To Ruin a Queen: Library Edition

Rating:
Summary: Another terrific entry in this Elizabethan mystery series
Review: If you're a British History buff, this series set in the court of Queen Elizabeth I is a must read. The plots are based on actual facts and every book in the series richly researched.

Rating:
Summary: Yay for strong women
Review: So far, I think this may the best book of this series that I've read. I find that Buckley's depiction of Elizabethan England highly compelling and non-obtrusive. This particular novel in the series indulges in far more personal emotion on the part of the heroine which makes it better than the other novel's of her's that I've read.

I think this is a fabulous book for anyone who wants to read about a strong heroine who manages to maintain her femininity

The construction of the mystery was excellent and provided enough clues for the reader to be able to solve the mystery even if it was still guilty of not providing the reader the same clues as the heroine. Still, I enjoyed it and recommend it as a light read.

Rating:
Summary: An Engaging Elizabethan Mystery
Review: 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.