A CONNECTICUT FASHIONISTA IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT

Author: Marianne Mancusi ISBN: 0505526336 5/2005 TIME TRAVEL Publisher: DORCHESTER

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 lattés, cosmopolitans and cashmere? And what will Lancelot's forbidden love mean for the kingdom of Camelot?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Marianne Mancusi's A CONNECTICUT FASHIONISTA IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT is a fun, fast romp through Camelot that will make your head spin. It is just that good. Phenomenal is a better word that comes to mind.

A CONNECTICUT FASHIONISTA IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT gave me a really nice picture of how I might feel if I were to be hurdled back through time to Camelot. It is so funny to read as Kat tries to get some perspective in this different time and place, while alternating between totally embarrassing herself and saying things that make her look like a total mental patient to these people. There is a particularly funny incident having to do with a tavern called The Rusty Nail, in which Kat gets drunk and had me laughing out loud for a good five minutes straight. Being that she is from the 21^st century, Kat is very outspoken and larger than life compared to the women of King Arthur's day. I had such an enjoyable time watching her leave Camelot's people with their tongues tied time and time again. She is the embodiment of a great heroine: Strong, courageous, funny, and not afraid to grab life by the horns—especially if that life involves a man named Lance!

Lancelot du Lac is a wonderful hero in and of himself, especially when paired with the fact that he is literally the stuff legends are made of—well, he is a legend. Who has not heard of Sir Lancelot? Strong, gorgeous, honorable and courageous, Lance makes Kat's heart skip a beat. From the moment that she lays eyes on him she knows that this is a man who could make her forget everything; who she is, where she is from, and especially that he is the knight that legend says helps to bring about the destruction of Camelot. Not to mention that he is supposed to be in love with Guenevere, Arthur's wife! That is not a promising formula for Kat.

What Kat finds in Camelot is that things aren't always what they seem, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching as Kat did away with a silly old legend and made Lancelot her very own knight in shining armor!

Kristal Gorman