***SEE THE END OF THIS POST FOR DETAILS ON GIVEAWAY***
Title: To Die For
Author:Sandra Byrd
Series:Ladies in Waiting, Book One
Publisher:Howard Books
Publication Date:August 9,2011
Pages:352
Source:Publisher For HFVBT Review| My FTC Disclaimer
Purchase:Amazon | Barnes And Noble| ChristianBook.com| Books*A*Million
Rating:
Synopsis:
What would you sacrifice for your best friend? Would you die for her?
Meg Wyatt has been Anne Boleyn’s closest friend ever since they grew up together on neighboring manors in Kent. So when twenty-five-year-old Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes Meg along for the ride.
Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling…at first. Meg is made mistress of Anne’s wardrobe, and she enjoys the spoils of this privileged orbit and uses her influence for good. She is young and beautiful and in favor; everyone at court assumes that being close to her is being close to Anne.
But favor is fickle and envy is often laced with venom. As Anne falls, so does Meg, and it becomes nearly impossible for her to discern ally from enemy. Suddenly life’s unwelcome surprises rub against court’s sheen to reveal the tarnished brass of false affections and the bona fide gold of those are true. Both Anne and Meg may lose everything. When your best friend is married to fearsome Henry VIII, you may soon find yourself not only friendless but headless as well.
A rich alchemy of fact and fiction, To Die For chronicles the glittering court life, the sweeping romance, and the heartbreaking fall from grace of a forsaken queen and Meg, her closest companion, who was forgotten by the ages but who is destined to live on in our hearts forever.
Author Bio:
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd persevered and has now published more than three dozen books. Her adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, was widely acclaimed, and was followed by two more books in the series. Her most recent 4-book young adult fiction series is London Confidential. Publishing her Tudor Series, beginning with Book 1, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, is a lifelong dream come true.
A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra is also an accomplished non-fiction writer and author. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications and periodicals. Sandra is also passionate about helping new writers develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self publication. As such, she has mentored hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.
Sandra resides in Washington State with her husband Michael, a chaplain, their two children, and a circus dog named Brie.
My Review:
Fantastic. Simply fascinating. I got hooked on novels about history and Anne Boleyn, last year, when fellow blogger (thank you Michelle!) introduced me to them. I’ve been a lover of these novels since. But, to me, what’s even more intriguing about this book is that it’s written by a Christian fiction author. Sandra Byrd is superbly talented in all she does, both with this wonderful historical novel that grips the reader and hooks them instantly, and with her previously published works.
To Die For. Wow. That’s a title. What, or rather whom, would you die for? That’s a question that ran through my mind through out the entire time of reading this novel. An interesting story of Meg and Anne, growing up best friends, but then having total opposite out comes in life and love. Watching as Meg has the chance to stay connected to her best friend, Anne, and watching the downward spiral of Ms. Bolyen, well, that is phenomenal. There were so many facts woven into this incredibly amazing story.
I truly loved the take that Ms. Byrd took with this novel. Yes, it’s once again about Anne Boelyn and that cad Henry the VIII, but this is more moving, especially since it’s told from Meg’s point of view. It’s a mix of suspense, love, friendship, and honor. Totally captivating! The way Ms. Byrd brought forth the Christian aspect in England’s tudor era was vividly stunning.
I highly recommend this incredible novel with a high 5-Book rating. I turned the pages long into the night as I just couldn’t put it down. A book like this will normally take me 3 or 4 days, but this one…this one I had to devour in less than 2 days. It was just THAT good. If you love historical fiction and the tudor era, please don’t hesitate to pick up a copy of this amazing book.
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The Giveaway:
Thanks to the author, I have one copy of this book to giveaway in the US, CAN, UK, AUS & NZ only. All entries MUST include an email address.Giveaway ends September 2nd@1159pmESTMandatory entry: Leave a comment on this posting listing your choices (in order of preference!).Bonus entries (MUST BE IN SEPARATE COMMENTS):
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