Heirs and Graces: A Royal Spyness Mystery
- Narrated by:
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
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- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release Date:08-06-13
- Publisher: Audible Studios
As 35th in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young woman, but she knows her table manners. It's forks on the left, knives on the right - not in His Majesty's back….
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Audible Editor Reviews
Editors Select, August 2013 - I am absolutely not joking when I say I had to beat out no less than 7 other hard-core in-house Royal Spyness fans for the privilege to choose Rhys Bowen’s newest installment as my top pick for August. If you have already started listening to this series I don’t really need to talk to you because you’ll already be as excited as I am about Heirs and Graces. If you have not picked up Her Royal Spyness then listen up: Please, I beg of you, do not hesitate. I have yet to recommend this series without effusively positive results. I’m not generally a cozy mystery fan, but Rhys Bowen’s delightful saga is my top favorite series to date, and Katherine Kellgren is at her most talented and charming in her spot-on performance of the myriad voices at play. —Emily, Audible EditorPublisher's Summary
Audie Award Finalist, Mystery, 2014
As 35th in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young woman, but she knows her table manners. It's forks on the left, knives on the right - not in His Majesty's back….
"Here I am thinking the education I received at my posh Swiss finishing school would never come in handy. And while it hasn't landed me a job, or a husband, it has convinced Her Majesty the Queen and the Dowager Duchess to enlist my help. I have been entrusted with grooming Jack Altringham - the Duke's newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia - for high society. The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England's most gorgeous stately homes. But upon arrival at Kingsdowne Place, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack, leaving me stuck in a manor full of miscreants…none of whom are too pleased with the discovery of my new ward. And no sooner has the lad been retrieved than the Duke announces he wants to choose his own heir. With the house in a hubbub over the news, Jack's hunting knife somehow finds its way into the Duke's back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal wasn't enough of a handful, now he's suspected of murder. Jack may be wild, but I'd bet the crown jewels it wasn't he who killed the Duke…."
©2013 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
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Nancy St Charles, MO, United States 08-07-13 Member Since 2015
- HELPFUL VOTES
- 153
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"Enjoyable light murder mystery"
I've really enjoyed this series. This installment wasn't my favorite, but it was nice. There was a nice twist at the end.. but, it felt like there was a long build up, but the ending was rather abrupt.
I was also cooling a bit on the romance between Georgie and Darcy. Darcy was around more, but I didn't feel the spark between them as much as I had in other books.
This series has been one of my favorites. I look forward to each installment.. but this one, seemed just a bit off the mark to me. Yes, I enjoyed it! It was just not quite as good as some of the other installments.
The narrator does a great job.
Yes, I'd recommend it, just read the installments in order.14 of 14 people found this review helpful -
"Heir Again"
Georgie discovers another body. With all the practice she's had, it is no wonder that she is getting better at examining the crime scene. The description of the house and estate rival the interactions of Georgie and the other characters.
Katherine Kellgren is a splendid narrator who brings each character to life and makes it so enjoyable to listen to the story.
I am waiting with great interest to follow Georgie's next adventure.9 of 9 people found this review helpful -
"Fabulous characters"
If you could sum up Heirs and Graces in three words, what would they be?Subtle British fun!
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?The plot was engaging. The ending was a surprise, but the plot was not my favorite part of the book.
What about Katherine Kellgren’s performance did you like?She performed the dialogue with humor and precision. Her narration made the book a better listening experience!
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?The book was very funny. Moments of humor appeared unexpectedly and were subtlety crafted.
Any additional comments?Very entertaining.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful -
"Very Enjoyable Listening Experience."
What did you love best about Heirs and Graces?Rhy Bowen does and amazing job of spinning a mystery around a Royal Family. With all the characters in the story, you can not pinpoint who did the deed. Great Ending to the story!!
What did you like best about this story?The story was great, the voices that Katherine Kellgren added put the book over the top.
What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?She brought believable accents and dialects that would have been lacking had you just read the written word.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful -
"Great Author and Entertaining Story"
I listen to several different genres and Rhys Bowen's books rank up there with my favorites. Rhys makes her characters come to life for her readers and they have very distinct personalities. I love the chemistry between Georgie and Darcy! Queenie is such a disaster it's hilarious! Georgie's Granddad is a loveable character and one of my favorites. He always pulls through for Georgie! I love the suspense, mystery, romance, and comedy that Rhys incorporates into her books. I can't wait for the next one.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful -
Erin - Audible Jersey City, NJ 08-06-13 Member Since 2010
Nothing I love more than a well-rounded character and intense plot.
