A Royal Pain

"A Royal Pain" follows on from the first book in the series "Her Royal Spyness" but gets even better, with a stronger plot and a wider cast of characters.

It's still 1932 and Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie (Georgie to her friends), a minor Royal, cousin of King George V of England, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne, is still struggling to make her way in the world. Georgie was educated at a Swiss Finishing School, knows all the right people, but has no money and has only recently started to learn to look after herself without the help of servants.

Georgie hits upon a scheme for making money (Coronet Cleaning Services) by opening up the London house of the upper classes prior to their arrival. Having no staff to deliver show more this service, Georgie dons a maid's outfit and takes on the work herself incognito. What could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile, the Queen asks Georgie to host a Bavarian Princess that Queen hopes may divert her son's attention from the completely inappropriate Mrs Simpson. As Georgie escorts the Princess around London and to parties with the rich and privileged, people around her start to die in suspicious circumstances, one is even stabbed to death. As Georgie, at the Queen's request, rather haplessly tries to find out what is going on, she gets into more and more trouble.

I thought the plot worked very well. It kept me guessing as to who had done what and why. It surprised me and it delivered an action-packed denouement.
The book also continued to develop a likeable ensemble cast around Georgie: her irrepressible best friend, Belinda, who takes lovers, wins at casinos and runs her own fashion house; the tall, dark, and more than a little mysterious son of an Irish Peer, Darcy who Georgie suspects of being either a spy of a thief; and Georgie's commoner grandfather a Cockney, ex-Met Police Constable, now retired and living in a semi in Essex.

The new characters, both the ones from Bavaria and the rich young men of the London party set are well-drawn. providing suspects for the plot and more than a little social commentary on the side.

The humour in the book is all-pervasive without being obtrusive. It starts with Georgie's character: brave, inquisitive and driven by duty but inexperienced and often surprisingly innocent. It moves on to be powered by the manners of the day, the put-downs the participants offer each other and the messes that Georgie's well-meaning but inept efforts at detection put her in.

These books have become my preferred comfort reads. They're perfect for listening to on long car rides or just for amusing myself when I need to sit quietly with a cup of something warm and let the world pass by.

I'm especially impressed by how accomplished the narrator, Katherine Kellgran, is. She brings these books alive by giving distinctive and appropriate voices to each character and by pacing her delivery perfectly Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample.

https://soundcloud.com/audible/a-royal-pain show less

The lively entertainment continues in A Royal Pain, the second entry in Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen. Georgies’ trials and tribulations are ongoing as this time Queen Mary has requested Lady Georgiana to host the Princess Hannelore of Bavaria with instructions to introduce her to Cousin David with the hope that the beautiful princess is able to lure him away from the wicked Mrs. Simpson. The Queen of course is far above noticing that Georgie is flat broke and is considering feeding the Princess on baked beans and boiled eggs.

Along with this worry there is also the matter of the body in the bookshop, Princess Hanni’s involvement with the Communist Party, and what about that handsome Irishman, Darcy O’Mara? A fun read that show more is a blend of 1930’s English drawing room farce, a whodunit with a hint of romance. Lady Georgiana is a plucky heroine whose adventures will keep a smile on the readers face. A great assortment of supporting characters only adds to the mirth.

A Royal Pain was a light and easy read, and I am looking forward to continuing with this charming series. show less

The plot is really interesting yet handled terribly. I had a lot of moral issues with this book which really prevented me from enjoying most of it. Here are some of them:

- 'If you're going to be raped, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.' I don't even know where to begin with that one. Georgiana is almost raped in this book yet ends up praising the young man telling eveyone he's harmless. It's a really shocking scene and the author has absolutely no problem with it. She's rescued by - who else - Darcy who's somehow always around to save a Georgiana in distress.

- 'We should let the people in charge be in charge forever and leave the rich to be rich and the poor to be poor.' The entire book is an attempt to tackle the topic of show more extreme political factions in the 30s and most of the characters voice their political beliefs in the course of the story, which is fine, only who on earth still thinks that some people are born to rule and others to serve? The author absolutely never nuances this political opinion (expressed not only by the ruling class but also by at least two working-class characters) and it becomes frankly disgusting. Let's not even touch upon the cartoonish portrayal of communist ideals when fascism isn't dismissed with quite the same passion.

