King Arthur and Her Knights by K.M. Shea

 From Goodreads: 

Long live the King?

When a modern young woman named Britt is pulled by a magical summons back through time she finds herself smack in the middle of the schemes of the surprisingly young and handsome wizard Merlin.

Britt has no interest in the throne, and she definitely doesn't want to pretend she is the legendary King Arthur, but Merline has some bad news. The real Arthur has run off, and the legendary sword in the stone has chosen Britt to take his place.

But Britt quickly learns that life in ancient Britain isn't safe.

The kingdom is fragmented, with enemies on all sides, and there’s little chance for mercy if her real identity and gender is exposed. Britt will soon find herself fighting for her life again and again on behalf of her people and the knights who serve her.

And then there’s Merlin. Focused on his goal to unite Britain, he’s oblivious of Britt’s growing feelings for him. Or so she thinks. But what future can they have in a world that only sees them as monarch and confidant?

My Take:

First, I can't believe I didn't write the review when I read the books months ago. Now all I can think to say is...

Oh. My. GOSH!!!

I've never thought of myself as a Arthur freak, but I loved every minute of all seven books. I was truly sad when they ended. The best part is they didn't stick super close to the legends, but they were close enough that things felt familiar. BUT, they also felt new and fresh. That's one of the things I love most about retellings. Make it feel new to me. Make it feel like I'm there and living the story with the characters. K.M. Shea always does that for me. 

Brit is an amazing character. She's strong and determined while still being feminine enough to need moments to cry for all that she's lost. I loved her, and even though they didn't know it, that's why her knights loved her. 

And the ending!!! Save yourself some time and money and just buy the boxed set. Now. Seriously. 

You can't be surprised that I'm giving this a 5. It also has a Clean rating. 

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no intimacy on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, intimacy is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to intimacy), more talk about intimacy, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but intimacy is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen intimacy

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” intimacy, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the intimacy and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always