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"Fun! Again!"
Can we talk about what a wonderful narrator Katherine Kellgren is? She just never drops the ball. Ever. Each recurring character is precisely the same as they have been in each previous book.
I love this series. It's pure historical fun. Heirs and Graces has a neat twist ending (with Georgie ending up rescued by someone other than Darcy, hooray!), and delightful caricatures of British nobility.12 of 13 people found this review helpful -
B.J. Minneapolis, MN, United States 08-11-13 Member Since 2010
I hear voices. But maybe that's because there's always an Audible book in my ear.
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"Delightful Series"
This isn't the series to go to if you want to expand your mind. But, if you'd like a well-crafted light (and I do mean light) mystery with an easy-to-listen-to narrator, this is the one. Start at the beginning and just go through them. Once in a while this kind of book is a nice break. Be warned. It's a cupcake, not a meal.
By the way ... this is a series you can share with your mom, grandma and great aunt. It's all just good, clean fun.
The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, really needs a shout out. Her work is terrific. She makes Georgie come to life.23 of 26 people found this review helpful -
Felicity Fairchild 04-04-14Felicity Fairchild 04-04-14 Member Since 2015
Like many of you probably, Audible has become my best friend. I'm a huge fan of paranormal fantasies and mysteries.
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"Clean, Charming and Brilliant!"
Rhys Bowen has definitely become one of my favorite authors. I have fallen in love with the settings, the characters and their situations. If you're looking for a good historical mystery that is fun and entertaining, you can't go wrong with this series.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful -
"Such a hoot!"
This book was hilarious it made me laugh out loud while driving down the road other drivers must have thought I was crazy!
Georgiana is staying at Kingsdowne Place to help out the family when they find a new heir for the Dukedom unfortunately for this upper crust family the heir apparent is an Aussie who has been raised as a rancher not as a Duke, plus the current Duke Cedric is a jerk who would rather have everyone gone and adopt one of his male playthings than put up with an interloper or anyone else in the family. Unfortunately for the Duke things don’t go well for him at all.
The mystery was a good one I didn’t guess who had done it. And the cast of characters and I do mean characters are all fabulous; you have Princess Charlotte who constantly wants to have a séance, her sister Vivienne who is a highly sexual being and turns everything into innuendo, The Dowager Duchess who is as upper crust as they come, her daughter Irenee who just whines a lot and her two incorrigible children. Plus we have, as Georgiana called them, the Starlings who are Cedric’s companions and possibly his lovers. And of course we have Georgiana’s boyfriend Darcy and her best friend Belinda shows up hoping to catch the new duke in her snares.
Katherine Kellgren’s narration was as always Amazing. I kind of feel sorry for anyone else in an Audie category that is up against Katherine Kellgren because she is so amazing. There are so many characters in this book with very different accents and each and every person sounds different and is distinct. Some of the accents in this book were; high brow English, Australian, cockney, Irish, male and female, kids and grown-ups all done absolutely flawlessly. No other book in the mystery category had this many accents and characters done so well.
This was a fun book and a cute story; I’ve only read the first book in this series and wasn’t confused at all so this one could easily be read as a standalone. This is a very fun historical cozy I highly recommend this series.
4 ½ Stars2 of 2 people found this review helpful -
"Almost ruined by narration"
This is a good story almost ruined by narration. Katherine Kellgren used to be a good narrator, but in recent years she has gone over the top dramatically trying to act out the events in the books she reads and giving the characters exaggerated accents. In Nora Robert's Dark Witch and Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles she actually ends up shouting most of the lines! Some of those dramatics show up in this book, too. She does a much better job on the early books in this series.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Mrs. Rm WaltersBarnsley, South Yorkshire, England.8/25/14
"Not as good as it should have been"
What did you like best about Heirs and Graces? What did you like least?I hated the ending, pretty disgraceful to be honest.
If you’ve listened to books by Rhys Bowen before, how does this one compare?Not as good as earlier ones.
How did the narrator detract from the book?I am getting more than a little tired of the over hysterical narration. It has been getting steadily worse over the series.
If this book were a film would you go see it?No.
Any additional comments?I am wondering if Rhys is finding her character a little jaded, perhaps a rest might not be a bad idea.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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