Naughty in Nice

Publisher's Summary

The national best-selling author of Royal Blood whisks her heroine away to the French Riviera for fun-and danger.

Lady Georgiana Rannoch has once again been called into service by Her Majesty the Queen. This time she's sent to Nice on a secret assignment that's nothing to sneeze at: recover the Queen's stolen snuff box.

As much of an honor as it is to be trusted by Her Majesty, an even greater honor awaits Georgie in Nice - as Coco Chanel herself asks Georgie to model her latest fashion. But when a necklace belonging to the Queen is stolen on the catwalk, Georgie has to find two priceless items - and solve a murder. How's a girl to find any time to go to the casino?

Listen to more Royal Spyness mysteries.

©2011 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Katherine Kellgren's performance encompasses an astonishing range of personalities while remaining true to her impoverished sleuth's impeccable enunciation…Kellgren, undaunted by the burgeoning cast of characters, supplies plenty of distinctive accents and jaunty tones. The delighted listener wants the story to go on and on.” ( Audiofile)

"Fans of Peter Lovesey''s hilarious books transforming the future Edward VII into an unlikely sleuth will relish Bowen''s whimsical fifth Royal Spyness mystery starring Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 34th in line to the British thrown (after 2010''s Royal Blood). Bowen successfully melds a whodunit with comedy as few contemporary writers can." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"The best part of this delicious series is the cast of characters (well known and otherwise), led, of course, by the level-headed and stiff- upper-lipped Georgiana, who tackles whatever is in front of her, be it murder or romance, with uncommon relish. A royal romp." ( Booklist)

Murder mystery for the delicately nurtured

A murder mystery for the delicately nurtured, or those who merely wish to escape the daily grind and grittiness. In the Miss Marple genre, but with a heroine who has youthful, girlish exuberance and the patina of royalty. This is the latest delightful instalment in this lighthearted series, which never fails to provide enough plot twists and surprises, to keep the listener engaged. Perfect for an overnight transatlantic flight or for cheering up time spent dreary waiting rooms.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Lots of good fun

This was a great easy read. Lots of fun and well done. The books are easy to figure out but there are always some nice things added in and the characters are funny and light hearted. Georgie is getting more clever and it would be nice to actually have her figure it out before she gets herself in a pickle. Having said that though, there are lots of adventures, parties and interesting (and often shallow) people. The narrator is enjoyable. Ms Bowen is good at coming up with interesting ideas and is entertaining. If you are interested in an easy fun time, this is a book you will enjoy. Funny characters and lots of bridget jonesque girl fun with a good accent.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Superb

This audiobook is a perfect confluence of author and narrator. It is a hilarious book with a mystery plot and many excellent lines from various characters. The author's previous books in this series were funny, but had weak mystery plots. This book has both excellent characters and plot. The narrator does an absolutely perfect French accent, adding immensely to the listening pleasure. I was a bit leery that the author had included famous people as characters in her book, but she nails them in the book. They are portrayed very accurately and well.

This is the sort of book that lingers in the listener's mind for a long time and with pleasure. I recommend this book for hours of delight.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

The perfect ending to the series"

Where does Naughty in Nice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high up I would say in the top 75%

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

I just could not figure out who the murderer was...I suspected everyone except the real culprit.

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

She is very good. I would say as good as she always is.

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

Not really. a book is a book.

Any additional comments?

Georgiana in Nice...with Coco Chanel and her mother...what else could you ask for.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Such a delight

I enjoy this series so much and this book in partuclar because the getting-repetitive love interest figures very little. However, Coco Chanel and the often absent mother are nice additions. The main character, who is a minor and penniless royal, is sent by the Queen of England to the French Riviera to quietly retrieve stolen item of her majesty's. Of course it's never as simple as it starts out. The mystery is challenging, yet not too dour or dark in tone. The author does a good blancing act in this respect. The setting is well described and lively. The reader is top notch and I enjoy every word and detail.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

One of my favorite series!

