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Fiona Buckley continues her Elizabethan mysteries with A Deadly Betrothal in which Ursula Blanchard, occasional agent for the queen, must untangle murders within her home circle of friends while counselling Queen Elizabeth, her half sister, about her marriage to the Duke of Alencon. Highly interesting deadly intrigues at home and at court intertwine in unexpected ways. Excellent reading.

'A Deadly Bethrothal' is the fifteenth book in the Ursula Blanchard murder-mystery series, though each story can be taken as a standalone story in its own right, so it is not necessary to have read the others first. The plot takes the usual form of mysterious murders and clues for both the protagonist and the readers to follow and solve, though with something of an inevitability about them from the off. The lead character, Ursula Stannard, is something of an enigma - she appears too modern at times to be a lady of the Tudor period and there is something a little infuriating at times in her incessant need to disregard orders and plough on ahead into murky waters, no matter the danger to herself and her close companions. She definitely has something of a superior attitude at times which makes it a little hard to warm completely to her character.
The pace of the novel is jaunty enough and jogs along smoothly, with a good mix of period detail and time to engage with a range of characters, though there is a seemingly unnecessary need to repeat several pieces of information over and over again, which just serves to ruin an otherwise solid piece of writing.
In this storyline, Ursula is investigating the mysterious disappearance and possible death of a teenager and one of his older relatives, whilst mixed in with this is more mystery surrounding the complex and volatile matters relating to the possible marriage of Elizabeth I and Alencon to form an alliance with France. The country and the court are divided in their opinions here and it is causing serious disquiet and possible dangerous consequences for some members of the court - another thing that fills Ursula's time and efforts. She must think and work quickly to solve the mysteries and keep the queen happy at the same time, something this is harder than it seems.
For lovers of mystery, murders and historical novels, this novel is worth a perusal and will prove a quick and fairly entertaining read.

Over all, A Deadly Betrothal is another well written installment of author Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard Mysteries. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of the series, then no worries. You can easily start here and work your way back or forward. There is enough mystery and twists in order to keep you engaged with the story and the characters are filled out from their historical places into their well formed shapes. I enjoy a good historical fiction story and a murder mystery even more so. Unfortunately, Buckley decided to introduce a rape scene into this story that I feel was not even needed, nor did add anything to the story that could not have been written in another format. Sure it gave two characters a needed face-to-face but that could have been rectified with a simple attempt not a hastily written attack. I would recommend this book with the caveat that readers should skip Chapter 25 and pretend it never existed. There are some character flaws but I passed them over, as there is a chance that these traits make sense in past books. All together it is a fine piece of work, though it could have used the one edit I mentioned.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for honest feedback*

Another satisfyingly complex Blanchard mystery.

Ursula Blanchard's life continues to be a maelstrom of activity. Garnering the occasional involvement in state secrets, heinous crimes of murder, advice to her sister Queen Elizabeth, all offset around the normal pace of life and country living. Ursula is always moving between the Queen's court, her Surrey home at Hawkswood, her second Withysham, which was in Sussex and visiting other places when called to by Lord Cecil, the Queen's treasurer or Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Secretary of State. Accompanied always by her devoted serving woman Dale and Brockley her loyal manservant and Dale's husband.
A letter from Cecil takes Ursula back to court and to her sister's side. Elizabeth is contemplating marriage with French royalty, Francis, the Duke of Alençon, a man twenty years her junior. A stormy contemplation. Elizabeth is fearful and worried, beset by fears of what marriage means for her, the physical intimacy, the fear of childbirth and how such a marriage might effect her kingdom.
Opening with the search for a missing boy in July 1579, the thread of that missing child becomes woven into seemingly unconnected happenings and meetings that have no discernible connection to the Elizabethan court intrigues. Ursula is called to a distraught friend's home. Her husband, missing thirty years has reappeared. The reunion is not pleasant!
At court Ursula becomes involved in a poisoning and the ructions around Elizabeth's view to marrying. Many are against it. Alençon is Catholic and this is making many at court nervous. Deaths draw the threads together in the most unlooked for places.
Ursula suspects, as she reflects at the beginning, that as she's been told by others, she's "a natural adventuress, that responds to the call of mysterious and secretive tasks as wild geese take wing in response to each other’s haunting calls." Sometimes Ursula should ignore the call!

