The gentle cover really makes me laugh because the book is anything but gentle. So! This is the second installment in the Countess Ashby de la Zouche mysteries series. We're in the company of our old friends the Countess and her former maid Alpiew for another adventure in Restoration England.
First things first - this book wasn't as good as Unnatural Fire, the first book of the series, perhaps because the first book is funnier and the whole introduction makes it so we have to get accustomed to a kind of bawdy and linguistic humour we just don't read about nowadays. Yet, The Rival Queens is engaging and comfortably draws upon the tradition of the Restoration comedy so it's pure entertainment from cover to cover, with as always an impeccable sense of the period and some dramatic irony thrown in for good measure (often they dismiss things or people as irrelevant/useless when we know today they ended up being hugely famous and sought after, which is always pleasant!). Highlights include a scene in a sex shop (even then called 'sex shop') and more heads chopped off than under the guillotine. Pick this one up for a good time!
As far as I'm concerned, it has definitely inspired me to dig deeper into Restoration comedy - I already have a few titles in mind to try later :) ( )

An interesting light read. When I picked this up, I didn't realize it was a mystery or that it was the second in a series--yes, I just judged the book by its cover. But it kept me entertained and even guessing a bit over whodunit. It takes place in London in 1699, and the author made a point of dropping in little trivia about the time period to add to the atmosphere. Good for a plane or before-bed reading. ( )

The gentle cover really makes me laugh because the book is anything but gentle. So! This is the second installment in the Countess Ashby de la Zouche mysteries series. We're in the company of our old friends the Countess and her former maid Alpiew for another adventure in Restoration England.
First things first - this book wasn't as good as Unnatural Fire, the first book of the series, perhaps because the first book is funnier and the whole introduction makes it so we have to get accustomed to a kind of bawdy and linguistic humour we just don't read about nowadays. Yet, The Rival Queens is engaging and comfortably draws upon the tradition of the Restoration comedy so it's pure entertainment from cover to cover, with as always an impeccable sense of the period and some dramatic irony thrown in for good measure (often they dismiss things or people as irrelevant/useless when we know today they ended up being hugely famous and sought after, which is always pleasant!). Highlights include a scene in a sex shop (even then called 'sex shop') and more heads chopped off than under the guillotine. Pick this one up for a good time!
As far as I'm concerned, it has definitely inspired me to dig deeper into Restoration comedy - I already have a few titles in mind to try later :) ( )

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery filled with bawdy humor, highjinks, silliness, and colorful characters, but alas! - no royalty. The two queens are actually actresses of the London Theatre. When one of them quite literally loses her head, Lady Ashby de la Zouche, a relic of the Restoration Age, and her loyal, quick-thinking maid, Alpiew, are out to solve the crime. I had a few chuckles and cleared off some cobwebs after reading this cozy mystery. A fun read. ( )

Fun book! Well written and researched. Great twisty plot. I will be on the lookout for other works by Fidelis Morgan! ( )