I’ve looked forward to reading this book since I first heard Paula Lafferty talk about the premise. The fact that I was able to be an ARC reader is just the best news I could have received.

We follow Vera who is about as average as they come. Forgettable. One day she meets an older man who says he’s Merlin. (Yes! That Merlin! 🧙) He tells her she is actually the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has to go back in time to save Camelot.

The story had me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down! The relationships between the characters are fun, heartbreaking, and so real. If you love Arthurian stories, medieval escapades and amazing bestie banter, this is absolutely the book for you!

What if everything we knew about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table was wrong?

Vera, a modern-day woman living a quiet life in Glastonberry, has her world turned upside when Merlin arrives on her doorstep to inform her that she is, in fact, Queen Guinevere of legend. Vera must travel through time to return to Camelot to help solve a curse which is slowly draining magic from the kingdom. If she refuses, the world as she knows it will cease to exist, so she reluctantly sets out to save the world.

Vera has no memories of her life as Queen Guinevere, and only subtle feelings to help guide her. Camelot is nothing like she expected. How could history have gotten so many things wrong? The architecture is spectacular, magic is commonplace, the knights have a rectangular table, and there’s even indoor plumbing! However, not everyone behaves as they should. Guinevere’s loving husband, King Arthur, can’t seem to stand the sight of her, while Lancelot behaves as her most loyal friend and ally. Was Lancelot and Guinevere’s fabled affair the one thing history managed to get right? With the threat of Saxon enemies rallying against King Arthur, Vera must work quickly to fill the role of Queen Guinevere and unlock her trapped memories in this unfamiliar version of history or the fabled Camelot will fall before it’s even had a chance to rise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story moves along at a good pace and jumps into the action very quickly. This is certainly a unique and fresh take on the Arthurian legends, filled with magic, mystery, and romance. This book was an easy read and very entertaining. There were some great and unexpected twists and many moments which may make you laugh out loud. Vera is a great protagonist who has no problem jumping in and doing things, or with speaking her mind, yet doesn’t come across as a “girl-boss” which I love. She has real fears and doubts, she struggles, but she is compassionate to others, and she tries her hardest and stays true to herself throughout the story. She felt like a real person that I could relate to.

As I was asked to give a fair and unbiased review, here are the two things I didn’t love about the book.

There was one point in the story which felt on the verge of being too convenient. Very early in the book Vera voices her concern of being able to understand anyone in 6th century England. Merlin’s assures her that the magic which transports her back in time will help translate, so she will sound normal to them and vice versa. “That’s just the way that magic works” type situation. While this initially annoyed me, once I got further into the book, it fits the vibe of the story and ultimately I think the story is better off for it. It did a decent job of saying “Hey, this is a thing I know would be a problem, I took the time to address it, now you don’t have to worry about it and you can enjoy the story”. And I honestly can’t think of how it might have been accomplished better, so this ends up being appriopriate to the story and works well.

The second thing is 100% personal preference, and that is I get really annoyed when characters don’t talk to each other. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it is fairly obvious from very early on in the book and from the author’s marketing/social media that initially Arthur does not want a lot to do with Vera. He ignores, avoids, or snaps at her to varying degrees throughout the first half of the book and refuses to explain his behavior, but luckily it doesn’t drag on too long, and when he does finally start talking to her, I believed his character motives for his behavior. In other words, it made sense for his character to act that way given what had happened. Even if I don’t like a trope, if it makes sense in the story and to the characters, then that’s all you can really ask for, which in this case it did. So again, the author handled the trope very well and it was fitting for the story line. So if these are the types of things that also tend to annoy you in books, I encourage you to give this book a chance to see how the author made them work.

In summary, I love this refreshing version of medieval fantasy which does not take itself too seriously as Vera brings a healthy dose of 21st century fun to 6th century England, complete with swearing, high fives, rock paper scissors, and more. Overall the author did a good job subverting expectations, which is always a nice surprise. This book leaves you feeling warm and cozy, and more importantly, ready for the sequel. For this author’s debut book, I think she absolutely nailed it. Job well done.

***I received an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The story sets forth with Vera, living in modern day Glastonbury, struggling after the death of her boyfriend. A mysterious man shows up claiming to be the wizard Merlin and informs her she is desperately needed back in time in the seventh century. There's only one problem, Vera is apparently the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has no memories of her past life. And so begins the overwhelming quest of recovering Guinevere's memories, memories that could hold the key to saving the kingdom and their last chance to save magic before it disappears from the world forever.

It has been a long time since I have read a novel quite literally errorless in terms of 3rd person pov, with seamless dialogue and nearly endless fantasy action that drives the plot and doesn't stray from it. The characters develop gradually but have significant personality impact from beginning to end. There is magic, mystery, romance, action and humor (also known as Lancelot)!

The lines were not too wordy for the sake of material, each metaphor, adjective, and line HAD A PURPOSE, and brought on emotional context to both the scenery and the people. This novel spares no piece of your heart. There was something inherently human about the characters that I absolutely loved. Even amidst the contrast between modern day and the seventh century, both time periods stayed respective to one another. The locations and backgrounds were so well described that I found myself still imagining them even while starting other books weeks later.

If you are looking for an Arthurian fantasy with the ability to fully absorb you directly into the pages, look no further, this is the one! The plot twists were not only shocking but also so entirely original, that I am left with nothing to compare them to. I highly recommend you give this one a try even if romantasy isn't your cup of tea. What an impressive series starter! And now we wait patiently for book 2!

