I agree with you about the Once and Future King - I was never really able to, as you put it, lose myself in it. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit I only read about two thirds of it.

I liked the Mists of Avalon - though, as you said, the whole "Christianity bad, paganism good" thing is far from subtle - but I've never read Queen of Camelot. I'll check that one out.