If I Were King explores the story of a real-life poet, Francois Villon, who shows impressive character development when given a chance to win his love and save France. The story starts when Villon gets himself in trouble by giving his negative opinions of the king too freely. Unfortunately, King Louis was present in the tavern in disguise, and Villon got arrested. He is made Grand Constable of France for a week as a challenge to do a better job running the kingdom. However, he would be executed after a week of service unless he succeeds in an impossible task. McCarthy maintains suspense till the end of the story keeping the readers curious about Villon and his ability to escape execution and win the woman he loves. As the main character of this historical romance is based on the real-life poet François Villon, it acts as a window to 15th century France under the rule of Louis XI during a time of tension and turmoil between King Louis and the Duke of Burgundy. The Shakespearean undertones used to present the love story of the vagabond poet makes this work a remarkable romance.
