More goes wrong than could be imagined when Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are unexpectedly engaged to dig into the past of a suitor of a royal princess in Allison Montclair’s delightful second novel, A Royal Affair. In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn … and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, are in need of a bigger office and a secretary to handle the growing demand. Unfortunately, they don’t yet have the necessary means. So when a woman arrives–a cousin of Gwen’s–with an interesting and quite remunerative proposition, they two of them are all ears.
The cousin, one Lady Matheson, works for the Queen in “some capacity” and is in need of some discreet investigation. It seems that the Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a dashing Greek prince and a blackmail note has arrived, alluding to some potentially damaging information about said prince. Wanting to keep this out of the palace gossip circles, but also needing to find out what skeletons might lurk in the prince’s closet, the palace has quietly turned to Gwen and Iris. Without causing a stir, the two of them must now find out what secrets lurk in the prince’s past, before his engagement to the future Queen of England is announced. And there’s more at stake than the future of the Empire –there is their potential new office that lies in the balance.
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What a delight.
An engaging historical novel with active, self-reliant women in charge.
Sometimes the “bad guys” are actually the good ones and vice versa.
It is challenging to know who to believe and trust, but the women are more than equal to the task.
The final scene is a corker!
I look forward to many more adventures here. Please?
The tangled, yet entertaining plot of “A Royal Affair” features another post-WW2 adventure for Iris Sparks, a very liberated ex-spy, and Gwen Bainbridge, an intuitive, proper war widow aristocrat, who operate the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. This second book offers the reader some famously familiar names as principal subjects of Iris and Gwen’s initial investigation: Princess Elizabeth and her most serious suitor Prince Philip. Why would the royal household want the fledgling matchmakers to do a background check on Philip, a child of Greek royalty?
The plot moves quickly into unexpected turns and involves blackmail, decades old letters, spies, counterfeiters, gangsters, murder, disguises, and much more. This author writes fun, witty dialogue, and further develops the quirky, lovable intrepid amateur lady sleuths. The reader will also enjoy a few fantastic secondary characters continuing from the first book. Perhaps the most delightful parts of this story arrive when the women outsmart the men pitted against them on a number of fronts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend “A Royal Affair” by Allison Montclair to readers of historical mysteries who like clever, if somewhat personally complicated, female amateur detectives.
Love the series.
So much fun! Great characters, sparkling dialogue. I appreciate how the author has the ladies working through their PTSD and grief from their war experiences and losses. But I hope romance finds them in future books! I especially enjoyed the impromptu dancing lesson and the poignant dance with a royal.
Were I to choose actors/actresses to fill these characters’ shoes, the roster might include Veronica Lake (Bainbridge), Claudette Colbert (Sparks), Cary Grant (Archie) & Walter Pidgeon (Sally) . . . it’s fun to imagine . . .
A ROYAL AFFAIR
By Allison Montclair
“A Royal Affair” is the second in the Sparks and Bainbridge series, and what a wonderful and enjoyable read this one was for me. I really enjoy a fantastic cozy and this one was really fun read. I did not have the chance to read book one, but did not hinder my enjoying the characters and I feel that it worked well as a stand alone. I will be reading book one since I fell in love with the characters in this book.
This book had it all from a twisty mystery, to quirky funny and lovable characters, a well written historical detail, and the right amount of funny I loved. I am looking forward to the third book in the series releasing summer of 2021. Allison Montclair has quickly become a favorite.
Outstanding 1946 Britain Whodunit
This wonderful story takes place in 1946 London. Two women whom the war left broken are running a matchmaking service. This is written with that witty repartee common to the 1930s and 1940s. One can imagine Carole Lombard playing one of the roles. It is written very well with a great plot with clues for the reader to find. It is all so obvious at the big reveal, but I had no clue. I have read the first book in the series and it is also outstanding. I think it would be best to read the series in order to get full enjoyment. You could read them in any order and still enjoy the series. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley. This is my honest opinion and review.
In 1946, Post-War London, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge are finding that their risk-taking is paying off and their fledgling business, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, is beginning to take off. In fact, they could use a secretary and a bigger office, but they don’t yet have enough capital for the expansion. So, when a well-connected cousin of Gwen’s arrives with an intriguing and lucrative task, they’re happy to hear her out.
Gwen’s cousin, Lady Matheson, is mysterious and tight-lipped about the “capacity” in which she serves the Queen and she needs someone vetted, discreetly. The young Princess Elizabeth hopes to marry a Greek prince and a blackmail note has just been sent to her threatening the revelation of damaging information about that very prince. The Crown needs the prince investigated but without asking questions that could ignite gossip, so Gwen and Iris are quietly enlisted. With a short timeline before the prince’s likely proposal, these two must uncover any secrets buried in the prince’s past if they have any hope of expanding their business, and ensuring the good of the realm, of course.
It is exceedingly rare that I read anything other than romance, however, I was intrigued by this author’s debut and wound up loving it, so I’m keen to follow her work now. This book had a slightly different feel than its predecessor, but was just as enjoyable and very well-written. I definitely don’t have enough knowledge of this period of history to get everything I was supposed to get out of this book, but that just makes me want to read up and learn more. Gwen and Iris are a fantastic duo and probably one of the best female teams I’ve ever come across. Their banter is top notch, delightful to read, and I loved that they were always at least one step ahead of the other players in this mystery. This book had me alternately laughing and tearing up and I adored the mystery with its many facets. U need to go back and reread now so I can get everything I missed the first time around. This was an excellent follow-up and I can’t wait to see what Gwen and Iris get up to next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Gwendolyn Bainbridge and Iris Sparks own the Right Sort Marriage Bureau and they have plans for expanding it because they’ve made a success of it. The two women couldn’t be more unalike. Iris comes from a working-class background while Gwen is upper crust. Iris has street cred from her days as a spy for the government during the just-ended WWII. Gwen, on the other hand, is from the aristocracy having been married to Lord Bainbridge prior to his having her committed to a mental sanatorium so he could marry someone else and she knows people – some of them in the higher echelons of society, including in service to the Queen herself. One day, Gwen’s cousin comes knocking on their door wanting them to vet a man who may be the husband of the heir to the throne.
The is a fast-moving historical novel that is well written with well-developed characters who, despite how different they are, actually like one another and it shows in the author’s writing. The witty repartee between Iris and Gwen will have you smiling and sometimes laughing out loud. The plot is plausible since you know the Queen mother would not allow Princess Elizabeth to marry some man who looks good in a uniform.
If you love historical novels set in post-WWII London with strong women characters, an unique story-line, and a satisfying ending, then this book needs to be high on your to-be-read list.
Many thanks to Minotaur and Edelweiss for an eARC.