 The novel was first published in 1984 as "Sweet Passion's Pain" by Zebra Books before being re-released as "The First Princess of Wales".Three Rivers Press published it in paperback in December 2006.In a 2006 review, "Publishers Weekly" praised the author for "breath[ing] a lust for life into history's distant icons" and for "keep[ing] the tension taut as she weaves together the many subplots into a first-rate epic.