The Agatha Award winner debuts a 1930s London mystery series, featuring a penniless twenty-something member of the extended royal family.
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Mar 27, 2009
Bernadette
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Set in Britain in 1932 this is the first book in a new historical cosy series from Rhys Bowen who is already well known for the Molly Murphy series and the Evan Evans books. This one features Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, better known as Georgie, a penniless but impeccably credentialed young woman who is 34th in line for the throne. When her half-brother and his austere wife try to set her up to marry a frightful foreign Prince Georgie sets off from family home in Scotland to live i
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Feb 02, 2009
Ruth
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Lady Georgiana is thirty-fourth in line to the English throne, but the distinction of being a royal, albeit a minor one, hasn't kept money woes at bay during the Depression. However, since royals - no matter how minor - aren't supposed to get "common" jobs, Georgiana's only option, according to the Queen, is marriage to the highly repulsive Prince Siegfried. Georgiana resolves to support herself, even if she has to do it clandestinely. And so she decides to work as a maid (horrors!). W
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Jan 30, 2009
Gayle
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Rhys Bowen, who has already achieved a certain notoriety because of Evan Evans, a Welsh policeman, and Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant, launches a new series and a new heroine with Her Royal Spyness. The lady in question is a lady indeed--Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, thirty-fourth in line for the British throne. Georgie, as she is called by her intimates, has a position to uphold, but no income upon which to uphold it. Her family offers the unappetizing options of unpaid governess
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Oct 26, 2011
Kathy
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First in the Her Royal Spyness mystery series set in the early 1930s and revolving around the Lady Victoria Georgiana "Georgie" Charlotte Eugenie of Glen Garry and Rannoch, 34th from the throne, second cousin to the king, and utterly fed up with the selfish baiting of her sister-in-law, Fig.
The Story
Besides getting away from Fig and her practical cost-cutting ideas such as using Georgie as a governess for her son, Georgie is also escaping a planned house party to enterta More...
The Story
Besides getting away from Fig and her practical cost-cutting ideas such as using Georgie as a governess for her son, Georgie is also escaping a planned house party to enterta More...
Oct 19, 2011
Susan
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I've read all five books in the Royal Spyness series. The first book had me debating as to whether or not I should continue on with the series. There was a 3 for 2 sale on Audible so a decision was necessary. The second book must have hooked me because I went right on through the fifth and was left wanting more.
This is light, fluffy, and sometimes silly reading but the characters, including the annoying ones (they are meant to be annoying) are entertaining and likable. Also, most impor More...
This is light, fluffy, and sometimes silly reading but the characters, including the annoying ones (they are meant to be annoying) are entertaining and likable. Also, most impor More...
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May 10, 2011
Snail in Danger (Sid)
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More like 3.5. Close to but not quite 4 stars. Kept me guessing until very near the end, but then the windup seemed a little too pat. The protagonist reminded me oddly of Flora Fyrdraaca, Ysabeau S. Wilce's heroine. Not afraid to sneak around and connive to get what she wants, but in a good way. If Flora were in 1930s England and correspondingly subject to class and gender restrictions on her behavior, rather than being in a fantasy setting with fewer such restrictions, she might be very li
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Mar 09, 2011
Sarah-Greenbeanteenqueen
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Rating: 3.75
I decided to read this book because my mom is a fan of Rhys Bowen and I'm a fan of lighter mysteries, so I thought this would be a good read.
In many ways, I believe Her Royal Spyness would be considered a cozy mystery. It is fairly light on the mystery side, and while there is a mystery plot, it does take awhile before the mystery really takes off. The body doesn’t appear until just over 100 pages into the book and even then the story goes between Georgie’s m More...
I decided to read this book because my mom is a fan of Rhys Bowen and I'm a fan of lighter mysteries, so I thought this would be a good read.
In many ways, I believe Her Royal Spyness would be considered a cozy mystery. It is fairly light on the mystery side, and while there is a mystery plot, it does take awhile before the mystery really takes off. The body doesn’t appear until just over 100 pages into the book and even then the story goes between Georgie’s m More...
