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kathydavie's review against another edition
2.0
Fourth in the Her Royal Spyness suspense series based in London and revolving around the Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 34th in line to the throne and too poor to afford more than beans and toast.
This was pathetic. I may not have been particularly impressed with Georgie's detective abilities but I can't believe she is so stupid as to believe that vampires really exist. She has no evidence other than having read Stoker's Dracula and listening to that idiot Deer-Harte.
Oh, please! Count Dragomir is a servant in the castle? Between Georgie's vampires and a count acting as a butler, I am thoroughly disgusted with this one. Then there's that slide-through on Vlad and Matty's disenchantment. A little too simplistic.
Princess Maria Theresa of Romania has requested Lady Georgiana as an attendant at her wedding at Vlad's castle in Romania and Queen Mary sends her with Lady Middlesex as a companion for the trip across Europe (Lady M has brought her own companion, Miss Deer-Harte, a woman who starts at everything and sees assassins behind every pillar! Well, okay, so she was sorta right). All Georgie has to do is come up with a maid. And god forbid that Fig should allow any funds to go towards that essential. Especially since she doesn't get to go!
Then the field marshal gets poisoned at dinner. A major political disaster that must be averted. Georgie is convinced it's vampires—and that the princess is one of them—while Patrascue can't decide if it was Georgie or Darcy who murdered Pirin. Additional incidents up the toll and even Lady Georgiana may be at risk.
Lady Georgiana has run from the castle in Scotland to avoid the nasty remarks from her sister-in-law, the duchess, Fig only to find that Fig and Binky, her brother, are coming to London. Binky needs to consult a doctor about the wound he incurred in Royal Flush while Fig is in an interesting condition. Queenie is Georgie's temporary maid for this trip; an utter disaster. Darcy O'Mara rescues Georgie from spot after spot even turning up unexpectedly at Nicki's party—schoolfriends, old chap. He also gets half of his dream come true when he gets Georgie into bed. Well, it is only half. Georgie's mother and her lover, Max von Strohheim, are also there.
Belinda Warburton Stoke contrives an invitation to the wedding and takes up with Nicholas' brother, Prince Anton, who seems to be a bit of a perv and right up Belinda's alley. Georgie figures Belinda is more of her mother's daughter than she is...sigh. Lady Middlesex is already scheduled to join her husband, the British attache in Baghdad, and gladly does her duty in escorting Lady Georgie. Of course, she's also rigidly English when it comes to murder.Mustn't forget her enemies-behind-every-bush companion, Miss Deer-Harte.
Princess Maria Theresa of Romania ("Mattie" and one of Georgie's schoolfriends) is to marry Prince Nicholas of Bulgaria, the crown prince. There's just this one problem. Prince Siegfried is the princess' brother and even she doesn't think he's much of a catch although Georgie's suspicions are confirmed.
Count Dragomir's ancestors used to rule this part of Romania. Now he is a servant in his family's castle. Field Marshal Pirin is most unloved and most necessary. Even in death. Patrascue is the head of the Romanian secret police and an idiot and an asshole.
I do like the picot-edged ribbon that runs horizontally across all the covers and carries the title. In this case, it's a beige ribbon with burgundy trim with the blonde Lady Georgiana descending a curved staircase wearing cream—opera-length gloves and a strapless, fitted dress carrying a matching clutch and a flute of champagne with a long, long double-strand of pearls and her tiara. Behind her, faceless, is a gentleman in a tux adjusting his cuffs. Both are descending to join a crowd mingling on the floor below them.
The title is a reference to the hazards and duties required of Royal Blood.
My Take
This was pathetic. I may not have been particularly impressed with Georgie's detective abilities but I can't believe she is so stupid as to believe that vampires really exist. She has no evidence other than having read Stoker's Dracula and listening to that idiot Deer-Harte.
Oh, please! Count Dragomir is a servant in the castle? Between Georgie's vampires and a count acting as a butler, I am thoroughly disgusted with this one. Then there's that slide-through on Vlad and Matty's disenchantment. A little too simplistic.
The Story
Princess Maria Theresa of Romania has requested Lady Georgiana as an attendant at her wedding at Vlad's castle in Romania and Queen Mary sends her with Lady Middlesex as a companion for the trip across Europe (Lady M has brought her own companion, Miss Deer-Harte, a woman who starts at everything and sees assassins behind every pillar! Well, okay, so she was sorta right). All Georgie has to do is come up with a maid. And god forbid that Fig should allow any funds to go towards that essential. Especially since she doesn't get to go!
