This 8th entry in the Her Royal Spyness series has Georgiana travelling to the U.S.A. with her mother. There is no espionage nor any royal request/command for her this time out. The parody of Hearst's San Simeon was a bit amusing! ( )

I think I’m finished with this series.

I agree with those who have said the will-they/won’t-they of the romance is stale, at this point. Georgiana could have taken a permanent position at the conclusion of “12 Clues”, which she passed over to “make her own way in the world”, with no hint of what that should look like. If money is the only thing standing between her and marrying her man of mystery, there is no reason for her to pass on a place that would fit her needs and make her happy. She would have a home base, and she could continue going on missions for the queen, with or without Darcy.

If you are an audio listener, the most painful part of the narration in all of these books are the Americans. None of them are likeable, and they’re always shouting. Are they awful so we like our protagonist and her family better by comparison? I’m not sure which category the author wants us to read sympathetically: loud American caricatures, or the royals we spend the most time with. Until this book, I thought Georgiana might be a growing character, and the world would start appearing more nuanced, over time. I now fear that this won’t happen, so there’s no point in forcing myself through a book packed with shrieking Americans.

My suspension of disbelief died after Claire laughed at Queenie’s swim suit, and Georgiana “tried” to console her with the idea of MAYBE swimming in the ocean. The scene smacks of “I’m sorry you feel that way”. This comes after Georgiana telling Queenie that she can’t swim in a pool that her “betters” use, and the new chapter opening with her purring about being in the lap of luxury.

No, I’m not forgetting when this story takes place, or the class of the characters, but I wonder if the author periodically does. Time and again, Georgiana stumbles upon liberal-minded revelations, and now she balks at the idea that her maid would want to do something fun in her own free time. At least give us a narrative hint that she’s experiencing social doubts as she sees more of the world, or don’t tease at the possibility. This reminds me of the Sweet Valley High books I read as a child, where something happens to Elizabeth and Jessica swears that she’ll never take her sister for granted ever again, only to have all characters reset in the next installment. Queenie will always be a bumbling fool, and Georgiana will always harbor a lukewarm acceptance and shallow understanding of her “lessers”. ( )

Queen of Hearts
3 Stars

Accompanying her mother on board the Berengaria bound for America and a quickie divorce in Reno, Lady Georgie becomes involved in the search for an enterprising jewel thief. When her mother is offered a part in film producer, Cy Goldman's, latest picture, Georgie and her mother travel to Hollywood where the drama reaches epic proportions after the movie mogul is found dead. Who amongst the entourage was angry enough to kill?

The book begins well but fizzles in the middle, and the final chapter is completely superfluous aside form Darcy and Georgie all but consumating their relationship.

The initial premise of a gentleman jewel thief aboard the cross-Atlantic ocean liner has oodles of potential; unfortunately, this is ultimately lost when the ship docks, and the characters relocate to California where Bowen resorts to employing every clichéd Hollywood trope under the sun. The mystery itself is lackluster as neither the victim nor the culprit is particularly interesting.

In terms of character development, Georgie continues to delight and Darcy is as drool-worthy as ever. Nevertheless, Queenie is beginning to get on my nerves and Belinda needs to get murdered sooner rather than later.

Katherine Kellgren's superb narration is one of the book's few saving graces. Hopefully, the next installment will be an improvement. ( )

This is a great series. I like how Georgie is holding onto her virtue but she and Darcy need to get some money somewhere. ( )

Georgiana is traveling with her mom to America as she seeks a Reno divorce to marry Max. However, on the ship, Darcy is pursuing a cat burglar while her mom might be returning to acting is films. When a trip to the home of movie magnate turns deadly, all of Georgie's skills will be required to to survive