Royal Flush

"Royal Flush"

-Rhys Bowen, 2009

ISBN: 042522788X

From: Library

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Booklist:Even though Lady Georgiana is only thirty-second in line to the British throne, one would expect her to possess something other than her good name. Alas, this is not the case, and when a scheme to drum up money by being a suitable dinner companion for male travelers goes terribly wrong, she hightails it up to the family home in the Highlands. There, she finds the castle full of guests (including Wallis Simpson), who make up part of a shooting party at nearby Balmoral. But the grouse aren’t the only ones in danger as guests keep turning up injured (including one hapless woman who’s knocked about by the castle’s old plumbing while she is on the “throne”). Is there a plot afoot to do in members of the royal family? As in previous entries in the series, Georgiana makes a superb sleuth, but much of the fun comes in the contrast between impoverished Georgie and the royal life of which—financial circumstances notwithstanding—she is still a part. Also intriguing is the aptly named Darcy O’Mara, the lady’s love interest. Just what are his intentions?

Thoughts: I love this series - set in 1930's England, involving the Royal family, real people, some real events, and the ever-charming and scrappy Lady Georgiana. In this book, Georgie has two missions: the ongoing task from Her Majesty to prevent Mrs. Simpson from seducing the Prince of Wales, and her new assignment from Scotland Yard to keep watch on members of the royal succession line as there have been several attempts made on their lives. Can Georgie find out who is behind these attempts, keep Wallis Simpson at arms' length from the Prince, deal with her miserable sister-in-law Fig, and manage to catch the charming Darcy long enough to confirm their relationship - perhaps even taking it "all the way"? Such a charming joy to read, I can't wait for book #4, whenever it happens to appear on shelves!