I struggled a lot with this prompt. In fact I hated it! Probably my least favourite ever Popsugar prompt.

I started reading a novelisation of a film I had enjoyed. I won’t name the book, but it was so bad that two chapters in I stopped. And donated the book. I was all tell and no show. The characters were flat and the narrative factual.

So I’ve bent this promot a little and gone for a book based in a television series, Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shondra Rhimes.

What it’s about?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte and King George III’s great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.

“We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his…”

In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.

Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent… not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she needed, because George had secrets… secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.

Thrust into her new role as a royal, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court… all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King, even as he pushes her away. Above all she must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight—for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects who look to her for guidance and grace. For she will never be just Charlotte again. She must instead fulfill her destiny… as Queen.

What I think:

This was a really easy read.

If you have watched the Netflix series then this will seem really familiar as a lot of the dialogue from the show is included in the book.

The characters inner thoughts and feelings are explored in more depth.

This is a fun read. There are enough glimpses of history to keep it credible and a tantalising fantasy of a more racially integrated aristocracy and a Great Experiment which could change Britain forever.

Both Charlotte, Agatha and Princess Augusta show how it is possible to wield power in a man’s world. They are strong women who will do anything to protect their family and have a sense of duty and service. They are all willing to compromise their own personal happiness for something bigger.

The love story between Charlotte and George is particularly poignant as they get to know each other surrounded by a court that monitors their every move. The treatment that George endures in an effort to cure his ‘madness’ is barbaric, but Charlotte devotes herself to his care.

Fans of Bridgerton will love this. Fans of Georgian history will not. But overall it was an enjoyable and quick read with lots of humour.