After running away from home, Krystal is transported to a faraway kingdom where an evil tyrant is bent on taking the crown – and Krystal’s hand in marriage. But when she falls in love with the rightful heir to the throne, she must make an impossible choice: sacrifice her one chance at happiness or face the destruction of an entire kingdom.
The Peasant Queen is a book for lovers of romance, and strong women. The main character, Krystal, will not accept someone else deciding her own fate. She takes charge of her life and changes many other lives at the same time. I am getting tired of reading about women that are victims and need a man to rescue them. Yes, I really liked the main character if you couldn’t tell. Author Cheri Chesley also does a fine job developing all of the characters, even the bad guy, King Gregory. The King is very evil, but he also is so intriguing that you have to keep reading to see what he will do next. He is somewhat of a slimy character that makes your skin crawl. It is very easy to like the white knight in shining armor Prince Jareth. The romance is good, though somewhat fast on the part of Krystal . You will understand how Jareth fell in love with Krystal. I think Cheri writes the kissing scenes perfectly; the good and bad ones.
This novel will be well liked by romance lovers, those that love to see women with great inner strength and those who just enjoy a well written book.
I did a short interview with Cheri Chesley. I told her if she didn’t want to answer the questions, then I would just make up something about her. It was funny, but the answers came back rather quickly.
1.Where did the idea of The Peasant Queen come from?
The story came from Krystal. She actually started as a regular girl from our world who got transported magically to another sphere. This is originally–when I was in high school 20 yrs ago. She’s changed a lot since then.
2.Is this your favorite genre to read? Is there another genre that you would like to write?
This was my favorite genre when I was young. And let me tell you, there were precious few books back then in this genre! Since becoming an adult, I have expanded my reading preferences. A while back, I tried writing a kind of romantic suspense. That was fun. I may work on that a bit.
3.Are there any books or authors that influenced you in your writing?
Growing up, I read Tamora Pierce so much I could quote large sections of the books. I also read Guinevere by Sharan Newman. And a lot of Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe.
4.Will The Peasant Queen be a trilogy?
There are definitely three books–no more, no less.
5. Who is your favorite character to write in your book and why?
This may sound bad, but I love writing Gregory and it was really hard to stop. He’s a rich character. It’s kind of like when an actor is asked their favorite roles to play. They nearly always say the villain. There’s something to stepping outside yourself that’s appealing.
6.Do you have some words of wisdom to share with unpublished writers?
I don’t know how wise they are, but I’ll go with what works for me. Read a lot. Write a lot, even if you think it’s terrible. Talk to other authors–network. And never, never give up!
Thanks Cheri for answering my questions. I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.
BIO: I am a mom of 5 and a stepmom of 1 and of course all of them are amazing. My first novel, The Peasant Queen, is currently available for sale. And I’m working on The Tyrant King.
I was given a free copy of The Peasant Queen. In no way did this
influence the review given.
I also wanted to remind readers about the contest going on at my personal book review blog. I am giving away a copy of a healthy cookbook called, The Squeaky Gourmet. The contest ends this coming Monday night, Feb. 14th, at midnight MST. So if you haven’t entered yet, come on over to check it out at Why Not Because I Said So.
