Princess Louise has long been one of my favourite historical figures. She and most of her siblings quite frankly, very much did spend their lives (and legacy) in the shadow of their mother, and their father. And given that Louise was a strong personality, that must have been infinitely difficult. All of this is to say, I was thrilled to see that Louise would be the focus of a new historical fiction novel.

In The Shadow of a Queen moves through Louise’s childhood to the early years of her marriage. Much discussion of Louise focuses on her later years and marriage, so this was a refreshing look at the Princess’ life. Moore brings Louise and her family members to life and draws on historical figures and events to bring us through the story. I appreciated that Bertie was given quite a leading role, and she showcased just how complex his life really was.

Each chapter opened with a different letter; I think that the epistolary format helped to provide context and move things along without becoming clumsy or overdone! (Also, VERY happy to see that Q. Victoria’s journals weren’t used for this, because they can be quite cumbersome.) It allows us as readers to hear more from her siblings and those around the family, which only added to the story.

My favourite section of the book was seeing Victoria and Louise looking for Louise’s future husband. In the twenty-first century, it may seem absurd that she could not just go out and meet someone, but that was not reality. Her husband had to be carefully chosen, and he would stand in a difficult spot in the royal family. (Like most of the other in-law children…) And yes, although he would be The Duke of Argyll, he was still a commoner!

All in all, I think that this is a great book for anyone interested in Victoria, Downton Abbey, or The Crown!

This book was a bit slow. I enjoyed the time era and learning more about Queen Victoria’s family. It was also interesting to learn more about Queen Victoria’s views on some of the political things of the time

I got hooked early on in this book and could hardly put it down! The author did a great job taking research, personal correspondence and journal entries about the family and the time period and weaving it into a story about Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, in the late 1800s. If you enjoy learning about royals and their lives you will enjoy this book!

After giving many tries to other UK Royal Family historical fiction authors, I finally found one that works for me! I've really enjoyed everything Heather B. Moore has written and I adore her general writing style, although I think her characters always lack. I will say that it feels like not much happened in this, there wasn't a huge plot twist, or an overarching struggle the main character had to get through, but it was still satisying. The characters didn't feel well flushed out and mostly felt two dimensional. The descriptions and the main character's inner monologue is really what saved this for me. I'm definitely going to pick up everything this author writes for that reason alone!

In the Shadow of a Queen is a historical fiction about one of Queen Victoria’s children -Princess Louise. While I like history, for some odd reason I’ve never been really interested in the Victorian era in itself, though I am fond of the literature written in that period. All of this to say that this book gave me a first insight into the times and life of Victoria and her children, and it was really illustrative and interesting. Louise was her fourth child and apparently, of a free spirit and mind. She never openly contradicted her mother, but she at least questioned her decisions and actions. The story begins when Louise is around 10 years old and shortly after loses her father, Prince Albert. It was a huge loss, worsened by the fact that the Queen ordered everyone to remain in mourning for over seven years, cutting her children from any social events and herself withdrawing from public life. Through the novel, we learn from Louise’s life, from her interest in art and sculpture to her passion for social causes, including women’s right to vote, education and health. For me, it was quite refreshing to learn from a royal with her own mind for her time. While she did not contradict the Queen, she found ways to pursue her causes, by studying at the National Public Art School and corresponding with women fighting for their rights. I also appreciated how the author, without expanding too much on it, showed a Queen Victoria who was kind of a tyrant, something that has sparked my interest in learning about her.

Now, the aspect I did not fully enjoy about this book is that I felt that by the middle, all seemed to focus around the search of a husband for Louise. Chapter after chapter we had the same sort of plotline -she meeting potential suitors, rejecting the one who would actually become her husband, going back to royal options, etc. I think this could have been made shorter or at least add some potential love interest that had made her hesitate or add some spice to the story. And after that, I also felt all other interests from Louise fell to the background -we never learned what happened to her classes at school, if she made friends with other classmates, and how she got involved in social causes. I felt everything was put below her love life and the search of a husband, thus losing a great opportunity in learning more from her life and her achievements. Also, I could not help to do a little research on the Princess and her life had a lot of interesting parts -from rumored lovers to a separation from her husband to her support of him when he passed away. In short, the end left me wanting for more.

Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen VIctoria, finds the tight control of her mother stifling. She is kept busy acting as private secretary to the queen, who still mourns the death of Prince Albert. Louise longs to sculpt and pursue what interests her. Will she be her own person or will she always be under the shadow of her mother and queen?

While I’ve read about Queen VIctoria, I don’t know as much about her children, so I was intrigued to learn more about this one daughter. I was surprised at how much of the story takes place while Louise is in her early teens. I thought, based on the description, that this would be more of a romance, but Princess Louise doesn’t meet her husband-to-be until the last third of the book.

This is full of details of the era. I especially enjoyed the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter as they are taken from letters and journal entries of the royal family. It made the story come even more to life.

Readers who have an interest in Queen Victoria and those who enjoy fictional stories based on true events will enjoy this one.

Another great historical book by this author. It felt like I didn’t know anything about these characters and loved getting an inside scoop to how things were or could have been. Louise was way ahead of her time and seeing her growth and accomplishing things outside of the norm was refreshing.

Her relationship with her mother and even father was unique and I thought the closeness between the siblings was sweet. Love comes slowly and not in a bad way. The pacing is deliberate and I was honestly more fascinated than I thought I would be. So well done.

I received a copy through Netgalley, but my opinions are all my own.

A captivating glimpse at Queen Victoria's domestic life through the portrait of her 4th daughter, Louise, the future duchess of Argyll.

The story starts just before the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and stretches all the way to Louise's marriage in 1871 to the marquess of Lorne, John Campbell.

A fascinating look behind the wall of Buckingham Palace as we follow the Royal family from the early sorrows of a grieving wife to her daily interactions with her children over a period of 10 years.

Louise was an incredible character. Strong minded, fiercely independent and a talented artist, she was the only daughter of Queen Victoria who ended up marrying a British aristocrat

An accomplished fictional tapestry of royal life that should delight anyone interested by Victoria's children and her court establishment. It was a terrific read that I greatly enjoyed from start to finish!

Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley for the beautiful ARC

Heather B Moore did a fantastic job pulling all the historical details and facts and turning it into a brilliant story. I enjoyed learning more about dynamic between The Queen and the Princess and getting a little glimpse into their lives. I enjoyed every page and definitely recommend it!

Ch 1-5

I won’t lie. I know what I do about Queen Victoria due to the PBS show starring my girl Jenna Coleman. I know next to nothing about Victoria’s children. In the later seasons, Vicky and Bertie run around, but little enough is said about Louise.

I get the nickname Loo Loo, but can someone please explain Loosy? I hate it so much.

Royals are artists mainly in that they do not have to work to provide themselves a living. They can spend that time perfecting something else. Louise is something of a painter and sketcher, but she really wants to be a sculptor. Obviously, this is unheard of in this day and age.

Victoria’s reliance on Albert is questionable, but I suppose we have to remember they met, fell in love and married rather early in life. Friendly reminder they are also first cousins. I don’t care if you didn’t grow up together. It’s still ick.

Bertie is caught sneaking a woman into the barracks. This does not bode well for his engagement. I don’t see why not. A lot of men cheat. A lot of princes cheat. Are we supposed to act like this is brand new information? Victorian values are wack.

We end this section with Albert on his deathbed. I have always found it interesting that Victoria loved him so much she remained in full mourning for the rest of her life.

Ch 6-10

As luck would have it, Bertie's life continues to be fine. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, known as Alix, appears to be just fine with his meandering ways. Not that they're married yet, so I don't feel like it matters. Another famous Alix is Princess Alice's daughter who later goes on to marry the last tsar. As you know, her story ends in tragedy.

The stereotypical camel references regarding Palestine are a bit much for me to bear, but Western Europeans are known for their inherent racism.

If you're going to marry off your children to rivaling countries, why act surprised when one or more gets offended?

Ch 11-15

I would not like to wear a regular corset, much less a maternity corset. Alix has it right in this case.

