Customer Reviews

TO SHIELD THE QUEEN (Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Coming from the perspective of a junior in high school taking British Literature, To Shield The Queen by Fiona Buckley was a fascinating as well as enlightening novel. The book is set in 1560 England under the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The story focuses on Ursula Blanchard, a recently widowed young mother who accepts employment in the Queen's court as a Lady of the Presence chamber. It quickly becomes apparent to her, as well as to the rest of the court, that the Queen is romantically interested in her Master of Horse, Sir Robin Dudley. Unfortunately, Sir Robin is still married, although Lady Dudley is very ill. To terminate any rumors that may be circulating around court, Ursula is sent by the Queen to take care of Lady Dudley. As events play out, Lady Dudley is mysteriously found dead at the bottom of the stairs after she sent all her servants away for the day. The ensuing chase by Ursula to find out the true circumstances surrounding Lady Dudley's death (murder?) leads her on a pursuit all over England. To complicate matters further, during her stay with Lady Dudley Ursula has fallen for a man who very well may be supporting the removal of Queen Elizabeth from the throne to replace her with a Catholic monarch.
As this novel progressed, I became more and more impressed with the unusual strength of character that Ursula embodied. I was very surprised to read a novel set in the 16th century with a woman as a main character who was strong-willed, determined, making her own decisions, and taking care of herself; this view of women presented by Fiona Buckley was very refreshing and appreciated. For someone who usually doesn't enjoy historical literature, To Shield The Queen was a welcome exception; as opposed to dry, monotonous writing, this novel had a plot with twists at every corner and an ending that I would never have expected. Fiona Buckley never let historical inaccuracies slip into the story while creating her novel, and that extra touch shines through in her writing. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries or historical novels - it is a great story!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was an interesting account of the events of that time and it was nice that a historical fiction novel actually expected you to know a little bit of history in order to fully understand the book. Ursula was a highly likable character who proved to be interesting as well. This was a fun story and I can definitely allow Ms. Buckley a few liberties and imaginings of the true accounts of this bit of history. I can't wait to read further books in the series.

The first in a series of mysteries by British author Fiona Buckley, set in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. If you loved the movie ELIZABETH, you'll love this series.
Ursula Blanchard, a recently widowed woman, must leave her young daughter in the care of a servant and make her own way in the world as a lady in waiting to young Queen Elizabeth I. At court she finds herself encountering intrigue at every turn and is soon offered an opportunity to serve the Queen and earn some extra funds which she can use to support her young daughter. Rumors abound that nobleman Robin Dudley is having an affair with the Queen, and that he is poisoning his wife to free him from his marriage. Ursula must go to his home to protect Dudley's name, and through him the Queen's. But once Ursula arrives, she begins to have doubts, especially after the warnings she receives. Is there something to the rumors? And if so, is Dudley the one behind them, or is there something even more dangerous and sinister afoot?

If you know your Tudor history, you're going to love this series. It's full of people, places and customs of the period, very well researched. Even the central mystery of the plot is based on fact, like all of Fiona Buckley's books. There's a subtlety to the plot, and a great deal of political and religious intrigue mixed in. It's quite rich and pleasantly complex.

What I most enjoyed was the detailed account of the daily life of a gentlewoman. There seem to be a lot of books about daily life of the working class and peasants, many more on the life of the nobles. What you don't often see are the middle class, which is what makes Ursula Blanchard such an interesting heroine. She is caught between the two classes, at the mercy of the nobles and trapped in their plots and games, yet high enough that she can be a player (or pawn) in those same games.

This is a great start to a very intriguing series.

A recent widow with a small child to support, Ursula Blanchard is fortunate to catch the attention of Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State to the new queen, Elizabeth, only eighteen months on the throne. Cecil finds a position for Ursula as one of Elizabeth's Ladies of the Presence Chamber, assuring a monthly income, although the young widow remains in dire financial straights. The court is currently rife with rumors of a romance between Sir Robert Dudley and Elizabeth, not the least of which is the matter of Dudley's wife, Amy, who is ill and isolated at their estate at Cumnor. When gossip insinuates a threat to Amy's life, so that Robert will be free to marry the Queen, Elizabeth and Dudley enjoin Ursula to go to Amy and assure her of their concern for their safety. Ursula agrees to the task, leaving behind a gentleman seeking to win her favor, Matthew de la Roche.

Amy Dudley is indeed pitiful, distraught at the loss of her husband's affections and suffering from what her physician has diagnosed as a terminal illness. Sympathetic to the young woman's plight, Ursula wins Amy's trust, reexamining Dudley and the Queen's motives for sending her on the mission. Certainly, strange comings and goings on the estate warrant suspicion as court rumors infiltrate even Cumnor. Unfortunately, Ursula cannot prevent the inevitable. When Amy suffers an "accident" that takes her life, it is impossible to determine the cause and Ursula reevaluates her position as servant or pawn to the Queen. Her own man killed while on a journey to deliver a vital message, Ursula sets out to find his murderers, at the same time stumbling upon a plot to challenge Elizabeth's throne.

