Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II

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Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 730 ratings · 68 reviews

London, 1660: Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome, jaded king. Though each is promised to another, Barbara soon becomes Charles's mist...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published July 3rd 2007 by NAL Trade (first published 2007)

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Oct 14, 2008 Alaine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: To anyone who enjoys historical fiction. But be warned, it's very raunchy!

Recommended to Alaine by: Sheree

Shelves: historical-fiction, all-time-favourites

For me personally, what makes a historical fiction book fantastic is one that tells me so much about the period that is it written in, that I want to get straight onto Google and search for more information. Susan Holloway Scott truly brought these historical figures to life and left me wanting more. As with any good author she explains in her notes at the back of the book why she wrote the story the way she did and why she portrayed Barbara the way she did.
I have to say that this is a very raun...more

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Jul 28, 2008 Mandy Moody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-royalty, historical-fiction

Royal Harlot is told by the most famous and longstanding mistress of King Charles II. It is a story of her life, and of his return to the throne.
I thought this book was very well written. The story was well told and historically accurate, and even better - so much fun to read!
Scott's portrayal of Barbara Villiers is much more sympathetic than most historians, and I appreciate her more feminist view.
A warning for those that are looking for G rated material...Like most historical fiction, Royal H...more

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Oct 20, 2008 Sheree rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, historical-fiction, reviews, read-in-2008

Barbara Villiers Palmer, labeled the Great Harlot of Charles II, proudly claims her successes at the king’s side, rising in rank and power. Barbara never proclaims to be anything other than what she is, politically astute, honest and unimpeded by public outrage & social conventions.
A great read about a woman I had heard of, but knew very little about, the story of Barbara's life from age 15 to 31. A fascinating blend of history, colour, sexual tension and drama. A really good character study...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Marie Z. Johansen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I seem to be a serial reader. When I find an author I like - especially one that writes of a time period that I am exceedingly fond of - I seem to try to read every book written by them! This same propensity holds true for Susan Holloway Scott - whose novels never cease to please me. Her books transport me and I am always sad when I come to the end of one of her books. That's high praise from mew and is, perhaps, why I go on the hunt for the next title right away.

Since I generally read so much a...more I seem to be a serial reader. When I find an author I like - especially one that writes of a time period that I am exceedingly fond of - I seem to try to read every book written by them! This same propensity holds true for Susan Holloway Scott - whose novels never cease to please me. Her books transport me and I am always sad when I come to the end of one of her books. That's high praise from mew and is, perhaps, why I go on the hunt for the next title right away.

Since I generally read so much about the Tudors I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the reign of King Charles II, the "merry" king. "Royal Harlot" follows the life of Mistress Barbara Villiers, later Lady Castlemaine, as she becomes Charles' II maitress-en-titre - better know as Charles' "head honcha" mistress. Barbara Villier's family, the second Earl and Countess of Anglesea had been staunch Royalists during the reign of Charles' father, Charles I, but after the government was overthrown ,and Charles I beheaded, the family fortunes had turned. Necessity brought the young and beautiful Barbara to an an arranged marriage to Roger Palmer, the Earl of Castlemaine. Barbara become Charles' mistress while she still married to her Palmer, but ultimately he was, it is believed, paid off in one manner or another leaving free Barbara to devote her energies to Charles alone.

The story chronicles the many flirtations and mistresses that Charles had during his relationship with Barbara. She gave the King five children that he acknowledged as well as a sixth girl who Charles adopted as his own but who most likely was a product of Barbara's own affair with the dashing military officer John Churchill (who ultimately married Sarah Jennings - the topic of the book I am currently reading be Ms. Holloway).

What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it effectively takes you the the Court of Charles II. One can so easily 'feel' the pique and jealousy of Barbara as Charles wends his way through affair after affair. One glimpses the life of Charles' wife as well - the tolerant and lonely Catherine of Braganza who, it seems, was unable to provide the King and England with an heir.

In the end, Barbara leaves the English Court and Charles. By this time Charles has taken Louise de Kerouelle, Duchess of Portsmouth, as his maitress-en-titre. Barbara moved to France in 1676 and returned to England only in 1679 to attend the marriage of heir son, Henry to Lady Isabella Bennett. Surprisingly, while she lived in France she became reconciled with her former husband, Roger Palmer and they maintained a friendly relationship hereafter. Charles died at an early age, 55, of a presumed stroke. Barbara lived to a relatively ripe old age of 68, dying of edema (dropsy) in 1704.

