The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper is a fictionalized history of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother of the current queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II. The author does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into Elizabeth's world - a world caught up in the drama of a royal abdication, the brutality of WWII and some deep and dark personal secrets.

As a character, Elizabeth is complex and whole and engaging. She is smart and introspective, and courageous. She is also, according to Adolph Hitler, the most dangerous woman in the world, and an equal partner to her husband, King George VI. All this makes for a really great read. As a historical fiction, the author has obviously taken some artistic license with the storyline, and especially with the secrets which play such a big role on the plot and motivation.

The Queen's Secret has a full cast of royal and non-royal characters, which can get a little confusing. There is a character list at the beginning of the book, but I found myself spending a fair amount of time googling to learn more about the real people as well as the real events portrayed in the book.

I really enjoyed this book, and found it engaging and informative, but also deeply personal. If you're a fan of the British Royal family, curious about how they live, or want to learn more about England during WWII, this book is a terrific choice, and one Im sure you will enjoy,

This review is based on an advance copy read.

Huge 5 Stars! I absolutely loved this book, from page one to the very end. Here we learn about one of the greatest people of our past, The Queen Mum is so truly amazing. What a strong, brave, heroic person and one of the greatest influences of our time. From her came the beautiful Queen Elizabeth II and one merely has to know a little bit about the Queen to see her mother and the great influence her mother had on her life and her leadership. This story is filled with great detail to history, very accurate yet with a song-like flow that draws the reader in and reads nothing like a textbook. You will not be displeased with this tale at all, I would highly suggest this to anyone who loves history but also loves the Royal Family.

“The Queen’s Secret” is a wonderful story about Queen Elizabeth, the current Queen’s mother. While fiction about the royal family is common and popular, I’ve rarely seen books with the Queen Mum as the main character, so I jumped at the chance to read this.

The story is told from the Queen’s perspective and in first person, so it feels like you are reading her diary or listening to her thoughts. The timeline focuses on the days leading up to and including WWII, with some flashbacks to her childhood and early life with the King. The “secret” actually refers to three that are actual rumors that have floated around the Queen Mum but are just that-rumors.

I will say this, at times it seemed that she was worrying about her “secrets” too much, but again, this book was written from her perspective, thoughts going through her brain. How many times have you worried about whether or not you wore the wrong shoes? She was worrying about not being the perfect QUEEN for her husband and the EMPIRE during a war. Perspective people.

Look, this isn’t a hard hitting true to life book. This is a fictional story. I love historical fiction, especially this era, but I felt over saturated recently and hadn’t read any WWII books in a bit. Maybe this was the easy to read, quick, not so serious read I needed at this time.

I’m excited to read more from Ms. Harper! I have the American Duchess on my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was only okay to me. I finished it, I didn’t have a desire to not finish, I just kept hoping it would get better and it didn’t. I didn’t care for the way the queen was portrayed, I think she was a far more intelligent woman than the book make her out to be. While I understand this is fiction, and I’m normally a huge historical fiction fan, this book missed the mark for me. I love historical fiction based on fact that makes me want to go out an learn more about a particular subject, this book was based on gossip and made the queen mum out to be a self centered, man crazy, shallow human.

The Queen has a secret she keeps close
Even from the people she loves the most
Her beloved England is at war
With the Germans across the shore
But Elizabeth is a mighty queen
The neck that turns the king unseen
What Hitler calls her brings her hope
“the most dangerous woman in Europe”
A glance inside the royal family
That reigned through a tumultuous part of history
•
This was an easy historical read. Heavy on detail and quite in-depth. It’s not a page-turner, but you are dropped right into that part of history. It’s easy to get wrapped up in that time period and feel like you are right there with Her Majesty. Although not necessary to enjoy the story, it would definitely enhance the reading experience to have a better working knowledge of the royal family and their associates. I did take issue with the varying “reveals.” They were a bit on the repetitive side and didn’t pack near the punch they thought they did.

