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Book Review

Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I by Sandra Byrd – Book Review

by
Patty
-
May 8, 2013
I received a free copy of Roses Have Thorns for my honest review.

About the Book:

Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Simon & Schuster
336p
From the acclaimed author of To Die For comes a stirring novel told that sheds new light on Elizabeth I and her court.Like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Sandra Byrd has attracted countless fans for evoking the complexity, grandeur, and brutality of the Tudor period. In her latest tour de force, she poses the question: What happens when serving a queen may cost you your marriage–or your life?

In 1565, seventeen-year-old Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden on a treacherous journey to England. Her fiance has fallen in love with her sister and her dowry money has been gambled away, but ahead of her lies an adventure that will take her to the dizzying heights of Tudor power. 

Transformed through marriage into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, she becomes the highest-ranking woman in Elizabeth’s circle. But in a court that is surrounded by Catholic enemies who plot the queen’s downfall, Helena is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she’s not sure she can trust–a choice that will provoke catastrophic consequences.
Vividly conjuring the years leading up to the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, Roses Have Thorns is a brilliant exploration of treason, both to the realm and to the heart.

About the Author:

Sandra Byrd has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first book in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. Her second book, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, illuminates the mysteries in the life of Henry’s last wife.
For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children.

Connect with Sandra Byrd: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

My Opinion:

This is my third book by Sandra Byrd and I most certainly hope it is not my last. The three have been part of her Ladies in Waiting series and have presented a somewhat unique point of view on a queen we have come to know – for better or worse – through history’s telling.  Roses Have Thorns brings us to the glorious court of Elizabeth I and to one of her closest ladies, Elin (Helena) von Snakenborg.  Lady von Snakenborg arrives in England on a mission from Sweden to try and woo Elizabeth to marry the King of Sweden. While there she meets the Marquess of Northampton and he convinces her to stay even when her party goes homes. He proposes marriage which would make her the second highest ranking woman in England; only the Queen would outrank her. But the path to her marriage is not smooth and she is not well accepted by the ladies of the court. Elizabeth likes her, though and that is all that counts in this world. She is invited into the Queen’s inner circle and when she finally does marry Northampton she becomes one of Elizabeth’s closest ladies.

At first when I read the synopsis I thought this had to be a fictional character but it was not; Elin von Snakenborg existed and was indeed the Marchioness of Northampton and one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting. It’s truly fascinating how Ms. Byrd takes the bits and pieces of these lives left to history and creates such amazing, rich, three dimensional characters from the few lines left on scattered pieces of paper. In all of the reading I have done about Elizabeth I I had never encountered this particular woman and viewing a most familiar Queen through her eyes made Elizabeth seem fresh and new.

I enjoyed the plot and Elin/Helena was a delight. I’m hoping there will be more ladies in waiting in the future to give a different look at other queens because it is an interesting way to visit familiar courts.
Rating:
4

Please follow Sandra Byrd on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Instagram

Other Books by Sandra Byrd:

Mist of Midnight
The Secret Keeper 
To Die For
A Lady in Disguise


All purchase links are affiliate links which means if you buy anything through them I will receive a small commission that helps to keep the Farm cats in toys and treats.

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About

Recently moved from the rural life of Montana to the small city of Brattleboro, Vermont, Patty Woodland is navigating the urban life of sidewalks and neighbors once again. She will share life in her small city, the books she reads, and as always, the delicious food she cooks and bakes.

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