Susan Holloway's books about the many mistresses of Charles II are all, in my opinion, exceeding well done, highly entertaining and well worth reading. I am currently reading another of her "mistress" books, "Duchess, A Novel of Sarah Churchill" which is also a terrific read! I have already read her two other "mistress" books - "The King's Favorite : A novel of Nell Gwynn (a must read I think!) as well as "The French Mistress" (about Louise de Kerouelle). I don't think any of the excellent titles would disappoint in any way !

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Feb 20, 2013 Jinny (SkyInk.net) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, historical

This is a novel about Barbara Palmer, the Countess of Castlemaine, who was one of the main mistresses of King Charles II, during the period of Restoration England. Historically, she was known to have been a great influence on King Charles, so much so that people would call her the Uncrowned Queen. She was known to be promiscuous and extravagant, leading her to have left a rather negative view of herself throughout the centuries.

Royal Harlot is not a novel that seeks to bring “another side” to th...more This is a novel about Barbara Palmer, the Countess of Castlemaine, who was one of the main mistresses of King Charles II, during the period of Restoration England. Historically, she was known to have been a great influence on King Charles, so much so that people would call her the Uncrowned Queen. She was known to be promiscuous and extravagant, leading her to have left a rather negative view of herself throughout the centuries.

Royal Harlot is not a novel that seeks to bring “another side” to the story of Barbara Palmer (at least, I did not get that impression). She is presented just as negatively, I think, in this novel as in history. It is a straightforward story about Barbara’s life as King Charles II’s mistress, beginning from when Oliver Cromwell’s government was still in power. 15 year old Barbara is stunningly gorgeous, but is not the “proper lady” that her mother would have liked her to be. Barbara is spirited and cheerful, but also self centered, calculating and very good at stringing men along by their noses. She’s terribly unfaithful to her husband, Roger, and has all sorts of sexual relations with men. Her biggest catch of all is, of course, the king himself.

Barbara and Charles begin a not-so-secret relationship. Barbara is pleased to be the center of Charles’ life and enjoys being at court, throwing parties, showing off, and accepting lavish gifts from all sorts of people hoping she can wave some of her influence over the king. Barbara has the most power over Charles and she knows it. She is perfectly happy to use her relationship with Charles to her advantage.

If liking the main character, who is in a first person voice, is very important to you, then you may struggle a bit with Royal Harlot. Barbara is not easily likeable in this book. As mentioned earlier, she is self centered and enjoys playing the role of a poor little victimized woman. She remembers all the slights and insults people have done to her and is perfectly willing to wait patiently, even for years, to get her revenge. Even her moments of generosity seemed fake to me; to me, every time she was nice, she did it just to look nice. Barbara was every bit the vixen in this novel. I don’t even think she truly loved the king — certainly she liked him and thought he was attractive and had a great personality. However, from what I can tell from this book, Barbara was more attracted to the fact that he was king and had all this wealth and power. She also didn’t seem to care that he had other mistresses as long as she didn’t have to run into them, and she wasn’t above taking other lovers as well.

Normally such a petty character would annoy me, but I think because Barbara was the first person narrator, it was tolerable. She explained her rationale and reasoning for why she did certain things, so that it made some sort of sense, rather than leaving the reader to conclude that she’s being a bitch “just because she can”. No, I didn’t agree with everything she did, sometimes it was downright childish. For example, there was a scene where she decided to basically brag to Charles’ queen how Charles always visits her in the night and they have all these lovely children, while the queen hasn’t been able to give Charles a single baby. I remember thinking, “Oh come on … she’s the queen and Charles’ wife! Stop being so immature!” (Though I do have to admit, one could argue that the queen is the “other woman” since Charles and Barbara met and hooked up way before he even married his queen).

