The Grand Tour: or, The Purloined Coronation Regalia

Cecelia and Kate Series, Book 2

By: Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer

Narrated by: Lucy Rayner

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two young Regency ladies with special powers must save the monarchy

Kate and Cecy and their new husbands, Thomas and James, are off on a Grand Tour. Their plans? To leisurely travel about the Continent, take in a few antiquities, and - of course - purchase fabulous Parisian wardrobes.

But once they arrive in France, mysterious things start to happen. Cecy receives a package containing a lost coronation treasure, Thomas's valet is assaulted, and Kate loses a glove. Soon it becomes clear that they have stumbled upon a dastardly, magical plot to take over Europe.

Now the four newlyweds must embark on a daring chase to thwart the evil conspiracy. And there's no telling the trouble they'll get into along the way. For when you mix Kate and Cecy and magic, you never know what's going to happen next!

©2004 Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (P)2021 Tantor

Felt a bit dragged out

At nearly 50% longer than books 1 and 3, this one actually feels like it didn't go anywhere (despite being a destination story). First, the alternating letter concept existed only as window dressing to introduce the prose. The riposte of book 1 and fey line/rail line intrigue of book three were more interesting to me. I did learn a few tidbits here and there (eg druid sickles), and was entertained by some of the gag lines (soooo many lost left gloves), but I actually felt mostly motivated to see if there was anything important that would unite the books. I drew a blank. A rainy day story when you want something light.

Wrede, Stevermer, and Rayner are a magnificent combination.

Lucy Rayner does an exquisite job as a narrator. The voices are distinct and fit my notion of these characters exactly. Ms. Rayner gives each character distinct intonation, pitch, and pace of speech. It was plain who was speaking and which character was telling their part of the story. Stupendous work.
The authors discussed how much fun they had developing these characters and the world in the first book of the series. Their enjoyment of writing this story is evident.
I enjoyed the first book more, partly because there were 2 stories happening in parallel. Each author linking the plot to their own characters in different locations allowed more conversations about sharing gossip and developing secondary characters. This story focuses more on the interaction of the main characters only. The shared events limited any side story arcs and characters. More development of the leading ladies and their approach to the same events worked well. I liked the relationship building, but I miss the snarkiness of the female-male fencing of the first book.
Very fun, enjoyable listen.

A positively flat narration.

What is that accent?!

Sadly for me the first thing that will switch me off from an audiobook is an unnatural sounding narrator, those who weirdly curl natural vowels or make something quirky and unfamiliar of familiar names.
Sorcery and Cecelia has always been one of my favourite books, it reads with flare and sass, the characters deliver well-rounded elements of story in their letters, with the good pace and rhythm with which a comedian delivers a punch line.
I used to read it aloud, in character, with my best friend and, oh, the fun we had!
So even though The Grand Tour does continue with the lives of the Cecelia and Kate as they move into a more mature part of life, and, though both are still clearly the same young ladies that delivered the exceptional wit and sleuthhood that we saw in the aforementioned book, this audiobook may as well be about completely different characters.
The delivery is soporific, the narrator odd-accented; she completely changes the charming and witty personalities into slow characters who seem arrogant and snooty.