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Abduction
The mission will make him rich. It might also kill him.Lowly guard captain Matho Spirston’s life will change forever when he claims Henry VIII’s reward. Competent in his own world but inexperienced outside it, he seizes the chance for betterment and heads north into Scotland with a trusted companion.Alarmed when his friend is injured, Matho assumes the mission is over. Realising that without the gold, he cannot ask the young Scots lass to wait for him, let alone marry him, he grapples with doubts and an interfering beauty. His love proves strong and within days he decides to act alone.But with a jealous Scots Lord on his heels and an untrustworthy female with plans of her own stalking him, how can he succeed?More importantly, how can he steal the child and avoid the executioner’s axe?ABDUCTION is the exciting first book in the Scots Queen historical fiction series. If you like romance, good craic and courage in the face of danger, then you’ll love Jen Black’s thrilling adventure.Buy ABDUCTION today and experience just how dangerous Scotland could be in 1543.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2014
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Jen Black
31 books6 followersJen's home town is Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England. She lived within sound of Durham Cathedral bells until she was seven, then moved to Stockton where she attended Grangefield Grammar School, and later went to Newcastle University as a mature student and gained an Honours degree in English Language & Literature. Work in various industrial, public and academic libraries in the north east followed, including a stint as library manager at Gateshead College for a number of years.
She updates her blog three times a week: http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com
and can also be found on Twitter and Facebook as well as Goodreads.
She updates her blog three times a week: http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com
and can also be found on Twitter and Facebook as well as Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 30, 2014
Abduction of The Scots Queen
By Jen Black
Before I read Abduction of The Scots Queen by the talented Jen Black I knew very little about Scottish politics in that era. The author skilfully presents the historical personalities and politics of the day without detracting from a fascinating tale of plots and counter-plots, betrayal and love, ambition and greed.
A treaty has been arranged for the infant Queen Mary of Scotland to marry Henry VIII’s son, Prince Edward, when she is ten years old. For political reasons Henry now wants the children to marry immediately. The king has offered a reward to any man who delivers the queen to him.
Matho Spirston’s friend, Harry Wharton, sees this as a way to advance himself. Matho is horrified by the idea. Harry asks his father to allow them to set out immediately because he estimates that England and Scotland will be at war within two weeks.
The Dowager Queen, Arran the Regent and Cardinal Beton favour an alliance with France not Henry the VIII, so Matho becomes “convinced that the Scottish lords are as shifty as the traders at the quayside in Newcastle.” That is also true of a particular lady, Meg Douglas, who also wants to kidnap the queen. Half-sister of the late King of Scotland, who died at Flodden, Meg is the daughter of Henry VIII’s sister. Her father wants her to marry ambitious Mathew Stewart, Earl of Lennox, who has a claim to the throne of Scotland. Lennox courts Mary of Guise, the Dowager Queen, and Meg. At a time when many children died at an early age, if Queen Mary and Prince Edward die, Meg would inherit the thrones of England and Scotland. (Presumably, at that time, the princesses Mary and Elizabeth of England had been disinherited.)
Jen Black is expert at setting scenes. I can always see them in my mind’s eye. For example:- “Meg looked down with a grimace of distaste on the reeking chimneys and roof tiles of Stirling and urged her horse on. Overnight frost had crisped the fallen leaves and adorned them with silver. A blackbird foraged among the brambles, and a robin eyed her from a spindly mountain ash.”
I can also visualise the Dowager Queen singing a lullaby to her daughter. “…this one wore a flimsy white nightdress with soft folds bunched and tangled around her slender feet. A crimson and gold embroidered shawl hugged her shoulders. Thick, glossy hair hung down her spine, and candlelight sparked on the jewelled pin caught in its strands. When she lifted her hand, a large purple jewel flashed in the flickering light.”
The characterisation in The Abduction of The Scottish Queen is excellent. I like Matho, a young man of humble birth, who courts a lass called Phoebe, but has little to offer her other than a small, poorly furnished cottage. Would he or would he not abduct the queen, I wondered as I read? If he did, he would be richly rewarded by Henry VIII and have something worthwhile, other than his love, to offer Phoebe.
I enjoyed Jen Black’s superb novel and look forward to reading more of her books.
By Jen Black
Before I read Abduction of The Scots Queen by the talented Jen Black I knew very little about Scottish politics in that era. The author skilfully presents the historical personalities and politics of the day without detracting from a fascinating tale of plots and counter-plots, betrayal and love, ambition and greed.
