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Thursday, August 16, 2018

Book Review: Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (Royal Spyness Mysteries #12)


Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Character growth, compelling mystery, lots of fun
Cons: Slow start, repetitive early sub-plot
The Bottom Line:
Wedding planning and
Mysteries at country estate
Make up this fun book




Is It the Summer of Weddings for Lady Georgianna?

Over the last several books in the Royal Spyness series, we’ve been building to several different weddings.  Both Lady Georgianna’s mother and grandfather are looking to get remarried while Georgie herself is planning her wedding to Darcy O’Mara.  All of these weddings are planned for the summer of 1935, which just happens to be the time period for Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding, the latest in the series.

Georgie is discovering that planning a wedding when you are a member of the royal family is tricky.  Even though she is giving up her claim on the throne since Darcy is an Irish Catholic, she is still related to the royal family, and Queen Mary is expecting to be invited as well as offering suggestions on who from the European royals might want to attend.

But the biggest concern that Georgie and Darcy are facing is where they will live when they are married.  The solution comes from the most unlikely place when they are offered a country manor half an hour from London.  Georgie heads out to begin setting it up for after the wedding, but she quickly discovers that something isn’t right.  She expected the skeleton staff, but something about the servants doesn’t seem right.  What is really going on?

The book starts with the usual updates on the people in Georgie’s life as well as some wedding plans.  Those who are familiar with the series won’t be surprised by this since many books in the series take some time with set up and characters updates.  I did find this part a little slow, but my biggest issue with this part of the book was a sub-plot that was very recycled.  I was really hoping that Georgie had matured beyond this by now.

However, once Georgie arrives at her potential new home, things definitely pick up.  This isn’t a typical murder mystery plot, and I loved the book for it.  Instead, it incorporates some Gothic elements as Georgie tries to figure out what in the world is going on.  This part kept me glued to the page as I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.  And the climax?  Wonderful!  In fact, I found the entire final part of the book to be very satisfying.

I was also very impressed with the character growth we saw in Georgie in this portion of the book.  I couldn’t picture the Georgie of the earlier books dealing with what she faces here, yet she does it with style.  She isn’t the only character I enjoyed in this portion of the book.  I won’t spoil who it is, but there is another character who has changed quite a bit for the better.  And it’s a character I used to despise, too.  The rest of the cast is wonderful as well, but these two really stood out to me.

Wondering if there is a wedding or three?  I’m not going to spoil that for you, you’ll need to read the book yourself to find out.

Fans of this series will be very satisfied by Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding.  This is another fun visit with our favorite minor royal.

And if you need more, check out the rest of the Royal Spyness Mysteries in order.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.


Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner Thursday August 23rd, so please leave your comment before midnight Pacific Time on 8/23.  You will have until midnight on 8/28 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 8/29.

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for your review! I find this series to be fun and enjoyable but haven't read this latest release yet. mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com

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  2. Loved starting to read this series & can't wait to read more of it. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. Thanks for your review. I love this series, and I’m looking forward to reading this latest release. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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  4. Thank you for your very enlightening review on "Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding" by Rhys Bowen. It makes me want to read the book all the more. Appreciate the chance to win a copy of this book which is on my TBR list.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  5. Thank you for this chance.1cow0993(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Great review of a wonderful author! Thank you for the chance to win this 📚
    Cheers~
    Kelly Braun
    Gaelicark(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  7. Sure love that series - read them from the library, so would be amazing to win one trwilliams 69 at msn dot com

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  8. I am a big fan of Rhys Bowen's books. The covers are sure to draw a reader in. Thanks for including her on your blog. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. Great review and a great series! Looking forward to reading "Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding".
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. This is such a fun series and I love how Georgie’s character has learned to cope with all crises. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Kuzlin at aol.com

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  11. Thanks for the contest stoeser1@pie.midco.net

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  12. I wait anxiously for each new adventure of Georgie. Thank you for the warning that it begins slow. Christinedenicola@gmail.com

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  13. Looking forward to reading this one. Gail ghueting(at)att(dot)net

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  14. I really like this series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. stclairck@gmail.com

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  15. I've read and enjoyed all the previous Georgie books and can't wait to read this one. Thanks for the giveaway. pennyt5463 at charter dot net

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  16. Thanks so very much for the chance to win! Book looks so very good. Would love to read it!

    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

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  17. I love Bowen's books. prentissg@gmail.com

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  18. This would be a new series to me, and the characters sound charming.
    browninggloria@hotmail.cim

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  19. I really enjoyed this one and I couldn't wait to see if there was going to be a wedding after all!

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  20. I've recently started this series & have really been enjoying it.
    turtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com

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