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    Keeper of the King's Secrets
    Unavailable
    Keeper of the King's Secrets
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    Keeper of the King's Secrets
    Ebook264 pages3 hours

    Keeper of the King's Secrets

    By Michelle Diener

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The second elegant and gorgeously written historical novel from new author Michelle Diener, featuring King Henry VIII’s deadliest courtier and a royally commissioned artist caught in a web of Tudor court intrigue.

    A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high . . .

    The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. . . .

    With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prison—and then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGallery Books
    Release dateApr 3, 2012
    ISBN9781439197110
    Unavailable
    Keeper of the King's Secrets
    Author

    Michelle Diener

    Michelle Diener has always had a passion for reading and writing. She began writing stories when her parents gave her a typewriter for her twelfth birthday, and she hasn’t stopped since. Born in London and raised in South Africa, she now lives on the west coast of Australia with her husband and two small children.

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    Reviews for Keeper of the King's Secrets

    3.5/5

    8 ratings5 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This is the second book about Susanna Horenbout by Ms. Diener. The first. In a Treacherous Court set up her story and had her meeting her betrothed, John Parker. In this installment Susanna sees an old family friend - a diamond cutter - and calls to him. Instead of being happy to see her, he tries to kill her. This sets off a series of events that has Susanna and John working to safeguard one of King Henry's most prized jewels - the Mirror of Naples. The book pulls in famous characters from the reign including the Duke of Norfolk and Cardinal Woolsey but they play somewhat supporting roles to Susanna and John.This is a quick and easy read - a Tudor mystery if you will. The history is less important than the relationship between the two protagonists. I enjoyed having a light story with all of the heavy books I have been reading. I flew right through it and was quite entertained. I would certainly pick up another of Ms. Diener's books if given the chance.The central group of characters are very engaging - Susanna, John and their "gang" if you will. They are very loyal to one another willing to do what needs doing to protect each other and get the job done. What the reader usually thinks of as larger than life historical figures (King Henry, Woolsey, Norfolk) seem to fade into the background; this is definitely Susanna and John's tale. And that was somewhat refreshing.If you are looking for a book long on historical detail though, this would not be the book for you to read.
    • 3/5
      This book is a mix of things, first we have historical fiction, and it feels to be on the lighter side, then we got a bit of romance. But most of the book is suspense/mystery. And it certainly works well, set in Tudor England as it is and filled with court intrigues. The book is part 2 of a series and sure it could work on its own, but still it would be better to read book 1 and see how they met. But yes I guess it could be read on its own too, they way its made up should make that possible.

      In this book Susanna and Parker is resting after their ordeal in book 1. They are in love and hope to marry. Susanna still paints and Parker is snooping around keeping the king safe as always. I like how Susanna does not back down, she stands her ground, she is still very much a woman of her time, but just as some dared to do more so does she. And Parked does his best to keep his lady from harm as she made a few enemies (and so did he). So him I like.

      The Duke of Norfolk is still a baddie but more in the background because this book belongs to Woolsey. A good fitting bad guy who is plotting for his own agenda. Just like they all are. And behind things we see more plots, The French, Norfolk, those irritating Boleyns. They will sure become a problem in later books as in this one Henry is still married to Katherine. And Susanna has already had her run-ins with them.

      The suspense is high as an assassin is running around, as people try to hide what they are doing and there is danger and action plenty. The plot is well done and keeps the suspense high, along with the mystery.

      I do think I liked this one even more than book 1, I can't say what made it so, it just was. I liked how things never slowed down, how light the book still was and how I practically read it in one sitting.

      Conclusion:
      This one is for fans of historical fiction and for those who want mystery and suspense. The best of two worlds all in one. It's light and good. So easy to read and a book you can finish in one day. The plot will have you coming back for more.
    • 4/5
      A fun, escapist mystery set in the court of Henry VIII. The court painter Susanna Horenbout aides her fiance John Parker in tracking down a missing jewel from Henry VIII's collection and hopefully preventing a war too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I intend to read others in the series.
    • 4/5
      This is the second book about Susanna Horenbout by Ms. Diener. The first. In a Treacherous Court set up her story and had her meeting her betrothed, John Parker. In this installment Susanna sees an old family friend - a diamond cutter - and calls to him. Instead of being happy to see her, he tries to kill her. This sets off a series of events that has Susanna and John working to safeguard one of King Henry's most prized jewels - the Mirror of Naples. The book pulls in famous characters from the reign including the Duke of Norfolk and Cardinal Woolsey but they play somewhat supporting roles to Susanna and John.This is a quick and easy read - a Tudor mystery if you will. The history is less important than the relationship between the two protagonists. I enjoyed having a light story with all of the heavy books I have been reading. I flew right through it and was quite entertained. I would certainly pick up another of Ms. Diener's books if given the chance.The central group of characters are very engaging - Susanna, John and their "gang" if you will. They are very loyal to one another willing to do what needs doing to protect each other and get the job done. What the reader usually thinks of as larger than life historical figures (King Henry, Woolsey, Norfolk) seem to fade into the background; this is definitely Susanna and John's tale. And that was somewhat refreshing.If you are looking for a book long on historical detail though, this would not be the book for you to read.
    • 4/5
      After thoroughly enjoying In a Treacherous Court, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Keeper of the King's Secrets. Picking up not longer after Treacherous Court left off, Keeper continues the adventures of the spirited artist Susanna Horenbout and her betrothed John Parker. This time, Susanna embarks on an intriguing mystery to discover who stole the Mirror of Naples. A priceless jewel in the king's treasury, the Mirror of Naples was rumored to have been given to Henry VIII by his sister Margaret to beg his forgiveness for her hasty -and unapproved -marriage to Charles Brandon. But now, it's gone missing, and someone is after Susanna's life.Written in a straight forward hand, Keeper offers a compelling, page-turning mystery packed with unexpected twists and turns, solid prose, always-fascinating court intrigue, and a unique story that feels like a classic mystery wrapped in a Tudor setting. Thrown in a dash of sweet, but honest romance and sprinkle an intelligent, independent female protagonist on top and you can't go wrong. I particularly liked how Keeper worked so hard to stand on its own from Treacherous Court, as well as from every other Tudor period novel out there. This series focuses on lesser known figures from history who experienced the intrigues of the Tudor court, but somewhat at a distance, as well as a little-explored tale steeped in myth and legend.Fans of the first book will welcome the sequel as a natural progression for the story and characters, while fans of Tudor-period novels and mysteries will also have plenty to be excited out. I would caution readers who are looking for period romance -while there is an obvious love between Susanna and John, don't expect any passionate romance scenes or lusty encounters. Author Michelle Diener prefers to keep her focus on the action, mystery and spirited nature of her heroine than on romance -this is really my kind of thing, but may not be appealing to other readers of Tudor-era novels.