Since I liked the characters, loved the humor, and appreciated Valentino's ability to do both Elizabethan English and Western dialect, I really wanted to rate this book more highly. With another rewrite, it would easily have earned four or even five hearts. But unfortunately, the flaws in Queen of My Heart got in the way of a really good read. It takes more than 100 pages just to get the set-up in place. Valentino writes great dialogue, but she doesn't seem to know when to end scenes for dramatic punch.
Scenes just seem to go on, and on, and on.
There is too much explaining of what is going on, and not enough goings-on. There are too many passages which just seem to be an effort to up the word count, such as Dante's reverie about sunburn. As the pacing is very slow, and since there are almost no big events in the story, I didn't get a sense of a beginning, middle or end. Valentino just seemed to write until she felt like stopping. On top of the sluggish pace, there is little sense of suspense in the book.