Darcy and Georgie are finally getting married! A very enjoyable addition to the series. For all her experience, it took Georgie a little long to figure out that basically everyone was lying to her as usual and of course she put herself in unnecessary danger, but that's what we're here for, right? It was fun to see a new side of some of the characters.

Lady Georgiana is finally going to wed Darcy, if he gets home in time. In the meantime, she makes ready the new familial home. Something isn’t right with the staff, though. Perfect for fans of gentle reads and traditional mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Georgie Rannoch is back in the twelfth installment of the Her Royal Spyness Mystery series – FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING by Rhys Bowen. The novel is due out on August 7th 2018 by Berkley.

Georgie and her fiancé Darcy O’Mara are hard at work planning their wedding and working out the arrangements for their married life together. When Georgie and Darcy are offered the country estate of her mother’s former husband, they accept the invitation. Unfortunately, upon arrival at Sir Hubert Anstruther’s estate, Georgie begins to suspect that there is something amiss in her new home. The butler is horribly rude, the rest of the staff can barely handle their jobs, and there is a crazy old woman living in one wing of the mansion. Georgie is doing her best to deal with these difficulties when she discovers a dead body and realizes that nothing is as it should be in her new home.

I am a big fan of the Her Royal Spyness Mystery series, and I am thrilled that Georgie and Darcy are finally getting married. FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING is another great installment in the Georgie saga, though I felt that the mystery aspect was a bit lacking. Georgie’s main focus is on planning her wedding and getting her new home in order. Yes, it is clear from the second she arrives at her new home that there is something definitely wrong. Plus her life is threatened on a couple different occasions. But, up until the end when Georgie discovers what is going on right under her nose, the unruly servants seems like nothing more than unruly servants. Yes, there are strange things happening around Georgie, but none of the events or situations really grabbed my attention. I did thoroughly enjoy the book out of my love of Georgie, but I just didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I have other ones in the series.

A thoroughly satisfying installment in a series that continues to be enjoyable, despite how far into the series we are. I loved seeing the groundwork laid for Georgie and Darcy's future, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Rhys Bowen has a fun protagonist in Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 35th or thereabouts heir to the throne in 1930s England. However, she has asked to be taken out of the line of succession, so she can marry Darcy O'Mara, a Catholic Irishman, whose source of income is a bit of a mystery.

Georgiana’s glamorous and much married actress mother spent three years with husband number two, or was it three, with Georgie in the sprawling country house of Eynsleigh with Hugh Eynsleigh who has made Georgiana his heir. He has offered the house to her as a gift for her wedding. Georgiana is thrilled as she has often lived like the little match girl. But trouble's afoot at Eynsleigh and of course Georgiana is in the thick of it. The book is alive with period details and quirky characters.

I have read all the books in this delightful series, and I highly recommend this one and all the previous ones as well.

While Lady Georgiana plans for her wedding, she receives word that she is to take up residence at a grand estate. But when she gets there, the servants she remembers have all gone and the ones left are surprised by her appearance and don’t seem to know all that much about their jobs. In typical Georgiana fashion, she sets about trying to make things right.
I jumped into this series part way through and have been slowly going back to read earlier novels. Like the others, this novel has a great mystery afoot and Georgiana can’t help but nose around. When attempts are made on her life, she begins to realize she may be in over her head.
I enjoy long series with continuing characters. It was nice to encounter Belinda again and see her doing so well. Georgiana’s mom is as dramatic as ever but shows more of her heart for her family than normal which was nice. Darcy wasn’t in the book much. I missed that. In past books, Georgiana is sometimes working on things for multiple people including the queen. Sometimes Darcy’s case would cross hers in some way. I like when they end up working together. Still it was a very enjoyable English mystery. I’d recommend it and the whole series.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Historical mystery. Georgie has been given approval to marry Darcy however just about everything that can go wrong does. The queen wants an elaborate wedding and for Georgie to spend her honeymoon at the castle. Luckily, Georgie is given a place to live by a previous stepfather - she just needs to find out what is going on!

Typical fun read by Rhys Bowen,

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This madcap mystery begins with Lady Georgiana Rannoch thirty-fifth in line to the English throne anticipating her marriage to Darcy O’Mara. With very little money between the two of them Georgiana and Darcy cannot find suitable housing on Darcy’s meager salary. Just when the search seems hopeless Georgiana‘s godfather offers her his country estate. At first she is delighted ; then she becomes suspicion. The cook can’t cook and the maid doesn’t clean. Georgiana also finds the gas fireplace in her bedroom turned on but unlit. Her investigations into the servants and other events do put Georgiana and family in harm’s way. This cast of quirky characters is great fun and the mystery turns out to be a more complex whodunit than at first read. Georgiana's antics will not disappoint fans of Rhys Bowen and Georgiana.

