that I mean the Arthurian lore—too seriously, and plays with it in fun ways; like the origin of the round table…no spoilers but let’s just say they were thinking of a different type of equality and it was pretty funny to make those modern connections in a medieval setting. It felt modern but not too out of place, a bit silly at times but in good amounts.

For my niche: I really believe BBCM fans will like the pace, adventure, romance, queerplatonic bonds and found family dynamics of this story!

Honestly, I was getting stresses out the last 20%, as I did not remember this being anything other than a standalone, and there was still so much to resolve and explore...but thank god this is planned as a series!!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for gifting me an ARC. This is my honest review.

Highly recommend for an escape into a wonderful world. I can’t wait to discover and uncover more of this magical world, the mysteries, and spend more time with these characters <3

The way miss Paula ripped my heart out and stepped on it. This was so good it was like if a Korean historical webtoon made its way into the American market, it scratched all the itches in my brain. I hope there's a fairy loot edition or similar.