The author, Karen Harper, seems to be a popular one, and since I loved the Crown series on Netflix, I was hoping that this book would be enjoyable.

However, I have mixed feelings about the book. While I know it’s fiction, some of the information in it came up so often that I couldn’t help but Google it. It appears there are rumors that Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother, did date Bertie’s brother who abdicated the throne for Wallis. This theme overrides so much of the book with Elizabeth’s continued obsession with him and Wallis, that at times it was irritating. I won’t give away the secret; it isn’t until around the three-quarter mark that it is revealed; although, it is hinted at throughout. .

Okay, so it’s a fiction book, and the rest of the book about England’s part in the war with Hitler was interesting. I came away from this, not liking Elizabeth very much. The book portrays her as a good leader, who was overly concerned with peoples opinions and going to extreme lengths to hide things in her past. Perhaps, I would have liked the real Elizabeth better than the fictional one.

The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper is likely a good read for Anglophiles and lovers of historical fiction. For me, this exploration into the life of The Queen Mother felt just a tad imbalanced in terms of focusing too much on the war years and in terms of leaning a bit heavy on the fiction.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy of The Queen's Secret in exchange for an honest review.

Hitler once referred to her as the "most dangerous woman in Europe" and she was not afraid to hold her own with the likes of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, First Lady Elanor Roosevelt or General Dwight Eisenhower, after all she was the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth. She was strong raising two princesses and helping to lead a devastated country through a world war but internally she has been battling her own war to keep the secrets of her past buried.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and the WWII era novels and this was an intriguing one. Karen Harper brings a new perspective and insight into the genre. I liked learning more about the Queen Mother who was know to be a great support to King George during his reign, but also dealing with her own struggles. The characters are well written and is an enjoyable read.

The Queen's Secret has some really good moments, but unfortunately did not keep my interest as much as I originally thought it would. I enjoyed the tender moments between the King and Queen and their relationships with their children. The details about World War II were especially interesting to me. The book fell short for me personally though, because I found the language formal and stiff, which despite understanding the setting and time period, I still found cumbersome. There were also times that the mention of the "secrets" seemed repetitive rather than exciting or intriguing. Overall, I welcomed the unique opportunity to read something from the Queen Mother's perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy all things British., so I was interesting in reading this book. It wasn't quite what I expected. Some parts were well done, but other parts were gossipy, and from other things I've read, I question that this was based on fact. I enjoyed the writing itself, but it was more fictionalized than I was expecting. Some parts were quite repetitious, too, which caused the pace to slow, and even drag, at times.

I guess I went into this book thinking it would be an exhilarating read, but it turned out to be just.. dry. Long and dry and I found myself quite bored, putting it down for days at a time, struggling to pick it back up. As a self-proclaimed Royals obsessive, I was very excited by this book description, but it just didn’t appeal to me like I was hoping and expecting it would. Overall, just an “okay” book... nothing special.

The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper is a story about the “Queen Mother”. She was Queen Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. She was married to King Albert "Bertie" who became King when his brother abdicated. We meet the Queen at the height of her reign, against the backdrop of World War II.

The book portrayed the “Queen Mother” as a spurned woman who plotted out revenge in a spectacular way. The dialogue was on repeat 'poor Bertie', 'harlot woman', and 'mean David'. It was incredibly repetitive. It was an exhausting read every time the Queen thought about her “secret”. This novel, at it’s best, could be considered light historical fiction. It seemed more like 'chick-lit'. At its core the story is a long drawn out rehashing of why Queen Elizabeth Bowes- Lyon detested former King Edward who gave up the throne to be with Wallis Simpson. King Edward was known as David the Duke of Windsor to the royal family.

It seemed like it took me an abnormally long time to read considering it had less than 350 pages. I am a huge historical fiction fan especially during WWII, as well as, a “Royal” fan. Unfortunately this book left me disappointed on both counts.

