Nancy Drew set in the world of Bridgerton (if Bridgerton was set in London in the time between the world wars.) So a lot of royal and nouveau riche socialites partying and gambling and trying to bed each other (this is not an R rated book though)...and I didnt get the first dead body until I was about a third of the book in....which was a shame. The 'detective' aspect of the book was kind of meh and easily guessable...and, honestly, not a lot of detecting was done!

Having said all that....i kind of enjoyed reading/listening to this book ^_^ These are not your stereotypical 'bimbo' heroines in spite of the limitations imposed on them by the times (the men are a different matter all together). This might be the equivalent of a guilty pleasure for the detective mystery genre (ironic, considering the genre itself is thought of in some circles as nothing more than a guilty pleasure itself). ( )

our de Fleece! Must listen to all the audiobooks while spinning all the yarn.

I had picked this up during an audible sale earlier this year and I decided it would be perfect for some mindless listening while spinning. And it was. This was - well, I hate to use the word "charming" but it was. I loved the main character. It was a bit light on the mystery side of things, but I enjoyed it immensely despite that. The narrator did a smashing job, and I think most of my enjoyment of this was because of her. The plot itself was a bit on the weak side, but I had so much fun I didn't really mind.

I'll definitely be continuing on with this series. ( )

Lady Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie of Glen Garry and Rannoch is 21 years old, unmarried, and living with her half-brother's family in a very drafty castle in Scotland. She is 34th in line for the throne since Queen Victoria was her great-grandmother. When she hears that the current queen wants to marry her to an European prince, she moves to London to stay in the family home (Rannoch House) there. Since her father gambled away the family fortune, she has no servants and tries to find a way to support herself without having to marry an undesirable royal. She meets a former classmate, Belinda, an aspiring fashion designer. Enter Gaston de Mauxville, an unscrupulous gambler, who arrives at Rannoch House to show her brother Binky, the deed to the castle that he says was gambled away to him by their father. De Mauxville is murdered in the Rannoch House bathtub. Lady Georgiana begins her investigation to clear her half-brother. ( )

Really fun read with lots of interesting characters! I loved the setting, the writing style, and the premise. Lots of layers, no one is who you think they are. One thing that was a little weird is the pressure to 'rid herself of the burden of her virginity' which I suppose is meant to be a feminist thing but it fell flat. More on that in the spoiler section.
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I totally called the ending as soon as Trisram showed up after the murder and assumed it was because Georgie was set to inherit instead of him (so pretty damn close!) but it was still fun to see if I was actually right or not.

There's no actual sex in the book, though it is mentioned explicitly. I'd say it's fine for a high schooler but the concept of a friend placing a bet with a man to 'lay her within a week' is kind of creepy. Even so it's actually cleaner than a lot of New Adult/older YA.

( )

Book #1 in the “Her Royal Spyness” mystery series introduces us to Lady Victoria Georgina Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne. But Georgie, as she is known, is impoverished. Her brother has inherited their late father’s estate, and all his debts as well. It is 1932 and the Great Depression is affecting everyone, including minor royals. Georgie’s allowance has been cut off in hopes of pushing her towards a suitable marriage, but she has no interest in the Romanian prince everyone else has picked out for her. Instead, she heads to London to try to find a way to earn her own way. She’s just getting started opening a “domestic cleaning service,” when she discovers a body in her bathtub.

I have to say the “spyness” in the title is what originally caught my attention, and Georgie IS asked by the Queen to “spy” on the Prince of Wales and some American woman he seems besotted with (i.e. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson), but there is really very little spying involved. Instead, it’s a pretty typical cozy mystery.

Georgie is an interesting character and she’s supported by a host of colorful upper-class friends and family. She certainly has a way of getting into – and out of – sketchy situations, which adds to the fun of the storyline. Her ace in the hole, though, is her maternal grandfather, a retired beat cop, who offers advice and is able to get some inside info to help her own investigation to clear her name, and that of her brother.

It was a fun, fast read, and I’d be willing to read more of this series.

Just one little quibble re the cover. In the text, her friend Belinda refers to Georgie's "red hair" ... but the cover shows a platinum blonde. ( )