Queens Courtiers Books

The book Ellanor's Exchange by Linda Haynes follows the coming of age of a fifteen-year-old girl, Ellanor, who is sent to London by her father to mingle with upper class society and, in time, find a wealthy gentleman to marry. True to traditional love story patterns, she eventually does so. By the end of the book, Lord Netherfield finds Ellanor in the garden and tells her that he wants to wed a woman who is "loyal, puts the needs of her family and friends before her own, and is very beautiful as well."(193)

Okay, so that's the expected element of this love story. However, between these two events there are a myriad of plot twists and unexpected challenges for Ellanor. As the story opens, Ellanor experiences several personal tragedies (ed. note: skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to read the storyline). First, her beloved brother Paul dies during the influenza epidemic. Second, her father announces that he is sending Ellanor to England to be taught manners, music, and proper courtship by his long time friend Lady Wilthrop. The goal is to have Ellanor ready to make her debut into high society by age 16. Third, once Ellanor arrives in England she is beset by people who act as though they are going to befriend her, but who, in reality, are her enemies. Competition among the young female ladies for the available handsome and rich bachelors is keen, and no outsider such as Ellanor is welcomed into the mix. Many other girls and their parents set out to sabotage the fate of Ellanor, but amidst it all, she has a feeling that Lord Netherfield is pure, chaste, kind, and trustworthy. Her belief in him is justified in the end when he declares his love and devotion to her.

Author Linda Haynes is a good storyteller. Her chapter titles draw the reader into the pending action. The interaction of characters is intriguing, especially since the reader is never sure who is a friend and who is a foe of Ellanor. The book's pace is steady, never tedious, and although the end is predictable (hey, it is a love story, after all), the mini-plots and subplots provide for intrigue and suspense. - Jodi Kurht, Christian Book Previews.com

A very excellent book for those interested into the aspects of Queen Victoria's court life. A definite must read. This is a rare jewel of a find.

Find it used ! A Charming account by one of Victoria's ladies in waiting. Shows a warm and personal woman who was always regal.

Toby Wilkinson's "Lives of the Ancient Egyptians" is published by Thames & Hudson. That in itself, as lovers of books on art and archaeology will attest, means superb physical quality with thick, glossy pages, and crisp printing, and well-reproduced illustrations. But the illustrations here illuminate rather than overwhelm Wilkinson's text.

The author states that he set out, through the presentation of short biographies, to tell the story of three thousand years of Ancient Egyptian history, cutting across chronological, geographical, and social boundaries. And he has largely succeeded. As Wilkinson himself states in his foreword, the limits of available evidence of course did constrain him from achieving a uniformity of coverage. A full tenth of the included biographies deal with the last half of the 14th century BCE, the time of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and their successors (a fascinating period, to be sure, and deserving of this closer focus). The majority of the biographies are those of kings and queens, but a good number of relatively low-level commoners are included as well, evidence permitting.

All in all, "The Lives of the Ancient Egyptians" is a vivid presentation of a wonderful stretch of history, from Narmer, the first pharaoh of the First Dynasty to Cleopatra VII and the fall of Egypt under Roman domination, looking at day-to-day life as well as great events. The organization of the book, mostly biographies a few pages long, makes it ideal for browsing, dipping in for a quick read and then coming back to it days or weeks later (which is not to say that it cannot or should not be read as a continuous kaleidoscope of Ancient Egyptian history). This volume immediately won a permanent spot on my over-crowded bookshelves.

....if you can overlook the modern language (did Elizabethans really use pounds and ounces as units of measurement?) and a rather weakly described ending (we really would have liked to see how enraged Elizabeth became over this plot, or how much the culprits had to suffer!), this is still a fine read!

I am an avid mystery fan and a lover of Tudor history, so naturally when a book that combines the two comes out I snatch it up. I'm usually disappointed, because there is not enough of either. But this book, while not perfect, had enough of both to satisfy me.

This is the first book in this series that I have read. I won't go over the plot, as others have already covered it. I found the heroine, Ursula Stannard, to be believable and sympathetic. The history was sound and the plot plausible (if not riveting). I enjoyed the depiction of life and customs in 1568, both at court and in the north.

For all that, I had the entire solution figured out very early on. I think that many historical mystery writers spend so much time "setting the scene" that they ignore the machinations necessary for a really good mystery. So while I enjoyed the first half of the book alot, the last half lagged.

