This was an interesting and original take on WWII historical fiction. I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction and have never read one about the Queen of England during this time. I like reading about strong, historical women. I enjoyed the look at a young Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. I also liked the interactions between England and the US, introducing President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt into the cast.

There was something missing for me in the book though. I can't quite put my finger on what it was exactly that had me loosing interest in the second half. I felt like the sexual assault secret wasn't well integrated into the story and seemed out of place especially because she never ended up telling her husband.

Next to the Kennedys, the British Royal Family is my favorite subject to devour stories about. This story, which is an interesting mix of a fact, fiction and rumors, did not disappoint. Experiencing the Blitz from the eyes of the Queen Mother, then Queen Elizabeth, offered a unique perspective. Several of her secrets are revealed throughout, each more interesting than the last. This book will be well received by readers who loved The Gown last year, or Beatrice Williams The Golden Hour.

ARC provided by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

**The Queen’s Secret by Karen Harper is a fictional account of The Queen Mother’s life supporting her husband, Bertie, known as King George VI, during WWII. In this account Elizabeth has many secrets that this reader hasn’t encountered as factual in any legitimate biography of the lady or her adversaries, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Artistic license aside, the author has woven these tidbits into an otherwise unremarkable story to, I assume, keep the reader turning pages. The ARC copy received had no bibliography or author notes so it could be that documented evidence will be furnished in the final manuscript. One can only hope. This reader found the book boring and the dialogue stilted. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Usually I like books by author, especially "The Royal Nanny", "The American Duchess", and my favorite "The First Princess." However, this book fell flat. I felt like I was reading the Nation Enquirer. I felt like I had to choose either Team Duke and Duchess of Windsor or Team King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. I felt the author was Team David and Wallis. Every lurid and sensational rumor or scandal. that could be brought up about the Royal family and the Queen Mother was written about here. Furthermore, there was no authors note to address some of these more sensastionlal speculations. There is also no bibliography to read more about the subjects in this novel.
This story begins at the public celebration of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. The Queen Mother begins reminiscing over her long life beginning in Scotland with her large happy family and doting parents and so the the speculations and "secrets" begin. She grows into a beautiful and accomplished young woman and her problems with David, the Prince of Wales begin. Hence my problem with the novel. I understood the first ten times the author brought it up, the next fifty times were not needed. The Queen Mother was a busy woman with a war on. I doubt she spent every minute obsessing over the Windsors raising a family and helping in the war effort and standing by her husband. There was so much to write about Queen Elizabeth for the book to be so repetitive. The author could have trusted the reader not to forget all the "secrets" without being reminded repeatedly.
There were parts of the book that showed real promise and I wish they had been expanded on. The scene between Prince Charles and the Queen Mother. The author was able to show the very real love and affection between them. The scenes of Queen Elizabeth comforting the wounded and her subjects that had been bombed in the East End. These scenes showed her humanity and why her subjects loved her so much. Also, the scenes of the Princess Elizabeth in love and also eager to serve her country. Very good reading. More of this kind of writing would have made this book a more enjoyable read. At least for me. Maybe I am more Team Bertie and Elizabeth. I was given the opportunity to read this book by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The story of the current Queen Elizabeth II mother. The story starts when Elizabeth is 18 and is told by her parents she is actually the daughter of her father and the cook. This shapes her all her life. She meets David (King George who abdicates for Wallis) and falls in love only to be pushed off for others. Bertie (David's brother) proposes to Elizabeth 3 times and she finally accepts building her life with him. Having 2 girls, one of the being Queen Elizabeth II (Lilibet) and Margret. England finds themselves in war with Hilter and Queen Elizabeth is said to be "the most feared women in all of Europe" because people listen to her heart and her opinions. I loved this story as I am a huge fan of European Royal History. Great read with small secrets regarding who Elizabeth truly is.

I loved the concept of this book, but the writing was so poor that I wasn't able to finish it. Too many adjectives, too much historical exposition, stilted dialogue.

This was a fascinating story of the British royalty that I enjoyed very much. The manner in which the writer depicted the characters is fascinating and brings depth to them.

