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Review: "In A Treacherous Court" by Michelle Diener


From Goodreads:  An unconventional woman. A deadly enemy. A clash of intrigue, deception, and desire. . . . 1525: Artist Susanna Horenbout is sent from Belgium to be Henry VIII’s personal illuminator inside the royal palace. But her new homeland greets her with an attempt on her life, and the King’s most lethal courtier, John Parker, is charged with keeping her safe. As further attacks are made, Susanna and Parker realize that she unknowingly carries the key to a bloody plot against the throne. For while Richard de la Pole amasses troops in France for a Yorkist invasion, a traitor prepares to trample the kingdom from within.Who is the mastermind? Why are men vying to kill the woman Parker protects with his life? With a motley gang of urchins, Susanna’s wits, and Parker’s fierce instincts, honed on the streets and in palace chambers, the two slash through deadly layers of deceit in a race against time. For in the court of Henry VIII, secrets are the last to die. . . .

My Thoughts:  This book was so not my cup of tea.  There is very little character development and entire story consists of the two main characters getting attacked every other page.  It was to the point of being ridiculous.  It also felt like the story began right in the middle, there was no introduction to what was going on, you were just dropped into the middle of some action and forced to figure it out from there.  The romance was extremely predictable and the ending was in complete opposition to the whole 'uncover the plot and save the king' aspect to the story.  I picked up this book a couple of times at the library before finally reading it and I really should have listened to my initial instincts.  As a huge fan of historical fiction, I was very disappointed in this book.  2 stars.
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