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Jan 29, 2011
Vinaya
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Let's say one of your friends sets you up on a blind date with a guy you know nothing about. You go to the restaurant to meet him, and you're filled with trepidation because the whole experiment could go either way. You've heard really good things about him from your friend, but for all you know, she could just be biased, or your tastes may not match.
You get to the restaurant, you find your blind date, and he's not bad to look at. In fact, he's quite appealing. You chat casually over More...
You get to the restaurant, you find your blind date, and he's not bad to look at. In fact, he's quite appealing. You chat casually over More...
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Aug 07, 2010
An Abundance of Books
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Georgie needs to get away from her family, before they marry her off or she strangles them! When an opportunity to go to London comes up, Georgie takes it, without really thinking things through. Now she's in London without money or a servant, which is problematic since Georgie doesn't know how to start a fire or find a grocery store. Her cousin, Queen Mary, requests Georgie's help in spying on the Prince of Wales' current (and very unacceptably married) lady friend. Georgie also runs into an ol
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Jan 19, 2010
Margo
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I enjoyed the fresh voice on this royal sleuth. 21-year-old Lady Georgianna's debutante season is over and now this royal cousin (granddaughter of Queen Victoria's least pretty daughter and daughter of an actress turned dutchess who can't stay with one man for too long) is trying to make her way in the world while following royal protocal and keeping an eye on the crown prince for the Queen.
Georgie's straight talking, but innocent character decides to run her own cleaning agency to More...
Georgie's straight talking, but innocent character decides to run her own cleaning agency to More...
Jul 12, 2009
Marlyn
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In which we meet Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, known to her friends as "Georgie". Thirty-fourth in line to the throne, Georgie became virtually penniless when she turned 21, as her allowance was cut off. Frustrated living with her older half-brother "Binky" and his wife at the family's estate, Castle Rannoch, Georgie decides to strike out on her own, and removes herself to the family's London home, Rannoch House. After an unsuccessful few hours as a cosmetics sal
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Apr 28, 2009
Michele
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Is it just me or is anyone else out there unreasonably attracted to cute book covers?
Most times my predilection for buying books based on cute covers comes back to bite me in the behind, but every once in a while I turn the last page feeling enormously pleased with myself.
This is one of those times.
Award-winning author Rhys Bowen - of Molly Murphy and Constable Evans fame - has hit a homerun with her newest mystery series, A Royal Spyness. Meet Lady Victoria G More...
Most times my predilection for buying books based on cute covers comes back to bite me in the behind, but every once in a while I turn the last page feeling enormously pleased with myself.
This is one of those times.
Award-winning author Rhys Bowen - of Molly Murphy and Constable Evans fame - has hit a homerun with her newest mystery series, A Royal Spyness. Meet Lady Victoria G More...
Dec 16, 2011
Amy
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I really do like British mysteries set after the Great War, and so, it was with a song in my heart that I picked up the first book in this series, looking forward to the chummy hours I'd spend with Georgie and her set as we sleuthed around London. My exuberance gave way to a dreary sense of fatigue as it seemed that the whole thing was unfolding in real time, and we were spending not enough time with the Bright Young Things, and too much time learning to toast our own crumpets.
The More...
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Apr 23, 2011
Judy
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Now here is a fun twist on the light and easy murder mysteries. Our girl crime solver is part of the extended royal British family -- 34th in line for the throne in the 30s when King George and Queen Mary are still alive and well and David, he who was to be king has just flitted from flower to flower to explore the eccentric Mrs. Simpson who is accompanied about England with the best alibi of all Mr. Simpson! Interesting to read just now, especially on the heels of The King's Speech and with a r
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Nov 10, 2011
Erin
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This book was like Maisie Dobbs, but not quite as good.
Similarities: Georgiana and Maisie are both young ladies in 1920-30 England (mostly London) who are solving mysteries.
