I’ve been following this author since her Kickstarter went viral last year. Paula seems genuine and her journey to self-publishing is inspiring. I was excited and nervous to read her book. Nervous because I already liked her as a person and I really hoped I’d like her novel.

Fortunately for me, this one is a winner. I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed her depiction of grief, acceptance and self-confidence. My mind kept racing with ideas of where this series could go as I read it.

I’ve read several Arthurian retellings. This one is one of the better ones. My main pit with the novel was the length. Felt like it was a tad too long. Overall, it’s really good and I’m excited for the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Paula for an ARC.

I am stunned!!! This book was so fun and unique and I loved it!

I love European history and the way it blended with fantasy was so so fantastic, I couldn’t put the book down!!

This book has me at a loss for words!! This was the most phenomenal Guinevere and King Arthur retelling!! It had me feeling all the emotions, sobbing in places and laughing with the great banter in others. This unique version had me guessing at the twists and turns, and will have me forever questioning what could have happened!!

5⭐️ 0.5🌶️

An adventure for the reader as well as Vera! The conjunction between myth and past reality was a fun line to dance on as this story unfolded. The author did an amazing job of slowly uncovering clues that would lead the reader down a new thread in the mysterious web of Vera’s life.

I felt every emotion reading this, and cannot tell you how many times I used my green annotation tabs indicating “interesting” lines and moments that ended up being important foreshadowing.

What a fun, grand adventure!

Cannot wait for book 2!

*I did not go into this assuming it would be romantasy so it didn’t affect my rating, however, Arthur felt like more of a side character which was a bit odd since he was the love interest. Would like to see more depth and chemistry between the two in the next book for believability.

•Arthurian retelling
•Time Travel
•Memory Loss
•Magic & Mages
•Slow Burn

I was lucky enough to be granted an ARC for this book, after following Paulas journey through social media, I just knew I had to read this book as soon as I could, and it was everything I wanted and more out of a book! I haven’t felt this connected to a story in a long time! Aside for the phenomenal creation of an Arthurian world that is so rich in its description and beauty, Paula has truly created some characters who feel like real people! The beautifully woven story has such depth you just wanted to step right into those pages and experience the world for yourself! The way she has written the world is just beautiful.

There are many stories where the premise sounds fantastic but then you read them and they don’t live up to your expectations, well ‘La Vie de Guinevere’ blows that completely out of the water! This story is unique and nothing like what I have read before. It managed to pull on every heartstring and I just adore the entire experience of reading this book.

The relationships between the characters was my favourite part of this story, the way that Paula has taken the well know story of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot and really made it her own. The relationships feel real and grounded. There is a beauty and sincerity to these characters which make you want to know everything about them. Vera is a fantastic protagonist and along with a cast of wonderfully written main and side characters you can’t help but love them!

The twists and turns of the story keep you wanting to read on and not put it down! This book had me laughing, crying, gasping and all round loving my time spent reading this masterpiece. And a fantastic cliff hanger to boot to get you excited for the second instalment, And now we patiently wait for book 2…. A truly spectacular debut novel. A 5/5 read for me.

OH MY HEART!

This is nothing like the typical story of King Arthur & Queen Guinevere. Everything is not as it seems, & that was such a fun surprise.

I didn’t expect this book to be so incredibly magical & I loved it!

The amount of tears I shed during this was insane. I could so deeply feel what Vera was feeling while in Camelot. Feeling distanced & overwhelmed by everything happening.

Her relationship with Arthur?! Slooooow burn but so worth it! I was in tearss!! I fell in love with that man too 😭

Lancelot?! 🧎‍♀️ I loved this man so much!

The friendships throughout this had me laughing & smiling like a fool. I loved everyone so much! I desperately need the next two books right now!! 💳💥💳💥💳💥

I have been following this journey since January last year, & I can’t even explain just how excited I am! Following Paula throughout all of this & supporting her kickstarter is nothing short of incredible. It’s so incredibly rewarding to see this project finally come to the public! & I cannot wait to receive my deluxe edition soon! 🫶🏼

Thank you so much to Paula Lafferty for this arc! 🥹💗

This was one of the best books I've read all year and I feel I've been looking for it all my life. It felt like I was returning home every time I opened it and I am in mourning that my time in this world has come to an end for now.

