“…Sweeping and intimate, warm and gripping. I loved it!” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels
A single twist of fate puts a servant girl to work in Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen, setting off a suspenseful, historical mystery by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and The Victory Garden.
Isabella Waverly only means to … Victory Garden.
Isabella Waverly only means to comfort the woman felled on a London street. In her final dying moments, she thrusts a letter into Bella’s hand. It’s an offer of employment in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, and everything the budding young chef desperately wants: an escape from the constrictions of her life as a lowly servant. In the stranger’s stead, Bella can spread her wings.
Arriving as Helen Barton from Yorkshire, she pursues her passion for creating culinary delights, served to the delighted Queen Victoria herself. Best of all, she’s been chosen to accompany the queen to Nice. What fortune! Until the threat of blackmail shadows Bella to the Riviera, and a member of the queen’s retinue falls ill and dies.
Having prepared the royal guest’s last meal, Bella is suspected of the poisonous crime. An investigation is sure to follow. Her charade will be over. And her new life will come crashing down—if it doesn’t send her to the gallows.
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Rhys Bowen is a gift to all who love great writing, rich and complex characters and a plot that grabs from first words. I dare you to put it down once you’ve read [the] opening sentence. Set in Nice, Bowen brings to life a little known and riveting episode in history — the annual visit of Queen Victoria to the French seaside town and the tumult that ensues. She takes us inside the royal court, inside the kitchens, through the eye of a junior chef, and into the towns and villages of the French Riviera. It is sweeping and intimate, warm and gripping. Above the Bay of Angels is a wonderful read that will stay with you long after the book is finished. I loved it!
As always, Rhys Bowen has written a charming historical mystery. I love her work so much!
Royalty-fascinated fans of Downton Abbey, The Crown, and Victoria will love Rhys Bowen’s new historical mystery about the feisty young woman who worked her way into the position of chef to Queen Victoria. Lots of food and a magical South of France setting add to the charm of this book!
Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen is another delicious Historical Mystery Romance. What seems to be a simple little deception continues to complicate everything until the worst happens, a suspicious death. Delightful anecdotes about British Royalty at home and during a Continental Trip. I enjoyed the depictions of various social classes including the merchants, working class and servants as they fight for advancement. Mystery with a special Rhys Bowen twist.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars
I admit I do not know much about the monarchy in England so I didn’t realize that this was based on a real Queen and some of her life experiences. I think if I had known that I would have gotten a little more out of the story.
The book was enjoyable and I really liked the main character. Isabella (Helen). Her spunk and gumption was fun. I like that for the most part she was portrayed as a strong heroine.
What I did not like was the crime did not occur until the last 20% of the book. I kept expecting it to occur much sooner. When it did occur it felt rushed.
This is my first Rhys Bowen book and my appetite is whetted for more.
Rhys Bowen does an excellent job writing historical fiction books. Though the story is unrealistic, you can’t help but enjoy the tale of a servant who rises above her station in life. You are treated with menus from the Victorian era which was a plus. They had me salivating. There are a couple of twists and aspects that will grab your attention.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Tracing the story of a young girl from a harsh background who takes a chance and changes her life, this is an easy read and quite charming. The story follows Bella’s adventures, working as a cook in the royal household, from London to the South of France, where she meets the man who will ultimately become here husband. But not before solving a dangerous mystery and dealing with the unexpected consequences of her spur-of-the-minute decision that gave her her chance to excel in what she loved – cooking! The story is set around 1900 in the reign of Queen Victoria, who has a part to play in this story. It’s light and whimsical, but enjoyable. The sense of place atmosphere of each location is perfectly captured. Loved this!
A young woman finds a way to support herself in England in a notoriously male field – as a chef in the kitchen of the Queen. Rays Bowen as always informs and entertains and her plotting is outstanding.
Rewrite The Stars. This is a solid book, particularly in the “historical fiction where the lead character believes they can change their destiny” type. Brings to life some real-world trivia points that I hadn’t known, which is always a nice little surprise, and even taught me a bit of geography I didn’t know in the process – which is even more rare and thus even more awesome when it happens. The story itself will be familiar to anyone who has seen A Knight’s Tale (the movie) or read Gone With the Wind or any other numerous stories of its type over the years, but the execution here is excellent and the story is well paced and well told. Very much recommended.
Rhys Bowen’s writing is always superb. This story is no exception!
A Sort of Backwards Cinderella Story
Appropriate for teens – adults
No sex, but references to adult situations
Very, very limited strong language
Intrigue
Simply put – a good story.
Fate gives young, talented, well-educated Bella a chance to escape her situation as an unappreciated servant. She assumes the identity of a young girl tragically killed in an accident, thereby securing herself as a cook for Queen Victoria. Needless to say, she fears exposure, which is heightened when the dead girl’s brother confronts her with blackmail on his mind.
To make matters worse, when a member of the royal family is poisoned, suspicions fall upon Bella who fortunately has the trust of several new friends, yet ultimately knows she must solve the mystery herself.