This is the latest in an excellent series of mysteries set in England during the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth. The writer shares a comprehensive understanding of the uneasy political and religious dynamics of the time, as well as life at court and the (very different) life in every-day Elizabethan England.

The plot is well designed and carried through and the characters are well-drawn and memorable. I enjoy the fact that the protagonist is a woman and the viewpoint is feminine rather than masculine. It's all too easy, when writing historical fiction, to gravitate to the masculine, with the hero mounting his steed and dashing off in all directions, with exciting chases and plenty of swashbuckling fights and battles. You'll find a little of that here, but mostly you'll find a woman just trying to do her best for her susceptible young relative and for her queen. It's just that she has an exciting time doing it.

Blending historical fact with dramatic and readable fiction is no easy task but the writer accomplishes it beautifully in this book. You feel the sad magnetism of Mary, Queen of Scots and the dedication and frustration of Sir Francis Knollys, her host and/or jailer.

I found this to be a really good read from a writer who really understands this period in history.

Ursula Blanchard, now Ursula Stannard is back for another adventure of political intrigue. It's not an adventure that she particularly wants. She had given up spying for her half-sister Queen Elizabeth or so she thought. She is sucked back into the antics of court when there is some trouble with Ursula's ward, Penelope Mason. Pen, one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting has fallen in love with a married man. Elizabeth is not amused. Elizabeth uses this to have Ursula to go visit Mary Queen of Scots at the northern castle where she is held captive. Ursula does not want to accept her assignment, but much to her surprise her husband Hugh urges her too. She, her daughter Meg, and her ward set out on their journey north. Things do not turn out well when Meg is kidnapped and one of her men is killed. This is the first of mishaps and misadventures that the group faces.

Fiona Buckley skillfully interweaves historical fact and fiction. Ursula Stannard is portrayed as a strong independent woman who can hold her own with any man. Most of the characters are richly drawn and the setting gives you a real sense of time and place. The story line was interesting and kept you reading. Overall, this entry is an entertaining addition to a well-received series.

I have read and enjoyed some historical fiction in this period, particularly the Chronicles of Lymond by Dorothy Dunnett, but generally am skeptical of mysteries. So often mystery writers spend a lot of energy deliberately misleading the reader and the payoff ("Oh, it was a red herring") leads to frustration at time wasted.

Not in this case. I picked up this book without realizing it was one in a series and enjoyed it so much I went back and read the first novel (and will be making my way through the rest). The way this book is written, it seems more like a historical novel whose main character is reluctantly involved in a mystery, than a book in which the mystery is the point.

Ursula Blanchard is an engaging, strong, sympathetic woman, and her point of view is sensible and shrewd. All of the minor characters are fully drawn-- including poor man-crazy, plain Penelope who keeps getting into trouble through her romantic nature. I knew this book was going to be good when Penelope's embarassing crush on the music teacher was never explained away-- it really WAS a poor teenage crush (so often something like this would be used as a red herring in which the music teacher was involved in a plot too etc. etc.)

Great sense of menace once Ursula gets to the countryside, but nobody is a cardboard villain.

I read this after having completed a disappointing collection of mystery short stories called "Much Ado about Murder," so Buckley's winning me over is even more impressive as I was skeptical that merely setting something in a historical period could make the story interesting... and of course, it isn't the merely the period that's interesting.

Buckley is a terrific storyteller and Ursual is a wonderful narrator. Really enjoyable in every respect!

The prologue starts with the impending wedding of Ursula to an unknown person. What follows is the story of how she came to her decision to remarry soon after the death of her French Catholic husband Matthew de la Roche.
Ursula goes on an unathorized trip in pursue of her traitor cousin Edward at the behest of her estranged Aunt and Uncle. After an exhausting trip to Scotland to stop Edward from delivering a list of Catholic sympathizers to Queen Mary, see finds her cousin murdered.

Ursula set out to investigate his death in the courts of Mary of Scotland and the her "supporters". There she expriences unwanted attentions from a suiter that culminates in a dual. An not unexpected revealation is made about Ursula's paternaty and all ends with her proposal to a character she meets on her adventure to Scotland
This book takes the series in a new direction. Though she claims to want a change of pace from her secret agent days she seems hardly sure. Since the marriage hasn't occured, so there is a cliffhanger at the end (or beginning).

In 1565, Ursula Blanchard mourns the death of her husband Matthew de la Roche at her English estate Withyshem given to her by Queen Elizabeth I for her services to the crown. Ursula is ready to retire from her life as a secret agent when her relatives the Faldenes ask her to find their son, her cousin Edward, who is traveling to Scotland to give a list of English sympathizers to Mary, Queen of Scots.

Even though she has little love for the Faldenes, Ursula doesn't want to see her cousin hang for treason nor does she want the list to fall into Mary's hands. Ursula and her tirewoman Fran Dale and her manservant Roger Brockley travel into Scotland only to find Edward dead, the victim of an assassin's blade. Instead of going home, Ursula chooses to stay in Scotland to track down the list and find out who killed her cousin. This decision will cost her dearly.

The heroine of this tale acts like a modern day woman with her independence, decisiveness and willingness to go after what she wants.. Her sense of loyalty to family and her queen is admirable even though by going to Scotland without royal permission she knows she could be accused of treason. Fiona Buckley is a gifted storyteller who recreates with accuracy an era long gone but quite vivid in the minds of readers. Fans of this series will be delighted to know that the sixth Ursula Blanchard mystery has a startling revelation as well as a wedding to attend.

Harriet Klausner

there is lesbian content in this book. As reader who feels that is controversial and not a "young adult" appropriate reading material I am not impressed with this book and that there wasn't some sort of warning label attached. I am disappointed that the author went that direction and didn't keep her book young adult friendly. This should be in the Adult section. I have always loved Tamora's books. She has an amazing imagination and she is a gifted writer. So this was a disappointement to me.

Will of the Empress is a good start to the new Circle series. Like all Tamara Pierce novels it is well written with fun and quirky characters who know what they want and go get it. As an adult reader the circle series seem a little younger in tone then some of Pierces other series, but they are all still worth the read. If you are new to Pierce I would not start here as you are missing a lot of back story, but when you finally get to reading this one you'll like it a lot.

This book is not only fanominal, but keeps you wanting more. Tamora if you read this please I, we, need more!

I have been a fan of Ms. Pierce since the beginning, but this book was a disappointment for me. Several of my favorite characters are annoying and whiny, and their **constant** arguments were boring and predictable. There are so many side plots going on that the story lacks direction and reading it feels like wading through sand. I agree with the earlier reviewer who said that this book lacks suspense and excitement - Everything that happens is so drawn out and over explained that it made me want to skip pages. I would have ignored all of this (simply out of love of her previous work) but by the end I felt like I was at a lecture on the author's pet political causes and I just gave up. I admit that I returned the book to the library without bothering to read the last 100 or so pages. I have decided that this book is just the result of an off year for Pierce and I look forward to a return to her previous excellence

I was utterly amazed and very disapointed to see that some people rated this a one, two or three stars when the best was five. Someone said that there was inappropriate content in this book but I have to disagree. People have also been complaining about how one of the characters is a lesbian. Infact 354 people tagged this 'lesbian'! That is not even what the book is mainly about. Infact it's not a big part in the story! There is absulutely no problem with being lesbian! And besides your opinion is different than others! It also has nothing to do with how Pierce writes and shouldn't affect how amazingly great this novel is. So you'll be doing yourself a favor if you try out this book.

Sandrrilene fa Toren is Duke Vedris's daughter and happens to be the Empress of Namorn's cousin. The Empress has been wanted to have Sandry come for years and finally she agrees. Sandry brings her old friends that she hasn't seen now for years; Briar, the plant mage; Tris, the very powerful weather mage and Daja, the blacksmith mage. Sandry also has magic, weaving. Her and the other three are the youngest mages around and have all already had students. The four are fighting now but Sandrilene still agrees to take them with.

When Sandry gets to Namorn she knows that the Empress has planned something big for Sandry...and it isn't a good thing. And as they all say,

"The will of the Empress is always done."

Watch out Sandry! I think you'll need your friends help on this one!