Another great addition to a great series! A few things I particularly liked:
*Georgie doesn't lean on Darcy in this one. She figures most of it out herself.
*Other characters who've been on the fringes get some real screen time, including Georgie's mother and her grandfather (the Cockney).
*Georgie's maid, Queenie, has finally become a human, not just a punchline. Big improvement.

So how's the mystery? That there is something pretty nasty going on at the house is obvious from the beginning. Georgie might even be a little slow to believe someone is really trying to get rid of her, but of course she's not the one reading a murder mystery. I even got a pretty good idea of what was up fairly early on, so again maybe thought Georgie could have been a little quicker on the uptake. But she is careful with her suspicions, and there are some real questions about who is involved in what ways. That's a big part of what she has to work out, and I loved that her beloved grandfather (a retired policeman) comes to help. He keeps them grounded in the right behaviors toward the police.

Since this is primarily a comedic series (aside from a tendency to strew corpses about), none of the really awful possibilities come to pass, and we have a great time watching the characters work it all out. Oh, and the setting is England between the wars, a favorite of mine, and the author does her research thoroughly, so it works well. What's not to like?

My Recommendation:
This is far and away my favorite of Rhys Bowen's series, and I think it just keeps getting better. There has been a tendency for Georgie to be sort of stupidly insecure vis-a-vis Darcy, and the author is getting that under control, which makes it all the stronger. We don't need romantic uncertainty to enjoy Georgie's trials and tribulations. This might be my favorite addition to the series, but that might just be that each on is my favorite while I'm reading it. ;)

I've read Bowen's Molly Murphy series and enjoyed it, and really appreciated my first foray into Lady Georgiana's world. Lady Georgie's madcap style is perfectly convincing, and the nods to historical figures (such as Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret) are delightful. I heard Rhys Bowen speak at the Tucson Festival of Books a few months ago, and I know she doesn't like being called charming - so I'll have to call this historical mystery 'fantastic' instead.

"In the days leading up to her wedding to Darcy O'Mara, Lady Georgiana Rannoch takes on the responsibilities of a grand estate, but proving she can run a household just may be the death of her in the new Royal Spyness Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service.

If only Darcy and I had eloped! What I thought would be a simple wedding has been transformed into a grand affair, thanks to the attendance of the queen, who has offered up the princesses as bridesmaids. Silly me! I thought that withdrawing from the royal line of succession would simplify my life. But before Darcy and I tie the knot in front of queen and country, we have to find a place to live as man and wife...

House hunting turns out to be a pretty grim affair. Just as we start to lose hope, my globetrotting godfather offers us his fully staffed country estate. Mistress of Eynsleigh I shall be! With Darcy off in parts unknown, I head to Eynsleigh alone, only to have my hopes dashed. The grounds are in disarray and the small staff is suspiciously incompetent. Not to mention the gas tap leak in my bedroom, which I can only imagine was an attempt on my life. Something rotten is afoot--and bringing the place up to snuff may put me six feet under before I even get a chance to walk down the aisle..."

Anyone else sick of Four Weddings and a Funeral puns?

I genuinely enjoyed the newest addition to the “Her Royal Spyness” series. It was written in a manner that would allow it to stand alone for those who had not read the previous volumes. The story was smartly plotted so that I was able to figure out the mystery as I went along, but it was not so obvious that I knew from the beginning. Definable a book I would recommend to others.

Classic Rhys Bowen! Finally Georgie is able to plan her wedding....with a little help from her friends and family.
The question is where will she and the dashing Darcy live after the wedding? Luckily, she has the use of her former stepfather's country house.. The staff are all different than what Georgie remembers, and they seem decidely odd. Imagine, the chef does not know how to cook! It's up to Georgie to figure out what is going on...at the same time as planning her wedding.

I love lady Georgie. Finally given permission to marry Darcy, provided that she withdraws from the line of succession, Georgie starts planning their wedding. Sent to run her Godfather's country estate, Georgie realizes something is amiss, and of course she manages to solve the mystery. Light, fun reading with lots of interesting characters.

