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akgeekgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
cinda_lu's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book... but I couldn't stand Jane. She was way too naive, shallow, and just rubbed me the wrong way. The parts of the book that didn't involve Jane and Charles's relationship were OK for the most part, but it seemed like that was a main part of almost every chapter. Granted, I didn't read every chapter because I did not finish the book.
joreyb's review against another edition
2.0
Historically interesting, but I could have done without the "50 Shades" aspect. If the reviews had mentioned this could have been listed as a Romance novel I would probably not have purchased it.!
amberinpieces's review against another edition
4.0
Gillian Bagwell’s sophomore success, The September Queen, follows another woman in Charles Stuart’s life, Jane Lane of Staffordshire. If it were not for Jane’s part in Charles’ escape from England, he may never have made it to the throne as Charles II.
At the age of twenty-six, Jane had still not married. She had her share of suitors and although she liked them well enough, none made her feel that certain spark. With her head full of Shakespeare, she longed for adventure and one night adventure walked into her family home at Bentley in the form of Charles. It was the beginning of many moments that would forever change Jane’s life.
I have had the pleasure of reading Gillian Bagwell’s Charles II before through Nell Gwynn’s eyes in The Darling Strumpet, and it was a pleasure to experience a younger Charles through Jane’s eyes.
Charles is such a complicated character in both books as I am sure he was in life. He was a womanizer, but incredibly charming to the point where his lovers could not stay upset with him for long. At least in fiction, he seemed to genuinely love each of the women he had some sort of relationship with.
Read the full review here.
At the age of twenty-six, Jane had still not married. She had her share of suitors and although she liked them well enough, none made her feel that certain spark. With her head full of Shakespeare, she longed for adventure and one night adventure walked into her family home at Bentley in the form of Charles. It was the beginning of many moments that would forever change Jane’s life.
I have had the pleasure of reading Gillian Bagwell’s Charles II before through Nell Gwynn’s eyes in The Darling Strumpet, and it was a pleasure to experience a younger Charles through Jane’s eyes.
Charles is such a complicated character in both books as I am sure he was in life. He was a womanizer, but incredibly charming to the point where his lovers could not stay upset with him for long. At least in fiction, he seemed to genuinely love each of the women he had some sort of relationship with.
Read the full review here.
colleenlovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
I reviewed this book for www.luxuryreading.com.
At a time when it seemed a well-to-do young woman’s only real responsibilities were to marry well, have children and create a loving home for her family, Jane Lane defied all odds to go after the life she wanted, no matter the consequences. A truly inspiring woman, she rose from an average English country girl to a woman admired across England as the savior of their King. But her story is also bursting with danger, deprivation and sadness. For just because you give your all in search of what you want doesn’t mean you are guaranteed your happily ever after.
The September Queen introduced me to a portion of history and people I had previously read little about. The book does a wonderful job of developing these characters into relatable and understandable people. Jane, for one, is incredibly spunky and brave and, even when she makes odd choices and gives so much of herself in ways most people would never do, she presents her choices in such a clear manner that you can completely understand why she does it. The majority of the characters are very likeable and even those that are less so are given enough time to show why they make the choices they do. It is not hard to picture yourself right beside Jane and her compatriots and to get a full view of the people they are.
The plot is also well developed which, in the mood I was in when reading The September Queen, became a little too much at times. The reader feels the time as they go alone with Jane on the long journeys across England and then for years in exile, time dragging on and on with a lot of the same landscape to look at and nothing much else going on for long periods. I believe I would have enjoyed a little more jumping to the key points and a little less of the day to day hardship, but that could just be me.
The September Queen is a wonderful introduction for anyone who isn’t familiar with the Royal Miracle of Charles II’s battle for his throne or the people who helped him get there, or an enjoyable story for those already familiar. It is engaging and does a solid job of presenting not only the excitement of the adventure but the sacrifices they all had to make, including the King. It has definitely peaked my interest to learn more about the time period and I’m excited to now read Gillian Bagwell’s first book, The Darling Strumpet, which discusses another of King Charles II’s love interests, Nell Gwynn.
At a time when it seemed a well-to-do young woman’s only real responsibilities were to marry well, have children and create a loving home for her family, Jane Lane defied all odds to go after the life she wanted, no matter the consequences. A truly inspiring woman, she rose from an average English country girl to a woman admired across England as the savior of their King. But her story is also bursting with danger, deprivation and sadness. For just because you give your all in search of what you want doesn’t mean you are guaranteed your happily ever after.
The September Queen introduced me to a portion of history and people I had previously read little about. The book does a wonderful job of developing these characters into relatable and understandable people. Jane, for one, is incredibly spunky and brave and, even when she makes odd choices and gives so much of herself in ways most people would never do, she presents her choices in such a clear manner that you can completely understand why she does it. The majority of the characters are very likeable and even those that are less so are given enough time to show why they make the choices they do. It is not hard to picture yourself right beside Jane and her compatriots and to get a full view of the people they are.
The plot is also well developed which, in the mood I was in when reading The September Queen, became a little too much at times. The reader feels the time as they go alone with Jane on the long journeys across England and then for years in exile, time dragging on and on with a lot of the same landscape to look at and nothing much else going on for long periods. I believe I would have enjoyed a little more jumping to the key points and a little less of the day to day hardship, but that could just be me.
The September Queen is a wonderful introduction for anyone who isn’t familiar with the Royal Miracle of Charles II’s battle for his throne or the people who helped him get there, or an enjoyable story for those already familiar. It is engaging and does a solid job of presenting not only the excitement of the adventure but the sacrifices they all had to make, including the King. It has definitely peaked my interest to learn more about the time period and I’m excited to now read Gillian Bagwell’s first book, The Darling Strumpet, which discusses another of King Charles II’s love interests, Nell Gwynn.
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