Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The Secret Keeper: A Novel Of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd + Giveaway

Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: Ladies In Waiting #2
Publication Date: 5th June 2012
Pages: 352
Book Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Synopsis: The author of To Die For returns to the court of Henry VIII, as a young woman is caught between love and honor.

Juliana St. John is the daughter of a prosperous knight in Marlborough. Though her family wants her to marry the son of her father’s business partner, circumstances set her on a course toward the court of Henry VIII and his last wife, Kateryn Parr. 

Sir Thomas Seymour, uncle of the current heir, Prince Edward, returns to Wiltshire to tie up his business with Juliana’s father’s estate and sees instantly that she would fit into the household of the woman he loves, Kateryn Parr. Her mother agrees to have her placed in the Parr household for “finishing” and Juliana goes, though perhaps reluctantly. For she knows a secret. She has been given the gift of prophecy, and in one of her visions she has seen Sir Thomas shredding the dress of the king’s daughter, the lady Elizabeth, to perilous consequence.

As Juliana learns the secrets of King Henry VIII’s court, she faces threats and opposition, learning truths about her own life that will upset everything she thought she once held dear.

My Thoughts:
I never seem to tire of the Tudor period but it's refreshing to be swept away with a unique perspective. The Secret Keeper is the story of Kateryn (Katherine) Parr through the eyes of fictional character Juliana St John.

Juliana is an intelligent young woman with the spiritual gift of prophecy, she's forthright, brave, as loyal as they come (something of a rarity) and a breath of fresh air for those tiring of the Tudor period. As lady in waiting, friend and trusted confidante to Kateryn, Juliana looks upon Kate as a mother figure, shares her reformist beliefs and the value of education for women.    

Twice widowed and in love with Thomas Seymour, Kateryn is best remembered as the 6th and final wife of Henry VIII, recognised for little other than surviving where others did not but there was so much more to this remarkable woman - learned, deeply spiritual, enlightened, compassionate, loving stepmother, writer and fierce supporter of religious reform. 

The Secret Keeper is a captivating blend of history and artistic embellishment. Sandra Bryd makes use of the ambiguity and mystery surrounding Lady Mary Seymour (daughter of Kateryn & Thomas Seymour) to embellish a plausible and highly likeable 'what if.' I wasn't ready for the story to end, I'd have loved a little more about Mary Seymour, Juliana & Juliana's love interest, the chivalrous Irish knight, Jamie Hart.   

The Secret Keeper was a truly effortless read, I'll be one of the first in line to read the final novel in the Ladies-in-waiting series, Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I, due for release 2013. 

There's still time to enter the GIVEAWAY for a copy of THE SECRET KEEPER ... enter here and if you've commented on my review I'll give you an extra entry. US/Canada Only. Ends 20th July

Want to know more about Sandra Bryd and her work? Visit her website.





15 comments:

  1. Enjoyed your review, esp. the comment that this character was like a breath of fresh air for those of us who are tiring of the Tudors. This one seems to come from a slightly different perspective and that is appealing.

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    1. Thanks Linda, that was definitely an aspect that I found appealing, makes me want to read To Die For even though I've read lots about Anne Boleyn :)

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  2. Wow!! This sounds really good!!! Thanks for the chance!!

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  3. Sounds good, I need to get back to the Tudor period and I like that it's later and not about a certain Boleyon woman

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    1. LOL Blodeuedd, Sandra Byrd's first book in this series is about Anne Boleyn but from the perspective of Anne's closest friend Meg, I can't wait to read it!!

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  4. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing the book; I appreciate the time you've offered for this. I'm also fainting with relief that it finally arrived! ;)

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    1. Me too Sandra but it was worth the wait lol, The Secret Keeper was a joy to read!!

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  5. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing the book; I appreciate the time you've offered for this. I'm also fainting with relief that it finally arrived! ;)

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  6. The Tudor period is what made me first fall in love with historical fiction, when I was a young teenager, and this novel sounds great! I have never seen K. Parr's character developed so richly. This is definitely going on my TBR list.

    http://eclecticbooksandmovies.blogspot.com/

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  7. I love this type of book!!! I will be reading these!!

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    1. Me too Staci, now I can't wait to get To Die For :)

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  8. I just added this book to my wish list so I would love to win a copy. Thanks for the review and the chance to win this book.

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  9. I enjoyed reading your review.

    I liked the synopsis of the book above.

    I pinned the book at pinterest.

    Thank you for entering me.

    1dozenstars.gmail.com

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