Differences: Georgiana is 34th in line for the British throne (while Maisie has managed to break into middle-class England from the servant class). Georgiana is adorable with her incompetence (her grandfather teachers her how to build a fire because she doesn't have any servants with her) and inability to More...
Similarities: Georgiana and Maisie are both young ladies in 1920-30 England (mostly London) who are solving mysteries.
Differences: Georgiana is 34th in line for the British throne (while Maisie has managed to break into middle-class England from the servant class). Georgiana is adorable with her incompetence (her grandfather teachers her how to build a fire because she doesn't have any servants with her) and inability to More...
Sep 23, 2011
Beth
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This was a fun book. Set in the 1930s, it's the story of a minor royal - Lady Georgiana ("Georgie") who is 34th in line to the throne of England. Georgie's family is facing financial difficulties. She has a choice of staying at the family home in a drafty castle in Scotland where relatives want to marry her off to a prince from Romania, or striking out on her own (but without any money). She ends up moving to her family's London house alone where for the first time she has to dress
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Mar 07, 2011
Pamela
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Meet Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie Rannoch, but just plain Georgie will do. Georgie is in a bit of a pickle. Her dim and rather spineless elder brother Binky, Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, has cut off her allowance, forcing her to live on his charity in their drafty Scottish castle to be lorded over by his harpy of a wife, Fig (née Hilda). This is not quite the pickle. The pickle is that, as a member of the royal family (her grandmother was "the least attractive of Queen V
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Dec 28, 2010
Debbie
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This is the first of a series called Royal Spyness about a fictional royal family in the 1930's in England. The story contains many instances that are probably quite true. The story centers on Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie or Georgie as she is called, about 34th in the line to the throne. Georgie is in her 20's and has completed her schooling and had her "season", now she must find a suitable husband and marry. Of course, Georgie plans something else. In this episode,
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Feb 05, 2011
Miz Lizzie
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A very cozy mystery with an emphasis on character and setting over actual whodunit plot. Lady Georgiana (Georgie) is thirty-fourth in line for the British throne. One of her grandparents was Queen Victoria's daughter, another is a Cockney retired police officer. The combination of ancestors accounts for her refined naivete and determined spunk as she tries to avoid being married off to a foreign prince and still manage to provide for herself, seeing as she is completely penniless. It's the e
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Mar 26, 2010
Laura
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Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, aka “Georgie” is a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and cousin to the Duke of Windsor [aka, David:]. Georgie, a self described “minor royal” and poor relation to King George V and Queen Mary finds herself at the “ripe old age” of 21 living with her half brother, the current Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch and his wife, in the family castle in Scotland. When it appears that she is no longer welcome there and indeed the subject of an arranged marr
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May 15, 2011
Hannah
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In an industry absolutely saturated with generic career-related cozy mysteries, Her Royal Spyness is a wonderful breath of fresh air. The lovely purple cover and interesting title caught my eye while I was at the library, and I picked it up hoping to be entertained. And entertained I was. From the fascinating historical settings and whimsical humour to the cast of characters, this first installment of Rhys Bowen's new Royal Spyness series delivered a great deal of fun.
Lady Georgiana More...
Lady Georgiana More...
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Jan 07, 2011
MJ
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Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie of Glen Garry and Rannoch or Georgie is thirty-fourth in line for the throne. Not that it matters she still 21 single and broke. Not wanting to marry the foreign prince her family (as in the King and Queen of England) want her to marry Georgie leaves the family home in Scotland and runs away to London. Of course penniless in London is worse than penniless in Scotland. So Georgie does the only thing she can starts a domestic service under a false name. Ke
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Mar 03, 2010
Gail
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Oh I liked this very much. She's thirty-fourth from the throne, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria's daughter and the daughter of a Scottish duke who married an actress. Her brother, the present duke, has cut off her allowance, thinking it's time for her to marry and have someone else support her. Lady Georgina removes herself to their London house without family or a maid. She quickly learns to fend for herself, with the advice of one of her wild friends and her Cockney grandfather.
