Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
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Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she’s a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It’s a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀
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Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper’s nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary’s secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.⠀
-Goodreads
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Earlier this week, I finished A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir and I honestly may never recover from the devastation that book wrought. Thankfully, My Contrary Mary came along at exactly the right time. The Lady Janies series is a go to historical/contemporary fantasy for me as the characters are always likable, the humor is ALWAYS on point, and the plot is always intriguing. In fact, almost every book written by these three has been a one sitting read for me. I can say with complete honesty, that My Contrary Mary is only the third book to make me laugh out loud in 2020. The first was My Calamity Jane (by the Lady Janies, of course). The second was The House in the Cerulean Sea (another must read of the year).
This first book in a new but connected series about historical figures named Mary had everything I was looking for in a book this week. It told a slightly altered version of the events of the life of Mary Queen of Scotts. In this version of events, her fiancé Francis never died, and there may or may not be some shapeshifters on or around the throne. Francis somehow managed to be frustratingly naïve and immensely likable at the same time, and I can honestly say that his character growth was a blast to experience.
The third POV in this book is Ari – whose full name is Aristotle, and is the daughter of Nostradamus. Unfortunately she can’t quite seem to tell the future as well as he can, but she does happen to be a bit of a whiz with potions. She also happens to have her eye on one of Queen Mary’s ladies in waiting. I expected to miss the POVs of Mary and Francis, but found myself looking forward to Ari’s chapters just as much if not more than the two main characters. The appearances from Nostradamus were among my personal favorites, and I loved how her wonderful, sapphic romance developed.
Not shockingly, this book was another complete win for me and I am already absolutely dying to get my hands on the next book these amazing authors put out. Can y’all please just release two books in 2021? After 2020, I think we all deserve it.
As The Book Ends 