A treaty has been arranged for the infant Queen Mary of Scotland to marry Henry VIII’s son, Prince Edward, when she is ten years old. For political reasons Henry now wants the children to marry immediately. The king has offered a reward to any man who delivers the queen to him.
Matho Spirston’s friend, Harry Wharton, sees this as a way to advance himself. Matho is horrified by the idea. Harry asks his father to allow them to set out immediately because he estimates that England and Scotland will be at war within two weeks.
The Dowager Queen, Arran the Regent and Cardinal Beton favour an alliance with France not Henry the VIII, so Matho becomes “convinced that the Scottish lords are as shifty as the traders at the quayside in Newcastle.” That is also true of a particular lady, Meg Douglas, who also wants to kidnap the queen. Half-sister of the late King of Scotland, who died at Flodden, Meg is the daughter of Henry VIII’s sister. Her father wants her to marry ambitious Mathew Stewart, Earl of Lennox, who has a claim to the throne of Scotland. Lennox courts Mary of Guise, the Dowager Queen, and Meg. At a time when many children died at an early age, if Queen Mary and Prince Edward die, Meg would inherit the thrones of England and Scotland. (Presumably, at that time, the princesses Mary and Elizabeth of England had been disinherited.)
Jen Black is expert at setting scenes. I can always see them in my mind’s eye. For example:- “Meg looked down with a grimace of distaste on the reeking chimneys and roof tiles of Stirling and urged her horse on. Overnight frost had crisped the fallen leaves and adorned them with silver. A blackbird foraged among the brambles, and a robin eyed her from a spindly mountain ash.”
I can also visualise the Dowager Queen singing a lullaby to her daughter. “…this one wore a flimsy white nightdress with soft folds bunched and tangled around her slender feet. A crimson and gold embroidered shawl hugged her shoulders. Thick, glossy hair hung down her spine, and candlelight sparked on the jewelled pin caught in its strands. When she lifted her hand, a large purple jewel flashed in the flickering light.”
The characterisation in The Abduction of The Scottish Queen is excellent. I like Matho, a young man of humble birth, who courts a lass called Phoebe, but has little to offer her other than a small, poorly furnished cottage. Would he or would he not abduct the queen, I wondered as I read? If he did, he would be richly rewarded by Henry VIII and have something worthwhile, other than his love, to offer Phoebe.
I enjoyed Jen Black’s superb novel and look forward to reading more of her books.
July 21, 2021
This compelling story involving the intrigues of Marie de Guise’s regency in Scotland focuses on two very different people, who for surprisingly similar reasons are willing to abduct the infant Mary Queen of Scots from her cradle in Stirling Castle.
Lady Margaret Douglas is of noble birth, the daughter of Margaret Tudor and niece of Henry VIII; Matho Spirston is a humble hired man trying to make something of his life and find enough money to wed the girl of his choice. What Matho and Meg Douglas have in common is their lack of security and their determination to improve their prospects – and the difficulties and dangers this all leads to.
Meg is beautiful, outwardly strong but inwardly insecure. Displaced as the Earl of Angus’s heir by the birth of a half-brother, Meg is in urgent need of a place at the Scottish court and/or a husband to save her from spinsterhood, which in those days meant penury despite aristocratic birth. To achieve this, she is willing to take huge risks, but her inability to foresee drastic, potentially negative consequences leads her into a life-threatening situation. Meg is a likeable, feisty anti-heroine whose personal needs take precedence no matter what.
Matho Spirston is a low-born Englishman who goes where life takes him, in this case to Stirling Castle with the son of Sir Thomas Wharton to steal the baby Queen Mary, that she may live under Henry VIII’s tutelage and marry the young Prince Edward, thus uniting the crowns of England and Scotland – and bringing peace to war-torn lands.
As the story unfolds with unpredictable diversions, author Jen Black expertly weaves in the complex court politics and clan loyalties surrounding the Dowager’s Queen’s regency. To achieve this without confusing the reader is no mean feat: Ms Black knows her epoch inside out and handles historical content with a light, deft hand, feeding essential details into dialogue and different characters’ motives. Add to this, her portrait of Meg Douglas’ attractive but entirely self-centred possible suitor, Lord Lennox, and her father, the larger than life, bombastic Earl of Angus, plus the innocent but wise servant girl Phoebe, who has stolen Matho’s heart, and you have a fascinating cast of real and fictional characters.
