Her Royal Spyness (Solves Her First Case), by Rhys BowenIs it just A Reader's Respite or is anyone else out there unreasonably attracted to cute book covers?
Most times our predilection for buying books based on cute covers comes back to bite us in the ass, but every once in a while we turn the last page feeling enormously pleased with ourselves.
This is one of those times.
Award-winning author Rhys Bowen - of Molly Murphy and Constable Evans fame - has hit a homerun with her newest mystery series, A Royal Spyness. Meet Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie. She is thirty-fourth in line for the throne of England, dead broke, and she will be the first to tell you that is not a desirable place to be, especially for a single gal in 1930s London.
But Georgie, as she's pragmatically shortened her name to, is nothing if not practical. She's blazing her own path by setting up her own housekeeping service (in disguise, of course), finding love with a completely unsuitable man, of course, spying on Wallis Simpson for the Queen, and solving the mystery of a dead man who turned up in her bathtub.
What follows is a lighthearted romp with minor royalty and the usual suspects lurking around every corner. It's simply delightful.
Don't expect a convoluted plot here, folks. This is simply a fun little mystery that's less about the mystery and more about the fun, eccentric characters.
Title: Her Royal Spyness
Author: Rhys Bowen
ISBN-13: 978-0425215678
324 pages
Publisher: Berkeley
Date: July 2008 (pbk)
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I am a total book cover whore - I like pretty covers. This sounds fun - I wanna read. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDelete♥ Nely
P.S. - I just got Etta in the mail yesterday. Thanks for getting it out to me so quickly.
That Georgie is my kinda gal! Sounds like a Stephanie Plum sort of romp. Doesn't tax your brain, and pulls you away from the edge of a tall building after you've immersed yourself in WWII and dysfunctional childhoods!
ReplyDeleteI have trouble not judging a book by its cover! This one shounds like fun. Its on my list!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fun and I love the cover as well!
ReplyDeleteGreat cover and even greater review! This one is going directly on the wishlist! I love it, thirty-fourth in line to the throne...that would take a lot of scheming to try and work your way closer!
ReplyDeleteWasn't this an awesome cover. I snatched it up in h/c for the cover alone. lol.
ReplyDeleteMy pb copies have been "borrowed" & I think they are being held for ransome. lol.
Don't miss A Royal Pain.
Yes, I do love a good book cover and that one is calling my name. The book sounds good, too.
ReplyDeleteNely - hope you like Etta. I always worry that I'll send someone a book and they'll HATE it, LOL.
ReplyDeleteSandy - pulling you back from the edge...ain't that one the truth? I totally agree!
Holly and Dar and Kathy - me too. I'm with Nely: I'm a cover whore.
Amy - there's your bestseller...great premise...write a book!
Book Resort - I've heard the follow up is great. I just love knowing another good one is coming my way.
Sounds like a perfect summer book to me. I have a list going at Amazon and I'm heading there right now to add it - thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI, too, like covers.
{{thinking of cover whore jokes...}}
ReplyDeleteYou have to love any book that has someone wearing a cloche on the cover.
Love the cover and your review is wonderful!! Adding this one to my list definately :)
ReplyDeleteooohh...love the cover. The colors are so vibrant. I buy a lot of books based on covers alone but so far I haven't been really dissapointed with any of them.
ReplyDeleteI do like a good book cover. But I really love a fun mystery and this one sounds like a winner.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting and it IS a cute book cover. Just found your blog thanks to Scene of the Blog. I'll be back often!!
ReplyDeleteRhys Bowen is one of my favorite cozy mystery writers. I enjoy the Evan Evans series too.
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for a good cover, too. And I love Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy series, so I have simply got to get my hands on this one. Great review!
ReplyDeleteCarey
Hi Michele.
ReplyDeleteHad to see who the pilot was ;)
"Is anyone else out there unreasonably attracted to cute book covers?"
I am, I am! And when it is cosy crime novels, it often works well, but when I pick other books from the library just because of the cover I am often sooo disappointed. But do I learn? Apparently not.
Love cute book covers and this one is really cute indeed! I just ordered it from the library and it's all your fault lol!
ReplyDeleteHey there I gave you an award. Please stop by at my blog to pick it up.
ReplyDeletehttp://lilly-readingextravaganza.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-basking-in-glamour-of-my-blogging.html
That's definitely a book cover I can relate to!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that the cover was one of the reasons I read this book as well. I can say, however, that I was at least interested in this author before I ever even saw the cover - but the cover certainly helped me finally move one of the author's books to the top of my TBR pile/list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. And speaking of cute may I say I ADORE your blog design.
ReplyDelete