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blackngoldgirlsbookspot's review against another edition
5.0
Sandra Byrd has done it again. Just when I thought I couldn't become anymore intrigued by Tudor history she pens another stellar book that makes me want to know more, more, more! Each story in the Ladies in Waiting series, Roses Have Thorns included, has an authentic feel. From clothing, to court life, to dialogue you can't help become immersed in the story and feel as if you are a part of it. The best thing is that not only are historical settings and figures brought to life but romance as well.
From the beginning we follow 17-year-old Elin von Snakenborg from her home in Sweden as a young woman unsure of what her future holds to a mature, married woman with a family. The perils she faces as part of Queen Elizabeth's inner circle mingle with those of her own personal life and one is always left unsure of whether or not Elin, later known as Helena, will find true happiness and love. I for one was a little worried that Helena's husband, who will remain unnamed to prevent spoiling the story, was guilty of cheating but he redeemed himself to become one of my favorite characters in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Roses Have Thorns and I am sad to see this series end. I can't get enough! Drama, romance, history, this book has it all in spades.
*I received a complimentary ARC from the author. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. *
From the beginning we follow 17-year-old Elin von Snakenborg from her home in Sweden as a young woman unsure of what her future holds to a mature, married woman with a family. The perils she faces as part of Queen Elizabeth's inner circle mingle with those of her own personal life and one is always left unsure of whether or not Elin, later known as Helena, will find true happiness and love. I for one was a little worried that Helena's husband, who will remain unnamed to prevent spoiling the story, was guilty of cheating but he redeemed himself to become one of my favorite characters in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Roses Have Thorns and I am sad to see this series end. I can't get enough! Drama, romance, history, this book has it all in spades.
*I received a complimentary ARC from the author. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. *
infosifter's review against another edition
4.0
A light enjoyable read about one of Queen Elizabeth I's ladies in waiting. It is well written and quite a satisfying story
colleenlovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
I reviewed this book for www.luxuryreading.com.
I have read all three books in Sandra Byrd’s Ladies in Waiting series and, while I have really enjoyed them all, Roses Have Thorns was by far my favorite. Being a huge fan of Tudor historical fiction, I was delighted to find a real member of Elizabeth’s court that I had never heard of. The relationship between Helena and Elizabeth is touching and they are presented as having both love and respect for each other. Through Helena’s eyes we see an Elizabeth that is not only smart, haughty and sometimes demanding but one that is compassionate and willing to set her own deep desire for romantic love and children aside for what is best for her country. We get to peek behind the hard mask of royalty to see the sad and lonely flesh and blood woman underneath.
The other aspect of Roses Have Thorns that I enjoyed was Helena’s struggles to juggle her demanding responsibilities at court with her responsibilities to her husband and children. While this is obviously at a different level, I think many working women will be able to see a little bit of themselves in Helena’s struggles and will be able to sympathize with the many sacrifices she will have to make in that ever shifting balance.
Roses Have Thorns hits on many of the tumultuous events surrounding Elizabeth’s reign that so many other books have as well, namely her extended battle with Mary, Queen of Scots, the constant struggle between the Catholic and Protestant factions within England, the continuous pressures to marry and produce an heir and her battle with Spain. What makes the book wholly unique to me is the humanization of the virgin queen and her close relationship with her Swedish lady in waiting. Any fan of historical fiction, especially surrounding the Tudors, will love this.
I have read all three books in Sandra Byrd’s Ladies in Waiting series and, while I have really enjoyed them all, Roses Have Thorns was by far my favorite. Being a huge fan of Tudor historical fiction, I was delighted to find a real member of Elizabeth’s court that I had never heard of. The relationship between Helena and Elizabeth is touching and they are presented as having both love and respect for each other. Through Helena’s eyes we see an Elizabeth that is not only smart, haughty and sometimes demanding but one that is compassionate and willing to set her own deep desire for romantic love and children aside for what is best for her country. We get to peek behind the hard mask of royalty to see the sad and lonely flesh and blood woman underneath.
The other aspect of Roses Have Thorns that I enjoyed was Helena’s struggles to juggle her demanding responsibilities at court with her responsibilities to her husband and children. While this is obviously at a different level, I think many working women will be able to see a little bit of themselves in Helena’s struggles and will be able to sympathize with the many sacrifices she will have to make in that ever shifting balance.
