A Royal Pain
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A Royal Pain Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Rhys Bowen (Author), Katherine Kellgren (Narrator), Audible Studios (Publisher)
4.3 out of 5 stars 5,303
See all formats and editions

The Queen of England has concocted a plan in which penniless aristocrat Lady Georgie is to entertain a Bavarian princess and conveniently place her in the playboy prince's path, in the hopes that he might finally marry.

But queens never take money into account. Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid-in-disguise. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she's culled from American gangster movies; cure said princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties.

Then there's the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hannis' unwitting involvement with the Communist Party. It's enough to drive a girl crazy.

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 57 minutes
  2. Author
    Rhys Bowen
  3. Narrator
    Katherine Kellgren
  4. Audible release date
    August 3, 2010
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Audible Studios
  7. ASIN
    B003YUZI96
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 57 minutes
Author Rhys Bowen
Narrator Katherine Kellgren
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date August 03, 2010
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B003YUZI96
Best Sellers Rank #17,828 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#152 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#179 in Cozy Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)
#572 in Historical Mystery

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
5,303 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jenny Aguero
5.0 out of 5 stars More Ripping Good Fun
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014
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I have read (and reread) all of the "Her Royal Spyness" series, and have enjoyed them all. I love the time period when the books take place, partly because things are changing in the world. Britain is trying to come to terms with the end of its imperialistic rule of much of the world and the end of the attendant wealth it enjoyed. The rigid class system is changing as well, and the role of women in society, too. Lady Georgiana is trapped between her station and her poverty. She is penniless, and yet a royal and not allowed to earn a living. As a mere woman, all she is currently allowed and trained to do is marry well. We sympathize with her efforts to make more of herself than society dictates.

Don't get me wrong, though. These books are cozies, and though Georgie's situation and the times are difficult, the books are blithe and full of humor and endearing characters. They are very fun books to read, and each time I read a new one, I anxiously await the arrival of all of the funny and delightful characters. They often appear by chance and coincidence, but rather than coming off as a cheesy gimmick, the surprise appearance of each character is a fun plot staple. I find myself wondering with anticipation when each of these well-developed and entertaining characters will appear: her good-hearted but vague and helpless brother Binky; his snippy sourpuss wife Fig; Georgie's breezy, bright-young-thing friend Belinda; her self-absorbed famous actress mother; her kindly Cockney grandfather, and the charming and mysterious love interest Darcy O'Mara. Another favorite character added in Royal Blood is Queenie, the hapless yet spunky and irresistible lady's maid-in-training.

Besides these recurring characters, we meet the British royal family and other famous people of the time throughout the series, including Noel Coward, Coco Chanel, and the abrasive, ambitious and widely-disliked Wallis Simpson. Though fictionalized, of course, they are believable and entertaining. Even minor characters are colorful and full of tongue in cheek humor as the books gently poke fun at nonsensical social traditions and hypocritical people.

Georgie herself is the good-natured glue that holds the series together, and I really enjoy watching her as she grows into a capable and even formidable young woman who is stronger and smarter than she ever imagined.
8 people found this helpful
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L. Burns
4.0 out of 5 stars Cute "cozy" mystery involving the British royal family...
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2011
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Lady Georgiana Rannoch's credentials are quite impressive: Cousin to the King, 34th in line to the throne...and part-time cleaning lady. Like many members of the aristocracy in pre-WWII England, Georgie is flat broke and trying to make it on her own in London, so she takes the occasional discreet cleaning job to make ends meet.

When a beautiful young German princess pays an official visit, the Queen asks Georgie to play hostess/chaperone. The Queen would like nothing better than to distract the Prince of Wales from his relationship with that "awful Simpson person" and hopes that Georgie can help to make sure that the two cross paths. Unfortunately for Georgie, her budget does not lend itself to entertaining of any kind - never mind a princess and her traveling companions! But one doesn't say "no" to the Queen, and with a little subterfuge and some help from her grandfather, Georgie manages to pull it off.

But something is odd about the young princess and soon enough the two young women are involved with two untimely deaths, and Georgie finds herself in the middle of a bit of political intrigue...and murder.

I don't know whether it was the excellent movie, The King's Speech, or all the hoopla over this year's royal wedding, but I really had the urge to read something set in this time period involving the royal family. I had read the first in this series ( Her Royal Spyness: A Royal Spyness Mystery  ) last year, and while I thought it was cute, I really had no intention of continuing on with the series. Boy am I glad that I changed my mind! This was a lot of fun. Georgie's first person narrative is charming and quite funny and the period details are just so engaging. I love the fictional royal gossip about the Prince and Mrs. Simpson, and the glimpse of the often odd social mores of the aristocracy is entertaining. I also liked the way the character of Darcy O'Mara, Georgie's love interest, is developed in this installment.

And the mystery? Well, this is a "cozy" after all and the mystery is not going to keep you up at night. It is plausible enough though, and the wonderful characters and charming domestic details make for an entertaining read.

No strong language or sexual content. This is the second entry in the series and I would recommend reading them in order.
3 people found this helpful
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Hyde
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
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Typical sleuth mystery with a good story line.
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droolers
4.0 out of 5 stars cute and fun.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2023
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Good light reading and an escape from reality. I enjoy this author even if some parts of this book were very far fetched.
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An Avid Reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Cute Cozy
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
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While there isn’t much authentic British flavor to the book, and it seems much more American and rather modern in tone and language, the mystery part was fairly good. It wasn’t too difficult to figure it out early on, but the author handled the mystery & plot in an interesting and reasonably plausible way, at least. At the start, I hadn’t expected to like it, nor thought I’d finish it, but I’d found it to be a pleasantly light read, and will likely read another in the series. A lot of people might find it fun as bedtime reading.
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Dylan Boyle
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
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Love this series. Never a dull moment. Can't wait to read the next one. Completed Molly Murphy series and was thrilled to find another by Rhys.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Grace Marshall
5.0 out of 5 stars Availability and quickness of delivery.
Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2024
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Bought as gift, it arrived very fast
The author is a favourite and now also of my sister
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2023
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Enjoyed
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HENDERSON Xavier
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in France on August 30, 2022
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Superbe écriture; Intrigue bien construite; Je recommande fortement, en particulier la version originale en anglais
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in Australia on November 5, 2022
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this whole series is great reading.good fun
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Giulia
4.0 out of 5 stars A Royal Pain
Reviewed in Italy on January 21, 2016
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Un libro di piacevole lettura, ambientato nella Londra degli anni 30. E' una serie di gialli di ispirazione vagamente woodhousiana. Per chi ama il genere, li raccomando
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