I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader for the The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with the story or the writing.

I absolutely adored this book, and the audio is fantastic. This is an important piece of history, told from the perspective of Queen Elizabeth's mother (then queen of England during WWII). She was quite the powerful force for the British monarchy, and this book gave glimpses into her personality. I look forward to recommending this book to others!

A novel by #Karen Harper filled with intrigue and royal secrets.Hitler himself calls her the “Most Dangerous Woman in Europe.”For behind that soft voice and kindly demeanor is a will of steel.
Thank you#Harper Collins,#Netgalley and #Karen Harper

Before she was the Queen Mum, she was Queen Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. We meet the Queen at the height of her reluctant reign, against the backdrop of World War II. The Queen doesn't just have A secret. She has as several that she's keeping not only from her royal subjects but from the King himself. Each has the power to bring shame to the Windsor name and even ruin her marriage.
The book is well-written and I looked forward to returning to it each night However, I'm not sure how much is based on historical fact and how much is fiction. The secret concerning her marriage and children seems a bit like gossip from a tabloid. I enjoyed the World War II setting and meeting historical figures such as Winston Churchill more than I did learning about the Queen's secrets and how they would impact her life. The Queen herself is a likeable royal, humanitarian, and mother. I was disappointed in a way that the much hyped secrets have no real consequences. They certainly impact her inner thought life and even some of her decisions concerning the way she treats the King but in the end they secrets cause little scandal. While she confesses one secret, others remain buried. Overall, an interesting look at the Queen Mum as a person and a consort to the King. I would read other titles by Karen Harper.
TRIGGER WARNING-There is a scene involving sexual assault that I'd rate as PG-13 but may be traumatic for some to read.

I LOVE pretty much any book relating to WWII and the British Royals have always captured my attention so I assumed a book about Queen Elizabeth and WWII would absolutely be up my alley.

I was wrong.

I wanted to love this book but it was an absolute slog to get through. It's very repetitive, slow and not remotely engaging.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of “The Crown” and the Royal Family will love this tale featuring the Queen Mother herself, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Even members of the Royal Family have secrets in their closets. Queen Elizabeth is of no exception. This story takes place during WWII and sheds light on her Majesty’s role as the voice of reason for both the King and the PM Winston Churchill. Her strength, compassion and wisdom help guide their kingdom through perilous times. But, in the back of her mind...Elizabeth harbors secrets about a previous relationship and her heritage. She spends much of the story debating sharing these secrets with her husband and why she insisted on certain marital stipulations.

What I love most about this story is the fact that we get a chance to experience WWII through a completely different set of eyes...Queen Elizabeth’s. She is able to not only rub elbows with world leaders but also find a way to relate to the people of her country. It’s just a captivating tale and I couldn’t put it down!

My only complaint is that because my copy was an unedited ARC, thanks NetGalley, no authors notes were included. With any historical fiction....I think the authors notes are an extremely important part of the book. So I will definitely be getting a hold of a published version so that I can read those notes!

Highly recommend!!

Queen Elizabeth (more commonly known as the Queen Mother as she's the current Queen Elizabeth's mother) sounded like an interesting and not too overdone topic for a historical fiction novel. It is was- mostly. This book covered her life as Queen during WWII and her interactions and motivations were interesting except they were constantly dwelling on two of her biggest secrets. It was very heavy handed in this area and it made it seem like the author didn't think the reader could remember a major plot point for more than ten pages. OK, but could have been better. I did really enjoy Harper's previous book The Royal Nanny, which I think succeeded in being a lesser known topic and better edited.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Loved this book this story was about Queen Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II's mother.) This is a great storyline it tells mostly of her trials being married to the king during World War II and how she has to deal with some family issues that she keeps to herself but it also deals with the Royal family and the exile of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Another Great Read by Karen Harper. She never disappoints.
#TheQueensSecret #NetGalley

These opinions are my own and I received an ARC via NetGalley.