Roses Have Thorns hits on many of the tumultuous events surrounding Elizabeth’s reign that so many other books have as well, namely her extended battle with Mary, Queen of Scots, the constant struggle between the Catholic and Protestant factions within England, the continuous pressures to marry and produce an heir and her battle with Spain. What makes the book wholly unique to me is the humanization of the virgin queen and her close relationship with her Swedish lady in waiting. Any fan of historical fiction, especially surrounding the Tudors, will love this.
truebookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
I think what is best about historical fiction is the opportunity to find out about historical figures we know little or nothing about. This is the case in Sandra Byrd's new book, Roses Have Thorns, where we get to see the story of Elizabeth's Tudor court told from the point of view of Helena, Marchioness of Northampton. Helena comes to England from Sweden as Elin von Snakenborg and soon ingratiates herself with Queen Elizabeth. Helena is a very likable character. I enjoyed her kindness and wit throughout the book. What I liked the most though was the view of the queen through her eyes. Elizabeth is probably my favorite historical figure and the way she is portrayed in this book is how I feel she really might have been. Helena may have been Elizabeth's lady in waiting, but Byrd has portrayed the relationship between them with a light of friendship. This adds real charm and authenticity to the story. We get to experience Elizabeth as a flesh and blood human, not just a figure head. I was so very touched by this quote at the end when Elizabeth dies at the old age of 70:
"I knew she was at peace and with those she best loved: in the embrace of the Lord Jesus, then next, perhaps her Robin, and then finally, finally, resting enfolded in the arms of her mother."
That brought tears to my eyes. To know that you have made your mother so proud of you in what you did in your life and to finally see her again after so many years. I really hope that was true for Elizabeth.
This is the final book in Sandra Byrd's Ladies in Waiting series. I have the other two books (graciously sent to me by Ms. Byrd) and I can't wait to read them, even if I'm reading out of order. Ms. Byrd has a talent for telling a great story and creating characters we care about while preserving the historical details that surround the story. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.
"I knew she was at peace and with those she best loved: in the embrace of the Lord Jesus, then next, perhaps her Robin, and then finally, finally, resting enfolded in the arms of her mother."
That brought tears to my eyes. To know that you have made your mother so proud of you in what you did in your life and to finally see her again after so many years. I really hope that was true for Elizabeth.
This is the final book in Sandra Byrd's Ladies in Waiting series. I have the other two books (graciously sent to me by Ms. Byrd) and I can't wait to read them, even if I'm reading out of order. Ms. Byrd has a talent for telling a great story and creating characters we care about while preserving the historical details that surround the story. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.
blissbooksandjewels's review
4.0
It's been several weeks now since I read Roses Have Thorns, and I'm ashamed to say that I've struggled with writing my review of this book. Sandra is not only a great author, but someone that I now think of as a friend. Perhaps that's why I've...um...slightly avoided writing a review of RHT because I didn't connect with it the way I'd hoped I would.
Compared to the other two books in the Ladies in Waiting series, this novel features a Queen rather than the wife of a king. That alone took some getting used to because, as a reader, I wasn't accustomed to being that close to the decisions made by a leader of a country since the first two books were not told from that viewpoint. However, I felt that I learned a great deal more about the political intrigue that must've been rampant at that time, as well as the willingness of Elizabeth I to be totally and completely devoted to her country rather than finding a husband.
I enjoyed Helena as the viewpoint for the story because she seemed to be a woman with a smart head on her shoulders, and knew when she should speak her opinion and when she should keep silent. While I didn't expect things to turn out the way they did for Helena in regards to marriage, I did appreciate the reality shown here that marriage is not always wedded bliss, and "happily ever after" rarely occurs despite our dreams for such.
But as a whole, there just seemed to be something missing. The only thing I can really attribute it to is lack of emotion. As we all know, Queen Elizabeth never married, but did have one gentleman she was fond of. Because of her devotion to her throne and to England, she squelched her desire to explore anything further with him, and from that point forward, seemed to be "all business." Also, there seemed to be a repetition that I've never experienced in one of Sandra's reads, and as a result, it took me longer to finish RHT than it did to finish To Die For and The Secret Keeper combined.