A NetGalley ARC
(August 2017)

Ursula Blanchard is summoned back to Court, and is immediately thrust into the intrigues surrounding the question of Queen Elizabeth’s possible marriage to a French noble. So begins the latest novel by Fiona Buckley, A Deadly Betrothal.

Read the entire review at https://journalingonpaper.com/2017/07/25/book-review-a-deadly-betrothal-by-fiona-buckley-ursula-blanchard-15/

(Thank you Netgalley for an early reader copy)

Ursula Stannard (neé Blanchard), half sister to Queen Elizabeth, returns to help her sister the queen, a close family friends and various others in this latest installment of historical murder mysteries by Fiona Buckley.

Queen Elizabeth needs an heir, and she has been pressured for years to take a husband and provide said heir. But given the matrimonial history of her family Elizabeth is less than excited about the idea, until she meets the Duke of Alençon, a Frenchman no less! But thinking of the political benefits, the ability not to worry about backstabbing and reneging on treaties, and the charm of the Duke himself, Elizabeth agrees, although not without trepidation. Unwilling to give up or even share her power with a husband, afraid of the dangers of childbirth, Elizabeth calls on her half sister Ursula to help her with her decision, and once made, to bolster her resolve to see it through. At the same time, Ursula is called upon by Lord Cecil to assist with various....let's call them projects, which are secret but vital to the realm. As if that is not enough, Ursula gets a call from an old family friend who's no good husband has decided to show up, much to his wife's dismay. Throw in a disappearance, a few murders committed, a body or two found, a bit of misdirection, and you have a rollicking murder mystery that leads you hither and yon right up to the very end. "A Deadly Betrothal" (or perhaps more than just one deadly betrothal!) will keep you glued to your seat as you try to figure out who committed what. This book has everything: romance, politics, murder, mayhem, mysteries...you name it, it has it! Enjoy!

Overall, I found the book very interesting. I liked the humor Ursula displayed. She was quite a character for such a period. My biggest issue with this book was that I am very behind in the series and did not realize how much I had missed. I was very lost because of it. Maybe when I get a chance to go back and read the earlier ones, I will feel better about this one.

1579, and Ursula is asked to help a family friend, Marjorie Harrison, who's husband has unfortunately returned after many years living with a widow. Events soon change when Marjorie's nephew goes missing. What other intrigues surround her.
A decent enough Elizabethan mystery but even with some interesting characters the story didn't really catch my imagination and pull me into the tale.

Years ago I was a huge fan of historical novels especially Jean Plaidy so I was really looking forward to reading A Deadly Betrothal. All the usual elements were there inasmuch as I recognized and was familiar with the main characters, Elizabeth 1, Walsingham Leicester and the Duke of Alencon etc. What was different was the element of a murder mystery and I can’t make my mind up as to whether in this instance it worked for me or not. I really enjoyed the familiarity of the characters but I was not thoroughly satisfied. At the beginning I found the cast of fictional characters surrounding Ursula somewhat irksome and confusing but quickly settled into safer territory once the action moved to Elizabeth’s court.

This is the 15th book featuring Ursula and at the end it is clear that there will be further books, but I don’t think I will be rushing off to secure a copy. All that said and done, it is well written and holds together well and for the most part the characters are well drawn and if historical fiction is your bag, I am sure you will enjoy Ursula’s escapades in what is one of the most fascinating periods in English History.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Buckley, and Severn House for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Fiona Buckley returns with her Elizabethan sleuth, Ursula Blanchard (now Stannard), in another murder mystery. While in the countryside with her manservant and groom, Ursula pays a visit on two close friends. During the visit, a teenage boy goes missing and there are strong suspicions that something nefarious is afoot. Amidst trying to find young Thomas Harrison, Ursula is summoned to Court where she is to meet with Queen Elizabeth to discuss a matter of some importance. At the age of forty-six, the monarch remains unwed and with no children, something that remains the fuel of whispers around the Court and onto the continent. News of a potential suitor has arrived, a French prince who has become enamoured at the sight of Elizabeth’s sketch. However, many are leery of this union, for reasons that include marriage to a Catholic and trying to produce an heir at her late age. With Mary Stuart keeping a close eye from afar, no one wishes to put the monarch in any position that might cost England the Throne or the Protestants control of the country. Returning to the estate, Ursula is forced to weigh her options and devise a way to influence Elizabeth one way or the other. During a trek in the forest, she comes upon the body of Master Harrison in a tree and a clue leases her to suspect someone of the crime, though they have conveniently made themselves scarce. While attending a banquet related to the potential future marriage of Queen ELizabeth, many guests fall ill, Ursula included. Could this be an unlucky bout of food poisoning, or is something try to remove all opposition to an English-French alliance through marriage? An interesting addition to this series that seems to have developed significantly throughout, Fiona Buckley has been able to keep readers hooked with interesting branch-offs that work as effectively today as in the late 16th century. Wonderfully quaint for readers who enjoy a little whodunit with their fish pie and tankard of ale.

