Once again I really enjoyed the easy pace and fun story of Ursula Stannard. I did not see the killer in this one until it was revealed. It was fun story with new and old characters. I find it funny though how Ursula always finds a man for her companions but then they joked about it at the end of the story which makes it even better that the characters even know. Ready to start the next book soon!

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Why didn't I know about these series earlier? Why didn't I start at the beginning.
I have to give the author her due, even 18th Installment in Urusla Blanchard Mysteries reads like the first. It is easy to understand to get a grip on who is who in the land of Mistress Blanchard.
The book reads like the story of long-time friends. The characters amazingly drawn and are interesting to get to know.
Ursula is aging. She is over 50 (which is in Elizabethian times is ancient, especially for a woman). But she does not feel old nor frail. She is sleugth, queen's agent, mother, guardian, friend and her own woman. She is amazing.
And her court and surrounding characters are a very interesting bunch, from groom to vicar, from lords to maids.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved everything about it: the language, the voice, the dynamics, the suspense.
The Scent of Danger is not your usual whodunit. Yes, there are murders and there are villains. But it is more about the time, the situation and the atmosphere.
You get cold when the story goes on about dark night on the moor and you get angry when a girl is pushed into marriage and her parents do not want to see the reason.
All in all, a wonderful read. I'd love to read them all now, all 17 of previous adventures of Ursula.

This latest book in the Ursula Blanchard series continues the exciting historical trip back to the days of Queen Elizabeth, when England was worried about papist conspiracies and possible Spanish invasion to free Mary Stuart. As half-sister to the queen, Ursula cannot refuse tasks she is given that have protection of the queen at their core. And so, at the opening of The Scent of Danger, as Ursula learns that two agents she hired on behalf of the Crown have died in unusual ways, she feels she must act.

She feels responsible because she hired these men to watch for signs of any invasion or fundraising and also fears they may have, in fact, discovered something dangerous. Being a rather intrepid woman, she arranges a visit by a number of her household to friends in the area to begin her quest.

I have now read a few books in this series and they are remarkably consistent in use of period history, details of historical culture and daily life from clothing to food to variables of religious observances to meals observed in a tavern. In this outing, Ursula encounters Puritans and their daily way of life which is so very different from her own. While reading a complex and interesting mystery, there’s also much to learn. Enjoy!

4-4.5*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Ursula's adventurous life continues in Tudor England

A comfortable read for me, a not so comfortable time for Ursula Blanchard, agent for spy master Sir Francis Walsingham, and illegitimate half sister to Queen Elizabeth.
It's 1586 and Ursula discovers that one of her recruits, Peter Gray, in the south Devon area near Plymouth to keep an eye on rumours of possible Spanish landings and papist plots involving Mary Stewart, is dead. She worries about the other, Gregory Reeves who lives near Okehampton where Gray died.
On top of this her property at Withysham has some questionable accounting uncovered in its ledgers. That happens to be associated with the manager's uncle who lives in this area.
Off she travels with the loyal Dale and Brockley, and an unexpected companion, Joyce Frost, her unforgiving ward.
What Ursula finds is a rash of unanswered questions, intense personal danger and some troubled young women.
A pleasing read, especially if you've followed Ursula's somewhat irregular life.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley

I enjoyed this book even though I had not read the previous books in the series. I wish i had read the previous ones first because I think I would have enjoyed this one more.

My thanks to Severn House for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Scent of Danger’ by Fiona Buckley in exchange for an honest review.

This is Book 18 in Buckley’s long-running series of Elizabethan mysteries featuring Ursula Blanchard, the widowed half-sister to Queen Elizabeth.

In February 1586, when the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, learns that Ursula is about to visit her relations in Devon he asks her to find out what happened to two of his local agents, who have been strangely silent. On arrival in the small village of Zeal Aquatico, she discovers that both men have met with mysterious, fatal accidents.

Did they find out something that got them killed? As Ursula had recruited both men on a previous trip to the area to keep Walsingham apprised of any local rumours of plots against Queen Elizabeth or of a Spanish invasion, she feels a responsibility to uncover the truth about their deaths.

This was my first experience of this series and I was impressed at how well Fiona Buckley introduced Ursula and her household in the opening chapter. Ursula serves as the narrator of the novel apart from when she draws upon third party accounts to fill in the gaps of the story that she is relating.

I was very impressed by this novel and read it in a single sitting. Fiona Buckley has created a fascinating character in Ursula and also brought the period setting vividly to life including an impressive attention to detail. I am now eager to learn more about Ursula’s past adventures as well as look forward to future ones.

