A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court [Mass Market Paperback]

Marianne Mancusi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2005

Once upon a time there lived an outspoken fashion editor named Kat, who certainly was not your typical damsel in distress. But when a gypsy curse sent her back in time to the days of King Arthur, she found she'd need every ounce of her 21st century wits (and pop culture references) to navigate the legend. After all, surviving a magical plot, an evil prince, and a case of mistaken identity--all without changing history or scuffing your Manolos--takes some doing!

Luckily, she's got her very own knight in shining armor, Lancelot du Lac, on her side. The honorable-to-a-fault and devastatingly handsome champion insists on helping her out, even though she's not quite sure she wants him to. After all, shouldn't he be off romancing Queen Guenevere or something? Will Kat manage to stay out of trouble long enough to get back to her beloved café lattes, cosmopolitans and cashmere? And what will Lancelot's forbidden love mean for the kingdom of Camelot?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Mancusi's sparkling debut, a Gypsy curse propels feisty 29-year-old Kat Jones, associate fashion editor at La Style magazine, from King Arthur's Faire back in time to the real King Arthur's court, where her cell phone doesn't work and the menu doesn't accommodate her low-carb diet. Kat's strange speech (peppered generously with "like" and "totally") makes Merlin and King Arthur suspicious enough to lock her up in a tower, despite the protests of kind Queen Guinevere. Luckily, the gorgeous Lancelot helps her escape. Could this noble knight finally be the remedy to all the 21st-century creeps she dates? Kat is determined to find a way back to the present and to save Camelot from its impending doom, while introducing such novelties as the "Round Table" and modern dance. The interactions between the acerbically sassy protagonist and the stoic knights and royalty amuse, though the difficult and sarcastic Kat can also be annoying. Still, Kat's efforts to figure out the real story of Camelot's destruction intrigue, while her romance with Lancelot puts a nice twist on the modern girl's search for prince charming. Agent, Paige Wheeler. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505526336
• ISBN-13: 978-0505526335
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,446,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mari Mancusi used to wish she could become a vampire back in high school.
But she ended up in another blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as a freelance TV producer and author of books for teens and adults. When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling, cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University and a two time Emmy Award winner, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and dog Mesquite. You can find her online at www.marimancusi.com or www.bloodcovenvampires.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More of a Contemporary Time-Travel Romance than Chick lit..., June 7, 2005

By 

Rian Montgomery "Rian Montgomery" (Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a fine line between Chick Lit and Romance, and a lot of authors toe the line delicately. I would definitely say that although "A Connecticut Fashionista in King Authur's Court" by Marianne Mancusi is supposed to be Chick Lit, it fits more comfortably (in my opinion) into the Romance category.

Katherine (Kat) Jones is the heroine of this novel. She is a bright, outspoken woman in her late twenties trying to get the latest scoop for her fashion columnist job, which just happened to be about Medieval garb. Traipsing around at the local King Authur Faire isn't helping her disposition much, and when she agrees to get a palm reading by a gnarled gypsy woman, she scoffs so much that the gypsy threatens to put a curse on her. (A curse to send her into another "time"). Kat waves her off in what I soon learned to be her trademark airy, carefree way.

But after getting hit over the head with a flying lance a little while later, she awakes and finds herself in a strange place filled with strange people. After much confusion, a couple of horseback rides (one with the famous Lancelot), and a conversation with Queen Guenevere, she realizes the gypsy woman had made good on her promise: Kat has somehow ended up in Camelot... back in King Authur's day. And with the handsome Lancelot always trying to rescue her, she might soon find herself in over her head.

This book was an extremely light read filled with hilarious dialogue, romance, and fashion. Kat is a tough, sometimes brash, but often spunky heroine that I liked. Being a modern girl used to the 21st century's amenities, comfort and fashion, she handles things with aplomb. She was a character that I wouldn't mind reading another book about.

My main disappointment with this book was that I had been expecting a chick lit novel, with more of a developed and fleshed out story line, characters and resolution. Instead it turned out to be a mostly contemporary (time-travel) romance, complete with bodice-ripping type love scenes and a love-centered story. But the extremely far-fetched plot held together well for the most part of the novel and had an unexpected (and funny) ending.

This was a very light read - if you are looking for substance, you will not find much of it here. But if you are looking for a madcap, hilarious contemporary time-travel romance, you will love this book. I enjoyed it and recommend it especially to King Authur fans, as it also gives a new interesting twist to some of the old legends.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a fun read!, April 25, 2005

By 

Marley Gibson "Young Adult Author" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a lot of fun to read from page one. Kat Jones is a snarky, feisty, funny heroine who will keep you laughing until the end of the book. Great twist on taking a classic tale and making it fresh and new in a chick lit voice. The first person really allowed the reader to know Kat and walk alongside her through her adventure...and oh, what an adventure! This book is a fast-paced, fun read that'll have you cracking up. Kudos to the author for making it an adventurous ride. Definitely pick it up for summer beach reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, December 30, 2006

By 

J. Fraenza "Jfabulous" (Cali) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court (Mass Market Paperback)

First of all, this book was written in first person, and it really needed to be in third. First person made the language feel awkward and I felt detached from Katy. There were also a lot of flaws with the writing in general. I got so tired of hearing designer brand names being dropped, and it ended up making Katy look stupid and self-absorbed.I wasn't impressed with Lancelot's character. I also hated how everything wrapped up neatly. All of a sudden Guen and Katy are BFF, and Katy gives Guen this ridiculous makeover. I don't even think that chapter was needed. To be honest, I didn't even want to finish reading the book. The only reason I did was because I felt guilty.

I thought the ending was just as bad, and it obviously reads as a sequel--but no thanks. I'll pass.