I have never read the Ursula Blanchard series or any other Fiona Buckley writing before this book. Parachuting in at the fifteenth instalment might seem a little silly, but galley reviewing can sometimes be a sacrificial experience. Buckley tells the story in an effective manner, keeping the era in check while her story remains sharp enough to pull readers in. The characters seem realistic and could have been pulled from scenes of The Tudors, offering up their own individual flavour alongside a wonderfully regal-driven plot. Ursula Stannard herself (someone I mentioned I knew nothing about) has rich character development up to this point, including an interesting connection to the reigning monarch. Other characters keep things moving along and add just the right amount of intrigue. The story itself is decent, splitting between the counsel Ursula is to give the Court and this mystery that develops in the countryside. I would not call it high-impact mystery storytelling, but the reader can find the clues scattered throughout the narrative and piece things together in n effective manner. With enough drama to lure the the reader to keep pushing forward, the story offers up all it promises, a decent mystery set in Elizabethan times. I would likely poke around to find some early Ursula Blanchard to see how things started, though I am not yet committed to a fourteen-book binge to catch up to this point.

Kudos, Madam Buckley for this curious piece of writing that pulls on history and mystery in equal measure. My interest in piqued, if only to discover some of the revelations that Ursula let slip in the narrative.

I am not a huge fan of historical novels as a whole but this story painted such a vivid picture of life at court and also everyday life for both the gentry and the servants that I found myself enjoying the read.

Ursula Blanchard is the legitimate sister of Queen Elizabeth 1, and as such is afforded certain privileges. For one she is a trusted confidante of the Queen and she is also entrusted as a royal spy. Her position allows her to travel freely and she has access to the highest realms of the court so it makes sense that she would be able to hear about any rumours surrounding the impending marriage between the Queen and the Duke of Alencon. At 45 years of age, the Queen has never married and the Crown is in need of an heir. However, her age is against her, especially in that day and age when childbirth often resulted in death so the Queen is terribly afraid. So much is riding on this marriage and many people are against the union and the risks it poses. Ursula is tasked with calming the Queen’s fears.

At the same time, Ursula is investigating the disappearance of a young boy and this leads to more intrigue and more murders as she seeks to unravel the truth. The story skips between the royal court and the outlying countryside so the reader gets a glimpse into all aspects of life in 1579.

The political intrigue is akin to a modern-day House of Cards as everybody tries to protect his own skin. Ursula is portrayed as a strong, independent woman with her own money and property which would have been very unusual in that day and age. I’m not sure that this would, in fact, have been realistic but one would hope that it was possible for women to hold their own if they had the means.

Gillian

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

When I requested this book from netgalley, I did not realize this was #15 in a series. I was a bit reluctant to read it, but I'm so glad I did. This story works well as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the main character and will be reading more in this series. Great story with unexpected twists and turns. Very entertaining!

This was the first book I had read in the Ursula Blanchard series of historical mysteries that take place in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. I thought it worked pretty well as a standalone story. Ursula is a strong lead female who gets herself into situations that make her take certain actions that are outside the norm for woman of society during this period. Trouble seems to follow her and I can only imagine how much fun she had in earlier installments of the series in her younger years. Readers are given insight into different parts and people from society - from domestic living to court life. Ursula has a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth and various members of her court. I appreciated the attention to historical detail. I thought the pace was a little up and down. Overall, not a bad story and I would be interested in going back to the beginning of the series to get to know Ursula a bit more.

I may have been at a disadvantage having never read the previous novels but I did find that there were a lot of extraneous details (people, relationships, clothing descriptions that seemed out of keeping with the subject matter

Excellent book with great characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book.