On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service

A Royal Spyness Mystery, Book 11

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

In the new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times best-selling author of Crowned and Dangerous, Lady Georgiana Rannoch juggles secret missions from the queen, Darcy, and her mother. But it's all in a day's work when you're 35th in line to the British Crown.

When Darcy runs off on another secret assignment, I am left to figure out how to travel to Italy sans maid and chaperone to help my dear friend Belinda, as she awaits the birth of her baby alone. An opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way - my cousin the queen is in need of a spy to attend a house party in the Italian lake country. The Prince of Wales and the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding.

What luck! A chance to see Belinda and please the queen as I seek her permission to relinquish my claim to the throne so I can marry Darcy. Only that's as far as my good fortune takes me. I soon discover that Mummy is attending the villa party, and she has her own secret task for me. Then, Darcy shows up and tells me that the fate of a world on the brink of war could very well depend on what I overhear at dinner! I shouldn't be all that surprised when one of my fellow guests is murdered and my Italian holiday becomes a nightmare....

©2017 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Still good fun!

Would you listen to On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service again? Why?

Yes I would. I do adore the series and its good easy listening. I love the characters and that is why I keep coming back. The stories are not challenging but they are funny and charming and worth my money.

Any additional comments?

There are some annoyances for me in this series as it gets on. The repetitive fillers used in each book are getting a bit much - we all know the characters so I feel its a bit much to reintroduce again and again.
I get a bit annoyed with the continuity errors. And they start right in the beginning of the story when Georgie's brother details their villa in Nice - the very same villa she visited in Naughty in Nice. I can list many things like this - why is Georgie's wardrobe so limited when she acquired lots of clothing from Coco Chanel or her trip to America. Why is it that she has won loads of money at gambling clubs in the other books but she is forever poor. Progress is not a bad thing - she does not always have to be poor and down on her luck.
I just feel the author needs to accept a shorter book full of fresh work and not reuse so much. I really want more stories in the series - I don't want them to end. Just a bit more effort.
Lastly for some reason Katherine Kellgren sounded a little tired with her narration - everyone sounded a little older and slower. And it does annoy me when I like my continuity.
I have never had anything bad to say about the series but this book, as fun as it is, just isn't 5 star worthy :(

Katherine Kellgren is simply the best narrator!

Listening to a Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness Mystery narrated Katherine Kellgren is like a fantastic dessert after a wonderful dinner. This is book 11 in the series which does not have to be read in order but is best read in order. In this novel Georgie is in Italy where she runs into her fiance Darcy O'Mara as well as her actress mother and mom's German paramour. While there the queen asks her to check on the status of the Prince of Wales' marriage plans with that awful American woman Mrs. Simpson. Georgie's friend Belinda is there awaiting the birth of her baby. Of course there is a murder which Georgie must solve. There is really a lot going on, but Georgie's maid Queenie is left in Ireland, so one fun character is missing. Oh, and Georgie and Darcy are trying to get permission to marry (he is Catholic), because she is 35th in like for the British throne. To her great consternation 24 year old Georgie maintains her virginity. The novel is set in the 1930's before the start of WWII..

The performance by US born and London trained actress Katherine Kellgren is vocal art of which no other narrator I'm aware of, female or male, is capable. Every character has his/her own voice and accent representing where he/she is from.

The sad part is author Rhys Bowen, nom de plume of Janet Quin-Harkin, will likely not release the next novel is the series until next summer.

Little Queenie

It was a good but predictable book. The good part was very little Queenie was in it! I figured out early on who the killer was but it didn't take away from the story.

Georgie is at it again

As usual, Rhys Bowen has given us another delightful Georgie story. Sure, it's not great literature but it is an enjoyable romp in the Italian Lake District with the "posh set" and Nazis. What more could we want?

Some of the situations are repetitive from previous adventures of Georgie and friends. The usual suspects are there - Georgie's mother and Max, the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Simpson (she's still annoying), Belinda, and, of course, the dishy Darcy.

