The Secret Keeper
Sandra Byrd
The Ladies in
Waiting, book 2
Historical
Fiction
Back of the
book:
Mistress
Juliana St. John is the lovely, forthright daughter of a prosperous knight’s
family. Though all expect her to marry the son of her late father’s business
partner, time and chance interrupt, sending her to the sumptuous but deceptive
court of Henry VIII.
Sir
Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane, returns to Wiltshire to
conclude his affairs with Juliana’s father’s estate and chances upon her
reading as lector in the local church. He sees instantly that she would fit
into the household of the woman loves and wants most to please, Kateryn Parr, Juliana’s
mother agrees to have her placed with Parr for a season and Juliana goes, though
reluctantly.
For
she keeps a secret.
Juliana
has been given the gift of prophecy, and in one vibrant vision she has seen Sir
Thomas shredding the dress of a highly born young woman, while it was still on
her body, to perilous consequence.
As
Juliana accompanies Kateryn Parr to court, Henry’s devout sixth queen raises
the stakes for all reformers. Support of firebrand Anne Askew puts the queen
and her ladies in life threatening jeopardy, as does the queen’s desire to
influence her husband’s—and the realm’s—direction and beliefs. Later, without
Henry’s strong arm, the court devolves to competition, duplicity, and betrayal.
The risks could not be higher as Juliana must choose between love and honor,
personal fulfillment and sacrifice. Ultimately, her course is driven by a final
kept secret, one that undoes everything she thought she knew.
Meet the author:
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen,
bestselling author Sandra Byrd persevered to publish more than three dozen
books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was a finalist for the
Christy Awards. Her historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn was
listed by Library Journal as one of the best books of 2011. Sandra's YA fiction
has also been recognized within the industry. Asking for Trouble, the first in
the London Confidential series, was a finalist for the ECPA Medallion of
Excellence award.
A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra is also a
non-fiction writer and author, with articles in numerous publications and
periodicals. Sandra is also passionate about helping new writers develop their
talent and their work toward traditional or self-publication. As such, she has
mentored hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each
year.
Sandra resides in Washington State with her husband Michael,
a chaplain, their two children, and a circus dog named Brie.
Twitter:
@sandrabyrd
My thoughts:
I
naturally gravitate to historical fiction and I’ve read To Die For, book one in
the Ladies in Waiting series, so I had an inkling that I was probably going to
like this one. I liked it and more!
In
this second installment, Sandra’s voice just gets better. She again tells the
story of a very turbulent time in history. While the majority of writers that
delve into this era tend to focus on the tawdry details, Sandra focuses on the
events that surround the court and eventually shape the makeup of England as we
know it.
The
story is told through Juliana St. John a lady in waiting to Kateryn Parr, the
sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. We get to see the conflict with the
reformers and the ways in which Queen Kateryn helps the cause. There is a
particularly intense and touching portrayal of Anne Askew. I loved the boldness
Anne had in proclaiming truth as the flames grew higher.
We
are also privy to the ways in which Kateryn convinced Henry to restore his
children who will go on to be the ruling monarchs of England. Although Kateryn
didn’t have children of her own with Henry she showed great love towards Mary,
Elizabeth and Edward.
This
book is full of wonderful learning opportunities. The opening pages contain the
family trees of all the main characters. I finally put a tab in so I could
quickly turn back to that section. It was invaluable in keeping everyone
straight. The author’s note and interview in the back of the book gives
important information about what was factual and what was fiction in the story.
Even with all of that I still had to look up the terms shriven and auricular
confession. Go ahead and Google them, you’ll enjoy the education!
My
hope is that this series will continue. I love this series and two books just
aren’t enough. Whether Sandra continues to write about the nobility of early
England or not, I will continue to seek out her work. She has a wonderful
writing style that makes you lose yourself in the story.
Favorite quotes
from the book:
“Time
will discover everything . . . it is a babbler and speaks even when no question
is put.”
~
Euripides
“Religion
might be the arena the game was played in, but the prize, no doubt, was earthly
power.” ~ Juliana
“The
men began to moan and cry immediately and I closed my eyes and prayed for them,
the words formed upon my silent, moving lips. Askew herself did not scream
until the fires hit her face. Instead, till the end, she corrected Shaxton on
his Scripture. ‘Yes, he’s got that right,’ she’d boldly call out of a passage,
or, ‘No, there he misseth and speaks without the book.’ I was strengthened by
her courage and forced open my eyes in order to honor her.” ~ Juliana
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for free in the hope that I would mention it
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Thank you so much for this review. I so appreciate it - and you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for allowing us to review it! XOXO
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