Her Royal Spyness: A Royal Spyness Mystery
Royal Spyness, Book 1
by Rhys Bowen
narrated by Katherine Kellgren
Audible Studios, 2010
8 hours and 9 minutes
Publisher's summary:
Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.
So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg... She's gate-crashed a wedding... She's making money by secretly cleaning houses... And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.
Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub... and someone is definitely trying to kill her.
My thoughts:
A lot of bloggers enjoy Rhys Bowen's novels and now I understand why. After a couple of nonfiction audiobooks, I was in the mood for something completely different - "Georgie" to the rescue! Bowen takes full advantage of her heroine's position (34th in line to the throne and flat broke) to create an endearing character while delivering some unexpectedly comical scenes.
Katherine Kellgren's British accent added to my enjoyment. Her pacing and delivery were pitch perfect. I will certainly continue listening to this series.
Overall, Her Royal Spyness reminded me of a light-hearted Maisie Dobbs. In fact, I'll likely reach for the next book in this series before catching up with Maisie.
My rating:
I have a feeling my mom would love this series!
ReplyDeleteKathy - I bet she would, too!
DeleteThis sounds good.
ReplyDeleteStories of royal, aristocratic or otherwise privileged people living in poverty never seem to tire us. This is a literary convention that goes back thousands of years. In the hand of a good writer these stories can still be entertaining and enlightening.
I really like the cover art.
Brian - It seems like a story as old as time, yet somehow fresh and interesting, too. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. And I think the cover art is great, too!
DeleteHah! We're going to turn you into a series mystery reader (listener) yet! :)
ReplyDeleteAudrey - This may have done it... at last ;-)
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this! There's a new one just out - I forget how many there are now in the series. I saw it at the library today but did not add it to my overly tall stack.
ReplyDeleteLisa - Do you think I need to read this series in order, or can I pick up whatever is available at the library? I'm usually pretty particular, but maybe it's time to break out ;-)
DeleteVicki - Adding lighter mystery and fiction in between classics, nonfiction, and heavier fiction seems to be working well for me right now. This book was a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read! Thanks! Bonnie
ReplyDeleteBonnie - I'll reach for another book in the series the next time I need light and fun :)
DeleteI had not heard of this. Looks fun.
ReplyDeletePam - It was a nice change of pace.
DeleteI just read a Rhys Bowen book, In Farleigh Field, for the first time and I loved it! I will have to give this one a try too.
ReplyDeleteErin - I just noticed In Farleigh Field! Looks like it's stand-alone fiction and not part of this series. Adding to my list!
DeleteA light-hearted Maisie Dobbs? Sign me up! Sounds like such a fun series.
ReplyDeleteIliana - It was! I'll look for book 2 the next time I need a lighter book.
DeleteYou're abandoning Maisie??? I have put off reading these books because I didn't want another heroine from the same time period competing for my affections. I'm up to book 9 and loving it still. That said--this does look promising. The time period is just perfect--close enough to be familiar but still historical enough to satisfy my time-traveling urges.
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - No, don't worry. I'm not abandoning Maisie... just spreading myself a little thinner. I avoided series for the longest time, but no more ;-)
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