Even though Barbara is not a very nice character in this book and all that, I was still engrossed in the story. Partly, this has to do with the fact that I haven’t read very many (if any … can’t remember) books having to do with the Stuarts of Britain, so all these stories regarding this part of British royalty history is new to me. With a character like Barbara, you can surely expect lots of court drama. I never felt a dull moment in this book! So yes, I did actually enjoy reading this book a lot, even if I wasn’t particularly crazy about Barbara, heh. The strange thing is, this book made me feel incredible pity for Charles’ queen, Catherine, even though she was mostly a peripheral character, and now I want to read more about her!(less)

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Dec 10, 2008 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up after I read Forever Amber. The book is about Barbara Palmer, Lady Castlemaine, ancestress to the late Princess Diana AND Camilla Parker Bowles. Barbara Palmer was a prominant character in Forever Amber. She was one of the famous mistresses of King Charles II in bawdy restoration England.

Basically, there is nothing likeable about Barbara Palmer. She is conceited, promiscuous, and self-absorbed. While this novel did not portray Barbara as the shrewish woman, as she was portr...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Anastacia Knits rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, england, historical-fiction

I loved this book!

This was the first time reading a book by Susan Scott, and it won't be my last. I am a huge fan of history, especially British history, but I admit I don't know a lot about this particular time period, so I don't know how historically accurate any of this book actually was. I've heard of Barbara Palmer, the infamous whore of Babylon, of course, but had no idea anything about her.

The book was very well written, very well paced, and I think touched upon the "adult" nature of Bar...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

No weekend would be complete without some sweeping saga of historical fiction I can tear through in one day. Frankly, this is the kindest portrait of Barbara Villiers Palmer I've ever read. She is a character whose reputation proceeds her in history, and her legacy has not been kind to her. Scott, however, seems to strike an effective balance between championing the infamous Countess of Castlemaine (and Duchess of Cleveland) and acknowledging her very well-documented faults: jealousy, temper, pe...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Orsolya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mistresses-royalty, own, charles-ii

I always say that actors in films "do a good job" when they play a mean character I am supposed to hate and I indeed "hate" them while watching a movie. In the same respect, we are generally meant to hate Barbara Villiers, the famous greedy and sex-crazed mistress of Charles II. Susan Holloway Scott allowed her character to play a Oscar-winning performance because frankly: I hate this mistress (okay, granted I am a fan of Nell Gwynne).

A wonderfully saturated book including the sexual craving an...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

I love me some historical fiction. This account of one of the most reviled women in England was great! Despite her flaws and scheming, you can't help but champion Barbara Villiers Palmer, Lady Castlemaine, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (etc etc, they have so many names). The account of the Restoration told through her eyes was fascinating, especially the description of the sort of lost generation she grew up among under Cromwell's power. The parallels that could be drawn between her peers and the gen...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Cherie Reeves rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books

Those crazy scandalous Brits! The book was set in the 1600's during King Charles II's reign. It's the story of Barbara Villers, the king's favorite mistress. Bold, powerful, shrewd, scheming woman who knew her assets and how to use them. It's amazing how power seems to come down to sex. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the book. The reign of a king and the different posts appointed never cease to amaze me. Although it was set and a different time, much in society remains the same. I believe I...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Rima Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Despite not liking the subject matter, I really liked this book. I'm not sure why there is such a fascination with the royal court and the king's "kept women" in Restoration England, as the whole concept is quite repugnant to me. But Scott does such a good job of recreating the period that you feel like you are there, having a beer with Charlie (the king).

Luckily, we weren't there, as sex with the king as a livelihood must have been, for the most part, a nasty affair. Barbara Palmer is NOT a li...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Rio (Lynne) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

