The timing of this book was off for me as it felt longer than it was. While I can for the most part forgive the stilted dialogue because most of it was from British Royals so I suspect it was pretty accurate. However, the repetitiveness was the fault of the author. I began to roll my eyes every time the Queen thought about her”secret”.
The writing seemed stiff to me. The story was repetitive and predictable. The “secret”, for as often as it was brought up, was really not a big deal.

This was my favorite time period read of 2020. A lover of everything historical and cultural of WW2 this book was AMAZING! Lovers of the Netflix series THE CROWN will fall in love with this book as I did! Fantastic details. Loved it

An amazing tale set during World War II filled with historical detail that brings the story alive. Karen Harper weaves a remarkable tale that takes the reader on an amazing journey.

I loved this book! Even though the plot was historical and heavily informational, it was a super simple read as this type of genre. I learned so much about Queen Mother Elizabeth that I didn’t know about before. As a person who had no background on her before reading this book, you can easily go into reading this book uninformed and succeed in enjoying this book. I would say that you would have to enjoy reading about World War II to enjoy this book since that’s the main basis for the plot.

A solid entry into the historical fiction realm. It imagines the story of the Queen Mother (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II), and her innermost thoughts and fears. In the real world, rumors have circulated about her for years, but this book imagines that some of them might be true. It gives the reader a glimpse into the (possible) private familial drama that those secrets create. Some secrets are revealed, while others she takes to her grave. A large cast of characters can be difficult to track, but the historical details are well-imagined and reasonably accurate. A solid and enjoyable historical read, but not one to stick with you after it's done.

The author picked a good person to feature in this historical fiction novel. Unfortunately the execution was off and my interest level would go up and then down, up and then down while reading the book. I think she tried to cram in every fact she knew about the queen into the story and it just didn’t work. It's almost as if the author didn't really have a clear idea of what she wanted to accomplish in the story ahead of time.

This book tells the life of the Queen Mother during her husband's reign as King of England. WWII was the background to the majority of the story. Queen Elizabeth's (the Queen Mum) secret? Well, I can't tell you. Read the book. It's worth it!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Historical fiction is very hit or miss for me and unfortunate this one was a miss. I skimmed quickly and just couldn’t find any footing for sticking with the story.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the storyline. I look forward to more from the author.

Great book. Learned new things about the royal family. I thought I knew a lot about history but this opened my eyes to even more. Hard to put down it was a fast paced read. Do not miss.

The time frame starts with the beginning of WWII. I'm sure it is a wonderful story, but it didn't keep my interest. I'm sure that it's just me personally.

I love anything to do with the royal family. This book on what happened during WWII was fascinating. I highly recommend this for book clubs as they will have a lively discussion about the royal family during this time period.

Thank you, Netgalley and William Morrow for my advanced ARC of The Queen's Secret.

Karen Harper is one of my favorite authors and I have always been fascinated by the royal family and books that are laced with history and fiction. This delivered on both and while this is a fictional book based on someone's real life, it was brilliantly written and read very much like a memoir. I am not normally interested in the "wartime" aspect of historical fiction, but was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

There were a lot of characters in this book and at times, it was a bit difficult to keep track of everyone, but I genuinely loved how they were written. I feel like I learned a lot more about the royal family than I originally intended to and I am so happy I had the chance to read this!

There are so many books about Queen Elizabeth II, so I was very excited to hear this “lesser heard” story of her mother, who was a very influential historical figure in her own right. This book contained some fascinating points about the Queen Mother that I had never heard before, as well as her perspective toward well-known events during World War II. However, just with any work of fiction regarding the royal family, so much of it is speculation. While that makes for a good story, it leaves you wondering how much of it you can really believe, Overall though, this was worth the guesswork,

I am a fan of Karen Harper and was excited to read this book. However, I had a hard time getting into this book. The storyline dragged for me and there just wasn't enough to really keep my attention. I would recommend this book to someone who didn't know much history about the Royal Family.

The Queen's Secret was an interesting read. I don't consider myself a "royal watcher" but I do enjoy The Crown, and I adore QE II, especially when I teach monarchies to my 5th graders. I've always kind of imagined that QE II was my grandmother since both of mine passed many years ago. One can only wish.

The Queen's Secret started off a little bit rough for me; I didn't enjoy the writing style. I felt it too informal for the Queen of England to speak in such a rushed, choppy manner. The narration didn't feel genuine. I know this would be hard to accomplish being it is historical fiction about a woman that is passed AND was notoriously private, but at certain times I felt like a young twenty-something from today's society was narrating.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing how much Queen Elizabeth became involved in the war efforts, her relationship with Winston Churchill, and her large distaste for Wallis Simpson.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

What a charming read! A delightful historical. I loved this intimate look at the Queen Mother. If you're a fan of the Crown, this is the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own

Told from the perspective of the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, The Queen’s Secret is the story of the wife of King George VI (“Bertie”) from the late 1930s to the late 1950s, focusing primarily on the World War II era. Dubbed “the most dangerous woman in Europe” by Adolf Hitler, this soft-spoken yet influential royal worked hard behind the scenes in support of her husband during an incredibly challenging, dangerous time in history.

I am fascinated by the royal family, so I was excited to read a book from a different viewpoint than any I had read in the past. The story was rich with tidbits about the family members’ personal lives and inner tensions and gave me a better idea of just how influential this dynamic lady was. I realize Karen Harper’s book is a fictional work, but it sounded very realistic, and I would have appreciated an author’s note outlining what aspects were true and which were made up to enhance the tale. Also there were times when the book seemed a bit repetitive, and I found myself thinking, “Yes, I remember being told that already.”

If you enjoy historical fiction, are a fan of the TV series “The Crown,” or simply have an interest in the royal family, I believe you will find this book worth the read. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to share my review.

The Queen’s Secret... ah how I enjoyed this book. So rich in historical detail regarding the life of Queen Elizabeth, this was clearly a very well-researched book! It reads like a day-in-the-life documentary, with the added emotional and heartfelt depth that only excellent writing can bring. Elizabeth was such a bold and courageous woman, and her level of leadership was truly inspirational and one of the greatest things I took away here. That, mixed with royal intrigue and secrets kept me quickly turning the pages.

I’ve never been huge into “the royals”, therefore I went into this book with a fresh set of eyes, and in fact was overall nervous it wouldn’t quite be for me. It’s a testament to the author’s excellent writing and storytelling that she was able to draw me in so fully, regardless of the above, and I was once again reminded when I turned the last page of this book why I love historical fiction so much. How it opens my eyes and teaches me things I may not have learned or come to understand otherwise pertaining to history, and that’s just so wonderful! I did wish for an author’s note at the end, as that’s always so helpful in bringing a book like this full circle.

An excellent historical fiction read, especially for fans of authors like Marie Benedict or those who would love to delve into the royal family. This is definitely not a book to be missed.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the gifted copy.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

This is a intriguing book about the Queen Mother and her will to control the crown in 1939 amid scandal . She is portrayed here as a formidable foe, a women with intelligence and the will to see her husband become king.

When her husband George took over the crown from Edward who abdicated among quite a scandal, The Queen Mother stopped at nothing to make sure George was a success.. She banned Edward and his lover from the Palace and broke ties with them quite publicly. At this period in time a royal love scandal was looked upon with disdain and the Queen Mother made sure that Edward would never return to royal life to have her husband succeed as he was disgraced by his family. The author portrays The Queen Mother has driven for her husbands's success and controlling his time as King. A very interesting look behind the crown .