Ursula, the widowed half-sister of Queen Elizabeth. also works for Sir Francis Walsingham running spies. Yep. Spies in 1586 England. If you haven't read this series or if you, like me, have only read one of them, it's a fascinating and accessible look at the political machinations of the time. In this installment, Ursula heads to Devon where there's a problem with one of her properties but finds a bigger issue because two of the spies in her village have been killed. Finding out why and who did it is almost less interesting than some of the other period details. Ursula is intrepid and intelligent- an excellent heroine. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good one.

Ursula Blanchard, illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Tudor has fallen into the Scent of Danger. Her two agents are dead, probably murdered and there is a nest of Mary supporters in the vicinity of her visit. Ursula is poisoned and there are a plethora of hidden motives at cross purposes in the households she is visiting. Danger for her and her entourage. Read this excellent historical mystery.

In Scent of Danger we find ,Ursula Blanchard, half-sister to Queen Elizabeth , a widowed mother with a married daughter .
She travels to Devon to investigate why one of her Stewards is being blackmailed by his Uncle .
Using the excuse of visiting family she finds that two of her agents are also missing …………… they were gathering information about plots and funds being gathered for the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots .
On discovering the death of both agents under suspicious circumstances she suspects there are no coincidences and endeavours along with her trusted companions to figure out just what her agents had discovered before it is too late .

The Author brings us back to an older Ursula , and although I think I prefer the more dynamic younger Ursula this story was just as entertaining as her previous books .

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

I'm tired on historical mysteries set in this period with garrulous, gossipy female protagonists. I don't find the approach entertaining and feel it diminishes women's lives.

I always look forward to reading books in this series, they combine my love of mysteries and Tudor historical fiction perfectly. I highly recommend

It's been awhile since I've read an Ursula Blanchard book, so I am little behind on what's happened to her recently. In The Scent of Danger, Ursula is a mother, with a married daughter, and a widow. When 2 agents she recruited in Devon disappear she takes advantage of a visit to relatives to try to find out what happened to them. Both have rather strange deaths, too much to be just coincidences. Ursula's search for the truth puts her in mortal danger as she gets ever closer to finding out just what happened.

i must confess, I found the younger Ursula more interesting than the middle aged Ursula. But the story in The Scent of Danger pulls you in, and the villains are a real surprise. There are new characters in addition to the old friends who accompany Ursula on her adventures, and the book is definitely worth a read.

Elizabeth l is on the throne Mary Queen of Scots is being detained but the threat of a Spanish invasion is ever present.
Ursula (half sister to Elizabeth ) is part of the Queens spy network under Sir Francis Walsingham. When 2 recruits go silent from the Devon area Ursula is dispatched, will the threat come from the South Coast. She stays with relatives in the area but finds her two spies have died under mysterious circumstances. You are taken into everyday village life with hardships and determination to improve your lot in life.
When the attempts on her life start she starts to wonder if she has taken on too much this time. There is plenty of surprising twists and turns that will keep you engaged to the very last page. I will be waiting to engage with these enjoyable characters again.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is the latest in a long series featuring Ursula Blanchard, an illegitimate child of Henry VIII but only the third I have read. As Elizabeth’s half-sister she is a spy for Walsingham and Burleigh.

It is February 1586 and Ursula goes to visit her relatives in Devon and whilst there wants to investigate what has happened to two men that she has enlisted as agents trying to uncover any plots or supports for the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots. Along with her trusty friends/servants she stays in a small Devon village where she discovers that both of her agents have died in mysterious circumstances – suspected murder.

For those of you familiar with this series you will not be disappointed. Ursula is her usual intrepid self and her story revealed in the first person is quite homely, gossipy and somewhat comfortable, even while describing quite violent scenes. The plot is fairly predictable, not high tension, intricate puzzles, but familiar, cosy riddles. Where all comes right in the world.

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

A good historical novel immerses the reader so completely in its time and place that they feel a part of the environment. Fiona Buckley's book did this for me in an effortless and seamless way. From the start of the book I was identifying with Queen Elizabeth's agents and scenting poison in every cup of cider. In many ways, the
"who dun it" part of the book was irrelevant to me I was so engaged in the domestic life and the travels of the characters.

That's not to say I wasn't turning the pages quickly as the novel unfolded---I definitely cared about who was endangering our protagonist and how they accomplished their evil deeds.

For readers interested in strong female characters and the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth and the Catholic Mary, this is an interesting and engaging story.

I appreciate the opportunity Netgalley provided me to read and provide a candid review.