No doubt Barbara Villiers was a harlot, in all senses. Barbara was up for anything to climb the social ladder. She was King Charles II mistress (he had many) but she was the first and most important one when he returned to the throne of England. She had more influence at court than his queen and she was called the curse of the nation by her haters. She worked the system in every way to secure her future. If you want to read and learn about this time in history (when England was Republic and lost...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Paula Nicholson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have finally finished the Royal Harlot and it was a pretty good book. It did get tabled for another book I was reading but I quickly picked it up again and finished it. Essentially it chronicled the long standing relationship beteween King Charles II and Countess Castlemaine. She was definitely a girl with an agenda...........She essentially got what she wanted, getting into the kings bed and of course winning his favor. Like most historical fiction, there were definitely some erotically charg...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Barbara's story begins with a "prequel" to her story and her first meeting with the exiled King Charles II. As she is the only one who can deliver to him letters of great support and promises of money destined for the royal pockets,she risks being damned a spy and tried for treason or worse convicted and executed. After constant nagging from her husband Roger ( he more concerned of the Villers name and a better future) Barbara embarks on a mission that will change her life forever,as well as tho...more Barbara's story begins with a "prequel" to her story and her first meeting with the exiled King Charles II. As she is the only one who can deliver to him letters of great support and promises of money destined for the royal pockets,she risks being damned a spy and tried for treason or worse convicted and executed. After constant nagging from her husband Roger ( he more concerned of the Villers name and a better future) Barbara embarks on a mission that will change her life forever,as well as those around her.From her first affair with a "no-gooder" lord,to being involved with a group of supporters to put the King back on the throne,then her first meeting to a king in exile that turns into a wild passionate affair,Barbara captivates the young jaded King as well as creates enemies and rivals everywhere in the palace. The "uncrowned Queen" uses her sensuality and wit and becomes the most envied and desired woman in England. Ive always been curious about this woman that history has painted as the "harlot and villian" self-serving and with a temper to boot,and while reading of her and her story, you love/hate her for her ambitious climb for a place among her peers. But I found I admired her for her using her brains ( yes she used her body as well) but she was smart about how she got there,how she handled situations,and made the best of them. I found I liked this independent,strong willed woman despite her "loose morals." Be warned this book has generous servings of detailed sex scenes and may bother some readers as Barbara entered into such a life at age 15. A great book about the restoration of England in the reign of King Charles II. The history of this time is more a "backdrop" to the story and to me focused more on Barbara's story and her "climb" (more along the lines of Forever Amber which Barbara played a major role in that book)A "historical-fiction romance" I would say,but still gives the reader some "history" of the time period. A good story that never "lagged" for me and kept me in till the end. I look forward to more of this author and her other books.(less)

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Jan 18, 2011 Cayleigh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

The Royal Harlot follows Barbara Palmer, the most elite mistress of King Charles II from the age of 15 until 32. From the age of 18 or 19 she was Charles' mistress even though she was married to Roger Palmer. She had 4 children with Charles each of whom was granted the royal last name Fitzroy and acknowledged as his. Barbara was said to be the most beautiful woman at court by both her haters and those that liked her. I looked her up online and while she doesn't seem that beautiful by today's sta...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

By now, I've been starting to rack up a good number of Susan Holloway Scott reads. I'm at a grand total of 3 now, and I'm eager to keep that number growing. Thus far, though, Scott's Royal Harlot is by far the best book in her library.

Scott has firmly positioned herself as a historical resource on the bawdy pre-Restoration Court of Charles II, having explored no less than three of his mistresses in her novels. In Royal Harlot, she takes on Barbara Villiers, the Countess of Castlemaine, who, it a...more By now, I've been starting to rack up a good number of Susan Holloway Scott reads. I'm at a grand total of 3 now, and I'm eager to keep that number growing. Thus far, though, Scott's Royal Harlot is by far the best book in her library.

Scott has firmly positioned herself as a historical resource on the bawdy pre-Restoration Court of Charles II, having explored no less than three of his mistresses in her novels. In Royal Harlot, she takes on Barbara Villiers, the Countess of Castlemaine, who, it appears, was one of Charles' first mistresses after he was restored to the British throne, and one of his longest. Barbara is a low-born citizen who manages to make her way to court, where she catches the eye of Robert Palmer, whom she soon marries. But things are unsteady in the highly-Puritan government of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, especially among the nobility. After Cromwell dies, many of the Royalist nobility move to restore the Stuart line to the British throne. Thus, through her husband's Royalist leanings, Barbara meets Charles II, who, it seems, has always had a soft spot for beautiful women. It's not long until Barbara, a free spirit, becomes his mistress and begins to grow her power. Even after Charles marries, Barbara is the unspoken queen of court and, through her relationship with Charles, she gains incredible power, wealth and other prestige that women of the period could never imagine. But, as a mistress rather than a wife, Charles could cast her off at any moment without consequence.