Having followed Paula Lafferty's journey to publishing this novel for over a year, I had all my fingers and toes crossed that it would live up to my expectations. Needless to say it vastly surpassed them and absolutely blew me away.

I do not give 5 stars out lightly. In order to rate a book 5 stars I require it to meet at least a few of the following criteria:
- It makes me cry
- It makes me laugh out loud
- A plot twist takes me completely unawares and has me gasping and readjusting my reading position
- I become so hooked I find myself secretly reading under completely inappropriate circumstances
This book met all of my criteria several times over.

La Vie de Guinevere is is a story steeped in adventure, magic, romance and friendship. To my knowledge this is the only take on Arthurian legend told solely from Guinevere's point of view and this book fills the niche spectacularly. Vera is a woman living soundly in modern day Glastonbury until she is approached by Merlin who reveals she is Queen Guinevere of the 7th Century and that the magic of the time is counting on her return. This book is marketed as A Knight's Tale meets Outlander and it delivers just that.

Every time I picked this book back up I was immediately immersed back into the world. I was absolutely entranced.

Paula Lafferty does a fantastic job of fleshing out all her characters with each Knight of the Round Table feeling fully realised and so distinct from one another. This lays the groundwork for beautiful use of the found family trope. I loved the complexities and quirks of each character and cannot wait to see each of them again as the series progresses. (I thank my lucky start that this is planned as a trilogy).

The stakes of this story felt high and yet there was plenty of opportunity to fall in love with the world and characters during the wholesome moments sprinkled throughout. These cozy moments still maintained the fast pace and kept the pages turning. The inclusion of Vera's modern mannerisms was fun and yet sparse enough not to stray too far towards cliched territory. I genuinely didn't see a number of plot twists coming and so this story felt so refreshing - I was on the edge of my seat.

Specific spoiler-free things I loved:
- Lancelot and Vera's friendship
- The slow burn romance & romantic tension
- One particular morally grey character
- GAWAIN (My favourite character, I cannot wait for more of him)
I could go on forever...

Dare I say I've finally found the tonic to the ending of BBC's Merlin? Yes. I rather think I do,

Thank you NetGalley and especially thank you t0 Paula Lafferty for not only writing this masterpiece but for allowing me access to an advanced copy of this ebook. All thoughts shared are my own and I will scream them from the rooftops if I must.

This book is exactly what I needed this fall. It’s the perfect cozy medieval story based on the Arthurian legend.

This book was gripping from the first chapter and I was quickly sucked in to the magic and the medieval world of Camelot.

I loved all the characters so much and was so invested in all of their wellbeing’s just as much as Vera and Arthur’s. Lancelot and Vera’s friendship was one of my favorite parts of this book and Gawain is a national treasure. 🫶🏼

And don’t get me started on Vera and Arthur. 🫠 This was probably one of the slowest burns of a book I’ve read in a long time. The TENSION. The CHEMISTRY. It literally took almost the ENTIRE book for those two love birds to finally express their feelings and get together. 😅

For most of the story, I was planning to rate it a solid 5 stars, but the end of this book felt 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 anticlimactic for me, which is why I ultimately knocked it down a star. I was just hoping for a little more on-page action toward the end. HOWEVER, what the ending lacked in action, it made up for in plot twists. Because I genuinely went through the wringer a couple times in the last few chapters. 😅

Overall, this book was a delight, and has reignited my love for medieval stories and I’m now on a mission to read more of them. 🤗

Thank you @paulalafferty for my ARC copy!

#bookstagram #arcreader #laviedeguinevere #arthurianretelling #fantasyromancebooks #medievalromance #arthurandguinevere #bookreview #fantasyfall

The moment I read the premise for this book, I just knew it was going to be fantastic. As someone who has definitely spent my fair share of time imagining what it would be like to be transported into my favourite fictional worlds, a book where the main character is not only transported back to Arthurian times but actually has to step into the shoes of the legendary Queen Guinevere sounded exactly like my sort of read. And I wasn't wrong.

From the first page I was taken in by the gorgeous writing style, which is so descriptive and evocative, and little time is wasted in getting Vera to Camelot for the story to really start. And then it's off, with new twists and turns as she tries to fill the role of Queen and unlock memories she is told are essential to saving the Kingdom.

