To Die For by Sandra Byrd

Synopsis:~

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.

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.

My take:~

From a contemporary rom com series to an indepth historical Tudor novel seems like quite a stretch for many a writer but Sandra Byrd manages it with delightful ease. To Die For is the retelling of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, wife to the volatile Henry VIII, as narrated by her closest friend, Meg Wyatt. Beautifully told, with attention to historical detail and cultural dialogue, this is a story that is intriguing and compelling. Meg's perspective of her friend's rise to power and her own developing story, as she struggles with the restrictions on women of the time and a heartbreaking love, are equally enjoyable. Sandra immerses the reader in Henry's court with all its seething suspicion and back room politics and the unimaginable lengths the he would go to in order to follow his passions and desperate desire for a legitimate male heir. To Die For heralds Sandra Byrd's triumphant entry into historical fiction and will appeal to aficiondos of Tudor novels and anyone who loves a great story.

With thanks to Howard for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Let Them Eat Cake and Bon Appetit
Character spotlight on Lexi Stuart
Interview with Sandra
Visit Sandra's website (well worth checking out for your daughters too!) and blog
Buy Sandra's books at Amazon and Koorong