Elizabeth's reign draws gossip by its very nature, as suitors and sycophants gather, currying royal favor and jockeying for power. Anyone close to the Queen is a target for malicious scheming and Dudley is no exception, a threat to others who would have the Queen's favor. With the best of intentions, the honorable Ursula is caught in a conundrum not of her making, doing the Queen's bidding yet unable to protect Amy Dudley from her fate. Her own future in jeopardy, Ursula is at the core of the scandal caused by Amy's death, faced with decisions that will not only determine her future happiness but influence the direction of the country. Luan Gaines/2006.

I picked up this book as a quick read over a holiday and was happily surprised to find the author an accomplished novelist. Her simple explanations of the intriquisies of the Elizabethian court were purely amazing, bring the court life to life in a vivid and fun fashion. And the author is to be commended on her use of 'devices'. It is easy to write a modern mystery, complete with wire taps, phone scanners,and high speed chases in fancy cars. Fiona Buckly showcases her brilliant mind as she keeps the heroine firmly in the character of an Elizabethian lady who uses her powers of reason and the drama of stealth to overhear conversations.Instead of a fancy car the heroine has a flashy bay horse, and the slow speed chase on horseback lurking over hill and dale in the English countryside following a notable horse was absolutly facinating. I compleatly enjoyed TO SHIELD THE QUEEN, and will begin searching for other books by Fiona Buckly,hoping that she has continued the adventures of Ursula and her crew.

I found Fiona Buckleys novel extremely entertaining. Not only is the main character believable and realistic, but she is easy to identify with. THis novel sucked me in and I couldn't put it down until I was finished. It left me eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

To Shield the Queen is the first book in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series by Fiona Buckley. Ursula Blanchard had a difficult childhood. She was born out of wedlock and forced into virtual servitude, along with her mother, in her aunt's and uncle's home. Ursula cannot believe her good fortune when her cousin's handsome, wealthy suitor falls in love with her and elopes with her. Unfortunately, Ursula's happiness is all too short lived as her husband dies from illness soon after the birth of their daughter. Ursula cannot bear the thought of returning to her aunt & uncle's house, so she jumps at the chance to serve in court under Queen Elizabeth. However, she soon finds that all of the court gilt and glitter is merely a thin veneer covering the deadly secrets and scandals underneath. All of the court is atwitter over the attraction between the young, unmarried Queen Elizabeth and her master of the horse, Sir Robin Dudley, who is married. Sir Dudley's wife, Amy, is gravely ill and rumors circulate that Sir Dudley and perhaps the Queen herself are trying to kill her. The Queen is aware of the rumors, of course, and sends Ursula to Amy's country residence to watch over her and ensure that she lives as long as her breast cancer will allow.

Amy's is a strange household and Ursula suspects that there is some mischief afoot there. Thus, it is no great to surprise to Ursula to return from the county fair to find Amy dead at the foot of the stairs. Ursula dispatches her man, John Ward, to carry an urgent message to the Queen, but he is murdered on the road. Ursula believes that these seemingly unrelated acts are somehow tied together and courageously sets off to track the owner of a piebald horse throughout the English countryside. There, she uncovers another plot to overthrow the Queen, and the man she loves, Matthew de la Roche, is somehow involved...

I enjoyed the book for the most part, but found that it was a little slow at times. I actually picked the book up and put it down several times so it took me a couple of months to read it instead of the usual couple of days. I found Ursula to be a strong, yet feminine heroine who was faced with terrible decisions in the book, but made her decisions in a logical way. I especially enjoyed seeing Ursula's thought processes as she linked information together and came to conclusions. Quite fascinating era in history, also so there was plenty of action going on and mysteries such as this one may have actually occurred, who knows? Anyway, if you enjoy historical mysteries or are looking for something a bit different to read in between modern mysteries, pick this one up, I think you will enjoy it.

Ursula is a strong, independent woman, but not unrealistically so for her background or position. The mystery is okay, but the characters and depiction of the period kept me involved. Although it dragged a bit at times, Buckley paints a wonderful picture of the life and intrigues of court life. I would read another.

#1 Ursula Blanchard Elizabethan historical mystery. Ursula, recently widowed and left nearly penniless, is given a place at Queen Elizabeth's court and ends up involved in political plots and intrigue when she is sent to attend to Lady Amy Dudley, wife of Sir Robert Dudley--widely known as a favorite of the Queen. Lady Amy is dying of breast cancer--essentially untreatable in that time--and Dudley wants someone there to witness the fact that he does not wish her ill nor is he plotting to kill her so he can be free to wed the Queen.

While Ursula is there, Amy Dudley does die in suspicious circumstances, having fallen down the stairs and broken her neck while the entire household was at the village fair--at Amy's insistence. Then Ursula's servant John Wilton is murdered, and she seeks to follow a lead given her by John with his last breath, and THAT leads her to a possible plot against the Queen herself.

This was a pretty good read, although I am not overly fond of the Elizabethan period having O.D.'d on it a few years back. I read one of the later books in this series a few years ago, and liked it enough to get this first one, intending to read through the series, but it ended up sitting on my shelf for over five years. I am not going to actively seek to continue the series for now, but at some point I probably will do so.

Fiona Buckley brings Elizabeth I's reign to life with all her books. I find myself so caught up in the 16th century's woman spy, Ursula. It's such a unique idea: that of a woman spy in Queen Elizabeth's court. I have always be fascinated by the Elizabethan period, beginning in highschool when I chose Queen Elizabeth as the principal character in my senior year english thesis. I love each of Ms Buckley's books!