Best know for her historical romances of a decade ago, Koen now makes the leap to hardcover with a sweeping novel of Restoration England. As in her other books, the protagonists are fictional, tossed about by the real-life actions of the historically based characters. It makes for an occassionally queasy balance, and often in the story of Alice Verney there's the feeling that Koen is stretching to make her own characters fit into the proscribed history. While the sense of that history is strong and well-researched, there are times when Koen betrays her romance background, and the prose becomes luridly purple, particularly when describing Alice's encounters with Richard Saylor. To anyone familiar with the period, her interpretations of the historical figures can be a bit odd, too: while her version of Louis XIV's bisexual brother Monsieur seems right on the mark, her charcterization of the English king Charles struck me as curiously lifeless, without any of the zest of the Merrie Monarch. Readers should be forwarned that this is a prequel to Koen's "Through the Glass Darkly", showing us Alice Verney as a young woman. Since I didn't really remember the detail of that earlier book (except that I'd enjoyed it), I reread it after reading "Dark Angels". Curiously, however, the two don't really seem to mesh, with this version of Alice an improbable predecessor. But as a glimpse into an underused period of history, this is enjoyable, if flawed, and worth reading.

DARK ANGELS is by far the most amazing book I have read in over a decade. A friend recommended THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY to me, and when I saw there was a prequel to it, I decided to begin with the beginning and work my way to the other books.

Having read this long (over 500 pages book) and detailed story in 48 hours, because I simply could not stop (and re-read many heart-warming/wrenching lines again and again), I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

Karleen Koen is a master storyteller. It is true that sometimes her sentences are jumpy, convoluted, unclear, and that sometimes I felt the endless descriptions of flowers, clouds, dresses, jewels, furniture, tools, spices, and you-name-it bogged the story...

HOWEVER the characters are phenomenal! The plot is intriguing, gripping, surprising, amazing, and refreshing in its uniqueness. The heroes are brave, clever, noble, fierce, compassionate, but also humanly flowed and well-rounded. They evolve, surprising themselves as well as the reader with the depths of their abilities, cerebral and emotional.

Too many characters introduced in the first few pages; all with similar names. I could never keep track of who was who. Constantly trying to remind myself of who each character was and how he was related to the story had me skimming previously read pages and left me confused and distracted from the story. I got through the first 100 pages and then gave up. I read a lot and this hasn't happened to me before; maybe it was simply me and I just wasn't concentrating. Anyone else feel this way?

Through a Glass Darkly is one of my favorite, favorite novels, so beautiful, i love it. i looked forward to reading this book with a passion, but it was not on the same level as Through a Glass darkly, not anywhere near it. one thing i thought was strange was, in Through a Glass Darkly it was mentioned that the first time Richard met Alice she was at court by the gardens kneeling beside and comforting a child who had been bullied, and that she had chased away the child's bullies, and Richard saw how fierce and tender she could be at the same time and that they fell in love at first sight. but nothing like that happened in Dark Angels. it was like Dark Angels had nothing to do with Through a Glass, Alice was not the same character at all, and it didn't seem like it was the same amazing gut-wrenching love either.

I had heard so much good about this author, but I've read two of her books now (the other Through the Glass) and I can't see the hype. She's overdoes the "visual" details. She often goes places that don't affect the plot. Her writing is just heavy. I could hardly force myself to finish the books. In this one, the plot just got silly at the end and I was disappointed in the character.

"Mademoiselle Boleyn" is a great novel about Anne Boleyn's years in France. I appreciated this spin on her story because we rarely are given stories about her except about how she "bewitched" Henry, married him, her "treason/infidelities/incest", and of course her tragic end. I have always liked Maxwell's writing style, and this book is no exception to her great skill in weaving together a story. I liked Anne for the most part, though at times she seemed one-dimensional. I also liked how Mary Boleyn wasn't potrayed as a complete whore or the charming innocent as Philippa Greagory painted her to be. A drawback however was that some of the novel's threads were left hanging or didn't seem to add to the flow of the story. However, like others have said, if you truly enjoy Maxwell's writing, this is another good read.

This has a different historical perspective on Anne Boleyn and her personality. It has a lot of sexual parts that seem to be the most interesting, and some of the book is boring. Yet at the end, I wanted it to go on (stopping at when she goes to King Henry's castle). An interesting perspective, and a bit of a history lesson. I'd give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Great fun to read.
Helps enormously to understand Anne's life in France.

A must-read for fans !
RP

The missing years of between Anne's birth and her arrival at Henry's court has been "explained." Whether or not it is based on fact, it sure makes for an interesting reading. I love this book. It was intriguing, fun and a very fast-paced reading. I am currently watching the Showtime's "Tudors" series and this book fit the bill in between episodes.