Yes, Victoria remains in mourning for the rest of her natural life, but that doesn't mean she should disrupt her children's social calendars. I'm not saying they shouldn't mourn their father, but it has been well over two years at this point. Let them live.

Omg Louise's feelings about Prussian men. I'm dying. Germans aren't that bad, bb. Granted, I've only dated one. But I'm laughing so hard right now.

Speaking of Germans, Fritz is such a stereotypically German name. Crying. I'm amused by the stupidest things.

Ch 16-20

Can everyone stay out of Loosy’s love life? Vicky sounds almost as bad as Victoria. Do not get me started on her stance against women’s suffrage.

I am glad Louise is allowed to take sculpting lessons at the university, even if that doesn’t last long.

Her relationship with Bertie and Alix appears strong.

Is it a crime to be tall? I’d love that in a husband. Prussian man can come at me. Thank you.

Ch 21-25

What is wrong with Victoria? Besides her stupid conservative ways? Why does one of her daughters need to live in England and handle her business? I feel so bad for them.

Now that none of the Protestant princes have worked out for Loo, some commoners are dangled in front of her. At first, I thought regular people. But these are dukes and marquesses. Reader, I cackled.

Said dukes and marquesses already all seem to be well on their way to being engaged, so why are they being paraded in front of our Loosy? I can’t stop calling her this btw. I hate this nickname so fucking much.

Ch 26-30

We remeet John, who will later become the Duke of Argyll. I sort of forgot meeting him the first time. It doesn’t matter, because Loosy finally feels some womanly things.

John isn’t so bad. He’s quite liberal, and seems to support women’s suffrage and the idea of women becoming doctors. The only female doctor mentioned had to train in France. This I remember from the Sebastian St. Cyr series, which you should read if you haven’t yet. Excellent facts sprinkled in historical fiction. Plus murder.

Ch 31-35

I call this section Loosy Gets Laid. I’m classy like that.

But seriously, it’s about time home girl gets her happily ever after. Dumb ole me went on Wiki and discovered this marriage ended childless and unhappy. I want to unsee.

We know why you wanted to move the wedding up, John. Can’t believe Loo couldn’t figure it out. She’s twenty three at this point. Surely someone would’ve explained by this point.

Ch 36-38

What a life lived. I can’t believe out of all of Victoria's children, I was only familiar with Vicky and Bertie. A travesty.

Louise left a legacy. I’ll be researching her causes.

This was a really cool historical fiction book! I’m always shocked by how much I love learning when I read a new historical fiction novel. Learning about the true history behind certain stories just makes me want to learn everything about that persons life and the time surrounding them.

This was a really cool view into Queen Victorias family, specifically one of her younger daughters, Louise. It is very detailed and goes through events starting in Louise’s youth, until her marriage and old age.

It seemed to start a little slow at the beginning (albeit interesting), but as I got more interested in the story and characters, I became more invested and had to keep reading. I feel like it’s already helped me gain so much insight into other Victorian-era books I’ve read.

I liked all of the characters, and the romance between Louise and her husband was so so so perfect. I could’ve read a whole book about just THEM. But I loved everyone! They all had such unique personalities and stories, and I loved seeing them come to life.

I would definitely recommend for those seeking a good Royal-historical romance with a little dab of romance! Excellent read.

This was a nice historical fiction take on the life of Princess Louise. It was an interesting look at the family life of Queen Victoria, and the story mentions the artistic talents and the accomplishments in improving society of Princess Louise, but seems to spend more time on the hunt for her husband, the tragic deaths of her family, and war. It was a nice read, but didn't seem very deep.

I must confess, this is the first book I have ever read about Queen Victoria and her children. It has definitely given me an appetite for reading more. I really enjoyed reading and learning about Louise. I would have liked to know her in person. I loved learning more about her and her mother's relationship. and even her life and her life choices. I will be reading more of Heather B. Moore's books. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and give me own personal opinion about the reading experience.