I would like to sincerely thank Paula for the ARC! I am so excited to have jumped on board in the very beginning and now watch the start of something so legendary that she has created! Can't wait to unbox my physical deluxe edition in October!

Firstly, I want to sincerely thank Miss Paula for giving me the opportunity to be one of her ARC readers. I've followed her journey from fairly early on and seeing her achieve what she has has been really inspiring as an aspiring self published author myself. I cannot express my thanks enough.

The story starts with Vera, a resident of modern day Glastonbury, who is struggling after the death of her boyfriend. So when a mysterious man shows up claiming to be the wizard Merlin and offers to take her back in time to the seventh century, she agrees. There's only one problem, Vera is apparently the legendary Queen Guinevere and she has no memories of her past life. And so begins the quest of recovering Guinevere's memories, memories that could hold the key to saving the kingdom and their last chance to save magic before it disappears from the world for good.

As someone who's read, watched and studied various versions and retellings of the legends of King Arthur, I absolutely adored this take and its creative aspects. Paula changed just enough for it to be riddled with new and exciting twists while keeping enough for it to feel true to the source. The time travel aspect helped to add another layer of intrigue that was woven with a rather fascinating magic system that I'm really hoping we learn more about.

But I definitely think that while the world building was great, this book was character driven in all the best ways. The characters were so well written, they had very distinct personalities and were individuals that felt relatably human and realistically flawed. I fell in love with (most of) our main characters right away, particularly Lancelot and Gawain just because they were so sweet, but I adored our heroine Vera as well and couldn't help but cheer her on, as for Arthur I think I respected him more than loved him like the other characters but he was sweet too. Your standards in men will definitely be raised lol. All the side characters were amazing as well and made their own impact on the story, they weren’t just cardboard cutouts there to advance the main characters development or the main plot line, they were each memorable in their own way. Everyone's emotions had an impact on the story (and me considering I cried an ungodly amount of times for various reasons) and the relationships between the main cast were so pure. The found family was absolutely adorable and balanced humor and genuinely emotional moments really well and you could just feel that they truly cared for one another. Those tender moments, whether purely platonic or romantic or something else entirely, were so touching to me. And obviously I can't say much but I will say one particular relationship really touched me as an aromantic because it was this easy intimate relationship between friends (forehead kisses and all). So seeing that relationship held just as high as the romantic ones, acknowledged as equal, really meant a lot to me because you don't see that done often and it was so beautiful. So for me personally, the emotions and relationships as well as that found family was definitely a huge part of why I loved this book so much.

The deeper themes of acceptance and healing made me cry more than once and I think it was the perfect time for me to read this because I ended up starting it shortly after my first suicidal thought after a year clean. Which was… really hard if I'm being honest. And I can't explain why but it really really helped me get through the fact that I was starting all over again.

Another thing that really stood out to me was the pacing. I have ADHD, which lately has been making it <i>really</i> hard to read, so much so that it feels like a curse. But I had absolutely no problems reading this in every minute of my spare time! And this isn't a short book. The questions and mysteries had me spinning theories like crazy (maybe half of which were correct lol) and looking back there was some really good foreshadowing there.

Overall this was an incredible debut novel that absolutely will live up to the excitement! La Vie de Guinevere was full of mystery and humor, wholesome relationships and bitter rivalries. A top tier found family and a mysterious villain. I would highly recommend it to fantasy fans who enjoy character driven stories with deeper themes and lessons, or just those who like Arthurian tales or fantasy retellings.

I received this as an ARC through NetGalley, but I’d been waiting anxiously to read it since discovering the WIP on TikTok forever ago.
This story is a fun and interesting take on the legend of King Arthur. The mystery makes a reader question everything they thought they knew about the legend and what really might be true. The magic and life of the world only add to the enjoyment of reading it. If I had to choose, I would say that Lancelot is my favorite, and I would like to think that many will enjoy his characterization. All and all, this was a great read, and I would gladly re-read it. My only complaint is that now I have to wait for book two!

La Vie de Guinevere is an exhilarating journey brimming with adventure, romance, and enchantment. The legend of King Arthur is already a magical one, and in La Vie de Guinevere, Lafferty reawakens the wonder of the original stories by transforming these legendary characters into multifaceted individuals that resonate deeply with readers. As a reader you feel like you are part of the court, and you become emotionally invested in not only Vera's journey but also the relationships, dynamics and mysteries of the side characters as well. One minute you're chuckling at a jibe aimed at Lancelot the next you're muffling your screams over the actions of a certain mage... The story itself is steeped in history and folklore, and reads like a classic fairy-tale, a love letter to legends and myths that have transcended time. This was such a fantastic read and I can't wait to see what happens next.

La Vie de Guinevere is full of adventure, romance and magic. Paula has taken well-known characters from the legends of Camelot, including Arthur, Lancelot and Merlin, among many others and she has made them even more complex, giving them further background stories and making the characters her own. The story follows Vera, our heroine as she is set on a quest of sorts, thrown out of the comfort of her life and normality, that has her questioning everything that she has ever known.

Throughout the book, you will be laughing along with the characters, you will be frustrated for them, perhaps even frustrated with them! However, no matter what you are feeling at any particular moment, you will be pulled in and hooked on the story from the very start. It is clear to me as a reader that a lot of research and time has been put into the writing of La Vie de Guinevere, every aspect of the story has been thought about and finely tuned to fit into the plot.

This book has inspired me to look into the legends and people of Camelot, a subject that I had never been intrigued by before! I can't wait to see what is up next for Vera and the gang. A fantastic five star read.