Spotlight on Fiona Buckley

I'm late! I'm late! Before I had even written the post for the letter A as part of the Crime Fiction Alphabet being hosted by Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise, I knew what I was going to write about for the letter B. You would think that that would make it more likely that I would actually get around to posting it on time wouldn't you? Unfortunately not, but I thought I would still write the post for my own entertainment anyway. It will probably end up being cross posted at Historical Tapestry at some point as well!

Now I have to try to think about what I can possible post about for the letter C!



For a long time now, a look at the historical fiction shelves will reveal that one of the most popular eras in historical fiction is the Tudor period, particularly the life and times of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. This fascination is understandable - scandalous love lives, religious upheaval and dramatic events in world history all are factors in the fascination that readers have with these times.

Those factors are part of what makes the Ursula Blanchard series of novels by Fiona Buckley an entertaining read.

Full name Ursula Faldene Blanchard de la Roche Stannard, our introduction to Ursula is when she is a young widow who has recently arrived in the court of Elizabeth I. She needs to provide for her young daughter, Meg, as well as her servants. It isn't long before William Cecil has Ursula working for him in a variety of roles, placing her both in danger, but also in situations where she can show her resourcefulness and resolve.

There is definitely some similarity in tone and broad themes to Karen Harper's Elizabeth I mysteries series, but one of the key differences is that Ursula is not restricted to the court as Elizabeth I, as sleuth, needs to be for the most part. Being able to travel around means that Ursula is able to investigate events such as the death of Robert Dudley's wife (The Robsart Mystery) and various Catholic (The Doublet Affair) and aristocratic plots (To Ruin a Queen). Along the way, Ursula interacts with Catherine, Queen of France (The Queen's Ransom), Mary, Queen of Scots (A Pawn for a Queen and The Fugitive Queen) and also finds time to live her own life as well including dealing with deaths, marriages and raising a young girl to womanhood.

Like many other historical mysteries series, there are times when Ursula is too modern, and there are some things that happen that I didn't really like, but the positives outweigh those criticisms.

At this point in time, there doesn't appear to be any new Ursula Blanchard books due to be published, which is disappointing. Fiona Buckley is however the pen name for Valerie Anand who writes historical fiction/fantasy, and she has at least one long running series that I will try at some point.

I did find that this series started slowly, but the books did improve and the last few were very entertaining. I started reading this series before I started blogging so I don't have reviews for all of them, but I have provided the links where possible. The series in order is:

1. The Robsart Mystery (also published as To Shield the Queen)
2. The Doublet Affair
3. Queen's Ransom
4. To Ruin A Queen
5. Queen of Ambition
6. A Pawn for a Queen
7. The Fugitive Queen
8. The Siren Queen

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise has come up with a fun idea called The Alphabet in Crime Fiction. The idea is that each week the participants will post something about crime fiction that relates to the letter of the alphabet for that week. I can't guarantee to participate every week, but I thought it would be a good incentive for me to actually write some reviews!

This week the letter is A and I am choosing to finally write a review for a book that I finished quite some time ago - A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander, the third book in the Lady Emily Ashton series of mysteries.

See what I did there? Not one, but three letter A references!

If you think you might like to participate in this meme, then please head over to Mysteries in Paradise to get all the details.

At her friend Ivy's behest, Emily reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as odious as he is powerful. But if Emily is expecting Lord Fortescue to be the greatest of her problems, she is wrong. Her host has also invited Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who was once linked romantically with Emily's fiancé, the debonair Colin Hargreaves. What Emily believes will be a tedious evening turns deadly when Fortescue is found murdered, and his protégé, Robert Brandon—Ivy's husband—is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right this terrible wrong and clear Robert's name, Emily begins to dig for answers, a quest that will lead her from London's glittering ballrooms to Vienna's sordid backstreets. Not until she engages a notorious anarchist in a game of wits does the shocking truth begin to emerge: the price of exonerating Robert can be paid only by placing Colin in deadly peril. To save her fiancé, Emily must do the unthinkable: bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange.

Some times there are books that are just a perfect fit for a reader. Both this series, and Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series are that for me.

If I was to create a list of things that I love in a book, not specifically a mystery, but just any book, then at the top of the list would be historical setting, drool worthy hero, unusual locations, and a imaginative storyline. Throw in a mystery, a house party and

Set in Victorian times, Lady Emily Ashton has grown since the events of the first book in the series. She has found she has a nose for investigation, something that is not necessarily always appreciated by the people around her, especially her friend Ivy's politician husband, Robert. Robert is eager to rise through the political ranks, and as such has allied himself with Lord Fortescue.

When Ivy invites Emily to join them for a house party, she joins them, not realising that amongst the guests there will be one of her fiance Colin Hargreaves' former loves and some times partner in his role as an agent for the British Crown, Countess. With Colin called away on business for the Crown, Emily is left to fend for herself in a hostile environment, with the Countess Kristiana von Lange taking every opportunity she can to undermine the relationship between Colin and Emily.

Worse still, when the host of the house party is found dead, Robert is presumed to be the murderer, and a distraught Ivy calls on Emily to assist with the investigation. Emily is drawn into a complex web of plots and intrigues, and finds herself in Vienna, dealing with royalty, anarchists, old murders and jealous ex lovers. It certainly doesn't help that it appears that Colin may be hiding something from her.

As with so many of these types of novels where the heroine is to be a strong, independent woman, as much as the author tries to maintain the historical integrity of the characters, it is not always possible to completely keep modern attitudes and actions from creeping in, but it is usually minimal. Some of the plotting did seem a little overly contrived, but I guess when you want to cover such a broad range of themes and relationships, plus provide a resolution to a couple of mysteries that will happen.

The one thing that the author did do is to provide a delicious morsel in the very end of the novel. As soon as I closed the book I was ready for the next book in the series. Fortunately, after waiting for a few months, I shouldn't have to wait too much longer to actually read it. Tears of Pearl was released at the beginning of last month and is currently sitting on my library book shelf calling my name.

You can read my review of the previous two books in this series here and can find out more about Tasha Alexander's books, including information on the locations used in her novels at her website.

Rating 4/5