A Rescue for a Queen (Ursula Blanchard Series #11)

by Fiona Buckley

Overview

The eleventh enthralling adventure to feature Ursula Blanchard, reluctant spy in the service of Queen Elizabeth I

February, 1571. Ursula is once more plunged into affairs of the state when she escorts her foster daughter Margaret to the Netherlands to meet her suitor. The queen’s spymaster, Sir William Cecil, learns that the wealthy Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi will be hosting their forthcoming wedding – a man who he fears may once again be plotting to put Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. But Ursula is also about to come face-to-face with her greatest enemy – and the exiled Countess of Northumberland is not the only figure from Ursula’s past to put in a surprising appearance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780295374
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	03/07/2018
Series:	Ursula Blanchard Series , #11
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Fiona Buckley is the author of the Ursula Blanchard mysteries. Under her real name, Valerie Anand, she is the author of numerous historical novels including the much-loved Bridges Over Time series. Brought up in London, she now lives in Surrey.

Editorial Reviews

An appealing heroine makes up for some choppy pacing in Buckley’s well-constructed 11th Tudor mystery (after 2012’s Queen’s Bounty). In 1571, Ursula Blanchard, half-sister to the queen, is planning a quiet country life after the death of her devoted husband of six years, Hugh Stannard. But Sir William Cecil, England’s secretary of state, wants her to undertake a dangerous mission on Elizabeth’s behalf. Ursula is to escort Margaret Emory, who of late has been a surrogate daughter to Ursula (whose grown daughter has left home), to the Netherlands to marry a well-to-do cattle farmer, Antonio van Weede, who’s half Italian and half Flemish. Antonio’s Catholicism recommends him highly to Margaret’s Catholic parents. Cecil wants Ursula to learn whatever she can about conspiracies against Elizabeth during her extended stay in the Low Countries. Ursula, a reluctant servant of the Crown, soon finds herself immersed in political intrigue. Buckley (the pen name of Valerie Anand) once again delivers a tale sure to please fans of Elizabethan historicals. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Buckley leaves readers wondering as Ursula's private life takes an unexpected turn that will most likely provide interesting complications in future instalments."

Booklist

"Buckley leaves readers wondering as Ursula's private life takes an unexpected turn that will most likely provide interesting complications in future installments."

Booklist

Buckley seasons another charming episode of historical intrigue with several surprises”
Kirkus Reviews on A Rescue for a Queen

“Buckley once again delivers a tale sure to please fans of Elizabethan historicals”
Publishers Weekly on A Rescue for a Queen

From the Publisher

The eleventh book in Buckley's Ursula Blanchard series has the heroine being tricked into infiltrating the household of Italian banker Roberto Ridalfi. Sir William Cecil believes Ridalfi may be conspiring to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne. Narrator Wanda McCaddon’s dignified style of narration is particularly effective in Ursula's imperious moments. McCaddon makes her character extremely believable as the illegitimate half-sister of Queen Elizabeth. Ursula is not a woman to suffer fools, and McCaddon highlights that character trait beautifully. She also masterfully conveys the urgency of many of the situations Ursula finds herself in, creating an engaging listening experience. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile

Queen Elizabeth I's half sister continues her career as a most reluctant spy. In the past, Ursula Blanchard has undertaken some dangerous missions (Queen's Bounty, 2012, etc.) at the behest of the queen and her spymaster Sir William Cecil. Now, even before the funeral meats for Ursula's beloved husband, Hugh Stannard, are cold, Cecil urges her to take on another assignment. Ursula's Catholic foster daughter has received a marriage proposal from a Dutch citizen who lives near Brussels, and her parents have begged Ursula to accompany her there. Since Ursula's archenemy Anne Percy, the exiled Countess of Northumberland, lives in Bruges and the Inquisition operates there, she is very unwilling to go. But Cecil is eager for her to investigate a possible plot against the queen by Roberto Ridolfi, a wealthy banker whose wife, Donna, is Ursula's friend. Because Ridolfi is hosting the wedding, it will be a perfect opportunity for Ursula to ferret out the truth. Despite her fears, she and her loyal servants Robert Brockley and his wife, Fran Dale, set forth. No sooner have they arrived at the Ridolfi house that they ascertain that a plot is indeed afoot--but can they get proof? At Ridolfi's home, Ursula meets her first husband, Matthew de la Roche, whom she had thought dead. Although Matthew is a staunch Catholic, he still loves Ursula enough to rescue her after she's kidnapped by Anne Percy. In order to get the proofs she needs, Ursula must venture into the heart of enemy territory, a trip that could lead to a premature and unpleasant death. Buckley seasons another charming episode of historical intrigue with several surprises.

Kirkus Reviews