I really enjoyed Betina Krahn's Behind Closed Doors! In it, Ms. Krahn gives her readers a fictionalized view of what life could have been like in Elizabeth I's court. She tells it from the point of view of one of her ladies in waiting, young Corrina Huntington, a once sheltered innocent newly arrived at court. Corrie, who while fulfilling her tasks for the queen finds herself often confused by the actions of those around her. When she meets Count Rugar Kalisson, Corrie's life changes drastically, but is it for the better?
I believe this novel is a re-release from several years ago, as evidenced by its somewhat outdated language however, that does not lessen its appeal.I

Provided complimentary copy by Netgalley for honest and unbiased review.

Ohhh what a treat this book was! Behind closed doors brings to mind the tv show Reign, which I loved! The court intrigue, jealous Queens and hero's bent on revenge! Such a perfectly busy book that never slacks on the romance! I highly recommend this book to all reader's of the romance genre.

Good book - I especially enjoying the dual setting of this one. Historical romances are typically Regency era, but this one is during the court of Elizabeth I with a second setting in Sweden. The intrigue and attitudes were well done as was tehe

As Queen Elizabeth’s prized new lady-in-waiting, Corrina Huntington is beautiful, innocent, and eager to know the world beyond her sheltered home—especially the mysteries of love. Despite the queen’s vow of protection, Corrie soon finds herself swept into the intrigues of the court, rampant with plots and pleasures—and discovers more than she ever imagined. Manly and magnificent, Count Rugar Kalisson swears vengeance on the insulting, overbearing English who scorn him for his Swedish heritage. He vows to best the vain queen’s knights in contest, and her ladies in seduction—including her latest pet. Love is not part of his plan, yet he and the sheltered English rose are soon drawn together by a reckless passion—a forbidden bond that will not only inflame the wrath of a jealous Queen, but provoke a diplomatic scandal.
This was an ok story. I don’t know why, but any books I’ve read that are rereleases from years past just haven’t worked for me and this one is the same. I don’t know why. I think part of it is the way females were written in previous decades that just don’t work anymore.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Very good written book in Elizabeth I time era. The story was romantical and steamy at times. I loved a unique approach to the plot such as sexual abuse. These topics are hardly intercorprated in historical romance books.
This author will be remembered!

Ms. Krahn weaves a romantic tale of vengeance and healing for these lovers. Corrie as sweet, innocent and naïve as a young lady can be and still be part of court. Rugar as filled with hatred as a man can be toward England for its treatment of his father years earlier. It is an enjoyable book with England’s Queen Elizabeth deeply involved.

There is a lot to like about this book beginning with Corrie’s sweetness and innocence. Her attitude affects those around her, including her cousin Anne. They become friends as well as cousins while at court as Anne becomes protective of Corrie. Corrie has a tremendous effect on Rugar, too, causing him to question his decisions and the treatment of her by his own countrymen.

What seemed out of place was Corrie’s pursuit of Rugar and desire to learn more about forbidden desires. Nor did I like that Rugar was trying to ‘forget’ Corrie in the arms of other women. I like heroes to be true to the heroine once they meet. Not on his way to his chambers and suddenly become stuck with her.

The descriptions of Rugar’s mistreatment by a court lady could happen, but it is still child abuse in any form. His introduction to sex formed some of his values, but he should have been a bit older. Nor did I care for the ‘baiting’ scene that sent Corrie into Rugar’s arms and bed chamber.

I did enjoy the historical aspect of England and Sweden included as background. Ms. Krahn obviously does her research. The side romance of Anne and Torgne is a good addition to opposites attracting.

I completely loved this, a fabulous and exciting tale of a wickedly attractive but flawed Viking hero, Rugar determined to best Queen Elizabeth for her slights against his people and his father, once an emissary to her court from Sweden. He decides to best all her knights and seduce his way through her retinue but is stopped in his tracks by his inconvenient attraction to the beautiful and clever Corina Huntington, The queen’s beloved and newest Lady in Waiting.

