2013- 12 Days of Fiction: DAY 1!

The Secret Keeper by Sandra Byrd

Here it is, friends! The moment we've all been waiting for- my top pick in fiction for 2013. 

I hesitated to pick up Sandra's books for a long time. I mean, the covers are obviously really rich and exquisite. Reader eye candy, if you will. I can't tell you how many times I picked this book up off the shelf and put it back. 

Henry VIII is a notorious 'womanizer' - and this book centered around the women in his court. Was it possible to tackle such an amorous subject and still keep the content clean enough for a sensitive reader like me? 

One day, while once again studying Sandra's beautiful book sitting on the shelf of the bookstore, one of the employees walked up to me and said, "Why don't you review that book for us?" 

Needless to say I was more than willing to help out! 

And...I have never been more thankful to be proven wrong. These books are written from the perspective of hand maidens to the queen(s) of Henry VIII. Instead of using them as a way to tell a sizzling romance from a different perspective, we get a unique and beautiful look into the lives of the queens themselves. Their joys, heartaches, and triumphs are shared from the caring heart of someone close to them. 

I chose to feature Secret Keeper because I connected with this book deeply. I love to read, so of course, I read often. But it's rare that a book actually moves me to tears. Juliana and her story became my own. I don't want to give the end away, but in all honesty the end of this book is the main reason Keeper has my number 1 spot. The end is beautiful. It's everything you would hope for. 

But it was more than that to me. It was a reminder of the perfect love of Jesus. I wept because I saw myself, forsaken and alone, without a friend. I had nowhere else to go, no one to turn to. And in the moment of my deepest despair, He came, pulled me out of my darkness, claimed me as His own, and rescued me. And that, my friends, is a truly beautiful thing.

So, there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed this year's countdown, and found some new authors to add to your bookshelf! 

I highly recommend all of the books in the Ladies In Waiting series (which can also be read as stand-alones).

Back Cover: 

The author of To Die For returns to the court of Henry VIII as a young woman is caught between love and honor. 

 Juliana St. John is the daughter of a prosperous knight. Though her family wants her to marry the son of her father's business partner, circumstances set her on a course toward the court of Henry VIII and his last wife, Kateryn Parr.
     Sir Thomas Seymour, uncle of the current heir, Prince Edward, returns to Wiltshire to tie up his concerns with Juliana's father's estate and sees instantly that Juliana would fit into the household of the woman he loves, Kateryn Parr. Her mother agrees to have her placed in Parr's household for "finishing" and Juliana goes, though perhaps reluctantly.
     For she knows a secret. She has been given the gift of prophecy, and in one of her visions she has seen Sir Thomas shredding the dress of the king's daughter, the lady Elizabeth, to perilous consequence.
    As Juliana learns the secrets of King Henry VIII's court, she faces threats and opposition, learning truths about her own life that will undo everything she holds dear.