As someone really into the British Royals, this book was ok but not amazing for me. Set during the time of World War II, the historical details were great as the book progressed from England trying to get the US to join the Allied forced until the end of the war. Unfortunately I found the first person voice of the Queen to be very repetitive and at times annoying. I started not to care if her two big “secrets” were revealed or not. This book did not make her a likeable person as a reader. Despite this, I think it’s worth reading for those interested in the British Monarchy air those that like historical fiction set in the WWII era.

I enjoyed this book by Karen Harper although it clearly was a novel, with some aspects likely embellished for the story line. The "secrets", more than one of them by the way, may be partly rumor and innuendo but of course did not detract from the story. The author used them adroitly in the story, whether they are factual or fabricated in some way.

The most enjoyable parts of this novel for me were the day to day events going on with the war and it's effects on England and it's people.Their is no doubt the "Queen Mum" as she was later called was a beloved figure to many.

I have read and enjoyed several books by this author, this one was a good read but not my favorite.
Recommended for the time period.

I wish to thank Net Galley and HarperColllins Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
We all have secrets in our lives don’t we? Well, this book is all about some of the deepest secrets that Queen Elizabeth’s mother (also named Elizabeth) kept from her husband George VI and the rest of the world. It begins when she was a young girl and goes through World War II.
I love historical fiction and this one really wowed me. I learned what life was like for the English during the war, was introduced to a side of Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower that I had not experienced prior to reading this book. The book bonds you with Elizabeth, the Queen’s mother and you get to know her younger sister, brothers, father as well. You feel a part of the family. You struggle with her as she tries to decide what to do with the secrets that could destroy her life, her marriage and the respect of the British public.
Karen Harper did a beautiful job writing this story and I am eager to read more of her books. I am already talking about this to friends and they are looking forward to reading it.

The story of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, during WWII.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Unfortunately I just didn't buy into the "secret" that she had which was really secrets. First, I wish there would have been an author's note in the review copy so that the author could have explained where her idea and research came from. While I am far from an expert, the little I do know indicates that the secrets are more rumors than fact. Second, most of the "secrets" came out early in the book and then the reader is reminded about them over and over and over. It got very repetitious and boring. This would have been a much better book if it just recounted the events and Elizabeth's involvement in helping her husband, her daughter's, and the country navigate WWII and ignored the rumors.

This was an engaging and easy read. I don't know much about royalty, so I am not sure what is fictional in terms of the relationships depicted. I did look up a few things, but this could definitely benefit from an author's note. I have to say, spoiler incoming, that I am really tired of the "and they were gay!" as a reveal. Queerness should be represented in historical fiction, but not as an aside that is just used for shock value. It happens twice in this novel. That isn't representation, it is plot.

I also thought some of the dialog read like a Wikipedia entry. It would make more sense to add historical details in the prose rather than the dialog, especially when two characters are talking about someone they both know.

Overall, I thought this was a quick, pleasant read, and it made me want to learn more about royalty.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers, and author Karen Harper for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

I did not know much about the Queen Mother before delving into this, so it was a super interesting read. The author did an amazing job and was very informative. As an American, I’ve always had a big interest in the British Royals, and of course The Crown on Netflix, so this was just thoroughly enjoyable. Everybody has their secrets, and the Queen’s were revealed in this novel. What a great historical read!

Thank you to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

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.