Kateryn Parr. Photo courtesy of: http://www.thetimes.co.uk

What if you were in love with a nobleman when you caught the eye of the king who just executed his last wife? (Tweet that!)

By 1542, King Henry VIII had married five women. Two he’d divorced, two he’d beheaded, and one he hadn’t had time to tire of because she died from childbirth just a year after they said, “I do.”

Despite the prestige and privilege inherent in becoming queen, who would sign up to become his sixth spouse? In The Secret Keeper, the second novel in the Ladies in Waiting series, Sandra Byrd tells the story of that brave and brainy beauty through the eyes of a fictional lady in waiting named Juliana St. John.

(For my review of the first novel in the series—To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn—click here.)

The daughter of a rich knight, Juliana is expected to marry the bland son of a prosperous merchant, the only eligible man in their town. But she hopes for something, and someone, more.

When Sir Thomas Seymour comes to Wiltshire on business, he hears Juliana read Scripture in church. He then offers her an opportunity to join the household of his beloved, Lady Kateryn Parr. Juliana goes, but warily, for she carries a secret.

Then King Henry starts pursuing Kateryn. Juliana is thrust into a world of power and peril that could prove the end of her dreams and even her life.

My Thoughts

With perfect pacing and rich historical detail, The Secret Keeper transports our heart, mind, and senses to the time of the Tudors while addressing issues women from every generation face.

From rape to romance and infertility to spirituality, I sighed in both sorrow and satisfaction along with our plucky heroine.

In short, The Secret Keeper kept me enthralled from its opening chapter until the last lines on its final page. Even now, the character’s triumphs and tragedies resonate in my heart.

I recommend this book to women of all ages, especially those who enjoy romance, history, or inspirational fiction.

Read my review of the last novel in this series—Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth 1—here!

To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

What would it be like to be friends with someone famous, wealthy, or powerful? What about a controversial, and later condemned, queen?

From 2012 until 2013, I had the privilege to be mentored by bestselling author Sandra Byrd. During that time, I fell in love with her fiction, especially her award-winning Ladies in Waiting series.

Set in the 1500s, each book sweeps us into the saga of the Tudor family from the perspective of an influential queen and her closest lady in waiting. The trilogy begins with To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn.

The second wife of the infamous King Henry VIII, Anne became the most powerful woman in England, but ultimately lost her head (tweet that!) from the fickleness of her husband’s affections.

As Anne tells her lady in waiting, Meg Wyatt, “He hath ever been constant in his career of advancing me; from private gentlewoman he made me marquess, from marquess a queen, and now that he hath left no higher degree of honor he gives my innocence the crown of martyrdom” (p. 315).

While her best friend rises and falls in the king’s favor, Meg finds herself caught between her service to Anne, her love for a priest, and the pressures of her family. Will she have to sacrifice not only her dreams but her life to be faithful to her calling?

My Thoughts

A 2012 Christy Award finalist and a 2011 Library Journal Best Books Pick, To Die For is, quite simply put, to die for. I rarely read a paperback more than once, but this captivating period piece proved worthy of a second and even a third reading.

With rich historical detail, an engrossing story line, and a brave, loyal, and self-sacrificing—yet very human—heroine, this story transports you to the time of the Tudors and inspires you to live a life worthy of your calling, whatever that might be.

I recommend this book to women of all ages, especially those who enjoy romance, history, or inspirational fiction.

Read my review of the sequel here!