This time Georgie encounters early Nazis and their attempt to influence the future King. History tells us how that turns out. Add in some blackmail and a murder (naturally) and we have Rhys' latest. And very little Queenie. Thank you! The mystery wasn't that hard to figure out but the telling was good. The ending with Paolo and Camilla was just a tad too convenient for me though.

There were some great lines in the book. Calling Camilla horse-faced made me laugh. Couldn't possibly be a dig at the Duchess of Cornwall could it? 😉 And someone saying Hitler wanted to make Germany great again reminded me of something.

As usual, Katherine Kellgren's narration was perfect. She does such a good job with this series.

Now begins the wait for the next book. It will certainly contain a wedding, right?

Much the same as the rest of the series

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not really. I enjoyed the previous listens much more than this one. The new characters seemed forced to be too oddball and too eccentric. Not that humorous. The plot was much like another in the series. What really detracted was the performance. I felt that Katheryn Kellgren was yelling at me and I really wanted to slow the speed down so she would just lighten up some.

What could Rhys Bowen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More action for Georgie and fewer descriptions of insignificant characteristics of minor characters that were meant to be humorous.

How could the performance have been better?

Give it a rest.

Could you see On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Maybe not this one but earlier books for the series that show Georgie as more of an innocent. Carey Mulligan or Kiera Knightly would play the role well.

One of My Favorites

I have enjoyed this series very much. Just good, entertaining fun with characters brought to life so well by Katherine Kellgren. This story had some serious issues with the Nazi's and Belinda's situation. I think I got into it more for that reason. I listened to this book knowing it would be the last read by Katherine Kellgren and it was bittersweet for sure. I cried at the end for the loss of this talented woman, gone too soon and who will be missed by so many.

Will miss the voice of Katherine Kellgren :(

Katherine Kellgren will always be the voice of Lady Georgiana for me. She will be sorely missed.

But what a wonderful story, as only Rhys Bowen can tell.

Can't wait for Darcy and Georgiana to finally tie the knot!

Another Grand Adventure

Another great Georgie adventure. But this time she really does do some actual spying and puts herself in perilous situations. The Queen sends Georgie to a house party in Italy to monitor the relationship between the Prince of Wakes and "that woman ". What Georgie finds when she gets there is a house full of Nazi's , and a murdered spy!
Thankfully her beloved Darcy is there undercover, posing as a gardener, to help catch the evil villains and thwart their dastardly plot.

Is the plot oversimplified? Of course it is.

Yes, we are at another house party.
Yes, we're dealing with all the usual suspects.. basically all the same characters as in previous books with their same problems.
Yes, time is progressing at a snails pace. I really hope the next book includes the wedding.
And I'd like to see some character growth in Belinda, and in Georgie's brother the Duke.

But with all that being said
I REALLY ENJOYED this book! It was just fun to read.

So just enjoy yourself and jump back into 1935 England with Georgie and Darcy. You'll have fun!

Another great story!

I have enjoyed each and every story in this series. Rhys Bowen's story telling is consistent, always fun and interesting.
Georgiana, she's sort of a bit of Calamity Jane but somehow it all works out. Her Mr. Darcy is dashing as ever and so in love with her, I can hardly wait for when their wedding finally takes place. It's wonderful to see how Georgie always supports Belinda regardless of how big or small her messy life can be. Big, strong Darcy, turns tail at the end but in a funny way.
Katherine Kellgren, she's just incredible. Her vocal talent surpasses or equals my favorite readers. There's no, "she/he said, each character voice is distinct and clear. I'm never confused with who's talking at any time.
Thank you both for sharing your amazing talent.
If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series, you won't be disappointed.

Love this series!

I love this series! I've listened to it many times over! The narrator has a wonderful voice. Spoiler alert: I was really ready for them to get married in this book. And disappointed that it hasn't happened yet. But surely it will happen in the next one. I'm kind of tired of waiting, but I still love this series. And some of the content did feel a bit repetitious of previous situations she has been in, but again, I still like it. It's a delightful listen while I work. A little adventure, mystery, romance and comedy. That's why I love her!