Then the field marshal gets poisoned at dinner. A major political disaster that must be averted. Georgie is convinced it's vampires—and that the princess is one of them—while Patrascue can't decide if it was Georgie or Darcy who murdered Pirin. Additional incidents up the toll and even Lady Georgiana may be at risk.
The Characters
Lady Georgiana has run from the castle in Scotland to avoid the nasty remarks from her sister-in-law, the duchess, Fig only to find that Fig and Binky, her brother, are coming to London. Binky needs to consult a doctor about the wound he incurred in Royal Flush while Fig is in an interesting condition. Queenie is Georgie's temporary maid for this trip; an utter disaster. Darcy O'Mara rescues Georgie from spot after spot even turning up unexpectedly at Nicki's party—schoolfriends, old chap. He also gets half of his dream come true when he gets Georgie into bed. Well, it is only half. Georgie's mother and her lover, Max von Strohheim, are also there.
Belinda Warburton Stoke contrives an invitation to the wedding and takes up with Nicholas' brother, Prince Anton, who seems to be a bit of a perv and right up Belinda's alley. Georgie figures Belinda is more of her mother's daughter than she is...sigh. Lady Middlesex is already scheduled to join her husband, the British attache in Baghdad, and gladly does her duty in escorting Lady Georgie. Of course, she's also rigidly English when it comes to murder.Mustn't forget her enemies-behind-every-bush companion, Miss Deer-Harte.
Princess Maria Theresa of Romania ("Mattie" and one of Georgie's schoolfriends) is to marry Prince Nicholas of Bulgaria, the crown prince. There's just this one problem. Prince Siegfried is the princess' brother and even she doesn't think he's much of a catch although Georgie's suspicions are confirmed.
Count Dragomir's ancestors used to rule this part of Romania. Now he is a servant in his family's castle. Field Marshal Pirin is most unloved and most necessary. Even in death. Patrascue is the head of the Romanian secret police and an idiot and an asshole.
The Cover
I do like the picot-edged ribbon that runs horizontally across all the covers and carries the title. In this case, it's a beige ribbon with burgundy trim with the blonde Lady Georgiana descending a curved staircase wearing cream—opera-length gloves and a strapless, fitted dress carrying a matching clutch and a flute of champagne with a long, long double-strand of pearls and her tiara. Behind her, faceless, is a gentleman in a tux adjusting his cuffs. Both are descending to join a crowd mingling on the floor below them.
The title is a reference to the hazards and duties required of Royal Blood.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book number four in the delightful Lady Georgiana Ranoch series of cozy mysteries takes us out of London and to a remote castle in the mountains of Romania for a royal wedding.
I like this series. Georgie manages to get herself caught up in all sorts of intrigues, while struggling to make it on her own without much money. When the queen asks her to represent the royal family at the marriage of Maria Theresa, princess of Romania, to Nicholas, prince of Bulgaria, of course she must go. But she has an uneasy feeling that she is being watched. And her companion / chaperone sees “death lurking.”
This episode in Georgie’s life was a little over-the-top, what with the castle having once been the family estate of Vlad the Impaler (i.e. Dracula). There are plenty of suspects, including an imperious head butler, Dragomir, who skulks around. Hard not to let one’s imagination run away in such a setting. Georgie, of course, keeps her head and manages to help solve the case. She’s certainly resourceful!
An entertaining quick read for either a snowy day indoors, or a comfortable lounge chair on the beach.
I like this series. Georgie manages to get herself caught up in all sorts of intrigues, while struggling to make it on her own without much money. When the queen asks her to represent the royal family at the marriage of Maria Theresa, princess of Romania, to Nicholas, prince of Bulgaria, of course she must go. But she has an uneasy feeling that she is being watched. And her companion / chaperone sees “death lurking.”
This episode in Georgie’s life was a little over-the-top, what with the castle having once been the family estate of Vlad the Impaler (i.e. Dracula). There are plenty of suspects, including an imperious head butler, Dragomir, who skulks around. Hard not to let one’s imagination run away in such a setting. Georgie, of course, keeps her head and manages to help solve the case. She’s certainly resourceful!