It pains me to no end that this was not as enjoyable of a read for me because Sandra has been one of my favorite authors for many years now, and this is the first book that hasn't received 5 stars from me. By no means will it stop me from reading more of her books, and I think I'll look back on this one as a blip on the radar because I know she's got more great books in store. :o)
Compared to the other two books in the Ladies in Waiting series, this novel features a Queen rather than the wife of a king. That alone took some getting used to because, as a reader, I wasn't accustomed to being that close to the decisions made by a leader of a country since the first two books were not told from that viewpoint. However, I felt that I learned a great deal more about the political intrigue that must've been rampant at that time, as well as the willingness of Elizabeth I to be totally and completely devoted to her country rather than finding a husband.
I enjoyed Helena as the viewpoint for the story because she seemed to be a woman with a smart head on her shoulders, and knew when she should speak her opinion and when she should keep silent. While I didn't expect things to turn out the way they did for Helena in regards to marriage, I did appreciate the reality shown here that marriage is not always wedded bliss, and "happily ever after" rarely occurs despite our dreams for such.
But as a whole, there just seemed to be something missing. The only thing I can really attribute it to is lack of emotion. As we all know, Queen Elizabeth never married, but did have one gentleman she was fond of. Because of her devotion to her throne and to England, she squelched her desire to explore anything further with him, and from that point forward, seemed to be "all business." Also, there seemed to be a repetition that I've never experienced in one of Sandra's reads, and as a result, it took me longer to finish RHT than it did to finish To Die For and The Secret Keeper combined.
It pains me to no end that this was not as enjoyable of a read for me because Sandra has been one of my favorite authors for many years now, and this is the first book that hasn't received 5 stars from me. By no means will it stop me from reading more of her books, and I think I'll look back on this one as a blip on the radar because I know she's got more great books in store. :o)
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"Roses Have Thorns" is another great historical fiction pick from Sandra Byrd. It's told from the perspective of Elin, who comes from Sweden as part of a royal delegation and is left behind. She works her way through the court of Queen Elizabeth I to become one of Elizabeth's most treasured ladies-in-waiting. This isn't my first Byrd book and I continued to like the way that she tells a story. She really knows how to keep you engaged. The historical
I absolutely love reading about the court of Elizabeth. She is one of my very favorite historical figures to read about. She seems to have sort of a different favor in every book that I read about her and I love seeing all of the different facets.
Because Elin becomes such a close confidant to Elizabeth, we get a really good picture of who Elizabeth was as a person and as a friend. Elin is a great narrator and I thought that it was really cool that Byrd based it off of a real woman as she states in her author's note at the end of the book. As Byrd points out, there are a lot of people that think that Elizabeth wasn't good friends with any woman so Byrd was intrigued by this Elin who not only was one of the ladies-in-waiting but a close friend I don't mind made-up characters but I think it's always interesting to hear stories about real people. I really enjoyed seeing things from Elin's perspective.
Elin herself is a really interesting character. She is smart and savvy. She also has a way with herbs that I really enjoyed reading about her skills as it is something that I'm interested in.
Bottom line: This book is definitely another good historical fiction book!
I absolutely love reading about the court of Elizabeth. She is one of my very favorite historical figures to read about. She seems to have sort of a different favor in every book that I read about her and I love seeing all of the different facets.
Because Elin becomes such a close confidant to Elizabeth, we get a really good picture of who Elizabeth was as a person and as a friend. Elin is a great narrator and I thought that it was really cool that Byrd based it off of a real woman as she states in her author's note at the end of the book. As Byrd points out, there are a lot of people that think that Elizabeth wasn't good friends with any woman so Byrd was intrigued by this Elin who not only was one of the ladies-in-waiting but a close friend I don't mind made-up characters but I think it's always interesting to hear stories about real people. I really enjoyed seeing things from Elin's perspective.
Elin herself is a really interesting character. She is smart and savvy. She also has a way with herbs that I really enjoyed reading about her skills as it is something that I'm interested in.
Bottom line: This book is definitely another good historical fiction book!
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