The French Mistress

If you like historical fiction, you won’t want to pass this book up. It’s the story of Louise de Keroualle, beloved mistress of King Charles II of England. The author, Susan Holloway Scott, has written books about others of Charles’ mistresses (apparently he really loved the ladies), but this is the first of her books that I have read.

Louise and Charles are both very likeable characters, with charm and wit to spare. We meet many other interesting historical figures, too, including King Louis XIV of France, Charles’ beloved sister Henriette (wife of Louis’ nasty brother), and Charles’ one-time favorite paramour Nell Gwyn. The story is sweeping in its nature, taking us from Louise’s country home, to the court of Louis XIV of France, to the decidedly anti-French and anti-Catholic London of Charles’ reign.

I think what I like best about the novel is how Louise uses the lot she’s been given in life. She starts out as a lady-in-waiting to Henriette, and through that position catches the eye of King Charles. Once she is sent to Charles’ court, she uses her wits and her charm to create a position for herself, despite the hatred of many of the people around her. She is a strong woman, stronger than most of the men she deals with, including King Charles.