Along the way, she meets a number of well known and loved characters from Arthurian legends, whom Lafferty has put her own spin on. I will be the first to say that it can be a gamble to do that, but in this instance it really paid off and I love the versions of the characters that she has created.

Complete with a cliffhanger ending that has me eagerly awaiting the sequel, this is definitely a book I would recommend to any lover of Arthurian retellings, or even just fantasy in general.

OBSESSED! I devoured this book. I love anything King Arthur and Camelot related but I honestly was holding my breath that I would be disappointed given that this was a book I came to know about on social media initially. I was sorely mistake. The entire story from start to end was so engrossing and I didn't even notice I got to the end - I literally just screamed 'No!' at my kindle when I turned the page to see the author bio!

I loved the premise and the focus on a modern day raised Guinevere. It was so clever and everything made sense for the story. I didn't find myself coming out of the story to question inaccuracies or odd turns of phrase. Everything worked. The characters were so distinct and lovable/hateable and even though we know the myths and the stories, the author truly made it her own in the best possible way.

My first 5 start read of this year and so entirely deserved.
(the only thing I hate is that this ended on a bit of a cliffhanger that I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a second instalment...)

This book was kindly provided as an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is not only one of the best books I’ve read this year, but I honestly think it’s one of the best books I’ve read EVER. I was sucked in immediately, wanting to know about all the characters, and now that it’s over I need to know what happens to them! There were some surprises that I didn’t fully see coming and some that I suspected, but this book will keep you on your toes wanting to know what happens to Vera and the gang next. Even all the side characters have my attention and I still want to know more about them.

The slow burn romance between Vera and Arthur? Oh my gosh please give me more!! Now that they’ve finally admitted their love, I know we need to get that full on intimacy scene 🔥 The one we got already was so good and I need more!

Lancelot being gay? Hell yes! I didn’t see it coming at the very beginning, but when he started being such good friends with Gawain I suspected. I LOVED Arthur’s reaction as much as Vera did lol. Viviane being his mom? That one I didn’t see coming and I am very intrigued to see how Lancelot will wrestle with that.

Merlin 😒 I knew he was gonna be bad! Maybe Vivianne isn’t all bad? I guess we will see! I can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you to the amazing Paula Lafferty for writing this book and for letting me read it early. I am proud to be part of your launch team and one of the kickstarter supporters 🩷 Thank you to NetGalley for a copy as well.

Four stars but it may go up I stop being mad about this not being a standalone and me not knowing this isn't a standalone.

I'm not even joking, I almost threw my Kindle away. I was nearing the end, 97% already in, 12 minutes left to read before I realized - oh no. OH NO. This is not a standalone. And that kind of infuriated me.

Did I want to read more? Hell yes. Will I read the next one? Hell yes!

This is a wonderfully woven retelling of an Arthurian legend but everything worked (well, mostly, but we'll get to that). The setting is there - we know this world but the author managed to make it almost completely new and I contribute that mostly to the characters. These are living breathing, three dimensional characters with motives and strengths and weaknesses and emotions. They are definitely not one note and it shows.

I loved the knights - Lancelot and Gawain have my full heart. Percival too, bless him. They pulled some laugh out loud moments out of me.

Vera though... Vera shines the brightest. Like she herself says, she is not a vessel, she is human being with a heart in her chest and thoughts entirely her own. Some parts of her mirrored the situations we all could recognized and found ourselves in sometimes and it feels real.

Arthur... Arthur is a part of why this is four stars. As much as I squealed when he went all protective (Do not touch my wife!!!) and loved his tortured self and his kingly command and everything he represented, I somehow found myself wishing more? As if something was missing. And I was kind of frustrated with his turns about Vera, much the same as Vera herself was, so maybe that was intentional.

And then we come to Merlin. Merlin is the most confusing part of this book for me because he is there and then he isn't - for a lot of the story and he is entirely almost one note. He hides things and he is frustrating as hell and I'm not sure if the author did that on purpose for the sequel or there is also things missing here concerning Merlin.

I will admit I struggled a bit with reading this - the first 40% had me roped in but around the 60% mark I felt it dragging a bit and thus we come to the part where I'm mad this isn't a standalone. For such a long book it really could have been.

But do not get me wrong - it's worth reading for all the relationships, the build up to them and the characters you want to spend time with. Please pick this up and immerse yourself in the world of Vera and the new take on Arthurian legend.

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.