Interested in more opinions of The Gown?  Follow along on its book tour, organized by TLC Book Tours, by clicking on the following links:

Monday, December 31st: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Wednesday, January 2nd: Instagram: @my_book_journey_

Wednesday, January 2nd: 5 Minutes For Books

Thursday, January 3rd: As I turn the pages

Thursday, January 3rd: Bloggin' 'Bout Books

Friday, January 4th: Into the Hall of Books

Friday, January 4th: Laura's Reviews

Monday, January 7th: BookNAround

Monday, January 7th: InkyMoments

Tuesday, January 8th: Jessicamap Reviews

Wednesday, January 9th: Instagram: @giuliland

Thursday, January 10th: A Chick Who Reads

Friday, January 11th: Lindsay's Book Reviews

Monday, January 14th: Instagram: @ciannereads

Tuesday, January 15th: Instagram: @sjwonderlandz

Tuesday, January 15th: Based on a True Story

Wednesday, January 16th: Always With a Book

Wednesday, January 16th: Instagram: @tbretc

Thursday, January 17th: Instagram: @somekindofalibrary

Thursday, January 17th: Doing Dewey

Thursday, January 17th: Instagram: @theunreadshelf

Friday, January 18th: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, January 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Sweden's Princess Cecelia sails for England in 1565, she takes along an entourage of servants, including her favorite ladies-in-waiting.  Among these is 17-year-old Elin von Snakenborg, a redheaded beauty longing for a change of scenery.  Elin leaves behind a fiancé who's recently fallen for her sister and a dowry that's been gambled away to almost nothing.  With little to draw her back to Sweden, she decides to stay in England, pledging her services to Queen Elizabeth I.  As a foreigner, Elin's received a bit coolly by the other ladies, but it doesn't take her long to bond with the queen.  Thanks to an advantageous marriage,  Elin soon receives the title of Marchioness, making her the highest-ranking woman in all of England (save the queen).  As such, she is able to be more to the monarch than just a maid—she's now a friend, someone Queen Elizabeth depends on, confides in, and trusts.  

Even as a married woman, Elin finds life at court exciting.  The daily gossip always sizzles with tales of romance, deceit and treason.  Enemies constantly threaten the queen, vying for a chance to seize her throne.  As Elizabeth deals with danger—both from within her borders and without—she relies on her ladies-in-waiting to comfort, support and distract her.  Elin fills her role faithfully, doing everything she can to serve the queen she loves.  But when problems within her own home arise, Elin questions whether her loyalty to Elizabeth will cost her more than she's willing to give.  Can she save her marriage, even if it means defying the most powerful woman in the land?  And does she really want to, especially now that she's not sure she can trust her own husband?  In a country already swarming with danger and deception, Elin must decide where her true fealty lies—before her own neck ends up on the chopping block.

Roses Have Thorns, the third book in Sandra Byrd's Ladies in Waiting series, continues the story of England's Tudor queens, as told through the eyes of the women who were closest to them.  Like To Die For and The Secret Keeper, the newest volume in the series brings historic England to vivid life using painstaking period detail as well as a richly-imagined scenes between the principal characters.  Still, while the constant turmoil caused by real, historically-accurate events provides plenty of background tension, the main storyline sags a bit in the middle, growing dull before it picks up again toward the end.  Byrd writes well, but my interest in Elin's plight definitely waxed and waned, depending on the pacing of the plot.  Overall, though, I found Roses Have Thorns to be a rich, poignant examination of love, loyalty and the life lessons we can all glean from the world's very turbulent history.  

(Readalikes:  To Die For and The Secret Keeper by Sandra Byrd; also reminds me of The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner and Nefertiti by Michelle Moran)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for violence and very mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Roses Have Thorns from the generous folks at Howard Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) via those at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.  Thank you! 

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Now for the fun part -- you can win your very own copy of Roses Have Thorns.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me which historical time period is your favorite to read about.  I will also need an email address so I can contact you if you win.  Easy peasy, right?  The giveaway will end on April 22nd at midnight.  Good luck!