The Queen’s Secret by Karen Harper is a fabulous historical fiction piece focussing on Queen Elizabeth (the wife of King George VI and mother to Queen Elizabeth II). This novel is placed during the years 1939-1945 with many flashbacks to Elizabeth’s youth and earlier marriage years. The novel allows the reader to experience ER’s inner thoughts, dreams, fears, rationales, and musings. This, to me, made the character more realistic, interesting, and relatable.

Being a huge English Monarchy fan myself, I know quite a bit about past and present royalty, but Queen Elizabeth seems to be one of those overlooked modern day royals. I find her fascinating, strong, steadfast, and loyal. I was truly thrilled when I saw that there was going to be a book that was devoted to her.

I thought the author did an amazing job recreating what her thoughts and beliefs would be like if one were to tap into Elizabeth’s stream of consciousness. She was real, she was flawed, she was imperfect, yet loving , supportive, and strong. She was handed many a difficult task, and I feel, held up to the challenge quite well.

I thought the prose was ingenious. There were small one-liners and snippets that were hilarious, caught the reader off-guard, and made me laugh out loud. The author was just superb in creating the inner workings of Queen Elizabeth to what I feel would be what would reflect she might have been thinking at that time. It was great and I loved every moment of it.

5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this amazing ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Thank you again!

An immersive magnificent story about lesser known facts around the royal family. It was easy to read and very informative, with original and bright point of view on multiple topics. I would gladly recommend this book to any history fiction or even memoir loving reader.

The Queen's Secret, by Karen Harper, is a treat for any reader of Historical Fiction. Those that enjoy the lives and secrets of the English Monarchy will be especially intrigued. The Queen Mother, known as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI, is the center of this novel. The setting of the story takes place during WWII. We find Elizabeth speaking of her life and that of her husbands prior to becoming King and Queen, and predominately their rule during the war. Queen Elizabeth, loved and admired by her public, was a rock behind closed doors. She was portrayed as being courageous and brave. A very strong influence and supporter to Bertie (King George VI) and Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England. Her opinions and inputs were respected and valued. We are also introduced to their daughters, Princess' Elizabeth and Margaret.
Elizabeth II being next in line as heir to the throne.

The catch you ask? Elizabeth has a secret. A secret that could make or break the love and trust of her husband, question her loyalty, and risk the respect of the English Monarchy. Elizabeth is an amazing and indispensable asset to the winning and end of the war, but emotionally this secret is plaguing her mind. Read on to see if she reveals her secret and frees herself from deep feelings of anger and guilt, or if she "stays calm and carries on" to protect her husband and the name of English Royalty.

The only thing I would have like to see is an author's note giving reference to what was fact and what portions were fiction.

A special thanks to Netgalley for providing the ARC of The Queen's Secret in turn for my personal review and opinions.

#thequeenssecret
#Netgalley
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The Queen's Secret is well written. Harper does an excellent job with her depiction of the characters. Part of the plot was just too far fetched, even for fiction. I was disappointed there was no author's note at the end, explaining some of the fabrication. This is not one of my favorites by this author.

This historical fiction offering is an exploration of the private life of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Prior to marrying King George VI, she was Elizabeth Bowes Lyon of Scotland. Topics include supposition concerning her birth mother, her relationship with her brother-in-law, King Edward VIII who abdicated, and his wife Wallis Warfield Simpson, and conception of her daughters, Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.

While I realize this is historical fiction, I would have preferred that the author included a few documented details concerning fact v. fiction in an epilogue. My own researched revealed a hint of fact concerning Elizabeth's birth detail. I did not find any information to substantiate her altercation with King Edward VIII or the mostly celibate marriage of Elizabeth and King George.

This book tells the story of the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon through her eyes. I did not know much about Queen Elizabeth's parents other than they were unexpectedly King and Queen due to the abdication of King Edward VIII so he could marry Wallis Simpson. Queen's Secret portrays her as a great support and counselor to her husband Bertie (King George VI) and Winston Churchill as well. The glimpse into the non-public side of the royals was interesting and here Elizabeth was a strong woman who was a vital part in keeping the spirit of the British people up during the horrendous war with Germany. The author does choose to take liberties and presents rumors about the royal family as fact in this book. I think the great thing about historical fiction is the opportunity to research it yourself and separate the truth from the story. The Queen's secret referred to in the title actually ends up being several secrets and my main criticism of the book is the repetitious worries Elizabeth has about all these secrets. Overall, I thought this was an easy and entertaining read.

