Reviews for The Other Windsor Girl : a novel of Princess Magaret, Royal Rebel

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A title-rich and money-poor writer in postwar Britain finds herself appointed as second lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, sister to the eventual Queen Elizabeth II.Once upon a time, the Honorable Vera Strathmore was engaged and her life was happily mapped out for her. But then Henry, her beloved, was killedjust one of the many who never came home to Britain after World War II. Vera's grief is deep and long-lasting, in part because she and Henry may not have been legally married but theyto gloss over their behavior as the book doesenjoyed their time together intimately. Based on those experiences, Vera starts secretly writing romance novels as Mrs. Rose Lavish. One of her fansPrincess Margaretis eager to meet the author of these naughty books, and Vera's cousin Rupert, who is part of Margaret's set of friends, introduces the two. This meeting leads to a closeness between the women and Vera's employment with Margaret. Part friend, part confidante, and entirely a woman who only serves at the (temperamental) royal will, Vera always remembers her subservient position. This is author Blalock's first work of historical fiction, but she has written a number of historical romance titles under the name Georgie Lee (His Mistletoe Marchioness, 2018, etc.). Much like a gracious aunt who still likes a bit of genteel gossip about scandalous behavior, however, this book follows Margaret and her set and their hard-drinking, partner-swapping shenanigans without talking about exactly what goes on behind closed doors. Blalock places Vera within historic events and surrounds her with real people so the reader experiences well-known elements of this period in British history through the thoughts, dreams, grief, and love of a fictional character.A frothy, fun, escapist read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

The Honourable Vera Strathmore is unmarried, which is about the only thing she has in common with the fabulous Princess Margaret. But Vera's secret life as romance writer Rose Lavish intrigues the princess, and soon Vera is part of the infamous Set, staying up late nightclubbing instead of writing. Despite the royal divide between them, Vera becomes Margaret's close friend, then second lady-in-waiting, witness to public highs like the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and private lows like Margaret's reaction to the news that she is forbidden to marry her beloved, the divorced Captain Peter Townsend. As the rest of the Set marries off, Vera is unable to assuage Margaret's feelings of uselessness and lovelessness, nor is she able to prevent the attentions of the upstart mod photographer, Tony Armstrong-Jones. Blalock's plot won't be a surprise to true Anglophiles, but the fictional Vera's close encounters with royalty, her run-ins with her terrible mother, and her own heartbreak (not to mention some fabulous dresses) lend credibility to this up-close view of the equally beloved and reviled Princess Margaret.--Susan Maguire Copyright 2019 Booklist

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