The Royal Secret

Author: Lucinda Riley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Atria
First Published: May 21, 2019 (originally published in 2000 as The Love Letter)
Opening Lines: "

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: The Royal Secret focuses on the scandalous lives of some of London's elite - lives filled with secrets, romance, espionage and mystery. It was this premise, and the author's name (I adored her earlier book, The Midnight Rose), that prompted me to request an advanced copy of this book. But while the story promises a delightfully salacious royal scandal and long-held secrets, my feelings for the book are a little more complicated than I had anticipated.

The plot meanders through the lives of numerous characters that are weaved together in varying degrees of success and interest. Unfortunately, the narrative soon becomes convoluted with extraneous side plots which left me feeling like I never quite connected to the story or characters. I strongly believe the book could have benefited with a hearty edit because it loses much of its impact due to its excessive length. The plot, that had its compelling moments, unfortunately concluded with story lines becoming more and more far-fetched, making this book fall into the 'just an okay read' pile for this reader. 

In the end, this was a decent read with good intrigue that held my interest in varying degrees but, ultimately not as engaging as I had hoped. Readers who enjoy a bigger tale with lots of characters and are willing to accept a neat and tidy ending, will probably enjoy this book more than I did. 

Note: Author originally published this book in 2000 as The Love Letter. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.