I feel like Scott has really found her writing zen here. The writing style is completely comfortable and flows very easily (as in, it's a joy to read). The novel is well-paced and intriguing from the very beginning to the very end. It doesn't hurt that Barbara is an unknown and incredibly compelling historical figure. Scott depicts her as a free spirit with intelligence, beauty and a hint of wantonness that helps her use the gifts she has to get further than any woman could in the period. I was completely enthralled with Barbara's story and cheered for her as she overcame obstacles and found her place in politics and power (not to mention the Restoration-period setting is a welcome change from the absurd amount of Tudor fiction out there right now).

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction, especially about scandalous women, women in power or women who rose above their place despite the society of the time and did something amazing with their lives.(less)

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May 06, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, england, historical-fiction, charles-ii, 17th-c

One of the most notorious things about King Charles II of England is his long line of famous mistresses. Author Susan Holloway Scott has found a gold mine to write about in Barbara Palmer, Nell Gwyn, and Renee de Kerouelle. In Royal Harlot, Scott takes a spin around the court with Barbara Palmer, the Countess of Castlemaine.

This book was not my first outing with Charles II. I have previously read a Jean Plaidy book called The Merry Monarch’s Wife about Catherine of Braganza (you can check out m...more One of the most notorious things about King Charles II of England is his long line of famous mistresses. Author Susan Holloway Scott has found a gold mine to write about in Barbara Palmer, Nell Gwyn, and Renee de Kerouelle. In Royal Harlot, Scott takes a spin around the court with Barbara Palmer, the Countess of Castlemaine.

This book was not my first outing with Charles II. I have previously read a Jean Plaidy book called The Merry Monarch’s Wife about Catherine of Braganza (you can check out my review here) – with all those mistresses, who can imagine he had time for a wife! Obviously as that book was from the perspective of the wife, Barbara was not portrayed in the most flattering of lights. I have to say, that I very much enjoyed Barbara in Royal Harlot. Yes she was “bad” and most mothers would wish for their daughters to not turn out the way Barbara did – but she was a woman who knew how to get what she wanted, hold onto that power, and yet also know how to bow out on her own terms.

To quote the author in an email conversation we had, “Bad Barb was a LOT of fun to write about. She was every bit the libertine as any man of her time, and completely unrepentant. While I can understand why most writers (both historians and novelists) choose to paint her in an unflattering way, I enjoyed getting to "know" her. I imagine she would have been pretty entertaining company, and it's easy to see why Charles was so beguiled.” I could not agree more! Even though Barbara had loose morals, I enjoyed getting wrapped up in her escapades. Scott definitely knows how to tell a story.

Barbara was the mistress of Charles II for quite awhile – she was there before his wife, during Nell Gwyn and Renee de Kerouelle, and even with those other women she still managed to hold his attention. They had several children, 3 of which were definitely the king’s children – but she had many affairs and flings along the way too.

One of the things that I like about this novel is there is a thread that connects this book with Scott’s 3 other historical fiction novels. Renee and Nell were obvious (his other mistresses), but I had to take a second look to realize that a passing character in the novel would become Sarah Churchill, the lead character of her book Duchess. This was just an interesting side note. Also, as easy as it was to get wrapped up in Barbara’s life, it was refreshing to see that she was conscious of the way she was viewed by the people – she didn’t live in a bubble.

This was a wonderful, quick read. I raced through the pages caught up in the escapades of the court. There are many sexual references, but not overly graphic – it was well done and appropriate for the type of person that Barbara was. I felt that it was very important to understanding the character and her motives. I hope to proceed with another one of her books soon as I really enjoyed this one.

This book was received for review from the author - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Anita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ms Holloway Scott’s novel is written from Barbara’s perspective, which portrays her youthful neglect as a reason her her pragmatic and callous attitude that carries her through life. You will either love or hate Barbara, who doesn't care whom she uses or steps on to achieve wealth and power.

She capitulated to being rejected by Chesterfield, her first lover with pragmatic coolness, which seemed out of place for a young woman not yet twenty. Even the sex, though very well written, was cold, dispa...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Heidi rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is definitely a book you can pick up if you love historical fiction. Barbara isn't necessarily a completely honorable character, but she was entertaining nonetheless. The writing was alright, the book decently paced - though the ending seemed a bit rushed.
A decent read, but it didn't "wow" me. If you're looking for something fun and historically accurate, this is the book. But if you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking book, seek elsewhere.

