Review: The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley

Title: The Royal Secret

Author: Lucinda Riley

Published: May 2019, Atria Books (first published July 2000)

Format: ARC E-copy, 528 pages

Source: Netgalley via Publisher

Summary: 

Note to readers: In the UK, this book is published under the title The Love Letter.

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 thoughts: It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Lucinda Riley. I have read/listened to quite a few of her books, including her The Seven Sisters series. She is such an amazing author and I am always captivated by the stories and characters. And this latest one is no exception.

I will admit that this one appealed to me not only because of the author, but because it had that “royal” element to it. I am such a fan of anything to do with the royals and this one certainly did not disappoint. While that was just one small bit to the overall story, it did add a thrilling aspect to the story-line as there were secrets that someone was willing to keep hidden at all costs.

As usual, the characters were completely engaging and I fell in love with them and was completely invested in each of their stories. There were the characters that right off the bat, you loved and rooted for all the way through, and then there were those that you just knew were no good, and then there were those that you questioned. I loved this…I love when character’s motivations aren’t quite as black and white right away.

I loved that this book had a little bit of everything – action, espionage, romance, history and secrets – and while the book is quite a chunkster, it moves at such a pace that you quickly find yourself completely immersed and involved, and those pages fly by. This is a bit of a departure from what I’ve read before from Lucinda Riley, but I loved it just the same. She is an author I trust and I will recommend her time and again. I definitely urge you to pick up a book of hers…give this one a try, you won’t be sorry!