Review: Four Funerals and Maybe A Wedding by Rhys Bowen (Blog Tour)

Genre:
Historical Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Berkley

Release Date:
August 7, 2018







Synopsis from Goodreads:

Georgie is finally able to plan for her wedding in the summer. It is going to be a summer of weddings: her mother is marrying Max, her German beau; Georgie's grandfather is marrying his next door neighbor, Mrs. Huggins; and Darcy's father is getting up the courage to ask the princess to marry him. Georgie is staying at the princess's London house when she receives a letter from one of her mother's former husbands, Sir Hubert Anstruther. Georgie is now his sole heir, and he's offering her the use of his lovely country house. He suggests she move in right away to keep an eye on the place because all might not be well since his butler died.

Georgie talks this through with her husband-to-be, Darcy, who is off to Europe again, this time to Berlin. They decide that she will take Sir Hubert up on his offer. However, when Georgie arrives, it becomes clear that she is definitely not wanted in the house. Strange things are happening, including a lively ghost and a less than friendly reception from the new butler. When a body shows up, Georgie realizes that Sir Hubert's invitation may not have been entirely altruistic and begins to wonder if she'll even make it to her wedding day.

My Review

Weddings are in the air this summer for Lady Georgiana (aka Georgie). Her mother and grandfather are preparing for their respective weddings. The best of all is her own wedding to Darcy O’Mara in just a few weeks. There is quite a bit of planning to do, but first they must find a suitable place to call home. As luck would have it, one of her mother’s former husbands, Sir Hubert, offers his estate to Georgie and her future husband. They eagerly accept this invitation.

While Darcy leaves town on business, Georgie heads to their new home to make sure everything is in place for their official arrival. Instead, she finds the estate in disarray with a staff of servants who are somewhat less than helpful. Most of Sir Hubert's valuables are gone and Georgie wonders what Sir Hubert got her involved in. Meanwhile, Sir Hubert is out of town and unreachable. When a visitor to the estate mysteriously disappears, Georgie is sure something unscrupulous is going on. With help from her mother and grandfather, she decides to stick it out and get to the bottom of it all. However, danger seems to lurk at every step they take.

This is the 12th book in Her Royal Spyness series. Previously, I only read the short prequel to the series, which I enjoyed. I decided to take a chance with this one even though I didn’t read the previous 11 books. I’m so glad I did. I never felt as if I were lost at all. I admit, I do want read the books I missed in this series, but it didn’t ruin reading this one for me. I’m not usually a fan of historical fiction, but I had heard so much about this series that I just had to jump right in and give it a try.

The characters are well-developed, eccentric and a joy to read. I always enjoy books that are set in a mysterious mansion, so that was another plus for me. I immediately fell in love with Georgie. She’s a delightful character. Queenie, her maid, is another favorite of mine. I would have liked more appearances by Darcy, but I did enjoy what I saw so far.

The story itself is a clever mystery involving theft and dead bodies to the backdrop of weddings and all the craziness that goes along with planning one wedding, let alone three. While the story was a good one, it’s the characters that hooked me into this series. It's a charming series that keeps you guessing what Georgie will get herself into next.  I can’t wait to dig into the backlist of this series.



For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2018

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.