Royal Blood

Georgian a is at it again, this time with a few special characters thrown in or out as the case may be.

Lady Georgiana is facing a bleak winter in London with no means of support when she receives two letters - one from her sister-in-law announcing that they will be coming to London and that she expects Georgiana to get Rannock House ready - the second from Queen Mary, summoning Georgiana to a luncheon at the Palace.Her brother, Binky, and sister-in-law, Fig, arrive at an inconvenient time (when Darcy is in the house). She is recovering the next morning when a limousine arrives from the Palace to collect her for the luncheon (which she had almost forgotten). It turns out to be a private luncheon in the royal family quarters - the Queen has another task for Lady Georgiana - it seems she has been invited to be a bridesman as a royal wedding on the continent. She will represent the British Royal Family. It seems that her old classmate, Fatty Matty, from the private school in Switzerland, is the Princess Maria Teresa of Romania, and she is marrying Prince Nicholas of Bulgaria. All the Royal families are interconnected, and there are various old-school ties.Events are complicated by the fact that she needs a lady's maid and has no money to hire one, but enter Queenie, the niece of her grandfather's lady friend. Queeny has had some misfortunes with previous employers, having set one woman's dress on fire while she was still wearing it, but she is willing to give it a go and will do her best to learn (and is also willing to travel in order to one up an acquaintance at the local pub). The Secretary to the Royal Family provides the necessary tickets, and off they go, along with an older woman as an escort and that woman's companion.It's the middle of the winter, and the wedding will be held at a bleak castle in Transylvania - in fact, the medieval home of Count Vlad the Impaler. There are stories of vampires. All is not as it seems. There are plots and schemes. Siegfried, from the previous novels, turns out to be Matty's brother, and he still has an interest in Georgiana as an official wife, although his interests run in other directions (one is reminded of King Edward II and Isobel of France, and we all know how that turned out). Georgiana's friend Belinda shows up, and has an eye for the younger brother of Nicholas. Georgiana's mother shows up with Max - Max is a member of the European royal set. And Darcy, of course, shows up - he was a classmate of Nicholas.The plot thickens when a high ranking military officer dies under suspicious circumstances. He was a boorish man from the lower classes who did not have proper manners, not knowing which fork to use at dinner, and will not be missed. And then there is a second death, also under suspicious circumstances. There is someone lurking about the castle, and there are secret rooms and even a dungeon. People disappear. Georgiana and Queenie have an unwanted adventure before the case is finally solved. In the end, members of royalty must do their duty.Georgiana does end up with a bit of pocket money, and she and Queenie will continue on for further adventures in the sequel,  Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery)

The story takes place mostly in Transylvania where Georgie is attending a wedding on behalf of the queen. Some old friends appear as well as new people who are introduced. Death and disappearances take place in a scary old castle that’s Georgie tries to figure things out. Even fish face is there.

As 34th in line to the throne, Lady Georgiana does perform the occasional royal duty, but never anything particularly glamorous. But that changes when the Queen asks Georgie to represent the royal family at the wedding of a Romanian princess. With a totally unqualified (but willing to work for next to nothing) maid in tow Georgie sets off for Transylvania. At a banquet prior to the wedding, a guest collapses and it is soon discovered that he was poisoned.Georgie has her hands full in this 4th installment in the Royal Spyness series. A creepy castle, vampire sightings, a bumbling maid and now a dead body. But with the help of the enigmatic Darcy O'Mara, Georgie stands a good chance of discovering who the murderer is and getting out of Transylvania in one piece!This was an entertaining story with a lot of humor and some memorable characters. I don't always like a first person narrative, but having Georgie tell "her" story made me feel like I was listening to a friend tell me an amusing anecdote about a family wedding. Just about all the series regulars make at least a cameo appearance and the character of Georgie's chaperone was perfectly described and was a fun addition to the "cast". The mystery was typical "cozy" fare - pretty much just window dressing leaving the characters and domestic details to carry the storyline. Fine with me; that's what I read a "cozy" for, after all.Bottom Line: This series is centered around a "minor" member of the British royal family, Lady Georgiana Rannoch. Georgia is twenty-something, single and perpetually broke. The setting is pre-WWII London (though this entry takes place primarily in Transylvania), and is full of royal gossip, glamorous people and settings that reflect the social ambience of the time period. Good fun.No strong language or sexual content.Book One: Her Royal Spyness (A Royal Spyness Mystery) Book Two: A Royal Pain (A Royal Spyness Mystery) Book Three: Royal Flush (Royal Spyness Mystery) Book Four: Royal Blood (Royal Spyness Mystery) Book Five: Naughty In Nice (Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie)

I love all of the books Rhys has written. Especially Her Royal Spyness and the books about Molly’s adventures. KMB

These stories are such fun, they approach the unputdownable quality. Oh how one wants Lady Georgina to have a successful life.It means having to get the next title.

I might be biased as I love these books and read them all too quickly. I like the social history aspects as well as the mysteries. Lovely read

I really love the heroine-just so nicely spoken but very sharply to the point. Brilliant writer!

Love Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness books. Just great escapist reading with wit and style. Galloped through them all. Highly recommend!!!!