This first story in Jen Black’s The Scottish Queen Trilogy moves at a fast pace, each chapter bringing a surprising twist as events do not go to plan for either protagonist. The setting of Stirling Castle, high on a rock where if it is not snowing or raining the battlements are shrouded in a chill mist, is so well described I felt I was there.
Abduction is historical fiction at its best, a thumping good read involving the lives of nobles and commoners who lived long ago.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Lady Margaret Douglas is of noble birth, the daughter of Margaret Tudor and niece of Henry VIII; Matho Spirston is a humble hired man trying to make something of his life and find enough money to wed the girl of his choice. What Matho and Meg Douglas have in common is their lack of security and their determination to improve their prospects – and the difficulties and dangers this all leads to.
Meg is beautiful, outwardly strong but inwardly insecure. Displaced as the Earl of Angus’s heir by the birth of a half-brother, Meg is in urgent need of a place at the Scottish court and/or a husband to save her from spinsterhood, which in those days meant penury despite aristocratic birth. To achieve this, she is willing to take huge risks, but her inability to foresee drastic, potentially negative consequences leads her into a life-threatening situation. Meg is a likeable, feisty anti-heroine whose personal needs take precedence no matter what.
Matho Spirston is a low-born Englishman who goes where life takes him, in this case to Stirling Castle with the son of Sir Thomas Wharton to steal the baby Queen Mary, that she may live under Henry VIII’s tutelage and marry the young Prince Edward, thus uniting the crowns of England and Scotland – and bringing peace to war-torn lands.
As the story unfolds with unpredictable diversions, author Jen Black expertly weaves in the complex court politics and clan loyalties surrounding the Dowager’s Queen’s regency. To achieve this without confusing the reader is no mean feat: Ms Black knows her epoch inside out and handles historical content with a light, deft hand, feeding essential details into dialogue and different characters’ motives. Add to this, her portrait of Meg Douglas’ attractive but entirely self-centred possible suitor, Lord Lennox, and her father, the larger than life, bombastic Earl of Angus, plus the innocent but wise servant girl Phoebe, who has stolen Matho’s heart, and you have a fascinating cast of real and fictional characters.
This first story in Jen Black’s The Scottish Queen Trilogy moves at a fast pace, each chapter bringing a surprising twist as events do not go to plan for either protagonist. The setting of Stirling Castle, high on a rock where if it is not snowing or raining the battlements are shrouded in a chill mist, is so well described I felt I was there.
Abduction is historical fiction at its best, a thumping good read involving the lives of nobles and commoners who lived long ago.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
June 12, 2019
This is the first book in a series which takes place around the time of the so-called Wars of the Rough Wooing between England and Scotland. King Henry VIII of England wants to unite the two kingdoms through a marriage between his son and the baby Queen of Scots. When her mother refuses, he begins to consider other means.
Enter Matho Spirston, a young man from humble beginnings who is trying to make his fortune and his way in the world. He agrees to join an attempt to kidnap the little Queen and take her to England. On his way, he comes into contact with King Henry’s niece, the lovely but untrustworthy Meg Douglas who has her own agenda. Matho begins to realise that he must tread carefully in the complicated political world of the borders, where loyalties are never certain.
I enjoyed this book very much. It’s a period I know very well from researching one of my own novels, and it is very clear that Jen Black has done an enormous amount of research for this book. The settings were well pictured and the plot moved nicely along.
For me, however, the book’s real strength lies in the characters. The tension in the growing relationship between Meg Douglas and Lord Lennox is very well drawn. Meg herself is a masterpiece of charm, intelligence and treachery. At the same time, the author brings out hints of a softer side, of what Meg might have been if political survival hadn’t got in the way.
Matho himself is a delight; by turns shrewd, funny and naive, a bit of a Tudor chancer but with a good heart and immense loyalty to his friends. An excellent historical novel.
Enter Matho Spirston, a young man from humble beginnings who is trying to make his fortune and his way in the world. He agrees to join an attempt to kidnap the little Queen and take her to England. On his way, he comes into contact with King Henry’s niece, the lovely but untrustworthy Meg Douglas who has her own agenda. Matho begins to realise that he must tread carefully in the complicated political world of the borders, where loyalties are never certain.
