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

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

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The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king’s last love and London’s darling… Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage for Whitehall Palace—and the role of royal mistress.

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  • The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II
  • Author: Susan Holloway Scott
  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Trade (July 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-13: 9780451224064
  • Genre: Historical Fiction Romance
Product Description 
The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king’s last love and London’s darling… Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage for Whitehall Palace—and the role of royal mistress.

Even though she delights the king, she must learn to negotiate the cutthroat royal court, where ambition and lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. For beneath her charm and light-heartedness, Nell has her own ambition—to become no less than the king’s favorite.

Nell Gwyn may have been the lowest born, poorest and shortest of Charles" many mistresses, but she was also the longest lasting, one most liked by the pubic, and probably by the king himself. Even after her meteoric rise from a whore's daughter to an orange seller in the theater pits, to actress and finally to the royal bed, heart and conscious she never forgot her original motto and self-declared purpose in life-to make people laugh. And it was as a comedian that she won the Kings notice, favor, long interest (which lasted an unprecedented seventeen years) and probable love, which caused the "Merry Monarch's" last words to be of her.

Scott's Nell is charming, bawdy, often gross in humor, prone to pranks and not shy about hitting her enemies below the belt with jokes. But she's also kind, immensely smart and worldly wise and completely loyal to her king-making her probably the only selfless person in his life. It is easy to see why she was the original model for a "whore with a heart of Gold" (though I hate to see sexual independence-even if a man is paying for your house and clothes- called whoring.) It is a delight to read her stories which ring with yet another completely distinctive (from Scott's other novels) first person voice. And have no fear-though they cover much the same time span there is virtually no overlap between "The King's Favorite" and "Royal Harlot" and the novels can easily be read independent of one another.

But just as she was in real life, this fictional Nell has picked up a flair for the dramatic. Many, many chapters in this book end with portents of doom-great tidings of negative change ahead that never really comes around. Of course Nell's life was constantly changing and she went through her fair share of drama in the court and with the King, but it's never portrayed in a way that seemed like it affected her. Her constant laughing at life attitude and determination not to vex the king but just to "make him laugh" downplay the tragedies of Nell life, the injustices she was forced to endure because of her low birth- and the drama of the novel.

In addition, while Nell's loyalty to the King is unquestioning, their relationship is based more on friendship (and sex) then anything that really resembles passionate love. So if you're looking for a harlequin romance type love story, this isn't for you. However if you prefer your great love stories to arise out of friendship and a true connection, you will love the tender relationship between Charles and Nell.

About the Author 
Susan Holloway Scott is a graduate of Brown University.

This book is in excellent condition with only minor surface wear on the cover.

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Image 0 of The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II

Image 1 of The King's Favorite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II