This was actually a really good book. I didn’t know much about the Queen’s mother so I feel like the author did a good job of portraying her. The book gave a good glimpse into the Royal Family during WWII. There were surprises throughout the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend this book!

The Queen’s Secret is very well written and entertaining. It has an interesting premise that it is based on - that the Queen Mum had secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Harper's novel is narrated by the woman most of us know as "the Queen Mother." This novel, however, is set in the late 1930's and early 40's. At this time, Elizabeth is a middle-aged mother, a queen, and a wife to King George.VI. We learn Elizabeth's secrets: her passion and the causes of her repression. Her story is compelling, She hides her pain, as she takes on the power of the monarchy and earns the respect of statesmen. While many of us have followed the Windsor family for decades, this novel provides us with new and fascinating stories!

I usually like Karen Harper but I had a hard time getting into this one. I love the British royals and this was just a weird portrayal of the Queen mum. This isn’t what I have read about her in the past.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it a bit predictable in the beginning, but it picked up steam towards the end. The "secret" is not revealed until about seventy-five percent into the book, and it's not at all what you were led to believe. The "secret" explains a lot of what we know about relationships between the Royals.

If you enjoy watching The Crown or are a fan of the British Royals, you'll want to read this book.

This could easily have been called “The Queen’s Secrets” because there was definitely more than one in this story.
I didn’t know much about Queen Elizabeth’s mother also named Elizabeth. I’m always interested in reading about the royal family so I snatched this right up when I had the opportunity. Thanks NetGalley for the early copy, I’d already had it on my wishlist and I’m glad I got to read it early.

Several times, early in this book, my jaw dropped. There were some huge shockers. I texted a friend and said “you must read this book”. I posted on Facebook and told my friends how intriguing it was.
I even googled the secrets to see if they had been created for the sake of this historical fiction. And I found that, they were either true or they were widely believed rumors.

Wow.
This would make for quite the tv series too.

Now, my only constructive criticism of this book is that it felt repetitive. When the secrets were first dropped, they were shocking. But they were mentioned so frequently throughout the book. I kept thinking, I don’t need a reminder again there’s no way I would forget these details.

A very interesting read.

Elizabeth, our "Queen Mum" has always been a figure of great interest to me. I was aware of how profoundly loved she was by her subjects in the UK. And, I was drawn to the twinkle in her eye and her obvious high spirits. So, I looked forward to reading Karen Harper's historical novel about her life with the King during WW2.

I don't know if the voice that Ms. Harper imagined for the Queen would have felt "right" to someone who knew the current Queen's mother, but it felt flat to me and, despite her strength and commitment to the Country, I was bored with this book from beginning to end. I wanted to love her. I wanted to be drawn in to her life and her story, but I was simply not interested.

Harper's descriptions of London during the Blitz (and other elements of the war) were tales twice told---we all know the basics and I depend on good historical fiction to bring those stories to life. To make me feel part of the scene, part of history. This never happened for me with this book and I struggled to complete it. I did, and the end was just as flat as the beginning and the middle.

NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. I am sorry that I was unable to make more positive remarks, but I was truly surprised by this novel's inability to interest me.

Karen Harper’s ‘The Queen’s Secret’ is everything historical fiction should be, the perfect escape into the past.
Told in Queen Elizabeth’s voice and taking place during the WWII years, we witness her as the wife and strength behind the throne of her husband King George VI and as the mother of her daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Her childhood and the early days of her marriage to Bertie are told through a series of eye opening flashbacks.
We also meet a cast of well developed political figures, Winston Churchill, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and the former King Edward VIII and ‘his wife, that woman’, Wallis Simpson.
The secrets referred to in the title are revealed slowly and offer twists and turns filled with royal intrigue. Secrets, that may affect and question the trust and loyalty that the King has in his wife.
Thank you Karen Harper for bringing a very human side to the royals and for making this a most inviting and enjoyable read.

Quite an interesting and somewhat informative novel. A woman whose life is turned upside down from the beginning as she learns secrets about her own childhood, as she is thrown into a life far from what she would ever think she would have. Along the way there are other secrets that enter into her life. Not only is she a wife, a mother but also a Queen of a country that is facing war, WWII. In the reading of this book, you would think Ms. Harper was a "fly on the wall." So what was actual fact, how much of it was fiction, hard to tell?" Unless I go to Wikipedia perhaps it will answer my question, but who knows. Therefore, I will consider this more fiction than fact and enjoy it from that perspective. I have read other books by Ms. Harper and have found them all entertaining, this included. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing read! Harper portrayed a side of the Queen Mother that one would never even think of. Well-written and intriguing.

This book is perfect escapism. This book is a glimpse into the life of the woman who Hitler declared "the most dangerous woman in the world". Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI, mother to Queen Elizabeth II, played a major role during WWII. This book gives us a look at the woman herself as a human being and not just a figure in history. Its hard to recognize that members of the royal families are just normal people with flaws, anxieties, fears and secrets. The plot is based on this fascinating fact.. That is one of the reasons this book is such an enjoyable read. Queen Elizabeth becomes a normal woman, with problems she is dealing with just like everyone else. I have read several of Karen Harper's book. Most have been in the suspense genre. They have never disappointed. I was excited to read one of her historicals. It was excellent.

Read if you: Want a pleasant royal read, albeit one that draws from a highly disputed biography of the Queen Mother that treads in wild rumors instead of fact.

