This novel centers on Princess Margaret and a young aristocratic, but down on her luck, woman who comes into the Princess’ orbit, ultimately becoming one of her ladies-in-waiting. The Hon. Vera Strathmore, is flattered and, quite frankly, dazzled by both the Princess’ attention and the glamorous lives of the “Margaret set” and does her best to fit in often to her own personal detriment.

Set in the years immediately following World War II it’s hard to believe that the arrogant behavior that Margaret frequently exhibited would be tolerated by anyone – no matter how royal. It’s also hard to believe that any normal, intelligent person would give up their career and personal life to be at the beck and call of any royal personage, let alone Princess Margaret.

In the end, Vera wises up. But not before she endures more than any normal human being should. ( )

First thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest opinion of the book.

I really wanted to like this book because its everything I love to read - royals and historical fiction. However, I just had a very tough time getting into it. I almost stopped reading it which is something I rarely do but decided to keep going out of respect for the author and I am glad that I did. The first half of the book was slow and I just couldn't connect to the main character Vera. I knew enough about Princess Margaret so it didn't matter to me so much.

The second half of the book was terrific - it just took off with story, emotions, action and lots of dialogue which I love.

I just wish the author could have done that with the first half of the book and it would be a true 5 star book.

If you do stick with it you will be able to see yourself in both Vera and Princess Margaret.

I would rate it 3.5 stars. ( )

I knew Princess Margaret was the more rebellious sister of Queen Elizabeth II, but I didn't know much about the details of her life or romantic entanglements. Told from the perspective of one of Margaret's ladies-in-waiting, this novel covers Margaret's life during the 1950s, when she struggled to win permission to marry the men she wanted and finally settled on a man for all the wrong reasons. Overall, this novel makes for a fun read and leaves one curious about the life a royal woman who didn't quite fit into her expected role. ( )

Queen Elizabeth is very well known around the world. The advent of The Crown on TV has reawakened an interest in the early years of her reign and in some of the other members of the aristocracy. The Other Windsor Girl explores the life of the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret through her relationship with a fictional character named Vera Strathmore.

WWII has ended and there is a desire, almost a need for those that survived to feel like everything is back to normal. But it is far from it; so many families lost sons, brothers, fathers. So many women lost husbands and fiances. The old families are finding it hard to keep up appearances as they just don’t have the money to keep their great estates functioning. But through it all the monarchy continues on and Princess Margaret is out and about with her “set” enjoying these happy post war times.

Vera Strathmore is the daughter of a baron; her father hasn’t been able to adjust to the changing times and their financial position is precarious. Vera was engaged but her fiance died in the War. Now her parents treat her as a burden on the family. Until her cousin takes her out one night to take her mind off of things and introduces her to Princess Margaret – who takes a liking to her. Suddenly Vera finds herself thrust into the highest levels of the aristocracy. Margaret requests her service as a Lady in Waiting – and how does one say no to a Princess?

Vera soon finds her life is nothing like it used be nor is it what she wanted it to be. It is, however very exciting. But is it the kind of exciting she wants? She wants to move to New York and write a novel but can’t seem to save enough money to accomplish this goal. Maybe associating with Margaret will present her with opportunities or contacts to help her.

On the surface it’s awfully hard to feel sorry for Margaret Windsor; she had every priviledge that a person could want and yet she had less freedom than most ordinary people with next to nothing. Born into a system that required a way of life that most of us could not begin to comprehend it’s hard to guess why she didn’t fully rebel. But someone born to service to the crown…

I read this book in one afternoon; I just dove in and once I started I didn’t want to stop until I was finsished. Truth be told, the little I know of Princess Margaret I know from watching The Crown. Most of the historical fiction I read is further back in history but I must admit that I do find this more current time interesting.

Ms. Blalock brings post War England to life in its mix of shabby and hopeful. It was a time of hope and rebuilding for the English people after a long period of rationing and dealing with bombing raids. Princess Margaret was a woman without a real place in the world. Her sister was Queen but she felt she had no relevance. She was also proscribed from doing what she wanted by hundreds of years of royal protocal.

Vera subsumed her life to Margaret in her role as lady in waiting and had to decide if this was they way she wanted to live. No one can live for too long as someone’s shadow. How would Vera make her life relevant again? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out how it all plays out. It’s well worth the read. It’s a compelling, fast paced read and very entertaining. ( )

The British royal family has fascinated us and inspired countless biographies, historical novels, TV series and movies. Much is known about such royals as Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth. A less well-known royal, Elizabeth's sister Princess Margaret, is the star of Georgie Blalock's intriguing historical novel, The Other Windsor.

The story is told through the eyes of the Honorable Vera Strathmore, a woman who tragically lost her fianceé in WWII. Vera's family has lost much of their land fortune, as have many others after the war. To earn a living, she writes romance novels under a nom de plume to maintain her anonymity.

One day in 1949, Vera's cousin Rupert informs her that Princess Margaret would like to meet the author of the sexy novels, and soon Vera finds herself at one of the underground parties with Princess Margaret's group of friends, called "the Set".

Margaret takes a liking to Vera, who becomes a member of the Set. She learns that Margaret likes to drink, sing, and gossip. She is fashionable, likes risque language, and smokes too much. She can be imperious, and even mean, to anyone who dares to cross her.

You'll see that Princess Diana was not the first royal to be hounded by paparazzi, as Margaret was constantly followed by photographers. Whereas her sister, the future Queen, was married and settled, Margaret was the interesting one, single and out to have a good time.

She was close to father, the King, and if anyone wanted to get something in his ear, speaking to Margaret was a good place to start. When her father died, Margaret was devastated, but her grief was not acknowledged. Her mother would no longer be Queen, while Elizabeth was soon to be coronated Queen, so all the attention went to them.

Vera soon became Princess Margaret's second lady-in-waiting, changing their relationship. Now Vera was an employee. She gave up her writing career, and the man she loved, hoping that this career move would help her achieve her dream of moving to New York.

There are some wonderful scenes in the book. One takes you inside the coronation of Elizabeth as seen through Vera's eyes, and another powerful scene occurs when Margaret asks her sister the Queen for permission to marry the much older recently divorced man she has fallen in love with.

Margaret was unlucky in love, first with the married man, and then with a photographer whom Vera feels treats Margaret badly.

Fans of Netflix's The Crown will devour this captivating novel. It has resonance today, as we see a new generation of royals, William and Kate and Harry and Meghan, whose every move is endlessly discussed and documented.

Immediately after finishing The Other Windsor, I went to Google Princess Margaret to read more about this fascinating woman. It's always a sign of a good book when I want t ( )