Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen

Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen
Narrator: Katherine Kellgren
Series: Her Royal Spyness Mysteries #10
Published by Audible Studios on August 6, 2016
Source: Purchased
Genres: Mystery
Length: 9 hrs 57 mins
Pages: 320
Format: Audiobook
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Lady Georgiana Rannoch knows nothing is simple when you're thirty-fifth in line for the British crown, but her upcoming marriage proves to be the ultimate complication in the tenth mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series.

As Lady Georgiana's beloved Darcy drives her out of London, she soon discovers that he isn't planning to introduce her to the pleasures of sinning in secret--as she had hoped--but to make her his wife!

Of course, she'll need special permission from the king to marry a Roman Catholic. Though he will inherit a title, Darcy is as broke as Georgie. Even his family's Irish castle has been sold to a rich American who now employs his father.

Nothing will deter them from their mission--except perhaps the news that Georgie's future father-in-law has just been arrested for murdering the rich American. With the elopement postponed, they head for Ireland, where the suspect insists he's innocent, and it's up to them to prove it--for better or worse.

I promise this is the last Lady Georgiana Rannoch book for a while. I need a break, even though they are a lot of fun. In this one, Georgie fiance’s father is accused of murder. Darcy tries to keep her out of the whole situation, but of course Georgie, thankfully, has a mind of her own and joins him in Ireland to help prove his father’s innocence. I enjoyed the move in the action to Ireland. Darcy’s family are kooky, but fun and solid people. While this can be read as a stand-alone, you’ll miss some of the history of Georgie and Darcy’s relationship.

The fact that the mystery is so personal keeps Georgie and Darcy focussed. The few clues were slowly revealed and I found the solution a bit unlikely, even if not surprising. There was one moment at the end that was unexpected.

I actually really enjoyed Georgie’s maid, Queenie, this time around. She is devoted if nothing else, and apparently a decent cook. The other characters are fun too. There’s a Princess who’s helping the investigating and flirting too much with Darcy, there’s Darcy’s dad whose bark is worse than his bite, and Darcy’s aunt and uncle who truly are eccentric. The characters tend to be the highlight of this series.

I do enjoy this historical mystery series. It’s light-hearted and easy to listen too. The narrator of the first ones, Katherine Kellgren, does such a fabulous job with all the characters and accents. It’s such a shame that she passed away a couple of years ago. Selfishly, I hate when series have to change narrators mid-stream.