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May 06, 2010
Debra
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Lady Georgiana, daughter of the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, is doomed to a life of boredom and a loveless marriage if she doesn’t do something drastic. So when she leaves home on the pretense of helping a friend planning her wedding, her brother, Binky, and his wife, Fig, reluctantly let her go to London on her own. This is no small feat for a young, aristocratic woman in 1932, especially when she has no idea how to cook a meal or heat her home. But Georgiana is resourceful and determined, t
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Jan 16, 2011
Jeanne
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Meet Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, or Georgie for short. She is the daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch and 34th in line for the throne. In other words, Georgie is royalty, kind of.
Georgie has a problem: she is twenty-one and hasn’t found a husband. Her brother, Binky, has just cut off her allowance. So, Georgie does what any modern girl would do—moves to London and searches for a job. After all, Georgie is a fairly clever girl; surely, she can find so More...
Georgie has a problem: she is twenty-one and hasn’t found a husband. Her brother, Binky, has just cut off her allowance. So, Georgie does what any modern girl would do—moves to London and searches for a job. After all, Georgie is a fairly clever girl; surely, she can find so More...
Sep 07, 2009
Felicia
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Oh good, a new shelf: "Vaginal-Mystery"! Bored of the corsets, there are only so many virgins to read about who get pregnant in the Epilogue, you know?
This is the start of a new fetish: Lady mysteries. I've listed a few before, Deanna Raybourn being my fave, so I downloaded the firsts to a few other series.
This one I really enjoyed although it was very fluffy. It was mainly the main character that made it engaging, Georgie is 34th in line to the throne, so it was an int More...
This is the start of a new fetish: Lady mysteries. I've listed a few before, Deanna Raybourn being my fave, so I downloaded the firsts to a few other series.
This one I really enjoyed although it was very fluffy. It was mainly the main character that made it engaging, Georgie is 34th in line to the throne, so it was an int More...
Jul 29, 2011
Georgiana is approximately 31st in line for the British throne. Now you would think that would mean that she is a woman of means. Not so. Her father has commited suicide and her mother is an American actress with multiple husbands who has never been much of a mother. Georgie is definitely a woman of royal line but she finds her money cut off by her 1/2 brother the duke so she either has to stay and be supported by Binky and his wife or make her own way in the world. When they try to marry h
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Jul 24, 2011
Susan
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Set in 1932 London. Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch, is broke and bored, living with her brother (the current Duke) in a drafty Scottish castle. "Georgie" goes to London to seek excitement, but has to make her own way without servants for the first time in her life. 34th in line to the throne, her behavior is restricted by royal protocol, so to get a job she must use an alias and work where no one will recognize her. When Georgie's
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Mar 12, 2009
Samantha
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Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, otherwise known as Georgie, is 34th in line to the throne which basically amounts to not much. She decides to move out of her brother's house and into a small family owned house in London to make her own way. But then she gets caught up into a mystery involving her family and it looks like someone might be trying to kill her.
Her Royal Spyness is a fun beginning to this series that I will be looking forward to reading more of. I'll star More...
Her Royal Spyness is a fun beginning to this series that I will be looking forward to reading more of. I'll star More...
Feb 06, 2012
Elizabeth
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This is the fun first installment of the "Her Royal Spyness" series.
The series had been recommended to me as someone who like cozy mysteries. Our heroine, Georgie, is the sister of a duke and the 34th in line to the throne.
This takes place in the spring of 1932. The characters are charming and fluffy. It did really take a while to get to the mystery of the story. But that was okay because we were busy getting to know Georgiana and her world.
The 30's is th More...
The series had been recommended to me as someone who like cozy mysteries. Our heroine, Georgie, is the sister of a duke and the 34th in line to the throne.
This takes place in the spring of 1932. The characters are charming and fluffy. It did really take a while to get to the mystery of the story. But that was okay because we were busy getting to know Georgiana and her world.
The 30's is th More...
