Royal Family fans and historical fiction readers will be captivated by the latest book by Karen Harper. We follow the story of the Queen Mother through the trials and tribulations of World War II, and the lingering effects of World War I. This book is unique because we rarely see Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons as the main focus in stories about the Royal Family, and she is mostly relegated to a background character. This story is told from her point of view which is shifts from her past, to the present events. We learn about the secrets she has kept from the world, and even her husband King George. Her tumultuous relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and a dark secret about the disgraced former King, is artfully pieced together. The reader is able to take the small clues throughout the story and relate them to Elizabeth's actions. The unveiling of the mysterious events that led to her hatred of the Windsors, makes this a book that readers can't put down. We see the relationship that the Queen Mother forms with the Future Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Winston Churchill, King George, and other famous names through her point of view. This makes the story a new and refreshing take on people so often written about. But finally it is the experience of living through the World War II, beginning to end, through the Elizabeth's lens that really a familiar historical event can be viewed in a new way.

Great insight into the English monarchy. I didn't know much about her and it was a fun way to learn.

The Queen’s Secret is a historical fiction novel told in the voice of Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI (“Bertie”), mother to the future Queen Elizabeth II. It’s the beginning of WWII and Elizabeth, called “the most dangerous woman in Europe,” by Hitler, shares her most intimate struggles and secrets. The story progresses from the early seeds of the war in 1939 until its conclusion in 1945. The plot reads like a detailed diary, complete with dialogue and history.

Unfortunately, this novel fell flat for me on many levels. Despite the novel’s title, the queen has many secrets, not just one. These secrets are revealed early in the story, and were of no shock or surprise to me. The story moved along at a snail’s pace, and the plot did not propel me forward to read more. While I did finish the novel, it took me a long time, relative to how quickly I normally read. On a positive note, I did warm up to the queen and I could appreciate the position she was in. However, there was no element of intrigue or surprise throughout the book. It was a very flat read, as opposed to more compelling stories that have peaks and valleys throughout the course of the story.

Another disappointment was the lack of an author’s note at the end. I always look forward to this at the conclusion of a historical fiction novel. Perhaps it was because I read an uncorrected e-proof, but I always like to read about the author’s research process, which often includes materials and sources for further reading and exploration.

Thank you to NetGalley for the uncorrected e-proof of this book.

One of my favorite things about Karen Harper is that I learn something in every book. It was fascinating to see the king and queen brought to life. The book was believable but lacked intensity. I know it will have a decent following.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I really wanted to like it because I think the idea is interesting. However, the execution just wasn't there for me. I felt like I was being told too much, instead of letting me draw some of my own inferences. The "secrets" seemed to be given away very early in the book (I only made it half-way through). And lastly, I didn't feel like the queen's internal dialogue was very realistic. She didn't seem like the "Most Dangerous Woman in Europe" per the description. Instead she seemed very self-involved, preoccupied with strange things, and one-dimensional. Overall, it just didn't feel believable.

Queen Elizabeth, the wife of George V and mother of the present queen, takes the spotlight in this fictionalized account of World War 2 and the royal family. She is a strong woman who worked behind the scenes to help her husband keep up the morale of their subjects during the worst of the blitz and food rationing, and I enjoyed learning more about what might have inspired her public actions.

However I found the spectation about her private life and her sexuality to be both pointless and offensive. This aspect of the novel has its origin in a questionable and scandalous biography published shortly after Elizabeth's death. Supposedly she was first infatuated with George's older brother, the Duke of Windsor, and a humiliating scene of sexual rejection caused her to be frigid and her children were conceived via artificial insemination. She revisits her rejection over and over and each time the reader is given a few more pieces until there is finally a full description.

This would have been a much better book without the unnecessary scandal and titillation.

Overall I enjoyed this book because I like historical fiction, especially ones set in WWII. There were a number of plot points about the Queen Mother's personal life that didn't seem plausible. It appears the author included in her research a rather sensationalistic biography that I'm not sure was entirely accurate. If the reader can suspend disbelief about these plot points and enjoy the book as a work of fiction, they will find a well written story about a fascinating figure that I am personally inspired to read more about.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Publishers - William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

It was so riveting reading this book and hearing all the secrets behind the royal family and all that made who they really are. I have read many books and seen so many documentaries and TV shows such as The Crown describing the queen and who she really is as a woman but this book brought it to a whole new level. The Queen Mother is sweet on the outside but a real tough woman on the inside, so tough that Hitler called her The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe. Now after King George is heir to the throne, Elizabeth will stop at nothing to keep her reign even if it means letting the former King and his mistress take the crown. Now with the people she knows and the cards she is played and dealt Elizabeth is stronger than ever even making her daughter the future queen. I know our book club will go crazy for this book and I can't wait for the discussions to generate from all the controversy.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This story provides an interesting perspective to World War 2. It was unlike anything else I have read. It is always interesting to think about how countries deal with national issues. This was a good read!

This was an interesting book from the perspective of the mother of the current Queen Elizabeth. After watching The Crown I was eager to read this book and learn a bit more about the Queen Mum. I was not disappointed and was quite intrigued by the story of "The Most Dangerous Woman in Europe" according to Hitler.