Think of all the beloved investigative couples you’ve ever watched or read about. A few  titles come to mind immediately; The Avenger’s, Moonlighting, Remington Steel, Hart to Hart and JD Robb’s In Death book series. Now we can add a new couple; Susanna Horenbout and John Parker. The difference? This is set during Henry VIII’s reign, the Tudor period. Susanna is a commissioned artist and is based on a real life person of that time. John Parker is a respected member of court and also based off of a real person of that time. Entirely fiction, I find the fact that these people actually lived to be extremely intriguing.
Michelle Diener’s Keeper of the King’s Secrets is the second novel to feature Susanna and John. Her first novel, In A Treacherous Court, introduces them to the reader and to each other. The books are historical intrigue with enough romance to keep any romance reader satisfied.
In Keeper of the King’s Secrets Susanna is attacked by a dear friend of her father. She is left confused, afraid and needing to find out what’s happened. In the meantime John is following intrigues of his own, but it is when these two team up that sparks fly and pages turn!
Diener’s writing style is beautiful, to the point, vivid and exciting. This author is one to watch if you love the likes of Philippa Gregory or Anne Easter Smith. The characters are going to hook you first, and the intrigue will keep you turning the pages.
