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A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2)
A Royal Pain - Royal Spyness, Bk 2
Author: Rhys Bowen
It's 1930s London, and Lady Georgiana -- thirty-fourth in line to the throne -- has a lot on her plate, but little in her cupboards. — Baked beans and boiled eggs. That's what my houseguest, the Bavarian princess, will have to eat if I don't get help posthaste. The Queen of England has requested I entertain said princess, placing her ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780425221631
ISBN-10: 0425221636
Publication Date: 7/1/2008
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 73

4 stars, based on 73 ratings
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

pateiwah avatar reviewed A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2) on + 57 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
imagine you are in line for the throne, 34th in line,but you can't work because it would look bad,so you clean houses for people that might know you, because you have no money,your royal relatives expect you to help them with little problems-like keeping the prince of wales away from a married american woman,play hostess to a bavarian princess,with a mouth right out of hollywood gangster movies,the one the royal relatives want to lure the prince away from the american and oh yes bodies keep showing up around you. the police notice, and the fact that you are royal dosen't seem to help.
a brother, the duke is called binky, his wife is called fig.
your mother is on husband #?-you have lost count.her father your grandfather was a london bobby and does try to help. it's nice to have normal relatives you can relax around.
a fun book it would help to read the first one then this one but not necessary.
cathyskye avatar reviewed A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2) on + 2307 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
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 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!
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reviewed A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2) on + 420 more book reviews
Another great addition to a wonderful series......Lady Georgiana is up to her ears in intrigue, socialists and of course the Royal Family....pretend staff to entertain German royalty.........no money and lots of upper class antics.......Looking forward to the next book in the series........
PrintsS avatar reviewed A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2) on + 20 more book reviews
This "Royal" series is just a plain good read! The between the wars setting reads fresh, the characters are entertaining, and the plot never jars one from suspension of disbelief. An all around entertaining and pleasant way to spend a few hours of down time!
Doughgirl avatar reviewed A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness, Bk 2) on + 138 more book reviews
I read the first book in this series earlier this year (Her Royal Spyness) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Rhys Bowen writes a witty, fun and IMO historically accurate mystery.

But thanks to a free tiral from Audiblecom, this time I listened to this book on audio (narrated by Katherine Kellgren) and it was a total hoot! It was so good that I only turned it off to go to sleep - but started it up again the next morning. Thankfully I've got Lady Georgiana's next adventure sitting right on my TBR - and you can bet I'll be getting to it very soon :-)


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