Questionable Queen

by Nancy S. Brandt

Princess Ursula of Valborough wants nothing more than to improve the lives of her sister’s poorest subjects, but reading and writing aren’t priorities for mothers whose husbands remain prisoners of war. When the king of Heyton offers marriage, Ursula sees an opportunity to use herself as leverage to bring her countrymen home, but it would mean giving up a future with the man she’s always loved.

Prince Gideon of Heyton would love to serve his kingdom, but he is relegated to diplomatic work while his warrior cousins advance in ranks of King Killian’s court. He reluctantly accepts his uncle’s mission to Valborough. He’s a safe choice, after all. What princess would be tempted by a crippled stand-in when she would soon be in the bed of a king? After a rapid proxy wedding and awkward night in the bridal chamber, Gideon escorts Ursula home only to learn Killian has died. To free her people, Ursula must take the reigns of a country she’s never seen from people who have a head start on remaking Heyton as they please.

When she uncovers something hidden for more than 25 years, Ursula suspects Gideon is not simply a crippled diplomat; Killian didn’t die of natural causes, and he’s not the only casualty of a long-game plot to seize the throne of Heyton.

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2022

About the author

Nancy S. Brandt is a stay-at-home mother of two children, a married daughter, 34, who works at an orthopedic clinic; and a son, 21, who works in an artisanal pizza restaurant. She is also the grandmother of one beautiful little girl. Nancy's husband, Steven, is also an author and an adjunct professor of computer science at Louisiana State University.

In about sixth grade, an English teacher gave an assignment to write a descriptive essay. Nancy's was all about a wonderful cave filled with diamonds, emeralds, and other precious gems. From that experience, she walked into every English class hoping to get to write something, and she learned three things:

1. The difference between stalactite and stalagmite,
2. That fantasy was probably the genre she should concentrate on, and
3. Never end a story with "It was all a dream."

Nancy is a two-time kidney transplant recipient (her husband was her living donor for the first one), a thyroid cancer survivor, a brain surgery survivor, and an Army veteran. She is currently working on a paranormal romance called The Demon's Pregnant Girlfriend.