Siren Queen

by Fiona Buckley

Book Overview

In the worlds of passion and politics, Ursula Blanchard knows to follow her heart -- if she is to keep her head....

Happily married and enjoying the life domestic, Ursula has her mind on family matters, not court treachery, as she begins to plan a betrothal for her young daughter Meg. When the powerful Duke of Norfolk extends an invitation for Ursula and her family to travel to London to meet Edmund Dean, a potential suitor, Ursula's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743457498
• ISBN13: 9780743457491
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Ursula scores again!

This time, the Siren Queen is Mary Stuart, former Queen of France and Scotland. Once more, the woman spy for Queen Elizabeth (and now we find out that Ursula,born to one of Queen Anne Boleyn's handmaidens,and who never knew her father, is told by Cecil and Elizabeth that Henry the VIII was her father, making her Queen Elizabeth's half sister!. Ursula must find a way to prevent a "capture" of Mary Stuart so she can be returned to Scotland to work up an army to come back to England to remove her cousin Elizabeth from the throne and seat Mary Stuart. Those who want Elizabeth brought down do so because they do not feel that Henry's marriage to Anne was legitmate, which would make Elizabeth illegitmate. But Mary Stuart has her own problems. Want to know what they are? I suggest you read the book. Just remember that these books are based on real history. They will catch your imagination and hold on.

Another Good book by Fiona!

I dont know why people are giving this book low reviews, if you like the other books in the series, you will most likely like this one as well. Those who are saying that Meg was to young to be considering a marrige, in those times girls got married at 13-14, let alone just getting "promised" to some young guy, which is what they were considering. This book was well written with some surprising twists that I didnt see coming. Get this book if you liked the other ones....

Intrigue abounds

This is the 8th book in the Ursula Blanchard series, which I have been reading since it began. In this story, Ursula begins to plan a betrothal for her daughter, Meg. The suitor in question is a secretary of the Duke of Norfolk's, and the Duke himself has proposed the match. Ursula and her husband accept the invitation to travel to London, so they can scout out their prospective son in law to see if he is right for Meg. Together with Fran and Roger Brockley, Gladys Morgan, Sybil Jester, and of course, Meg, they arrive in London and soon meet Edmund Dean, the suitor in question. Ursula takes an immediate dislike to him, but is not quite able to put her finger on just why. Meg, on the other hand, is smitten and is eager for the betrothal to take place, even though she is only 13. Ursula tries to gently discourage her daughter from pursuing Dean, citing that as of yet, she is still too young to consider marriage and she would prefer that Meg wait until she was 17. Nonetheless, Meg's attachment to Dean grows, and she sneaks off to spend time with him whenever she can. Amidst of all this, the Duke tells Ursula of a private correspondence he has been having with Mary, Queen of Scots, who is currently deposed. The Duke is obviously in love with Mary, although they have never met, and he harbors hope of one day marrying her and becoming her consort. Norfolk is very outspoken in regards to his feelings, not realizing that Ursula does espionage for Queen Elizabeth and Sir William Cecil. Then, murder strikes the household, and a courier who had been carrying the Duke's correspondence is the victim. Along with the Duke's letter to Mary, there was also a letter from an Italian banker, Roberto Ridolphi, as well as a letter in cipher, which hints at a plot to bring the Scots queen back to her throne. Despite wanting to stay out of such things as court intrigue, Ursula is inexorably drawn into the mix yet again. She feels honor bound to Elizabeth and Cecil and can't in good conscience let what news she has learned go unshared. Therefore, Ursula becomes embroiled in trying to unravel this latest caper, while at the same time, trying to control her headstrong daughter. And so, Ursula ends up staying in London as a guest of Ridolphi's, under the pretext of helping his wife become better accustomed to England, while teaching her the language. Ridolphi is a friend of Norfolk's, and a fellow conspirator in the plot to reinstate Mary. To make matters worse, Ursula's willful charge, Gladys Morgan, wreaks havoc everywhere she goes. Gladys gets into fights with other servants, the town vicar, a gardener; everyone. And when she gets angry, she curses whomever she is angry with and wishes them ill. This eventually catches up with Gladys in an unpleasant manner, when she is accused of witchcraft yet again and is in danger of losing her life. This book was good, even though I could figure out parts of it. If you've read the series, you know of Ursula's 2nd marriage t

Riveting Historical Fiction

Fiona Buckley has written another winning entry in the Ursula Blanchard series. The series takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Ursula is the illegitimate half-sister of the Queen and has many times been in the middle of Court intrigue. At the start of the novel, Ursula is finally able to enjoy a more sedate life with her marriage to Hugh Stannard.. Her daughter, Meg, is soon fourteen and marriageable age. The Duke of Norfolk invite the Stannards to visit him and meet his secretary as a possible suitor for Meg. From almost the moment of arrival, Ursula's quiet life is over. Men are dying under mysterious circumstances, her host may be in on a plot to overthrow the Queen, and her old retainer is in jeopardy of being accused of witchcraft. Both primary and secondary characters are vivid, compelling, and memorable. The plot is well paced and engrossing. It beautifully entwined historical fact with fiction. A must read if you like your detective fiction with a historical twist.

extraordinary historical mystery

The Duke of Norfolk is attempting to matchmake his secretary Edmund Dean with Ursula Blanchard's daughter Meg. While Ursula isn't crazy about the idea, but she, her husband and their servants head to London to get their servant Gladys away from the villagers before she is declared a witch. While at Norfolk's home Ursula realizes that the man wants to marry Mary, former queen of Scots both for love and political power if she can win back the Scottish throne. Two men involved in Norfolk's home are murdered and Ursula believes it has something to do with putting Mary on the Scottish throne and making her Elizabeth's heir. Sir Cecil has Ursula go to the banker Roberto Rodolfo's house to act as a companion to his wife. Rodolfo is the middleman between Norfolk and the Spanish Ambassador. While Ursula is spying she comes across encrypted papers involving a plot to put Mary on Elizabeth's throne after Elizabeth is killed. Sir Cecil uses Ursula to defuse the situation before the lords in the north make war on their sovereign by taking Norfolk and Leicester out of the equation. Fiona Buckley weaves historical facts so seamlessly into her storyline that readers will find they are reading an extraordinary historical mystery. It comes as no surprise that the heroine makes a very good spy and her loyalty is to Elizabeth I, her queen and her half-sister. Although Mary Queen of Scotts is not present in THE SIREN QUEEN, plots and counter plots revolve around her and influence the course of politics during Elizabeth's reign. Fans of Sharon Kay Perman and Roberta Gellis are going to be very happy reading this fine work. Harriet Klausner