I know that this is an old fashioned romance, and so the heroine is impossibly perfect, beautiful, innocent, kind and selfless, as well as intelligent and learned, but heck this is a romance,, and so I do love this type of heroine when written well, and Corina is not stuffy, I like the way she accepts and befriends her scandalous cousin for instance.. Rugar is a rugged alpha hero, who is brought down to earth with a bump because of his love for Corina, and the way his own prejudice against the English are reflected back to him by the way the Swedish court treat Corina when he takes her there as his bride. Once Corina and Rugar are compromised by their behaviour, they are wed, but as Elizabeth and others plot to separate the lovers and destroy Rugar, can they outwit their powerful adversaries and find a way to be happy across their two cultures.

The joy in this book for me was the way that Bettina Krahn depicts life at court, with its shallowness, frustrations, and how she portrayed the queen as vindictive yes, trying to keep Corina with her, and hurt Rugar, but also how isolated and difficult her position was, and how she was human underneath her rank and court intrigues. It was a really exciting plot with lots of interesting historical detail, and characters I really rooted for.

Highly recommended, if you like an old school historical.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Corinna Huntington, daughter of Jack and Merrie, the Earl and Countess of Straffen is sought by Queen Elizabeth to be one of her ladies. Her father being the rake that he was is horrified that his daughter will be among the immoral cesspool that is the court. Rugar Kalisson, Count of Aelthar, is sent by his king as a special ambassador to England. He has his own opinion of English women at court and their morals and he sets his sights on young and innocent Corrie as his conquest. They fall in love and find that they are at the mercy of a jealous Queen. A captivating story with details galore in the intriguing story of court life and love. An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.

This is a book from 1991 that is being rereleased to ebook version. It takes place during the reign of Elizabeth, mostly at her court and a small bit in Sweden.

Rugar has come to the English court as an ambassador for Sweden, but he comes bearing a grudge. Corinna has been sheltered and protected her whole life. She is invited to Elizabeth's court to be one of her maids of honor and they meet.

So this book. Well, there was a lot I really liked about it! And yet, a lot that bothered me. I think you should try this book if you are interesting in reading about a different time period. Seeing the court during Elizabeth's reign was fun, different. Betina Krahn did a great job of pulling me into that world, experiencing the fun and drama of court life as it could have been. If you like a busy plot you might like this. If you want to read about Elizabeth and her reign, you would probably like this too. The queen is in this book a lot and interfering in their relationship.

There's a bit of tension, a few kisses, a few scenes. I wouldn't say it's overly steamy, but its not clean. Middle of the road.

Thing things I didn't like about this book was it felt like it was all shenanigans. There was always SOMETHING going on. It never seemed to be just about the two of them. Someone was always being abducted or manipulated and just non stop drama. I felt like the book was half about the queen and half about their relationship. The other thing that bothered me was that Rugar was actively attempting to get with other women after he met and liked Corinna. Nothing ends up happening and he was always thinking about driving her out of his head, but it still bothered me. It only lasts a chapter or so, but still.

I really, really love Betina Krahn’s latest books, especially her current series about the Bumgarten family of ‘dollar princesses’, but this isn’t one of those. It was originally published in 1991, which I realised to my dismay a few pages into it when I started thinking that it read very ‘old skool’ and went to Goodreads to check. I mean… it’s not old skool like something from the 1970s which features forced kisses and other icky nonconsensual things, but it does start off with a hero having revenge fantasies about heartlessly seducing women he doesn’t even know, something which is a pretty instant turn-off and I don’t think you’d see published in a romance today.

The book needs trigger warnings for child sexual abuse (the hero was raped by an older woman at court when he was 13) and for animal cruelty (there’s a way-too-graphic scene where a bear, bull and ape are baited and killed by dogs for the entertainment of the Elizabethan court). Rugar, the hero, starts off overbearing but it’s slowly revealed that he does have a difficult history which has had the logical result of turning him into something of a control freak who hates to lose at anything. Pitting himself against Queen Elizabeth, however, is nothing short of foolhardy, because Elizabeth really didn’t tolerate losing well at all, and Rugar’s not the only one the queen’s anger falls upon.

