London, 1660: Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome, jaded king. Though each is promised to another, Barbara soon becomes Charles's mistress and closest friend, and the uncrowned queen of his bawdy Restoration court. Rewarded with titles, land, and jewels, she is the most envied and desired woman in England--and the most powerful. But the role of royal mistress is a precarious one, and Barbara's enemies and rivals are everywhere in the palace.

"Royal Harlot" is a work of historical fiction that focuses on the rise of Barbara Villiers, the most notorious of Charles II of England's many mistresses. Barbara is born into a modest family and is stunningly beautiful, yet far from innocent. After her many sexual liaisons, she eventually settles for a rather boring marriage to Robert Palmer, and is pretty miserable with her life until she is called to serve the exiled king, Charles. Eventually Charles returns to England, and he beckons Barbara to his side. Barbara enjoys the many perks that come along with being the king's mistress, but also endures many trials as well.

I enjoyed this book. Barbara is a great character, and despite her selfishness and rather lewd behavior, I found myself rooting for her from the very beginning. The first fourth of the book is a bit tedious, and things really start to pick up when Barbara joins Charles at court. Unfortunately, I felt kind of cheated by the ending, which felt very rushed, but anyone who enjoys Philippa Gregory's novels or any other type of trashy historical fiction will get a kick out of this book.

I find Barbara Palmer/Villiers an extremely interesting historical figure, as do many people. I really like the author's perception of her in this novel, as it wasn't overly critical and yet at the same time didn't shy away from the truth of her character. The novel built up the dynamic relationship between Barbara and Charles II and at it's height it was a definite page-turner.
However, unfortunately the novel lost it's spark towards the end and fizzled out quite drastically. To be fair, this was perhaps to do with the fact that in reality the royal relationship did in fact fizzle out this way. There was no spectacular ending--as there was between Charles II and Nell Gwyne (their relationship ending with his death, and Nell not being permitted at his bedside).
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book and I believe Susan Holloway Scott gave a good insight into the heart and mind of a notorious woman of the 17th century.

Birthday present for my mom, who said it was really well researched & well written about some captivating characters from history. She liked it enough to search out some other, more documentary works about these subjects.

Very interesting story. It is based on historical events and characters. Do your research after reading the book. Seeing real visuals will spoil the romance and intrigue.

Europe's treatment of a King's mistress was pretty brutal and very scary most of the time. Throughout her life Barbara Castlemaine survived because of her intelligence, her understanding of the position she held, how best to use it and, more importantly, she understood what Charles II needed and wanted and used that sense and sensibility to survive. She was surrounded by foes, naysayers, some friends, and lots of envy and dislike, but most importantly she was an emotional and psychic link to King Charles II that he obviously needed to feel complete. It wasn't easy being "royalty"; Barbara knew that, grasped her opportunity and went toe-to-toe with her adversaries, defeating their many attempts to bring her down. It wasn't just her beauty and the knowledgeable sex she obviously perfected, this woman was a foxy broad who learned how to survive and if England had been smart enough to recognize her good qualities and royal acumen they would have made her Charles II's Queen. The book was a well-written story of a fascinating, extraordinary woman of her times who understood the odds against her and lived to beat them.