Fans of Downton Abbey who find solace in the antics of Lady Georgina need not despair. This new installment of the Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness Series does not disappoint. While waiting for her wedding to Darcy, Georgie finds herself stumbling upon a county crime ring. Will she be able to solve multiple murders, misrepresented identities, and keep the queen from hijacking her wedding plans? Laugh along while you discover the answers to these questions and more!

I found this to be a particularly fun and fast-paced entry in the series. Georgie's grandfather and mother make an appearance, with her mother showing a different side of herself than in previous books, and Queenie returns. The long-awaited wedding between Georgie and Darcy ends the story, and hopefully they'll have more adventures as husband and wife.

Good book by well loved author by my library patrons. Will purchase to continue series. Reader's Advisory frequently recommends author.

Georgiana has given up her title for love. Their love match is all they could have wished for but death seems to be dancing on the doorstep of their new home.

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this next book in the series for review (thank you). This will be published August 7th. In the meantime, there are several earlier books you can grab to catch up on the series.

Georgiana isn't the smartest girl but she does have good connections. So does her future husband. With their combined skills, mix of friends, and a desire to make everything well before their wedding, things appear to be working out. Georgiana is just worried about Darcy, as he is worried about her well being.

With queen and her family involved, burglers, relatives from the past and more, you never know what is going to come up on the next page. That made it a great read. And I don't think getting married is going stop them from snooping!

Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding opens with Georgie making plans for her summer wedding to Darcy O’Mara. Her mother is also making plans to marry her longtime boyfriend, Max. Georgie's grandfather is also hoping to wed his neighbor, Hettie. Her friend Belinda is overjoyed to use Georgie's wedding to help launch her fashion design business. In the midst of all this planning, a letter arrives. In it, her former stepfather Sir Hubert Anstruther invites Georgie to take up residence at his manor house and live there after the wedding. As he is often traveling, he is seldom home to use it and Georgie is his heir. She happily accepts.

However, not all is as seems. Georgie arrives at Eynsleigh to find it to be nothing like she remembers. The grounds have turned wild. The staff, most of which is new in the last year, seems untrained and are reluctant to do their job. Have the staff simple gotten lazy or is something afoot? It’s up to Georgie to investigate. She sends for her trusted maid, Queenie, to assist and help whip the staff into shape. In addition, tragedy strikes several of those closest to her. Will she be affected next?

The thing I love most about this book, and the series as a whole, is the combination of fun and intrigue plus the genuine caring nature of the main characters. Despite the seriousness of the situations Georgie often finds herself in, she also manages to find ways to have a bit of fun and never fails to support those she loves who are also involved. This rings true whether it is her beloved Darcy, best friend Belinda, her maid, mother, or grandfather. History is also sprinkled in throughout, often as it regards Georgie's royal family, especially as it related to the king, queen, and future (and short-reigned) Edward VIII, or the political climate of the time (the 1930s). Regarding, Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding specifically, this novel showed an evolution in Georgie as she went from a near-penniless situation (explained in earlier novels) to the mistress of her own grand home. She transitioned from being more submissive to assertive. The novel also will touch hearts as the title implies deaths and those greatly affect Georgie or her family. In all, another great addition to the series.

I plan to also share this review on my blog closer to the date of publication.

First line: I was standing at my window on the top floor of Princess Zamanska’s lovely Georgian house on Eaton Square (which, in case you don’t know, is one of the poshest addresses in London).

Summary: Lady Georgiana Rannoch is something like 35th in line for the throne of England, and while she may be nobility, she is flat broke, engaged to be married to Darcy O’Mara (finally!!) and often finds herself tangled in mysteries that may or may not involve the royal family. As Georgie is preparing for her wedding, her former stepfather writes to her and invites her to live at the family home (as she is his heir) as he feels that something fishy is going on there. Georgie promptly moves out to the estate, and sure enough, something fishy is definitely going on. She’s bound and determined to figure it out so that her wedding to Darcy doesn’t get delayed again.

Highlights: First of all, let me state that I love Georgie and have read all her adventures! This one is just as fun to read as the rest of them. Georgie has this funny relationship with Her Majesty, and one does not say no when Her Majesty invites herself to one’s wedding. Georgie is nearly beside herself, and amazes herself with her ability to manage things she had no idea she could manage. This is a fun, fast read, that has just enough mystery, and a good plot. It’s not gritty or dark or full of police procedure, but it’s not a simple little cozy mystery either.

Lowlights (or what could have been better): I can’t think of a thing that disappointed.

FYI: I recommend reading the previous books in the series before reading this one. There are significant story lines that carry through the whole series.