I enjoyed it but I have read better novels by her. Try as I might I just couldn't really like Katherine Sedley. I mean I wanted to - here was a very plain girl (who knew it) full of wit (which I love) but I just wasn't buying what the author was selling. In the author's note she stated that Katherine was bothered by her lack of good looks, however, it was rarely shown in the book and I would have liked to have felt that with her more. In an era when women were mostly judged by their looks it HAD to have affected her a great deal no matter how strong willed she was and with writing historical fiction she have some liberties. All in all a good read for someone I knew nothing about and will seek to find others on her. ( )

I haven't read as much on the Stuarts as I have most of the other royal families of England, so I was looking forward to being enlightened on this Countess of whom I had not heard. I will readily admit that I am far more interested in the people, places & events of any period of history than I am in what took place in someone's bedroom, but this book had a surfeit of clandestine couplings and pillow talk. Although the author was not as lurid in the details of the physical relationships and individual encounters as others have been, I came away feeling that the book was nothing so much as a vehicle to get from one dalliance to another once Mrs. Katherine Sedley comes of age and gets herself into the Court circle. At that point, any real charcter development stopped, and though I read the book to the end, I found myself merely pushing through the second half of the book in (vain) hopes of gleaning something of historical significance beyond the bedroom shenanigans of the various characters. The fact that Katherine Sedley is crude and bawdy (yet witty) wears thin when that is all there seems to be to her existence outside the King's bed. The tale ends with the temporary/somewhat voluntary exile of Mrs. Sedley/Countess of Dorchester to Ireland, shortly before James II is deposed in favor of his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. The Epilogue by the author implies that Mrs. Sedley/Countess of Dorchester was involved in the life of the Court during the reigns of both of James II's daughters (as her exile to Ireland was both temporary and short-lived), but provides no details. While I realize the title is "The Countess and the King," and that interaction is fully terminated by her exile (followed shortly by his own permanent exile to France), it would have been nice to have finished out her history as it related to her country, since the author states throughout the story that this was her first loyalty, even above loyalty to her lover, King James II. ( )

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website:

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This year I’ve decided to venture out of my comfort zone and read some historical fiction. I always thought them a bit of too much history and not enough action, plot or romance. Since the plot is summarized by the blurb, let me jump in and tell you that this book has proven me wrong.

I wasn’t really familiar with this time period, having only read one book set in it a couple of years ago. I did see couple of movies, notably “The Libertine” with Johnny Depp.

I think it a great gift for an author to have when she makes you believe you’re a part of a story; makes you feel, taste, and smell the period as well as have you completely lost in this painting of life in England during this time period.

In giving such a vivid description, this book read and played out in my mind as a movie, or an even better description would be as if I were there next to Katherine. By the time the book ended, I felt like I lived and knew all the players personally. I was fascinated with every character she chose to introduce me to, and I was made to feel like I was hanging out with the King and his entourage!

What surprised me the most is how UN-boring it was. Ms. Holloway Scott’s writing and knowledge of the Restoration Era was superb. What I didn’t like is how Katherine and the author went out of their way in telling us that she was no beauty, but thanks to Google, I disagree. She was a very handsome and pretty woman. I don’t think that only her wit and charm would have been enough to keep someone like James II interested for over seven years.

Regardless of that, I am in awe of this author and highly recommend you read this fascinating story full of well rounded characters, historical accuracy, a rich and evocative setting, love and intrigue, as well as substance.

Melanie ( )

Historical fiction author Susan Holloway Scott returns to the world she knows best: the racy Stuart court with yet another novel of a Stuart monarch's mistress. Straying somewhat from her Charles II plus mistress formula, Scott instead explores the life and relationship of Lady Katherine Sedley, the long-time mistress of King James II, Charles' brother and successor. By now I've read all of Scott's other novels, and have grown to enjoy them (I wouldn't say they would appeal to everyone, but definitely to certain readers). Particularly, I enjoyed her exploration of fascinating and fairly unknown women from history who defied social norms.

Katherine Sedley is no except. Growing up in a well-to-do home, Katherine preferred to swear openly, indulge in "male" hobbies -like politics, and even dare to take lovers outside of marriage as she pleased. Katherine, with a highly political father, ends up catching the eye of James, heir apparent and brother of King Charles II. Despite Katherine's lack of physical beauty and unremarkable connections, she finds herself as James' mistress and later mother of his illegitimate daughter.

Countess felt a little lighter on the politics than previous Scott novels, which made me a little sad -I always enjoyed the intrigue, but here it just seemed like there were just squabbles between Parliament's houses and parties, and between Parliament and Charles II, and Katherine was not really part of all this -it was offered as more of a backdrop to the period than anything else. However, Katherine was still portrayed as a strong female protagonist who frequently and without care defied what would have been expected of her for the time. Most interestingly, her relationship with James is shown as loving and powerful, rather than lustful and purely for convenience.

Probably the only thing that bothered me here is that Scott continued to stay in safe waters -there's really not much new here accept that she shifted to another Stuart monarch's collection of mistresses (guess she finally exhausted all of the interesting ones for Charles II). Other than that, same old story here....

I really enjoy Scott's novels, and I thought Countess was a solid offering from her, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of her other novels and, frankly, I think I'm ready for something new from her. ( )