This book shows Anne Boleyn, the famous or infamous queen who was beheaded because she didn't bear the king a son, though her trial was based on gossip and lies and rumors, denouncing her as a traitor. What was Anne like as a child? Robin Maxwell takes the reader on a journey through two different royal courts. Anne Boleyn was sent to live with Charles V's grandmother's court in Burgandy. Then she was sent to live in the French Court when Mary Tudor, Henry's sister, was married to the old French king. Anne remained behind with her sister Mary, who is featured quite promiently in this novel. This is their story and what had happened to the three years before they returned to England. This is an education of a queen out of Henry's six wives who is the smartest and most intelligent of them all. This is the story of a woman who is the mother of the most famous queen England has ever seen.

This is a fascinating reading and one that will keep you spell-bound. I personally found this one to be better-written than The Secret Diary, that Maxwell has written earlier. This one is full of juicy details and whether or not it is historically accurate, it still makes for an entertaining book.

5/27/08

I quite liked the refreshing and different spin on the life of Anne Boleyn in the French courts before she became famous/infamous. So many stories portray her as a scheming shrew so it was nice to see a story portray her as an ordinary girl living an extraordinary life. The descriptive sex and foreplay used in the novel doesn't bother me because sex is an integral part of life regardless if we want it to or not. I really like how the author portrayed the French royal family especially Claude and the meeting and courtship of Henry Percy was an added bonus. All in all, I think this is a well-rounded and plausible novel and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Anne Boleyn.

Good historical scene-setting and characters. Sticks pretty close to the famous Amy Robsart affair. Way too much romance and gothic touches. Main weakness is the plot, which wanders and drags with quite a lot of repetitiveness. I really enjoyed the sensual quality of the background - visual, auditory, olfactory. It came alive. I will try one more of this series.

I received this book as a gift several years ago, when I was in high school. At first, the book did not look very appealing, but eventually I decided to give it a try. I actually liked the book. I re-read it a few months ago and still found it enjoyable.
I only gave it 4 stars because this is not the type of book I'd usually read, so it's not one of my favorites. However, the writing is very good and the plot is intriguing.
Someday I hope to read some of Fiona Buckley's other Ursula Blanchard mysteries but my Books To Read list is quite long already and growing longer every day.

Ursula is a strong, independent woman, but not unrealistically so for her background or position. The mystery is okay, but the characters and depiction of the period kept me involved. Although it dragged a bit at times, Buckley paints a wonderful picture of the life and intrigues of court life. I would read another.

A recent widow with a small child to support, Ursula Blanchard is fortunate to catch the attention of Sir William Cecil, Secretary of State to the new queen, Elizabeth, only eighteen months on the throne. Cecil finds a position for Ursula as one of Elizabeth's Ladies of the Presence Chamber, assuring a monthly income, although the young widow remains in dire financial straights. The court is currently rife with rumors of a romance between Sir Robert Dudley and Elizabeth, not the least of which is the matter of Dudley's wife, Amy, who is ill and isolated at their estate at Cumnor. When gossip insinuates a threat to Amy's life, so that Robert will be free to marry the Queen, Elizabeth and Dudley enjoin Ursula to go to Amy and assure her of their concern for their safety. Ursula agrees to the task, leaving behind a gentleman seeking to win her favor, Matthew de la Roche.

Amy Dudley is indeed pitiful, distraught at the loss of her husband's affections and suffering from what her physician has diagnosed as a terminal illness. Sympathetic to the young woman's plight, Ursula wins Amy's trust, reexamining Dudley and the Queen's motives for sending her on the mission. Certainly, strange comings and goings on the estate warrant suspicion as court rumors infiltrate even Cumnor. Unfortunately, Ursula cannot prevent the inevitable. When Amy suffers an "accident" that takes her life, it is impossible to determine the cause and Ursula reevaluates her position as servant or pawn to the Queen. Her own man killed while on a journey to deliver a vital message, Ursula sets out to find his murderers, at the same time stumbling upon a plot to challenge Elizabeth's throne.

Elizabeth's reign draws gossip by its very nature, as suitors and sycophants gather, currying royal favor and jockeying for power. Anyone close to the Queen is a target for malicious scheming and Dudley is no exception, a threat to others who would have the Queen's favor. With the best of intentions, the honorable Ursula is caught in a conundrum not of her making, doing the Queen's bidding yet unable to protect Amy Dudley from her fate. Her own future in jeopardy, Ursula is at the core of the scandal caused by Amy's death, faced with decisions that will not only determine her future happiness but influence the direction of the country. Luan Gaines/2006.

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.