Fun and light hearted

The story is a continuation of the series and a bit formulaic. The Prince Of Wales history is an attention getter. However, the reading is irritatingly drawled and the "upper class" accents so exaggerated and jarringly forced that it detracts from the story significantly.

Murder and Nazis and Spies! Oh My!

Any additional comments?

Another charming escapade for Georgie and Darcy. Belinda's predicament gets resolved nicely at the end and I hope there's a HEA for her soon. The murder mystery is quite intriguing, there were plenty of suspects to choose from and keep you guessing.The narration of this series is very good. I love the performance for Belinda but the one I'm not keen on is Darcy as he sounds too feminine and his Irish accent is dodgy.I have enjoyed every single book in this series and if you haven't started it yet I highly recommend it....making sure to start at book one.

Easy listening

Enjoyable story brilliantly read by Ms Kellgren. An amazing repertoire of accents!
Fun and suspended in the plot.

Decent Audio Book

Where does On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good enough for me to want to listen to it again.

What aspect of Katherine Kellgren’s performance might you have changed?

I do wish she wouldn't get quite so hysterical.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

The chase scene near the end went on a bit too long, especially as we all knew thast one of those doing the chasing would be Darcy.

Still no sign of them getting into bed, though perhaps they are getting nearer!

Terrible narration

The narration is so over the top and silly it really distracts from what could have been a decent story. Disappointed

A fun book but tinged with sadness. :(

A fun adventure. I have listened to all of the previous Spyness books and have very much enjoyed them. Listening to this story was tinged with sadness though, knowing that this was Katherine Kellgren's last narration of Georgie. God Bless you Katherine. Thank you for your wonderful characterisations. You were a very talented lady. x

On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service

They all start leaving Ireland, as Lady Georgina decided to also leave and see if her friend Belinda needs any help in Italy, with the Queen asking her to keep an eye on her oldest son. With a murder at the villa her mother and the Prince are staying in, she feels she needs to find out what is going on. Another funny murder mystery, read brilliantly again by Katherine Kellgren.

On her majesties secret service

Absolutely brilliant, can't wait for the next one, I recommend to everyone to listen or read this series of books! A++++++

Wonderful narration of different characters

Loved this story as it accelerated into a great whodunit! Looking forward to next in series as am totally hooked !

An Interesting Storyline

This is the content of my first review in December 2020:
“ In my opinion, books 1, 2 and 12 (this one) are the books to read in this series, as there is no character development throughout. The story in this is quite novel and we see some resolutions (however I wonder where they will live)! I may get the next one, but after that, I’m done with this series.” 3⭐️

EDIT 11 August 2022
This is a re-read. I had absolutely no recollection of reading it 18+ months ago! My opinion has changed I’m not sure why I said that I wonder were they would live, they already have a place, this story was all about that! I honestly could not have listened to the audiobook properly and explains why I have no recollection of it! 🤷🏾‍♀️

The story is very interesting and very clever! I love that our hapless Queenie comes into her own and saves the day a couple of times. I also enjoyed the new narrator, Jasmine Blackborow, she is far preferable to the previous narrator, she was dramatic, but not hysterical! However, she replaced Katherine, because that narrator unfortunately died!

Being able to concentrate on the story, with no distractions meant that I could hear Georgiana’s thought processes far clearer and I can honestly say that, she is the least interesting person within her group. Her only claim to fame is her relationship to the Royal Family. She has no skill set and no common or logical sense! She’s the only person in her group who is not gainfully employed or have an aptitude for anything other than saying ‘golly!’, ‘crikey!’ or ‘goodness!’’

I honestly can’t think where this series is going as Georgiana is no longer interesting. But I can give this story an extra star because both the premise of the story and the narrator are really rather good. I’m still not convinced that I’ll read more in this series.