I enjoyed this book very much. It’s a period I know very well from researching one of my own novels, and it is very clear that Jen Black has done an enormous amount of research for this book. The settings were well pictured and the plot moved nicely along.
For me, however, the book’s real strength lies in the characters. The tension in the growing relationship between Meg Douglas and Lord Lennox is very well drawn. Meg herself is a masterpiece of charm, intelligence and treachery. At the same time, the author brings out hints of a softer side, of what Meg might have been if political survival hadn’t got in the way.
Matho himself is a delight; by turns shrewd, funny and naive, a bit of a Tudor chancer but with a good heart and immense loyalty to his friends. An excellent historical novel.
January 12, 2015
This is my first 'Jen Black' book and I took it on a business visit to Scotland, to keep me company on the long train journey. As a half-Scot myself I've grown up with the tales of border life in the 16th century and I've been very disappointed with some of the offerings out there, fiction-wise. For that reason I tend to avoid a lot of them.
However, Jen's created a lovable and believable cast of fictional characters, and their story unfolds within the realistic and carefully researched Scots royal court and border lands of the day.
The book begins with discussion between Matho Spirston and his pal, Harry Wharton, of an 'arranged marriage' between the reigning king's son, Prince Edward, and the the infant Queen Mary of Scotland. The treaty allowed for the wedding to happen when she was ten years old. For political reasons, and because the king in question was Henry VIII, suddenly there's huge pressure for the children to marry immediately. The king has offered a reward to any man who delivers the little queen to him.
Harry Wharton sees this as a way to advance himself. Matho is horrified. Harry begs his father to allow them to set out immediately because he estimates that England and Scotland will be at war within two weeks. I won't say more - if you like this kind of fiction and want real, believable border-country characters, you'll love this book.
I found the story gripping especially as I read much of it on a couple of train journeys, winding through the Trossachs and then the highlands of Scotland. However, Jen sets the scene very well and there are charts to differentiate the fictional characters from the historical ones as well as maps etc.
However, Jen's created a lovable and believable cast of fictional characters, and their story unfolds within the realistic and carefully researched Scots royal court and border lands of the day.
The book begins with discussion between Matho Spirston and his pal, Harry Wharton, of an 'arranged marriage' between the reigning king's son, Prince Edward, and the the infant Queen Mary of Scotland. The treaty allowed for the wedding to happen when she was ten years old. For political reasons, and because the king in question was Henry VIII, suddenly there's huge pressure for the children to marry immediately. The king has offered a reward to any man who delivers the little queen to him.
Harry Wharton sees this as a way to advance himself. Matho is horrified. Harry begs his father to allow them to set out immediately because he estimates that England and Scotland will be at war within two weeks. I won't say more - if you like this kind of fiction and want real, believable border-country characters, you'll love this book.
I found the story gripping especially as I read much of it on a couple of train journeys, winding through the Trossachs and then the highlands of Scotland. However, Jen sets the scene very well and there are charts to differentiate the fictional characters from the historical ones as well as maps etc.
November 30, 2014
Jen Black brings new life to the Tudor period with this novel. Meg Douglas is an engaging, worthy heroine who isn't as intimidated by her domineering father and the formidable Henry VIII as some are - to her cost.
Having made some serious mistakes, and no longer in the prime of youth - by Tudor standards anyway - she seeks a way to regain her status through the only means possible to a woman in the 16th Century - a good marriage.
Matho Spirston is an adventurer, handsome brave and daring but with a moral and loyal streak which causes some problems. However, he accepts his task to obtain the infant Queen Mary and deliver her to the English king with enthusiasm and compassion.
When these two meet up, their ambitions clash, resulting in chemistry and fireworks.
This is a fabulous book and wonderfully researched. The author gives new dimension to Mary of Guise, the complicated Scottish politics of the day and the way women were regarded at the time. Highly recommended.
Having made some serious mistakes, and no longer in the prime of youth - by Tudor standards anyway - she seeks a way to regain her status through the only means possible to a woman in the 16th Century - a good marriage.
Matho Spirston is an adventurer, handsome brave and daring but with a moral and loyal streak which causes some problems. However, he accepts his task to obtain the infant Queen Mary and deliver her to the English king with enthusiasm and compassion.
When these two meet up, their ambitions clash, resulting in chemistry and fireworks.
This is a fabulous book and wonderfully researched. The author gives new dimension to Mary of Guise, the complicated Scottish politics of the day and the way women were regarded at the time. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews