Title: The Once and Future Queen
Series: The Lives of Guinevere, #1
Author: Paula Lafferty
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication date: December 16, 2025
Length: 512 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Rating:
Outlander-meets-The Princess Bride plus Camelot in a fresh, big-hearted, feminist, timeslip adventure reimagining the epic saga of King Arthur, as told from the perspective of his spunky and surprising queen, Vera – complete with time travel and good running shoes!
Vera always knew she didn’t fit in. When she learns that she is meant to be in another time, she leaps at the chance to embrace a new life in a world of valor, intrigue, and unexpected magic in this bold and romantic retelling of Arthurian legend . . .
22-year-old Vera is at a crossroads: waiting tables, grieving her previous relationship, and jogging aimlessly each morning as if toward an uncertain future. Then an odd man shows up at her workplace, insisting that she was once the legendary Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and that her lost memories hold the key to changing both the past and the present. Somehow, it all feels like the direction she’s been looking for. But when she asks the mysterious man to tell her more about Lancelot, Arthur, and a faithless queen, he can only say that much of what she’s heard about Camelot is wrong. The truth, he claims, is something she must see for herself.
After jumping through a portal in Glastonbury’s historic center, Vera is not prepared for what she finds. Magic is everywhere, but a curse on the kingdom means it dwindles every day. She has no idea how to perform a queen’s duties. Her fast friendship with Lancelot sets gossip flowing, and the stranger she must call “husband” often refuses to meet her eye. Arthur is a puzzle: cold, forbidding, and, while angry to her face, keeps leaving secret tokens of tenderness in her chambers. Worst of all, Vera’s memories—and the answers locked within them—show no signs of returning. If Vera is truly destined to save Camelot, she’ll have to trust her instincts. And her king will have to trust her . .
First things first: Ignore much of the blurb above! Outlander meets The Princess Bride? No. Yes, like Outlander, time travel is key to the story, but if you expect the sweet silliness of The Princess Bride, you’ll find yourself in quite the wrong book. I’ll give them Camelot, though! And “spunky” is not how I’d describe Vera… so let’s get into it.
And before I truly begin, let me just say: The Once and Future Queen will be on my list of favorite reads for 2026!
To the best of her knowledge, Vera was twenty-two years old. And by the time she finished tying the laces of her running trainers on this early October morning, she had ten hours and fourteen minutes remaining of the life she knew in a little town called Glastonbury in the southwest of England.
“To the best of her knowledge”? What does that even mean? How does she not know? Quite the intriguing opening, isn’t it?
Vera is — as stated — 20-something, living and working in her family’s inn in the historic town of Glastonbury. After losing the love of her life earlier in the year, she finds comfort through her daily early morning runs and time with her loving parents. Oddly, Vera doesn’t have many other people in her life. She rarely makes an impression, and has no close friends. It’s lonely, but she accepted that she’s just not particularly memorable long ago.
On the day that the book opens, a strange man shows up, with an even stranger tale to tell. He tells her that she’s actually Guinevere, Queen of Camelot, saved by him — Merlin — from a tragic death and installed in modern-day Glastonbury to give her time to (essentially) regenerate and be ready for a return to her own world… and the time for that return is now. Vera doesn’t believe him, naturally, until her mother confirms the truth of his words, and certain puzzles about her own past fall into place. Vera has no memory of any other life, but according to Merlin, she has Guinevere’s memories locked within her mind, and these hold the key to saving Camelot from destruction. With a promise that he’ll return Vera to her own time when all is done, she agrees to go with Merlin.
Arriving in the 7th century, she immediately meets Lancelot, with whom she feels an instant connection. But her first impressions of Arthur are another matter entirely. He’s cold, even hostile, and Vera has no memory of knowing him or anyone else. Her oddities and momentary lapses are explained away by memory loss following injury — she’s supposedly been away for a year at a monastery to recover from her wounds. With each passing day, Vera settles into life as Guinevere, but the “real” Guinevere’s memories don’t return. Meanwhile, there’s a growing threat to Camelot: The magic that powers the kingdom seems to be drying up and no one knows why, and rumors of an impending invasion become more and more dire. Even Merlin’s magic can’t seem to break through and release whatever memories are locked up in Vera’s mind.
Meanwhile, Vera finds friendship with Lancelot and other knights, and for the first time in her life, feels a sense of belonging. Even Arthur eventually begins to thaw, treating Vera with polite distance at first, but gradually showing concern and kindness toward her, and possibly even more. As Vera is drawn ever closer to Arthur, she’s desperate for the answers Camelot needs, and desperate to figure out whether the feelings between her and Arthur are real or magically induced.
Transporting a 21st century woman into the world of Camelot allows readers a relatable entry into this legendary world (where Vera learns that not all the legends she’s heard are true). Her confusion and sense of displacement are shown through her struggles to navigate daily life (everything from wondering whether the water is safe to drink to figuring out which of the people surrounding her she can actually trust). Relationships are well-drawn and developed, as we see Vera finding easy friendship with some of the people she meets and learning to rely on her intuition when something strikes her as suspicious.
The supporting characters, including Lancelot, the mage Gawain, and lady-in-waiting Matilda, as well as others of the royal household and assembled knights, feel alive and highly individualized. It’s easy to see why Vera and Lancelot become such close friends, and heartwarming to witness Vera breaking down barriers between herself and those who treat her primarily as Queen rather than as a person.
Vera’s presence introduces historical anomalies to Camelot, which are lots of fun. In a bored moment, she teaches Lancelot to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, which becomes one of the kingdom’s favorite games. To ease Vera’s transition to this new life, Merlin has brought back some of her favorite books — and she and Arthur bond over reading The Hobbit together.
It’s not all fun and games, however; Vera’s journey becomes dark indeed, as threats from within and without the kingdom continue to mount, and she herself winds up in grave danger. As we reach the concluding chapters, everything and everyone is in peril… and we end with some important emotional moments, yet with the overall story more or less in cliffhanger status — which makes sense, since The Once and Future Queen is the first book in a trilogy.
I found myself utterly absorbed by The Once and Future Queen, and never wanted to put it down once I started. I completely fell for the characters. Vera’s point-of-view perspective provides readers with a unique lens on life in Camelot, and the storytelling lets us see the wonders of this kingdom as well as the threats and problems that a modern-day viewpoint might more easily recognize. Arthur and Lancelot are especially wonderful, but so are the rest of the people in Vera’s daily sphere.
The author does a magnificent job of balancing light and dark. Of course it’s incredibly entertaining to see a 21st century woman navigating life in Camelot — and yet we never can forget the high stakes for the kingdom and for the individuals, and we come to care deeply about the fate of them all.
The second book in the series, Keeper of the Grail, will be released in January 2027, and I cannot wait. I feel so invested in this story and these people… I wish I had the next book in my hands right now!
For readers who enjoy fantasy worlds, time travel, and retellings of classic tales, I highly recommend The Once and Future Queen. It’s a wonderful book. Don’t miss it.
The book itself is gorgeous! The deluxe edition features painted edges and lovely inside illustrations. And yes, it was the beauty of the cover that first made me pick up the book!
Book #2 looks like it’ll be just as beautiful:
Purchase links: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
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