Which brings us to Corinne, our heroine, a favourite of the queen because of her innocence, her quick mind, her beauty and, frankly, her being a massive Mary-Sue. Corrie is quite literally too perfect for words and as perfect people do, she really quickly started to get on my nerves. Even a potential enemy is charmed into becoming an ally by Corinne being just her adorably artless self, something which came off really unlikely given the Mean Girls vibe the court ladies gave off in general. That’s actually very historically accurate given what we know of Elizabeth I’s court; historical accuracy is probably this book’s strongest point and I found nothing to quibble with on that front at all. Scenes featuring the queen herself were fascinating, showing Elizabeth as strong-willed, tireless and perpetually Angry at the world she found herself living in. I wanted more of her and less of the perfect Corinne.

No matter how well-written and historically accurate the book, though, the fact that I didn’t like either of the two main protagonists in the romance leave this as a three-star for me. It’s not terrible, but it’s not up to the standard of Betina Krahn’s more recent writing.

A young naive Corrie becomes one of Queen Elizabeth's maids of honor, against her parents wishes, but she has no choice. An entire world opens up for her and she soon becomes a favorite of the Queen. The drawbacks though are numerous as she is possessive of Corrie and almost keeps everyone away.
Rugar Kalisson, a Swede, is sent by his King as an ambassador to England. He dislikes the English and especially the virtuous English women plus he has revenge on his mind and when he sees Corrie, he sets his sights.
The author takes us into the historical times of Queen Elizabeth and makes the world come alive. Intrigue, revenge, humor, an obsessive Queen and the sparks of a romance that are bound to burn bright.
Really enjoyed this story and know you will too!

Good book. I especially enjoyed the setting of this one. Historical romances are overwhelmingly Regency era, but this one takes place mostly at the court of Elizabeth I with a little bit in Sweden. I felt that the portrayal of the intrigue and attitudes of the time were very well done. That said, the first 20% or so of the book dragged a little for me, but once Corrie and Rugar met, the story picked up quite nicely.

Corrie is eighteen years old and has been kept very sheltered by her parents. That comes to an end when Queen Elizabeth stops while on her progress around the country and takes a liking to Corrie. She insists that Corrie becomes one of her maids of honor. This horrifies her parents who are very familiar with the Queen's court and its ways, but they have no choice. Meanwhile, Corrie is thrilled with the opportunity to experience a wider world. It isn't long before Corrie becomes the queen's favorite. There are drawbacks to this, as Elizabeth is very possessive and warns off anyone who threatens her relationship with Corrie - especially the men. In spite of her intelligence and extensive education, Corrie is oblivious to the queen's machinations.

Meanwhile, Rugar is named ambassador to England by the king of Sweden and sent to establish good relations with the queen. This suits him to a T as he has personal reasons for going. As a lad of twelve, Rugar visited the court with his father, who was sent to propose a marriage between Elizabeth and the Swedish king. They were not treated kindly but mocked and derided for their differences. Rugar's father never recovered from the shame he felt at his failure, leaving Rugar burning with the desire for revenge. He arrives at the court determined to beat all the men in their manly contests and to seduce the queen's ladies.

It's at this point that the story picks up interest for me. Rugar is bowled over by his first sight of Corrie and makes her the target of his attentions. He is certain that she is just as immoral as all the other women of the court. Corrie is overwhelmed by Rugar's attentions, having never experienced anything like it. Her forthright nature supports Rugar's assumptions and his single-minded pursuit of her. I really enjoyed their interactions. Corrie's innocent reactions and questions draw Rugar closer to her. He is enchanted by her inquisitive nature and the passion he senses below her surface. As Rugar's attention stirs her senses, Corrie is determined to experience everything that she can. But as she becomes bolder, Rugar has to face the fact that he misjudged Corrie's experience, and tries to pull away. I ached for both of them at this point, because Corrie has fallen hard for Rugar, even though she feels that there is no future in it. Rugar, who has reasons for avoiding innocents, is determined to stay away from her but finds it impossible to do so. Dismayed to realize that he has fallen in love with her, Rugar is determined to protect her, even from himself.

There are outside forces that are determined to interfere. Elizabeth is angered by Rugar's attention to Corrie, even though she warned him off. She sets one of her spies on him, looking for a reason to send him away. Unfortunately, her spy has his own agenda. He has harbored a grudge against Corrie's parents for many years and looks on this a chance to even the score. When Corrie and Rugar are discovered in a compromising position, Elizabeth's rage knows no bounds.