- Georgiana's snobbism is pervading throughout and it's sickening to have her look at everyone wondering who's 'one of us' and who isn't or shielding people from 'her own set'. I don't care if it's historically relevant, she's insufferable to read about.

I don't know if I'll continue with this series. I love the period and I do think the mystery - though I guessed the culprits about a third of the way in - was worth it but I'm not enjoying the characters at all. show less

I love the wit and wisdom in this series. Amidst all the laugh-inducing lines and scenes, Bowen gives her readers a real sense of England in the 1930s. I'm not just talking about the Queen trying to steer her son away from the horrifyingly unsuitable American divorcée either. The cars, the clothes, the attitudes, the lingering effects of World War I, Communism, the rise of the Nazi Party... it's all here, wrapped up in a romp of a book (and series) that Bowen has to love writing.

Readers also get a glimpse into the life of the royals from meals to telephones to acquiring antiques. Georgie is such a fun main character. She's been brought up, not to be useful, but to be "thirty-fourth in line to the throne." Nevertheless she's twenty-two show more and wants her independence from the drafty ancestral castle in Scotland, so she's learning how to cope in London on very little money. She may have been raised to be ornamental, but she's got a good head on her shoulders and thinks on her feet-- which is a good thing because between her own proclivities and those of the Queen, she finds herself in some amazing situations.

Georgie's not the only character who shines. Her glamorous actress mother who left that castle years ago for a procession of handsome and wealthy men slinks through her scenes oozing sex appeal and style. Her retired policeman grandfather is a treat as is his next-door neighbor Mrs. Hetty Huggins, a woman who never met an H she couldn't drop. And then there's that incredibly handsome (and penniless) Darcy O'Mara who makes Georgie's heart flutter and always seems to be around when he's needed most. Although I don't care much for romance in my mysteries, I have to admit that I like keeping an eye on this relationship.

If you're in the mood to have fun, Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series is the one for you! show less

Royal sleuth Lady Georgianna takes on communist anarchists bent on mayhem. At Queen Mary's request, she is host to a young German princess and her chaperone, with the intent to redirect the attention of the Prince of Wales away from Mrs. Simpson. Because of her lack of income, Grandad and his neighbour act as butler and cook. As usual, the charming Darcy O'Mara is around to help out, in the nick of time. This was a lot of fun.

I enjoy the humor, sarcasm, and smugness of this series of England in the 1930's. In this episode, Georgie has been commanded by the Queen to chaperone and entertain a Bavarian Princess. The Queen hopes that her son David, The Prince of Wales, will fall for the Princess and leave his married mistress. Money seems to be the root of evil and problems for Georgie, since Georgie is penniless. In the course of this caper, a man falls to his death while Georgie watches, a Communist follower is stabbed minutes before Georgie goes to see him, and a baroness dies from an apparent heart attack. Bowen does a wonderful job in presenting the royals and showing the facade of their world. In this book, the threat of Hitler is beginning to appear. show more Also, Bowen does a remarkable job showing the different classes and the utter snobbery of the upper class. I also like the fact that Georgie is saving herself for the right man, and not hopping from bed-to-bed like her mother or her best friend. show less

This second installment of Her Royal Spyness is just as delightful as the first. I thoroughly enjoy the books in this series as they are wickedly funny and full of richly developed and likeable characters. The stories, while not very fast paced, are interesting,fun and hold your attention. Plenty of twists and turns in this installment and the mystery is not so easily solved. Really enjoyed the scenes involving Georgie, her granddad and his neighbor. Not enough of Darcy in this one though. Love me some naughty but loveable Irish boys. Katherine Kellgren does a positively perfect job of bringing a voice to each and everyone of the characters. I could just listen to her read for hours on end Unfortunately for my family, each time I listen show more to to books in this series, I end up using British terminology and try to speak with an English accent (I'm sure the kids will need therapy for this). Once again Jen L, thank you for introducing me to this delightful series. show less