The Secret Keeper: A
Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd
Ladies In Waiting #2
Howard Books, June 5,
2012
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Source: The publisher, for review
Rating: Awesome and
engaging read
Click hereto read what this book is about.
My favorite part of The Secret Keeper would be the romance
between Juliana St. John and Jamie Hart. The ending, no I won’t ruin it for
you, is beautiful. It was befitting a journey filled with bitterness, deception
and disloyalty. I loved Juliana’s strength and character, her ability to carry
the burden of her gift of prophecy and her willingness to be loyal. Especially
since loyalty in the time of Henry VIII was only another way to gain power. I
don’t have much experiences with historical fiction of any sort, so I guess in
the grand scheme of things I can’t compare this to anything that’s already out
there. While I do enjoy history, I like it best in small doses. I’ve never had
the opportunity-or desire- to dig real deep in the reign of Henry VIII. So
there were moments where I was a bit confused as to who was whom and the
implication of such connections. I don’t know how close to the mark Byrd came
or how big of a miss it was. But, I can
say that I thoroughly enjoyed the brief glimpse she gives us.
The story showed the dark side of
people (John Camp, Thomas and Edward Seymour comes to mind)as well as the light
side (Julianna St, John, Hugh St. John Jr. & Sr. as well as Jamie Hart). There are quite a few
characters that fall into the grey area. Kateryn Parr was one of those
characters , to my great disappointment.
I liked her in the beginning. She was generous and trying to create
change in a positive way. She married
the king, though her heart belonged to another, because she felt that was what
God was leading her to do. But then everything that happened to Lady Elizabeth
kind of ruined her for me. To me, she
failed when it mattered most.
This was a heartbreakingly
beautiful story. Obviously a lot of research and hard work went into the making
of the story of Mistress Juliana. She came alive with such vibrant and volatile
life and it did so in such a seamless and engaging way. Sandra Byrd is an
author that has made it on my “watch” list. I will definitely be checking out
more of her books.
Recommendation: A
must read for everyone!
What’s next: Ladies
in Waiting #3: Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth, due out in 2013.
This book was given
to me, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Always Shine,
Starr K
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