I absolutely adore Rhys Bowen! I have read many of her series and stand alone novels but the Royal Spyness books are my absolute favorite! I have slowly been making my way through the Spyness books and jumping around here and there but I have to admit, I did have to press pause with my jumping around until I am fully caught up in the series because I love reading them in order. Hence why I just have a feature here. Yes the books can be read out of order to varying degrees but I wanted to get the full experience.
I can’t believe there are 14 books in the series now! Bowen’s books never get old to me and Georgie is such an endearing character and I love watching her solve mysteries. The early books are so funny and charming and the magic has continued well into the series for me which doesn’t always happen with some long standing series. Sure some of the books are better than others but overall I have never tired of Georgie!
This latest book sounds like it’s going to be right up my alley because I LOVE gothic elements in mysteries and this one sounds like it’s going to have a bit of a gothic element to it and I cannot wait! I am going to catch up on this series soon just so I can dive into this one…..hell I might even just read it this fall even if I am not caught up because it sounds so good! If you love cozy historical mysteries this is an outstanding series! Pop on over and grab yourself a copy of this latest release!
Summary
Lady Georgiana Rannoch is just back from her honeymoon with dashing Darcy O’Mara when a friend in need pulls her into a twisted Gothic tale of betrayal, deception and, most definitely, murder. . . . I am a bit at loose ends at the moment.
My cook, Queenie, is making my new role as mistress of Eynsleigh something akin to constant torture as Darcy is off on another one of his top secret jaunts. And Grandad is busy helping wayward youths avoid lives of crime. So when my dearest friend, Belinda, inherits an old cottage in Cornwall and begs me to go with her to inspect the property, I jump at the chance. After a heart-stopping journey in Belinda’s beast of a motorcar, we arrive at the creaky old cottage called White Sails and quickly realize that it is completely uninhabitable. Just when I’m starting to wonder if I would have been better off trying to get Queenie to cook a roast that hasn’t been burnt beyond all recognition, we meet Rose Summers, a woman Belinda knew as a child when she spent time in Cornwall. Rose invites us to stay at Trewoma Hall, the lovely estate now owned by her husband, Tony.
Belinda confesses that she never liked Rose and had a fling with Tony years ago, so staying with them is far from ideal but beggars can’t be choosers as they say. Trewoma is not the idyllic house Belinda remembers. There’s something claustrophobic and foreboding about the place. Matters aren’t helped by the oppressively efficient housekeeper Mrs. Mannering or by the fact that Tony seems to want to rekindle whatever he and Belinda once had right under his wife’s nose. Our increasingly awkward visit soon turns deadly when a member of the household is found murdered and all clues point to Belinda as the prime suspect. I soon learn that some long buried secrets have come back to haunt those in residence at Trewoma Hall and I’ll need to sift through the ruins of their past so Belinda doesn’t lose her chance at freedom in the present. . . (summary from Goodreads)
The Lit Bitch 