Having not read any of the other books in the series, I decided to dive in with this one. I'm a huge fan of all Tudor historical fiction and was intrigued by the fantastical twist.

Mary, Queen of Scots, has spent most of her life growing up in the intrigue and bustle of French court. She is greatly loved among the people, but she might not be if the people knew her secret. Mary can turn into a mouse. Mary is one of the Eoian, a people born with the ability to shapeshift. She lives in a world that doesn't accept her kind, ruled by a class of people, Verities, that are particularly prejudiced. How will Mary navigate the court and keep her life with her secret intact?

To start out, the whole of Mary, Queen of Scots being a shapeshifter at first seemed absolutely absurd. But the more as book went along and as it got established with other characters, I really dug it. It was a way to see other insights into the world. It was a way to draw further divisions between people and allow other explanations for it. The whole bit seemed to work rather seamlessly within the story.

Where it really got me the most is in what it allowed. When all the sudden there were historical figures popping up that should have been dead. Oh my goodness. Can you please write Jane Grey's story? Please? I know you've already done a Jane, but honestly not that that it has been established in this story, I really want to read it. I want to know how Edward and Jane ended up together. See the history nerd monster you all have created!

For the most part, I did enjoy the book at the relationship between Mary and Francis. I found it interesting to see him portrayed as someone who was not necessarily sick, but just weak next his virile father. It makes sense. Henry demanded attention. And I also loved that he was technically a frog prince. It was so perfect to bring in that folklore. I could make French jokes, but I won't.

I think the real demise of this story comes in the Artistotle storyline. I know it had some meat to it and I think it was trying to carry some significant weight (lesbian couple in 16th century, sex roles, etc.) But I think it was asking too much for the book to focus on Mary and Francis AND another storyline. Mary and Francis with all of their court intrigue was plenty, promise. Now if you all wanted to these characters justice and write them an offshoot novella? By all means, please do. Because their story deserves to be heard too.

Overall, I found this book very intriguing. I might have to go back and read others! Thank you!

A fun jaunt, just like the Jane books!I liked the alt-history take on Mary, Queen of Scots. The audio is delightful (same as the Jane books), and the humor perfectly lighthearted.

I'm such a fan of the Jane series, so I was super excited to read more from this team of authors. As usual, this book is packed with lots of witty jokes and humor, which is what I was reading for. This book is about Mary Queen of Scots--someone who I vaguely remember learning about in high school history. My COntrary Mary also had some extra magical elements thrown in and a happier ending than in real life. I loved that this book doesn't take this book too seriously, and my absolute favorite part of this book were all the subtle pop culture references.

The audiobook was extra fun because the narrator did such a great job with their tone and joke delivery. I will definitely read these future book by audiobook because of how much I liked listening to this one.

I enjoyed returning to the world of My Lady Jane! It's unique and enjoyable and I could tell the authors enjoyed writing another book set there.

I liked the relationship between titular character Mary and her fiance and best friend Francis. Despite their arguments and everything that happened, they always came back together and stood by each other.

Ari's no-nonsense character was good balance to Mary and Francis, and I thought her motivations and drive were very well executed. Her visions of movie scenes made me laugh aloud, and it was hilarious that they were actually considering a plan from her visions at one point.

While the plot on this one did not always feel serious, it was cohesive and well-paced and all the players involved had believable motivations and machinations.

Before reading this book, I had read both My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane (My Calamity Jane is on my TBR). I had pretty high expectations for this story because of how much I loved those other books. I can happily say that My Contrary Mary exceeded all of my expectations!

This is my favorite book by the Lady Janies so far.

It is definitely the funniest book I’ve read this year; I spent so much time laughing in the car while listening to this book.

I enjoyed the relationship between Mary and Francis. Mary was very witty and brave, and I found myself really enjoying her as the protagonist. Francis was super awkward and adorable, and I loved how sweet he was towards Mary. I could tell how much he cared for her and her well-being.

Like their other works, I loved the writing style of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. They write with sarcastic humor and leave witty comments throughout their stories, which makes their writing so much fun to read.

One of my favorite parts of this story in particular was the movie references in Ari’s visions. When the first one was mentioned, I laughed so hard because it was so unexpected. I appreciated the way that pop culture was included in historical fiction.

Overall, this book is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year.

Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail. Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

I loved My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows! The @ladyjanies have circled back to the same world of My Lady Jane (one of my favorite humorous books ever) and given us Mary Queen of Scots's story… with some serious liberties taken and a whole lot of magic. Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have a talent for providing well-researched historical fiction mixed with fantasy elements and a lot of adventure. The audiobook was fantastic and made me laugh aloud multiple times! There are also two lovely romances in this book, one M/F and one F/F, both of which I really enjoyed. If you need a good laugh I can't recommend the @ladyjanies's books enough!

So.....I didn't enjoy this book at all. Okay so, I DNF'ed this like 60% in. I was honestly really bored with this book. I couldn't remember much of what happened, mainly because it really was hard to pay attention. Nothing was really happening it felt like. It felt like nothing much was going on, even when things were going on. I just decided to end the book when I was reading and I kind of zoned out and had to go back. I just didn't care anymore, and I didn't want to really put myself through this book and end up in a reading slump later on. This book had moments where it was funny, but overall I didn't think the humor really kept me interested in this book. I do recommend their books, and if you're into books like this you will really enjoy it! I just didn't find it enjoyable at all. But I loved My Lady Jane, so if you're done with this book, highly recommend checking out My Lady Gray!

Finally, another book back in the world of [book:My Lady Jane|22840421] with Eðian (shapeshifter; pronounced eth-e-an). I loved My Lady Jane so much that I was eager to pick up the next few books in the Janies series and was not rewarded as I thought I might be. Sigh. Thankfully, this book brought us right back to the world of historical figures turning into animals and doing all sorts of interesting things in their animal form. My Contrary Mary follows Mary, Queen of Scotts as she marries her childhood best friend, Francis, in line for the throne of France. There is plenty of shapeshifting and spying and scheming in this story to keep you, dear reader, thoroughly entertained. I especially loved the scene where Jane and G from My Lady Jane made an appearance. I absolutely love book worlds where characters cross over and meet characters in a newer installment. This was such a fun book and didn't make me completely hate this historical fiction series. I am excited to see there are more books about historical figures named Mary in the works. I hope they are just as entertaining as this one.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Fantastic story. I adore this group of writers. Their humor and charm and clever storytelling is unrivaled and this new retelling is as delightful, ingenious, and funny as I hoped it would be. Very much enjoyed and will be recommending with everyone.

A lively story that shows the Queen of Scotts as a fully fleshed-out woman with her own thoughts and desires. The twist that Edians are real, and the Queen herself is a shapeshifter is a good one. It's a fun, pop-y version of the story of this beloved queen, definitely written with YA and teenagers in mind.

Just as charming and funny as other books in the Jane and Mary bookish universe. I would really recommend this diverse book full of humour and maybe a little bit of ridiculousness. I really love how it takes real history and spins it to make it more cheerful and hopeful.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an early audio arc.

I absolutely adored this.It's been awhile snice I've read My Lady Jane but I easily fell back into the world of Eðians (shapeshiftes) and Verities (a faction of humans that hates Eðians). Despite having a large cast (several characters of which are named Mary), I found the audio relatively easy to get into.

Like My Lady Jane, My Contrary Mary was very much a character driven story. You can't help but want to root for Mary, who just wants to do her best as Queen to Scotland and want good things for Francis, whose an absolute sweetheart. Ari was also a lovely addition to the cast, although some her actions did annoy me, she came around by the end. Also her lesbian romance with one of Mary's ladies in waiting was just so cute.

Even the prose and how it was chalked full of puns, pop culture references and fourth wall breaks makes it a story that is both easy and enjoyable to consume. 10/10, Highly Recommend.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows is the first in their new series about famous Mary's.  This particular book is more of a direct sequel to My Lady Jane, about Lady Jane Grey.  This particular book focusses on Mary, Queen of Scots, prior to her marriage to Francis and the events that lead up to it and that follow it.  I rated it four stars on Goodreads.  It was published on June 22nd, 2021.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

I was really excited to continue on in the world that was created in My Lady Jane.  I liked the concept of historical shapeshifters and that being a prominent conflict during that particular historical period.  The world is was really easy to dive back into, and I loved seeing the different shapeshifters and how certain aspects of the world had evolved since we first learned about them.  I loved how they layered historical fact with their own creativity.  They way they throw in anachronisms is really fun too.

