Review + Giveaway - To Die For by Sandra Byrd

TITLE:    To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn

AUTHOR:    Sandra Byrd
INFO:    Paperback, Historical Fiction, 325 pages
PUBLISHED:   Howard Books, 2011

SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

 

 To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne’s favor rises and falls, so does Meg’s. And though she’s pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love—and her own life—because of it.

FROM GOODREADS:   

 
Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.
 
Though much of Meg’s story is fictionalized, it is drawn from known facts. The Wyatt family and the Boleyn family were neighbors and friends, and perhaps even distant cousins. Meg’s brother, Thomas Wyatt, wooed Anne Boleyn and ultimately came very close to the axe blade for it. Two Wyatt sisters attended Anne at her death, and at her death, she gave one of them her jeweled prayer book—Meg.

MY TAKE:    Anne Boleyn has been a subject of fascination for me for many years.  I tend to read any new book that comes along relating to her or the Tudor dynasty.  To Die For is the newest addition to this sub-genre of historical fiction.  It has earned 4.5 Jewels from me as well as a prominent place on my personal library's keeper shelf.

Sandra Byrd has taken the well documented historical figure of Anne Boleyn and given us a completely fresh new look at her life.  Told in the voice of Anne's childhood and life-long friend Meg Wyatt, we get a different perspective of what their life may have been like.  The author seamlessly blends the historical facts into a fictional tale of friendship, love and loyalty. The realistic dialogue and interaction between characters such as Meg and Anne as well as with their brothers added a very human touch to the politics and intrigues of life at court.  We see into the horrible, grasping Edmund as well as the loving dreamer, Thomas.  Our peek into the Wyatts' life at home with a dying mother and a hard-hearted father helps us see how everyone is at the mercy of the King and his whims, no matter how far away from society they might be.

Meg's thoughts and observations add much color and humanity to this story of the ages.  While we know much of the facts surrounding their tale, it was enjoyable to get lost in a version that may have been. I admit that I couldn't put it down until I was completely finished with this engrossing book. 

The book includes some great extras with a reading group guide and an author Q & A. 

You can learn more about Sandra Byrd and her books by visiting her website or finding her on Facebook.  To Die For is the first book in Ms. Byrd's new Ladies In Waiting series.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

TO PURCHASE A COPY:   Amazon or The Book Depository
Check out the Full Tour Schedule to see what the other tour hosts thought of To Die For.

Sandra Byrd and Amy from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours are generously offering one reader a chance to win their own copy of To Die For.  Thank you ladies!

• Open to residents of US, CAN, UK, AUS & NZ. 
• Must be at least 13 years old.
• Leave a comment with your name and email address
• Contest ends 8/23 at midnight PST.
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email.

 
~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.