The last part of the book flew by for me, as Corrie and Rugar escape the queen's attempts to keep them apart and flee to Sweden. I loved Corrie's joy in being there and ached for her as she faced resistance from Rugar's people. It was interesting to see Rugar's reaction to what happened and the effect it had on his view of the past. I was glued to the pages as the queen's fury continued to build and ripped Corrie and Rugar apart. I loved Rugar's determination to get her back, no matter what he had to do. The final showdown with the queen was a nailbiter. I loved Rugar's reaction to her demands and how he regained the upper hand. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up to the story.

There was also a secondary romance between Corrie's cousin Anne and Rugar's friend Torgne. The sparks flew between them from the start. Torgne, like Rugar, had a low opinion of English morals. Anne, a relatively recent widow, is not ashamed of her needs and gets a great deal of satisfaction out of tempting him. When an unexpected mix-up throws the two of them together, the sparks burst into flame. I loved the scene on the ship as Anne goes all-out to break through Torgne's resistance. With both of them caught up in Elizabeth's outrage, there was some question as to their chances of a future together. I loved the scene at the end, as Rugar suggests the perfect "punishment" for Torgne's crimes.

Behind Closed Doors by Betina Krahn is book Two in the Tudor Series. This is the story of Corrina Huntington and Rugar Kalisson. I haven't yet read the previous book so for me this was a standalone book. Corrina is the new lady-in-waiting for the Queen. Corrina is a young innocent women, something you don't see to much in the lady's court. Rugar has left Sweden to come to the Queen's court as ambassador and is quickly smitten with Corrina. But nothing goes easy for either of them.
This is a re-release of this book. I first read it a few years back and enjoyed it so I was happy to read it again this year.

4.5 stars - Betina Krahn is fast becoming one of my new favorite authors. Her characters possess an honesty about them that is attractive and engaging. The story itself is filled with nuggets of history that bring an authenticity to the telling that is not usually present in newer historical romances, and the romance itself is allowed to build and grow so that the reader is swept away with the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Behind Closed Doors and can’t wait to read more from Ms. Krahn!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Corinna is innocent and eager to learn more about the world now that she is become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth. Rugar has left Sweden to join the Queen's court as ambassador. Corinna and Rugar find unexpected passion, but there are also intrigues, plots, jealousy and vows of vengeance causing difficulties on their journey. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

I quite enjoyed this Elizabethan court / spy drama .
It was full of action and intrigue, the characters were very good, and so was the story, although I’m sure kidnapping wasn’t quite so prevalent in those days ,it made for and exciting book.

Loved the Hero and Heroine they were great , and so was the little love affaire growing in the secondary characters to .

Steamy , fun and addictive to read , very enjoyable.

I received an Arc copy of this and chose to post this review

I had read the first novel, Caught in the Act, over ten years ago and remember enjoying it. This one also did not disappoint! Corrie and Rugar's interactions were steamy and exciting, and I liked how the author balanced out the sexy times with some humor and Tudor intrigue!

When this book was originally released, I read it and fell in love with the characters, the intrigue, and the suspense. I felt drawn into the story and taken away to Queen Elizabeth's court in England. I just reread this story because it's being released again, and find it as engrossing as the first time. It is one of my favorite historical romances. I recommend it highly. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was a fun, exciting read full of mystery and intrigue within Queen Elizabeth’s court. Corrie was such a great heroine. I loved her innocence, but it was her worldly intelligence that really stole the show. And Rugar did everything possible to protect his Corrie, but she got what she wanted anyway. However, not without a lot of angst and heartache though. The secondary characters were delightful as well and this story had great world building without being overly detailed to the point of distraction.

I thought the book was extremely well researched and well written. I thought the details of court life were rich and full and wonderfully drawn, like the world-building was so excellent in this book. I thought there were some wonderful sex scenes as well and the chemistry between Corrie and Rugar was clear and also well done. As characters I wasn't the hugest fan of them. I thought Corrie was a bit too, well good to root for. I thought she relied on him a little too much. I thought he was fine. I know some of the sexism and the trivialization of what I saw at times as lack of consent in the world was potentially realistic, I thought it wasn't challenged enough. I think it's a hard balance when writing history but it didn't quite work for me in that way. The book though is good and will appeal to a lot of readers, most who won't be bothered by it.