“Royal Harlot” by Susan Holloway Scott was not a book I would have chosen to read on my own. I picked it up specifically for the Historical Fiction Book Challenge. On the whole, I enjoyed it. I had not read much on Barbara Palmer, or this time period, so learning something about a new part of history is always fun.

I found the characters and her point of view believable, and the author approached it in a realistic way without apologies. The Duchess was mostly interested in having fun and feathering her own nest, and in that way, she wasn’t too different from most people I know today.

The sex was graphic enough to be interesting, though I would have liked a bit more description of the places and things around the people (the clothes were well described). Mostly I felt it dragged on a bit, because not much really happened. While I’m sure that is realistic, it makes for slow reading.

If you enjoy historical fiction, “Royal Harlot” will be for you. If you are a fan of history, give it a try. Otherwise, maybe not.