The humour in this story is on par with the Lady Janies series.  The authors are very funny and I really enjoy how they balance the high stakes of the story (there are literally kingdoms on the line) with keeping the story light and fun with good humour.  I found myself chuckling at various moments, which I really loved.

The novel features three points of view.  We get to read through Mary, Francis, and Ari's perspectives.  I liked each of the characters and I enjoyed what they brought to the story.  They had distinct voices and they all actively contributed to the plot.  I think I liked reading from Mary's perspective the best, but I did also really enjoy Ari and Francis as well.

There was really good progression through out the novel.  There was enough tension to keep you reading, but it took some good moments throughout to sort of allow you to catch your breath and appreciate what we're learning about the characters.  There were some twists that left you wondering about what might happen next.

Overall, this was an excellent addition to the world these three authors have created, and I'm really glad that I read it.  I highly recommend that you check out their books if you haven't already, and I especially recommend that you check out My Contrary Mary.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC for an Honest Review.

I pretty much have all the series from Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, but because I love the story of Mary Queen of Scotts, and loved the series (Reign), I really enjoyed this book.

Told in 3 different POVs.

"Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she’s a mouse" Yes a Shapeshifter, so fun to read and I adored the Characters.

Pick this book up as you will enjoy it like all the Other Lady Jane's book

I’m late giving feedback because once I downloaded the advanced audio, I realized I could not listen to the robotic voice. So I waited until I could get my hands on the real deal. Following in the style of the Lady Janies books, the story is very loosely based on Mary Queen of Scots. Overall the book was funny and medium-paced. I think I enjoyed the side characters for than the main, and I like how they United with characters from My Lady Jane. In the end though, this book was way too long. It could’ve been just as good with about 150 less pages.

This book was Excellent! I loved the fun take on a historical figure. The fantasy element really gave the book a unique twist. Mary was a BA heroine (my favorite kind of heroine). Francis was so sweet, and I loved their relationship. The best part was the interwoven current pop-culture references 😂 Also, the Audiobook was FANTASTIC. The narrator knocked it out of the park ♥️ (The ACTUAL Audiobook, not the sad bot-generated audio from netgalley 😭)

I love these ladies (Hand, Ashton, Meadows) and I'm thrilled they're doing a 'Mary' trilogy! This one was about Mary, Queen of Scots. We wander back into Eðian territory and see some familiar faces from My Lady Jane, how fun! There were many aspects of this book I enjoyed and many tales that wove into the storyline! I very much enjoyed Nostradamus' daughter, whom of course I cannot remember the name of. Annnd all of the Mary's in Mary, Queen of Scots' entourage! They all had little nicknames because they were all named Mary! Which is also my mother's name. lol. Can't wait for My Imaginary Mary!

Disclaimer: I received an early access audiobook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: My Contrary Mary

Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Book Series: Mary Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Sapphic romance with one of the MCs, Ace side character

Recommended For...: historical fiction, young adult readers, The Lady Janies lovers

Publication Date: June 22, 2021

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 13+ (some violence, some language, death, misogyny)

Explanation of CWs: There is some slight violence in this book and the book does have the occasional curse. The book also has some death involved with the plot and because it’s from the Renaissance Period there are some misogynistic views on our MCs and the side characters which reduce them, even a powerful queen, to just a womb on legs. This is quickly thwarted by the kickass MCs though.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 512

Synopsis: Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
⠀
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
⠀
Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

Review: As my first book into The Lady Janies universe I am absolutely floored at how great this book is! I immediately loved this book from the first chapter. The book is well done, it’s funny, and it’s the right kind of historical fiction for me. It doesn’t take history too seriously and really shows that those of the past were just like us. I really liked the character and how well done they were. I also really liked the world building and the pacing was on par as well. The book’s plot was well written and I was immediately invested in this read. I also thought the romance was well done.

The only issue I really had with this book is that the ending leaves me wanting more and the finale was a bit too quick in my opinion.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

I'm delighted to have been approved for this audio copy but, and it kills me to say this because I was desperate to read this book, I just cannot do it. Having an auto-generated narrator for the audiobook does the story itself such a disservice. The emotion, the voice, the characters, all of it is dead in the water and impossible to listen to. I'll try my luck with the actual audiobook when it releases later on.

Style over substance.
I did not enjoy the book but younger readers might The magic elements don't bother me; a better way to do this would be to mimic The Gilded Chain. It's obviously Henry VIII there but the alternate names won't confuse people who don't know history..