An entertaining quick read for either a snowy day indoors, or a comfortable lounge chair on the beach.
coffeenbooks74's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Lady Georgiana is asked to attend a royal wedding to represent the Queen, and finds herself trying to solve a murder in a creepy old castle in Transylvania that she's convinced is full of vampires.
novi's review against another edition
boring. well, the darcy part was finally not boring, but the new maid part made me really anxious so i just don't wanna read this anymore
rachelellyn's review against another edition
5.0
Totally enjoyed this on Audible. It was fun, light, with good characters and quirky twists. A perfect cozy!
hnbb's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this enstallment. I think the vampire aspect was a bit much, but it was still fun and interesting. I may need to slow down because there are only 2 left and the next won't come out for a while.
inperplexi_tea's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This was my least favorite of the series so far, but I'm still loving all of the time I spend with Georgie. I appreciate how the romance is developing and seeing the characters change from book to book. This is only 3.25 stars for how long it took to get started, but I enjoyed the action once we got there
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
4.0
'Penniless and thirty-fourth in line to the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch finds herself in a truly draining state of affairs. To escape her hateful sister-in-law, Georgie accepts an invitation from the Queen to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania. But at the macabre-looking castle, Georgie finds the bride with blood running down her chin, and a wedding guest is poisoned. Now it’s up to Georgie to save the nuptial festivities before the couple’s vows become “to love and to cherish, till ‘undeath’ do them part…”'
_________________________________
4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
Royal Blood is the fourth book in Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series and is a historical mystery set into he 1930s.
I'm so glad that it lined up perfectly for me to be reading this particular book in the series so close to Halloween, it was the perfect fun and spooky vibe with the Transylvanian castle, Georgie's fear of vampires, and a murder.
I love that the main characters tend to make an appearance in ridiculous fashion. Like Belinda for example, getting herself invited to the weedding in the most absured fashion. Georgie has gotten a new lay's maid and despite Queenie's inability to play the part of a proper lady's maid, I'm honestly loving her. She's such a disaster, I love it.
Darcy is so yummy, but so infuriating. I don't understand how he is constantly surprised by Georgie's unwillingness to put faith in his affections when he fades in and out of her life like a phantom. Things are improving here though! I hope they don't take any big steps back in the next book.
One thing bothered me from the book, and it truly doesn't matter to the plot itself but I felt like it was a missed potential. When Georgie startles the bride, who has lost a shocking amount of weight since they were at school together and Georgie is beginning to fear may be a vampire, and finds her with(what appears to be) blood dripping off her chin in a secluded staircase. My suspicion was that it was from bullmia since she'd lost so much weight, but instead it was filling from some pies she was binge eating in secret. It just seems a little silly to me that Georgie, who has so much experience with stumbling across murders, would confuse cherry tart filling for blood and turn and flee. Granted her fear of the castle was getting the best of her, but still. Overall though, this has been one of my favorites in the series so far.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, I adore Georgie's character. Looking forward to the next book.
_________________________________
4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
Royal Blood is the fourth book in Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series and is a historical mystery set into he 1930s.
I'm so glad that it lined up perfectly for me to be reading this particular book in the series so close to Halloween, it was the perfect fun and spooky vibe with the Transylvanian castle, Georgie's fear of vampires, and a murder.
I love that the main characters tend to make an appearance in ridiculous fashion. Like Belinda for example, getting herself invited to the weedding in the most absured fashion. Georgie has gotten a new lay's maid and despite Queenie's inability to play the part of a proper lady's maid, I'm honestly loving her. She's such a disaster, I love it.
Darcy is so yummy, but so infuriating. I don't understand how he is constantly surprised by Georgie's unwillingness to put faith in his affections when he fades in and out of her life like a phantom. Things are improving here though! I hope they don't take any big steps back in the next book.
One thing bothered me from the book, and it truly doesn't matter to the plot itself but I felt like it was a missed potential. When Georgie startles the bride, who has lost a shocking amount of weight since they were at school together and Georgie is beginning to fear may be a vampire, and finds her with(what appears to be) blood dripping off her chin in a secluded staircase. My suspicion was that it was from bullmia since she'd lost so much weight, but instead it was filling from some pies she was binge eating in secret. It just seems a little silly to me that Georgie, who has so much experience with stumbling across murders, would confuse cherry tart filling for blood and turn and flee. Granted her fear of the castle was getting the best of her, but still. Overall though, this has been one of my favorites in the series so far.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, I adore Georgie's character. Looking forward to the next book.
nuthatch's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best so far in this lighthearted mystery series.
mamap's review against another edition
3.0
Georgia heads to Transylvania at the request of the Queen.
I do enjoy the sassiness.
What's up with Darcy?
I do enjoy the sassiness.
What's up with Darcy?