There's no disputing that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's actual birth date or place of birth is in question.

There's no disputing that there have been rumors that her mother, Lady Celia, was not her biological mother (even though they had a significant resemblance). Kitty Kelley raised it in her book published in the 90s (the rumor was that it was a Welsh servant) or in a "biography" written by Lady Colin Campbell published several years ago (that her mother was a French cook).

If you want to write a story based on these rumors, that's fine. But to not include an author's note, afterword, or some kind of explanation about your research, your theories, etc is maddening. Incredibly disappointing.

Many thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read other books by this author, so I was very excited to get an ARC of this book. This is the story of the Queen Mother’s life during WWII. There are many flashbacks to her youth, MANY flashbacks about the same incidents over an over. Much of the story takes place within the palace walls during meetings between Winston Churchill and the King which are also attended by the Queen. While she definitely had an important role to play, in this book, she often speaks of Churchill on her own. I don’t want to spoil the story, and there was no record of research in this ARC, but there are three very startling and surprising revelations. If these revelations are true, then I would think that they would have been more widely known and written about. I tried to look up some of the information, but only came up with one source, which was a controversial book written in 2012. That being said, it took me some time to get through this book, and normally I would have just given up, but I kept thinking that maybe there would be new information or some sort of point to the story. I was sorely disappointed. I felt that I kept reading the same thing over an over in each chapter, but with a new setting. All in all a somewhat disappointing read.

I absolutely adored this book. When I first read the synopsis, I KNEW I had to read it. It mixes my favorite plotlines - WWII and royals, making the story come from an interesting angle.. I knew almost nothing about the Queen Mother other than her character in the Crown and I loved learning her story. She was a formidable woman during an uncertain time and truly a partner in crime to the King. You also get a front row seat to her relationship with her daughters. This will be a GREAT summer read for historical fiction enthusiasts.

This was an interesting and original take on WWII historical fiction. I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction and have never read one about the Queen of England during this time. I like reading about strong, historical women. I enjoyed the look at a young Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. I also liked the interactions between England and the US, introducing President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt into the cast.

There was something missing for me in the book though. I can't quite put my finger on what it was exactly that had me loosing interest in the second half. I felt like the sexual assault secret wasn't well integrated into the story and seemed out of place especially because she never ended up telling her husband.

**The Queen’s Secret by Karen Harper is a fictional account of The Queen Mother’s life supporting her husband, Bertie, known as King George VI, during WWII. In this account Elizabeth has many secrets that this reader hasn’t encountered as factual in any legitimate biography of the lady or her adversaries, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Artistic license aside, the author has woven these tidbits into an otherwise unremarkable story to, I assume, keep the reader turning pages. The ARC copy received had no bibliography or author notes so it could be that documented evidence will be furnished in the final manuscript. One can only hope. This reader found the book boring and the dialogue stilted. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Usually I like books by author, especially "The Royal Nanny", "The American Duchess", and my favorite "The First Princess." However, this book fell flat. I felt like I was reading the Nation Enquirer. I felt like I had to choose either Team Duke and Duchess of Windsor or Team King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. I felt the author was Team David and Wallis. Every lurid and sensational rumor or scandal. that could be brought up about the Royal family and the Queen Mother was written about here. Furthermore, there was no authors note to address some of these more sensastionlal speculations. There is also no bibliography to read more about the subjects in this novel.
This story begins at the public celebration of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. The Queen Mother begins reminiscing over her long life beginning in Scotland with her large happy family and doting parents and so the the speculations and "secrets" begin. She grows into a beautiful and accomplished young woman and her problems with David, the Prince of Wales begin. Hence my problem with the novel. I understood the first ten times the author brought it up, the next fifty times were not needed. The Queen Mother was a busy woman with a war on. I doubt she spent every minute obsessing over the Windsors raising a family and helping in the war effort and standing by her husband. There was so much to write about Queen Elizabeth for the book to be so repetitive. The author could have trusted the reader not to forget all the "secrets" without being reminded repeatedly.
There were parts of the book that showed real promise and I wish they had been expanded on. The scene between Prince Charles and the Queen Mother. The author was able to show the very real love and affection between them. The scenes of Queen Elizabeth comforting the wounded and her subjects that had been bombed in the East End. These scenes showed her humanity and why her subjects loved her so much. Also, the scenes of the Princess Elizabeth in love and also eager to serve her country. Very good reading. More of this kind of writing would have made this book a more enjoyable read. At least for me. Maybe I am more Team Bertie and Elizabeth. I was given the opportunity to read this book by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The story of the current Queen Elizabeth II mother. The story starts when Elizabeth is 18 and is told by her parents she is actually the daughter of her father and the cook. This shapes her all her life. She meets David (King George who abdicates for Wallis) and falls in love only to be pushed off for others. Bertie (David's brother) proposes to Elizabeth 3 times and she finally accepts building her life with him. Having 2 girls, one of the being Queen Elizabeth II (Lilibet) and Margret. England finds themselves in war with Hilter and Queen Elizabeth is said to be "the most feared women in all of Europe" because people listen to her heart and her opinions. I loved this story as I am a huge fan of European Royal History. Great read with small secrets regarding who Elizabeth truly is.

I loved the concept of this book, but the writing was so poor that I wasn't able to finish it. Too many adjectives, too much historical exposition, stilted dialogue.

This was a fascinating story of the British royalty that I enjoyed very much. The manner in which the writer depicted the characters is fascinating and brings depth to them.