To Shield the Queen by Fiona Buckley

One of a mysteries series set at Queen Elizabeth I's court. Ursula Blanchard, one of the Queen's Ladies of the Presence Chamber, is our spy and detective. This is the first book of the series and the only one I'll be reviewing, (although I've read and can recommend them all!) Ursula's recently lost her husband and she has very little family. She must support her young daughter and herself. She is asked by the queen's secretary of state to be a spy. She desperately needs the money, so she agrees. This is her first adventure.

General rating: 3 out of 4 (not all my criteria can really be applied to mysteries)--a fun and interesting series!

1. Plausible: well...our heroine is very modern. Is this realistic for the 16th century? And there were so many close shaves. But! That's kind of par for the course for mysteries. And the historical settings seem very plausible to me. Interesting as well!

2. Thought provoking. Yes, in the way that mysteries are.

3. Engaging. VERY. This is book one of an 8 book series. I devoured all 8 in a week. Not only is each mystery engaging, but Ursula's life altogether is very interesting. I am always eager to see what happens next to her.

4. Uplifting. Hm. Well, like I say about all mysteries, the bad guys were caught. And that's not depressing.

Language: no
Sex: mild and married (note: in A Pawn for a Queen, Ursula is forced into bed with a man not her husband. It's not graphic, but it's there)

My recommendation: I seem to have been reading a lot of historical fiction-type books lately, all set in England. The titles in this series are (in order): To Shield the Queen, The Doublet Affair, Queen's Ransom, To Ruin a Queen, Queen of Ambition, A Pawn for a Queen, The Fugitive Queen and The Siren Queen. They should be read in order because there are many little side stories that are progressive throughout the series. Ursula is intelligent and committed. In each book, we learn more about her character as she learns more about herself. I also love the glimpses of Queen Elizabeth (and many other historical characters) that we get. I feel like I'm being educated a bit as well as totally entertained. I've really enjoyed this series!