A Royal Pain

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The Queen of England has concocted a plan in which penniless aristocrat Lady Georgie is to entertain a Bavarian princess and conveniently place her in the playboy prince's path, in the hopes that he might finally marry.

But queens never take money into account. Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid-in-disguise. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she's culled from American gangster movies; cure said princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties.

Then there's the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hannis' unwitting involvement with the Communist Party. It's enough to drive a girl crazy.

Listen to more Royal Spyness mysteries.

©2008 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Macavity Award, Historical Mystery, 2009

"All the characters from the first book in this rollicking series are present here - Georgie's much-married actress mother, her kind-hearted and resourceful Cockney grandfather, her sophisticated friend Belinda and the enigmatic Darcy O'Mara, a penniless Irish peer to whom Georgie finds herself attracted. There are also fleeting references to the war clouds that are gathering in Europe and the rise of fascism at home and abroad, both of which are neatly tied in with the murders and their solution. It works - both as a grand period piece and a lighthearted and completely diverting mystery." (The Denver Post)

I love this series

another great mystery! I enjoy the adventures of Lady Georgiana! Going to get next book immediately

Wonderful!

I absolutely love this series from Rhys Bowen. I’m so glad I found her. The first book in this series was fantastic and I liked the story better but I like this one too but I gave it a four because the princes character just really got on my nerves! I just wanted Georgie to give her a good slap in the face! I just couldn’t help it!

Royal fun read

A walk on the wild side always entertaining!
Narrator is masterful in her voice repetoir.

Enjoyable!

To be honest my favorite part of this book was the narrator. She does a great job of giving life to the characters and I found myself chuckling quite a few times over the character antics. The plot seemed thin at first but I was still intrigued until the end.

Love this series

Have listened to the first two books of the series and enjoyed them so much. Can't wait to hear the next one.
The voice acting is so, so good.
Once or twice the heroine said something I did not quite like, but I put it to the time she is living in. Also she is quite clueless about real life, sometimes.

Dealing with royalty isn't for the faint of heart

Georgie's royal relatives don't think twice about asking her for favors. Unfortunately, fulfilling those favors usually places her in situations from embarrassing to out-and-out dangerous. "Babysitting" the beautiful, but wayward, Princess Hannelore will prove to be both. Upon arrival, the princess proves to be a spirited beauty with a penchant for gangster films and an overactive interest in good-looking young men. But soon, those associated with the princess begin to suffer accidents. Then events take an even more sinister turn. Luckily for Georgie, her unusual background of royal education and working-class spunk make her capable of handling nearly all the outrageous situations she finds herself in. When she does find herself in over her head, she can always count on her flamboyant friends and family to make things even more complicated than before. This series bubbles over with wit and charm. Murder was never so much fun.

A Royal Pain is a Joy

What made the experience of listening to A Royal Pain the most enjoyable?

Katherine Kellgren's performance of Rhys Bowen's "A Royal Pain" is sheer joy. She brings Georgiana to life like no one else could and leaves you begging for more!

Kellgren does a great job.

What about Katherine Kellgren’s performance did you like?

Kellgren does an excellent job. Her performance is flawless, bringing each character to life in a believable way.

Any additional comments?

The Royal Spyness stories are engaging enough to make you want to keep listening. Although they are sometimes a little slow to get going, the narration by Katherine Kellgren helps you connect with the characters.

Too much talk of sex.

I liked the plot & the reader was very easy to listen to & follow, but it's a wonder that most of the characters didn't have VD.
It got to be quite annoying.
No actual sex, just a lot implied.
I'm not British, but this book made it appear that the nobility & upper class of the 1930s in England were very consumed with sex. Not very complimentary.

Loved it great continuation and growth character

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Funny and a good , if predictable, mystery.

What did you like best about this story?

Love Georgina! She is perky and unstoppable!

What about Katherine Kellgren’s performance did you like?

Love the accent!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

No