Royal Family fans and historical fiction readers will be captivated by the latest book by Karen Harper. We follow the story of the Queen Mother through the trials and tribulations of World War II, and the lingering effects of World War I. This book is unique because we rarely see Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons as the main focus in stories about the Royal Family, and she is mostly relegated to a background character. This story is told from her point of view which is shifts from her past, to the present events. We learn about the secrets she has kept from the world, and even her husband King George. Her tumultuous relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and a dark secret about the disgraced former King, is artfully pieced together. The reader is able to take the small clues throughout the story and relate them to Elizabeth's actions. The unveiling of the mysterious events that led to her hatred of the Windsors, makes this a book that readers can't put down. We see the relationship that the Queen Mother forms with the Future Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Winston Churchill, King George, and other famous names through her point of view. This makes the story a new and refreshing take on people so often written about. But finally it is the experience of living through the World War II, beginning to end, through the Elizabeth's lens that really a familiar historical event can be viewed in a new way.

Great insight into the English monarchy. I didn't know much about her and it was a fun way to learn.

The Queen’s Secret is a historical fiction novel told in the voice of Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI (“Bertie”), mother to the future Queen Elizabeth II. It’s the beginning of WWII and Elizabeth, called “the most dangerous woman in Europe,” by Hitler, shares her most intimate struggles and secrets. The story progresses from the early seeds of the war in 1939 until its conclusion in 1945. The plot reads like a detailed diary, complete with dialogue and history.

Unfortunately, this novel fell flat for me on many levels. Despite the novel’s title, the queen has many secrets, not just one. These secrets are revealed early in the story, and were of no shock or surprise to me. The story moved along at a snail’s pace, and the plot did not propel me forward to read more. While I did finish the novel, it took me a long time, relative to how quickly I normally read. On a positive note, I did warm up to the queen and I could appreciate the position she was in. However, there was no element of intrigue or surprise throughout the book. It was a very flat read, as opposed to more compelling stories that have peaks and valleys throughout the course of the story.

Another disappointment was the lack of an author’s note at the end. I always look forward to this at the conclusion of a historical fiction novel. Perhaps it was because I read an uncorrected e-proof, but I always like to read about the author’s research process, which often includes materials and sources for further reading and exploration.

Thank you to NetGalley for the uncorrected e-proof of this book.

One of my favorite things about Karen Harper is that I learn something in every book. It was fascinating to see the king and queen brought to life. The book was believable but lacked intensity. I know it will have a decent following.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I really wanted to like it because I think the idea is interesting. However, the execution just wasn't there for me. I felt like I was being told too much, instead of letting me draw some of my own inferences. The "secrets" seemed to be given away very early in the book (I only made it half-way through). And lastly, I didn't feel like the queen's internal dialogue was very realistic. She didn't seem like the "Most Dangerous Woman in Europe" per the description. Instead she seemed very self-involved, preoccupied with strange things, and one-dimensional. Overall, it just didn't feel believable.

Queen Elizabeth, the wife of George V and mother of the present queen, takes the spotlight in this fictionalized account of World War 2 and the royal family. She is a strong woman who worked behind the scenes to help her husband keep up the morale of their subjects during the worst of the blitz and food rationing, and I enjoyed learning more about what might have inspired her public actions.

However I found the spectation about her private life and her sexuality to be both pointless and offensive. This aspect of the novel has its origin in a questionable and scandalous biography published shortly after Elizabeth's death. Supposedly she was first infatuated with George's older brother, the Duke of Windsor, and a humiliating scene of sexual rejection caused her to be frigid and her children were conceived via artificial insemination. She revisits her rejection over and over and each time the reader is given a few more pieces until there is finally a full description.

This would have been a much better book without the unnecessary scandal and titillation.

Overall I enjoyed this book because I like historical fiction, especially ones set in WWII. There were a number of plot points about the Queen Mother's personal life that didn't seem plausible. It appears the author included in her research a rather sensationalistic biography that I'm not sure was entirely accurate. If the reader can suspend disbelief about these plot points and enjoy the book as a work of fiction, they will find a well written story about a fascinating figure that I am personally inspired to read more about.