The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: May 21, 2019
Source: Publisher for an honest review
Source: Publisher for an honest review
In this suspenseful and heart-pounding novel from New York
Times bestselling author Lucinda Riley, an ambitious young journalist unravels
a dangerous mystery that threatens to devastate the British monarchy.
Keeping secrets is a dangerous game.
When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his
generation, passes away at the age of ninety-five, he leaves behind not just a
heartbroken family but also a secret so shocking, it could rock the English
establishment to its core.
Joanna Haslam, an up-and-coming reporter, is assigned to
cover the legendary actor’s funeral, attended by glitzy celebrities of every background.
But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a
letter James Harrison has left behind—the contents of which many have been
desperate to keep concealed for over seventy years. As she peels back the veil
of lies that has shrouded the secret, she realizes that she’s close to
uncovering something deadly serious—and the royal family may be implicated.
Before long, someone is on her tracks, attempting to prevent her from
discovering the truth. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before
she does.
Full of salacious scandal, shocking twists, and captivating
romance, and written in Lucinda Riley’s signature “vividly drawn and lushly
atmospheric” (RT Book Reviews) prose, The Royal Secret is “a full-throttle
escapist adventure” (Lancashire Evening Post).
My Take:
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from The Royal Secret,
but the description of the novel definitely intrigued me. I liked the main character,
Joana Haslam, a young reporter on her way up. Her life is a bit of a mess due
to a break up, but she is smart, funny and tenacious.
I really liked the set up the big mystery – famous actor James
Harrison dies and Joanna is tasked with covering the funeral and is sitting
next to a little old lady who has a strange and seemingly serious physical
reaction during the service. Joanna, being a generally nice person, helps her
to a cab and makes sure she gets home. Then a letter which points to a big
mystery/scandal arrives at her work from the little old woman – who then dies
in a suspicious manner before Joanna can talk with her about it. And things
just get more complicated and interesting from there.
Joanna follows up on the letter because she is a journalist and
she just can’t let things go. The trail is long and winding and goes in some
unexpected directions. I enjoyed the novel and had such a fun time finally
finding out the big royal mystery. There are lots of interesting characters,
lots of intrigue and some fun spy action. There are some tragedies and so many secrets. Everyone is not exactly
who they seem at first and things get complicated.
Overall, I would say that The Royal Secret is a fast-paced
and enjoyable read. There were a couple of plot points that I’m just kind of
so-so on, but as a whole, I enjoyed the book and can recommend it. I think The
Royal Secret makes a great summer read.
About the author:
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career
as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged
twenty-four. Her books have been translated into over thirty five languages and
sold fifteen million copies worldwide. She is a Sunday Times and New York Times
bestseller.
Lucinda is currently writing The Seven Sisters series, which
tells the story of adopted sisters and is based allegorically on the mythology
of the famous star constellation. The first five books, The Seven Sisters, The
Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister, The Pearl Sister and The Moon Sister have all
been No.1 bestsellers across the world, and the rights to a multi-season TV
series have already been optioned by a Hollywood production company.
FIND LUCINDA RILEY ONLINE:
Website: http://www.lucindariley.com
Twitter: @lucindariley
Facebook: @Lucindarileyauthor
