I received a free copy of To Die For for my honest review.
About the Book:
What would you sacrifice for your best friend? Would you die for her?
Meg Wyatt has been Anne Boleyn’s closest friend ever since they grew up together on neighboring manors in Kent. So when twenty-five-year-old Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes Meg along for the ride.
Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling…at first. Meg is made mistress of Anne’s wardrobe, and she enjoys the spoils of this privileged orbit and uses her influence for good. She is young and beautiful and in favor; everyone at court assumes that being close to her is being close to Anne.
But favor is fickle and envy is often laced with venom. As Anne falls, so does Meg, and it becomes nearly impossible for her to discern ally from enemy. Suddenly life’s unwelcome surprises rub against court’s sheen to reveal the tarnished brass of false affections and the bona fide gold of those are true. Both Anne and Meg may lose everything. When your best friend is married to fearsome Henry VIII, you may soon find yourself not only friendless but headless as well.
A rich alchemy of fact and fiction, To Die For chronicles the glittering court life, the sweeping romance, and the heartbreaking fall from grace of a forsaken queen and Meg, her closest companion, who was forgotten by the ages but who is destined to live on in our hearts forever.
About the Author:
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd persevered and has now published more than three dozen books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was widely acclaimed, and was followed by two more books in the series. Her most recent 4-book young adult fiction series is London Confidential. Publishing her Tudor Series, beginning with Book 1, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, is a lifelong dream come true.
A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra is also an accomplished non-fiction writer and author. Her articles have appeared 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.
My Opinion:
In this book we meet Meg Wyatt, best friend to Anne Boleyn. Without that friendship Meg would probably have passed through her time with nary a touch on history. Ms. Byrd tells the oft told tale of Anne Boleyn’s life through the eyes of Meg Wyatt bringing a new spin to a story that most everyone knows.
Woven within the tale of the two women is also the history of the religious struggles of the time because you really cannot tell the one without the other. Meg is in love with a young nobleman who chooses God over her and enters the priesthood. This turns her away from God for a time.
It was very enjoyable reading this familiar story from a new angle. Seeing Anne Boleyn through the eyes of a friend takes away some of the hard edges history has given her. She comes across as much more human and less of a she-devil. Henry VIII is a very supporting character which is unusual.
The book is a light, easy read even though it does cover the death of Queen Anne. I look forward to the next in the Ladies in Waiting series.
Other Books by Sandra Byrd:
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