STORY - (fun mystery) OMG, I just love these books! The mysteries are cleverly complicated, the characters are wonderful and it's all intertwined with just plain fun. Georgiana, the main character, is 35th in line to the throne of England, but the story is set during the depression and she is penniless. She survives through the help of friends, her own cleverness, and spying for the Queen. In this book she is sent to Nice, France to quietly recover (steal back) a snuff box that was stolen from the Queen.

Seems like all the zany main characters end up in Nice as well, and Georgie ends up in another of her many predicaments. I enjoyed this book immensely from beginning to end. It is an easy listen but will keep you guessing about many mysterious things that pop up along the way, and you will likely laugh out loud at Georgie's antics and those of her friends.

PERFORMANCE - Katherine Kellgren reads this book. Her work is always amazing, and this is no exception. If you listen to the sample, you will learn that some of the characters are kind of "overdone," like the snobby British royalty and Georgie's promiscuous best friend Belinda, but IMHO that just adds to the delightfulness of the story and the performance.

OVERALL - There is no cursing in this book. As far as sex, there are mentions of passion and Georgie is chased around a yacht by its fat, amorous owner, but nothing else. There are a couple killings, but they just create mystery and are not gory. Each book in this series stands alone, but the slow-moving romance between Georgie and Darcy grows a little bit with each book. Darn it, I want them to get together!!! Highly, highly, highly recommended for girls of all ages, maybe not so much for guys because of all the girly fun.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Love Georgie!

Georgie is the best friend you turn to when you need cheering up. I enjoy the audible books because the narrator puts so much energy into her reading. She is having fun. And I always have fun listening to her.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Perfect antidote for midwinter blues

These books are an unalloyed delight! The author gets right up to the edge of cloying and frivolous but never goes over the line. There is an underlying intelligence in Georgie that, along with her ebullient good cheer, makes her irresistible. And can we talk about Katherine Kellgren? Her mastery of all the accents, each one distinct and recognizable, is genius. No one should ever read these books when this brilliant narration is available to make it doubly enjoyable.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

It's simply a fun and clever escape!

I picked this up because I felt like I needed a break. Every Royal Spyness novel is light, funny, engaging and educational. I always find myself smiling while listening to Rhys Bowen novels.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Lady Georgie Comes Into Her Own

This series has definitely become my guilty pleasure. I have listened to all of the previous editions in the Her Royal Spyness series, and they were all enjoyable, but in this one, Lady Georgiana really hits her stride as a character.

I won't give any spoilers, but some of the best parts of this story include the inclusion of Coco Chanel and Lady Georgiana's mother, who has a more inclusive role in this story. I am not very familiar with the life of Coco Chanel, but if she was anything like the way she was portrayed fictionally, I would be eager to learn more about such an icon. Rhys Bowen has previously portrayed real life persons as characters and they were very like their real life personae to the knowledge I have of them.

I don't feel the perceived absence of Darcy O'Mara detracts from the story, because it is really a non-issue, he is still present in the thoughts of Lady Georgiana, and it was nice to have the introduction of someone who could possibly take his place. [I can not believe I am commenting on romantic complications between two fictional characters, I suppose I will be reading Regency Romances before long (no offense to lovers of that genre).

I will not end this review without mentioning that Katherine Kellgren does a wonderful job as she has in all the previous version. Her voice and characterizations are spot on.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Naughty but nice

I enjoy all of these Rhys Bowen, easy listening and relaxing so if you want to just relax and smile to your self these are for you.
I can throughly recommend them.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

naughty in Nice

Absolutely brilliant, loved every minute, every detail, can't wait for the next book !A ++++++

Not as good as the rest.

This was okay, but not the best. The story was a little lacklustre, and to be honest I'm getting a little sick of the 'all British men are secretly rapists' thing. This seems to be becoming increasingly common in these tales. I pretty sure very few men actually want to force a woman to sleep with them, even if they are from the upper-classes.
I wasn't that impressed with narration either. For some reason the narrators voice and pronunciation is becoming increasingly ridiculous. It's more than a little distracting.

2 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great read

If you could sum up Naughty in Nice in three words, what would they be?

Civilised, cultured and clever read!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lady Georgiana

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

Yes! All of the royal spyness series books are incredible.
I am an Agatha Christie' s books but these are better!!!!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Naughty but nice