Her Royal Spyness

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Agatha Award-winning author Rhys Bowen’s charming combination of intrigue and romance blended with a touch of humor shines when performed by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Katherine Kellgren, whose deft range and impeccable accent work make it hard to believe this isn’t a multicast performance.

In this irresistible cozy set in 1930s London, Rhys Bowen introduces the lively Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie—or "Georgie" for short. Despite standing 34th in line for the throne and occasionally having tea with (…and spying for!) Her Majesty the Queen, Georgie is penniless and down-on-her-luck. And just when it seems things might be looking up, she finds a body in her bathtub.

Listeners are sure to be hooked on this royally enjoyable series—and luckily for them, the collaboration between author and narrator only gets richer over the course of 12 books.

©2007 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

A merry romp through 1930s England

What did you love best about Her Royal Spyness?

Georgie is great fun, a lovely klutzy sleuth to be sure.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It kept me guessing with a long line of suspects.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Delightful characterizations.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A sleuthy royal on the rocks with a penchant for running into murder.

Any additional comments?

A good time for all.

Interesting mystery plus clever girly fun!

STORY - Georgie is a single girl who moves to London in 1932 to begin life on her own. She is physically clumsy, gets into all kinds of silly predicaments and her only luck seems to be bad. Her best friend, Belinda, is a slightly promiscuous party girl. Together they try to survive financially, navigate London's single social life and, of course, solve the mystery of the body Georgie finds in her bathtub!

This is the first in the series so there's lots of character-building, but once the murder mystery begins it's surprisingly engaging and will keep you thinking. So there's a very nice mystery component plus all the girly antics, which add up to a clever, fun, easy listen. The mystery is solved by the end of the book, but the door is left open for a future romance and, of course, more escapades.

PERFORMANCE - Good job. Many of the secondary characters are stuffy English socialites and IMHO their accents are intentionally "overdone," which serves to add more humor to the story.

OVERALL - (Actual overall rating 4.5) Highly recommended but for girls only. I usually avoid books of this genre so if you generally enjoy them, you will probably love this book.

A Fun Read

While it began a bit slowly, it picked up speed and provided chuckles throughout. I fully expect to read/hear some more in the series--especially if they are with the same narrator Katherine Kellgren!

Pure unadulterated fun!

Would you listen to Her Royal Spyness again? Why?

Well written with many laugh out loud moments. Kept me entertained throughout. Definitely worth a second, third, and fourth listen if you ask me!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Royal Spyness?

Every minute.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I just love listening to Kellgren's voice. I have listened to her in Robin Hobb's books and thoroughly enjoyed those performances too.

In the Royal Spyness series, she seems a perfect fit for Georgie. She has so many accents that make each character literally come alive. Much better than just reading words on a page. She is consistent and does not make any mistakes in pronunciation. What a true professional!

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

Laughed out loud in many instances (which got my husband wondering what was so funny about doing laundry).

Any additional comments?

I would love to hear more from this author. I am on the 4th book already and have become thoroughly engrossed in this series.

Light romp of a 21 female distant royal making do

Would you consider the audio edition of Her Royal Spyness to be better than the print version?

I prefer audio books and this one is well read

What other book might you compare Her Royal Spyness to and why?

Lauren Willig Pink Carnation series

What about Katherine Kellgren???s performance did you like?

Voice well suited to character portrayed

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The theme of wise but innocent learning to be self sufficient but responsible (to some extent living on nothing a year).

Any additional comments?

Light but fun listen. I also enjoyed the follow on book "Naughty in Nice".

Enjoyable listen

This was a light murder mystery, very enjoyable with a well spoken, easy on the ear narrator.

Delightful

Delightful story and the narrator brings the story to life with her full range of voices.

Very entertaining

Entertaining read. the narrator is phenomenal. By accident I started with a later book in the series and promptly wished to read all book in the series from the beginning.

Easy and Entertaining

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

Yes, it is a light funny mystery that flows. It was a little predictable, but not so much you would stop listening.

What other book might you compare Her Royal Spyness to and why?

I guess its a bit like a British James Patterson, in terms of ease. Though its lighter and more comedic.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She did a great job with accents, as far as an American can tell about British accents.

Cute and cozy in a very good way!

Cozy mysteries aren’t my usual cup of tea. My life is cozy enough on its own! But the London Olympics must have wet my appetite for all sorts of tea, and this British period cozy found its way onto my player.

Very cute! This is a happy little book that keeps you reading because the main character is so very likeable. Lady Georgiana is a royal relative. She’s just out of finishing school, unmarried, and almost completely without funds. Instead of sitting around moping or hoping for a white knight to save her, she musters all her considerable pluck and tries to learn to support herself!

This will only work out, of course, if no one finds out that a peer is trying to work to support herself. That would certainly never do! Oh, and then there’s the body in the bathtub. Best they not find out about that either….

The charms are the characters, a strong sense of the 1930’s London setting, and a dollop of wry British humor.

There’s no real tension to be found here. It won’t leave you jumpy or completely surprised by the mystery element, and any spying going on is more social in nature. This is…well, cozy, but in a good way. Unlike other cozy mysteries, this one kept me happily reading. In fact, the next book in the series is already in my listening queue. I’d highly recommend it to people looking for a fun, light read!

The narrator was excellent. She captured Lady Georgie well, and did a wonderful job voicing the many other characters.