Roses Have Thorns

Name: Roses Have Thorns
Rating: 4.5 (1377 reviews)

by Sandra Byrd Book 3 in the Tudor Ladies in Waiting series.

First published 2013

Amazon

4.5(1,377)

Swedish noblewoman Helena Snakenborg arrives in England with Princess Cecilia’s entourage and remains to serve Elizabeth I. Her marriage to William Parr gives her rank at court, but widowhood and a later attachment to Thomas Gorges must be negotiated under a queen who closely controls the marriages and loyalties of her attendants.

Helena’s long service unfolds amid Elizabeth’s succession problem, religious division, the captivity of Mary, Queen of Scots and recurrent fears of conspiracy. The novel follows a documented courtier under her own identity while reconstructing private conversations and motives, presenting Christian fidelity, marriage and friendship as sources of integrity within an atmosphere of royal suspicion.

Historical Periods

Captivity of Mary, Queen of Scots in England1568–1587 CE Elizabethan Privy Chamber and Court Society1565–1603

Genres

Biographical Fiction Christian Fiction Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction Historical Sagas Romance

Historical people

Elizabeth I1533–1603 Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester1532–1588 Mary, Queen of Scots1542–1587 Helena Snakenborg1548/1549–1635 Thomas Gorges1536–1610 William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton1513–1571