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Aug 18, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This light historical novel is about Barbara Villiers Palmer, Charles II's longest running and most infamous mistress. it covers the period from her early adolescence to the end of her relationship with Charles (although they continued to be on fairly good terms afterwards). If not a very deep or clever book, Royal Harlot was definitely entertaining. Scott writes from Barbara's point of view and gives her a witty, gossipy, and often lascivious voice

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Jul 06, 2009 Monica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

I love historical novels and I love books written about courtesans and royal mistresses. This book was interesting because it was written from the point of view of the courtesan, rather than a by-stander or the "man".

Towards the end, I found myself skimming rather than reading. This book is very discriptive, and stays really close to English history. I definitely want to learn more about Countess Castlemaine.

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Aug 06, 2010 Rebecca Huston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, england

Barbara Castlemaine has come down through history with a rather unsavory reputation. The author here has decided to delve into the story, and gives a good background on as to why a woman would choose to be a king's mistress. It's entertaining and well-written and I came away with actually liking her a bit.

For a more complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_40010...

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Jan 02, 2010 Audra (Unabridged Chick) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicals

I don't know how historically accurate this novel is, but I really enjoyed it. It read quickly and the main character, Barbara Palmer, seemed true to her time rather than a modern woman plunked in Restoration-era England. In fact, despite being a hard woman to like at times, I liked her and felt sadness at the end -- the novel had a delicious, bittersweet note of ending which was great.

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Nov 09, 2011 Mimi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: pbs-hf-challenge-2011, read-2011

This is admittedly an era I do not know a lot about, but Scott does a fabulous job of showing the excesses and debauchery that was the court of Charles II. A very good job of showing it. Bawdy and explicit, this is basically a smutty Harlequin.

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Apr 14, 2013 Roderick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites, aboslutely-amazing-reads, trashy-novels

This book was interesting. I fell on "The King's Favorite" by this author about Charles II and Nell Gwynn and enjoyed it. Then I read "The Countess and the King" about Katherine Sedley and James II, which was also a fun read. I wish I had read this first. This book was by far my favorite! The character of Barbara Villiers, the Duchess of Cleveland is so complex. It takes a craft to paint a woman so commonly villainized in a flattering light, but the author did it impeccably. I really enjoyed thi...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

This is a really entertaining, well-researched book about a sexy, immoral and, not altogether particularly nice woman, who was widely hated by society in the 17th century, and remains so. I really enjoyed reading this one.

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Jul 26, 2011 Caroline Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-historical-fiction

I was slightly offended by some of the graphic sexual parts of the novel, probably because Barbara Castlemaine is not exactly a sympathetic character. It just makes you want to roll your eyes.

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Jun 11, 2013 Sara Giacalone rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book and ended up liking the character of Barbara Villers Palmer very much. I will probably read more of the author's books as I enjoy reading about the "Merry Monarch" period. I admit this book felt familiar, if nothing else because I recently read Forever Amber, which deals with the same time period (and I would suspect the author was a bit influenced by this classic novel). I also admit this book was a bit trashy, a la the aforementioned Forever Amber or The Rain Maiden...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-and-historical

I have a fondness for Charles II, and this novel charmed me. Barbara Villiers is a complex character, deftly portrayed by the author.

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About Susan Holloway Scott

Aka Miranda Jarrett

Susan Holloway Scott is the author of over forty historical novels and novellas. Writing under her own name as well as Miranda Jarrett, her bestselling books have received numerous awards and honors. With more than three million copies of her books in print, she has been published in nineteen foreign countries around the world. Her most recent historical novels have been set in...more

More about Susan Holloway Scott...

Books by Susan Holloway Scott

The Countess and the King: A Novel of the Countess of Dorchester and King James II

The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II

The French Mistress: A Novel of the Duchess of Portsmouth and King Charles II

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title link	preview: Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II
avg rating	preview: Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II Goodreads rating: 3.72 (730 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806777.Royal_Harlot?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1178565653l/806777.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806777.Royal_Harlot?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II by Susan Holloway Scott[/url]

Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and King Charles II

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