An engaging book that has relevant correspondence at the beginning of each chapter, yet the dialogue is very natural and helps provide insight into a figure in the past (Princess Louise) who was quite ahead of her time as a sculptress and a royal who married for love. It also provided insight into Queen Victoria from a different angle, not sovereign and ruler, but mother, complicated and mourning. Overall an enjoyable read and caused me to look up into the relevant history of the time period.

I didn’t know much about Queen Victoria’s children and her life after losing her husband, and I learned a lot reading this great book. If you enjoy historical fiction you will love this book! I adored Princess Louise and loved reading her story. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

In this book, the reader is introduced to the life of Princess Louise, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, during her teens and early twenties. The early death of her father, the beloved Prince Albert, and the perpetual mourning of her mother had a lasting influence on her upbringing. As she grows into womanhood and marries, this look at her life explores the mores of the time, the machinations involved in selecting a suitable match for a royal princess, and the stalwartness yet repressed mindset of the queen. Louise had a mind of her own pursuing sculpting and embracing women’s rights and charitable causes, yet her early life was tightly controlled by her mother.

This is an engrossing, pleasant read. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction based a a real person’s life, as I am always skeptical as to how much is fact and how much is fiction. However, this work is well researched and documented. While certainly the dialog is imagined, it embellishes authenticated events and observations.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m glad I took the time to read it.

Wow, wow, wow! This book is amazing. I had no idea I could become so completely engrossed in a historical novel. Moore does a phenomenal job of bringing the reader right into the setting, you can envision everything as if you were there with the royal family and visiting the royal estates. Moore explains the customs, the protocols, and everything else that goes along with royalty so well. I had no idea the ins and outs of being a member of a royal family. I absolutely loved Louise (fourth daughter of Queen Victoria), what a wonderful and talented person she was. She was so genuine and down to earth. She had hopes and dreams she wanted to achieve and I found myself wanting them to come to fruition on her behalf. The amount of research that went into this book shows through. I learned so much about the time period and Queen Victoria and her children. Extraordinarily captivating, In the Shadow of a Queen is hands down the best historical novel I have read this year. I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't read many books about royalty, fiction or non, so I didn't know what to expect when I read this book except that Heather B. Moore always draws me into the historical setting and the lives of the historical figures her books are based on. Sure enough, I felt immersed in the life that Louise lives over the span of her childhood and young adult years. We're shown the family dynamics through vignettes of daily life and excerpts from actual letters which begin each chapter. People that strongly influenced Louise as well as moments of great impact were touched on, and I felt like it prepared me for the majority of the book which focused on her young adult years of pursuing her interests as much as the queen would allow, as well as the hunt for her future husband. Political relationships were woven in but not aggressively, so I felt that they added to the greater picture rather than taking over. As an artist myself I loved the details of Louise's drawing and sculpture, and I hope to one day see some of her work in person. Of course I adore romance so the husband hunt was fascinating. Because Louise's older siblings married for connection, the queen was more lenient as the years went on as to who Louise could consider. The author explored the logistics of such a process, Louise's vulnerability, and eventually the gentle romance that developed, which was absolutely lovely. The overall theme of Louise's relationship with her mother was intriguing, with details and nuances that could only come from meticulous research, which I know this author excels at. This is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and would make an excellent book club pick.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Such a great read- I love learning about real historical figures especially if it’s told in a story form like this book.
I enjoyed getting to know the whole royal family and having a glimpse into how they lived back then.
This author does a great job making history fun to learn about. I had to check a few things put and do a bit of research because some of the info from the book I had no idea happened.

I have always been fascinated with royalty, so I was intrigued by In the Shadow of a Queen. I don't know very much about Queen Victoria, especially her children, so I was excited to get a glimpse of Princess Louise.

The writing is beautiful. It was easy to imagine the locations and the gatherings. But I felt that parts went really fast and skipped large spans of time from one paragraph to the next which at times was a bit confusing. The epigraphs at the beginning of the chapters were intriguing, but also confusing as they referenced events that weren't covered nor in that chapter.

I still recommend In the Shadow of a Queen especially to people that like royalty or want a glimpse into Queen Victoria's children's lives.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.