Recommended.
As always, Rhys Bowen delivers in every respect–excellent prose, in-depth characters, totally submersive historical details, and a delightfully addictive page-turner. Only when my eyes refused to stay open did I relent from finishing this lovely novel in one sitting.
There’s a very good period description of life below and above stairs at Queen Victoria’s Palace, as well as insights into the royal family and their comings and goings. But the food and the preparations are exquisitely detailed, as are the staff and how many persons were required to facilitate the Queen and those dining, visiting, and/or working for and with her. Then there’s the removal of the Queen, a few relatives, staff, and a multitude of servants to the French Riviera for holiday, supposedly with the Queen “incognito.”
There are several suspenseful moments in this novel, and a few mysteries, but one tantamount to the conclusion. You’ll find yourself wondering what really happened throughout history with all those royal families and all those arranged marriages.
The romance Rhys Bowen inserts so adroitly into this wonderful novel marries well with the sumptuous foods and feasts we are presented with on the Queen’s arrival in France, and thankfully lifts this novel back to the status of the sublimely pleasurable work we count on from Ms. Bowen.
I highly recommend this novel to all Rhys Bowen fans, and to those unacquainted with this author, you must read this exquisite gem of a novel.
London – 1896
Bella’s father is a congenial man and worked for years at the Savoy until he took a liking to drink. This well paying job enabled Bella and her sister, Louisa, to have a good education. Eventually though, her father’s drinking led to him losing his job, leaving him an embittered man. So, at age 15, Bella is forced to take a job as a servant in a large house. While her employers have some wealth, they are crude and ostentatious. As Bella has always loved food, she enjoys helping the cook and serving as assistant cook.
When an opportunity opens up for her to grab a better job, she takes it. She is now a cook in the kitchens of Queen Victoria’s, Buckingham Palace and goes by the name of Helen Barton.
As she strives hard to learn everything she can including reading and studying cookbooks, she soon excels at her craft. So when Queen Victoria decides to spend the winter in the south of France, Helen becomes part of the kitchen crew that will accompany the Queen.
In France, Helen is fascinated with different French foods and their preparation. Some of her dishes catch the Queen’s eye and she is the only one to prepare them for the woman. However, life is not without intrigue and a thirst for power that Helen fights to stay away from but with great difficulty.
This book was written for me! So many wonderful things here. I am a huge foodie, and love to cook. I lived in France for many years and am familiar with French foods and the preparation thereof. The gorgeous vistas of southern France are beautifully described here which took me back to this exquisite area. Rhys Bowen has long been a favorite of mine and I have read nearly all of her books. I loved this book from the first page to the last. What a treat! Don’t miss it!!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Isabella Waverly learned early on that regardless of the station she was born in and the unfortunate real life experiences that she faced, she could make the most of every situation and her life would be better. Because of this attitude, and a willingness to always be aware and helpful, Isabella’s life is forever changed in breath – the last breath of another young woman. She hands Bella a piece of paper offering employment in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace. In an instant, Bella has a choice to make. Does she continue to live her life working in under appreciated circumstances or assume the persona of Helen Barton and pursue her own passion for becoming a chef? She takes Helen’s place and the course of her life changed forever! She continues to grow under the tutelage of the Chefs she’s working under and due to an illness of another more experienced Chef, she’s allowed to travel to Nice, France as a part of the Queen’s entourage. It is in Nice that the story takes several different winding turns – Helen (Bella) feels what it’s like to experience 1st love; she sees the “underside” of some of the Royals; she becomes involved in a murder mystery; she must decide to whom she should confess her charade and she finds that sometimes you’ve been told a lie all your life and the truth is wonderfully waiting on you to discover it!
I have read all of Rhys Bowen’s historical fiction novels and loved them all. This one did not disappoint. An enjoyable look at what happens when a twist of fate puts a servant girl in the kitchens of Queen Victoria., A fun historical fiction mystery that will be enjoyed by all. Definitely 5 stars for me.
Set during the reign of Queen Victoria, the main character, Bella, ends up as a cook at the palace and then joins the kitchen staff during to the queen’s southern visit to Nice, France. Desperate to leave her previous situation, she assumes the identity of a dead candidate for the cook position, so there’s one black cloud that follows her around. As she interfaces with both the kitchen staff and the “upstairs” uppercrust, she has a number of encounters, some good, others challenging or enlightening. There’s a nice mix of concern for her cover as well as a murder to solve and information of a possible threat to the crown. Likable characters and good pace to the story.
A look inside Queen Victoria’s kitchen staff is very interesting and a delight to read.
Enjoyable read.
Rhys Bowen has easily become my favorite author. Her recent novel does not disappoint. With a strong female protagonist struggling to find her place in Victorian society as the queen’s chef, she has opportunities to be drawn into palace intrigue. And mystery is one genre in which Ms. Bowen excels. Highly recommended for a clean historical with a love story neatly woven through.
Like this author.