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

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 Palaceand 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 ambitionto become no less than the king's favorite. About the Author Susan Holloway Scott is a graduate of Brown University.

The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king's last love and London's darling...
BR>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.

Publishers Weekly

Scott's (Royal Harlot) fictionalized account of the colorful and remarkable life of Nell Gwyn, mistress to King Charles II, gives the two a lovely mutual affection. Nell, raised in a brothel, senses she's destined for better things, and before her mother can sell her virginity to the highest bidder, she procures her own protector. Selling oranges at the Theater Royal is the next step on Nell's career path, and here she catches the eye of the king, who loves women, but does not bed young girls like Nell, who is just 13. As time passes, Nell rises to her natural role as a comic actress (in Restoration England, one step up from a whore) and has no qualms about using sex to rise yet higher. As her lovers grow in rank, she keeps the ultimate prize of the king's love in mind. Nell's life makes a lively story, but for all the wit and cleverness, the bawdy humor doesn't always translate into contemporary laughs. Just as affection, here, doesn't translate into security for Nell. (July)

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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. Rising from the poverty of Covent Garden to become the toast of the London theater, saucy beauty Nell Gwyn catches the eye of King Charles II and takes on the role of royal mistress, forcing her to negotiate the cutthroat politics and intrigues of Restoration England's royal court. By the author of Royal Harlot