Review 83. Michelle Diener - Keeper of the King's secret.

Title:Keeper of the King's secret.
Author: Michelle Diener.
Pages: 304.
Published: April 3rd 2012.
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 1439197091 (ISBN13: 9781439197097)
Sort: Part two of 'Susanna Horenbout and John Parker.'
Review Part 1: In a treacherous court.
Source: I received a copy from the author for a honest review.

A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high.. The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prison—and then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

After my first meeting with Diener's work, I couldn't wait to dive into this book. I wasn't disappointed. From the first page I was hooked to Susanna's story and there is more than enough action to keep it fast-paced and interesting 'till the end.

Summary.
Susanna is attacked by Jens, an old friend of her family. This activates a chain of events she never suspected. Jens was working for Wolsey and now the Mirror of Napels - one of the King's favorite piece of jewelery - is gone. The keeper of the jewelery suspects it's Wolsey's work, but there are more people on the hunt.

An assassin is on the move and he wants to silence everybody; Jens is his first victim and he's after Susanna now. It's up to Parker and Susanna to get the Mirror back, but it won't be easy. When Susanna must make a dangerous choice to safe Parker, it seems like they are too deep in the conspiracy to return. Can they keep the love of their King and are they clever enough to survive?

Opinion.
Fans of the first book, like me, will love this continuing story about Susanna and Parker. I like Susanna's spirit. She won't shy away from some action and she will do anything to keep Parker safe. It's nice to see a heroin who can act smart and she has a nice temper. Parker is protective over Susanna, but it's great that he also needs her. He is intelligent and strong. The King has chosen a great man in him. He is trustworthy.
The side characters in this book are well-done. Wolsey plays a big role and he was exactly as I imagined him. Always trying to keep the King's love in order to gain more power; to achieve his ambition to become a Pope some day.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly suggest you read them in order. It's easy to follow, but you would miss the development of their relationship. There are also certain people they hate and that's because of some events in the first book.