An interesting story which highlights the role of women in late Victorian society. This was a time when people were only just starting to holiday abroad in any numbers, as opposed to the few who undertook Grand Tours. At the heart of the tale is a well brought up young woman who must make the best of the limited choices available to her. Some parts of the story seem a little far fetched, but all in all it is very readable.

Above the Bay of Angels is the latest stand alone novel by Rhys Bowen. The author doesn’t disappoint - as always, the character development is strong. The descriptions of Nice nearly puts the reader there in the story. This was a delightful read, and the only reason I didn’t give five stars is because it felt like the murder plot started much too late in the novel and had to be wrapped up very quickly.

Bella Waverly is born into an untitled aristocratic family, but through a series of unfortunate events finds herself 'in service' to a nouveau riche family. Here she discovers a love of cooking and aspires to use this to launch her own career. But the lady of the house who recognises her talent refuses to give her references, essentially binding Bella to her household.
Through an unfortunate accident Bella finds an opportunity presents itself and if she is prepared to take on the name of another girl she may be able to make her on way at last. But will this indiscretion came back to bite her? Can she continue to get away with pretending to be another person?
A delightful insight into the workings of a royal household. This is a lovely historical fiction story set in the later years of Queen Victoria.
Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity the read this uncorrected digital ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a wonderful Historical Fiction set during Queen Victoria reign. It mixes history and mystery, my two favorite story lines.

If you are looking for an enjoyable escape, then this is the book for you.

My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in February 2020.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Lake Union Publishing

I'm saddened to say that this book was not one of my favorites of any Rhys Bowen book. To me it was tedious to get into, and I found myself skipping forward to get to the plot of the book - the actual murder.

I've read all the Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness books, and know that she leaves the actual murder, many times towards the late middle or closer to the ending, as she builds up the characters, but with this book, the murder takes place late in the book, and then not just the ending but nothing else really worked for me.

I love reading Rhys Bowen and I'm disappointed I did not like this book.

Brief synopsis from the book cover:

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.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical fiction
General fiction

Review:

This book is interesting as it gives you a bit historical inside into the running of the Royal Household during the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. The plot was interesting and started off well; the middle of the story was a little bit slow and uneventful but towards the end the pace picked up again and the ending was tied together nicely.

The characters were nice and interesting even though the events surrounding them weren’t always realistic or completely true to life, sometimes that is part of the charm.

Overall this is a good story, and well written that gives you a glimpse into life at Queen Victoria’s Royal Household. Worthwhile reading if you are a fan of historical fiction.

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, because when done right, one learns a lot about a different time and place. Such was the case in this book, although the story was a bit boring and far-fetched. I did enjoy reading about the inner workings of the royal household in the late years of Queen Victoria's reign. The beginning of the book was promising, but the middle parts got bogged down. I pushed myself to finish it and I'm glad I did, but overall it was not a "page turner."

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Fans of historical romance should read this book. Bella has been forced into servitude in order to support her alcoholic father and her younger sister. On an outing on her day off, she finds herself in a position where she might be able to work in the kitchen of the palace for Queen Victoria. She changes her name, and becomes a pastry chef’s helper. She accompanies the queen to The Isle of Wight as a member of the kitchen staff. While there she becomes a suspect in the murder of one of the counts. For the most part, the book moves along fairly well, and has a bit of romance thrown in with the historical events. The book does have some sexual innuendo, but there are no explicit sex scenes. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I have read several books by this author and always enjoyed her writing style and storylines. I found this one a bit childlike to be honest. The storyline was interesting but a bit simplistic and I cannot imagine at all near the reality of the Victorian time. I did enjoy it as a very light read but was waiting for some mystery/drama after the poisoning but all was resolved very quickly. The happy ending was nice. Thank you for allowing me an early copy to read.

I was looking forward to reading this book, I am a huge fan of Rhys Bowen's books. It was definitely a good one. It was filled with fun characters, a bit of romance and interesting historical details about Queen Victoria and the hotel built for her use on the French Riviera. It was a cute read.
#abovethebayofangels #NetGalley.

With her family falling on hard times, Isabella Waverly has no choice but to go into service as a scullery maid for a nouveau riche family. Yet as fate intervenes, with an accident occurring one afternoon steps in front of her, opportunity knocks on her door. Assuming another person's identity, that of Helen Barton, she is able to take on her interview at Buckingham Palace and thus begins her service to the queen as an unde-rcook in the royal kitchen. But not everything is as perfect as it seems. Will she be found out, and if so, what will happen to her. Intrigue abounds!

Set in the era of Queen Victoria we are treated to a historical past, which given what we already know, we still find more to learn. Well researched, well written this was quite an entertaining and enjoyable work of historical fiction. Rhys Bowen gives you a glimpse of the past and it is a joy to read her work, as always.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy a book from Rhys Bowen. Her historical fiction in particular never fails to be appropriately set, creating the right atmosphere for the period.

Above the Bay of Angels takes place during the reign of Queen Victoria and presents a slightly fantastical but very enjoyable story about a servant who manages to rise above her current position in life. Bella comes from a good family but is impoverished and due to an amazing stroke of luck finds herself working at Buckingham Palace. A series of unexpected events and the assistance of people she meets lead her to an unexpected future.

It was all very comfortable and satisfying and I enjoyed it very much. Sometimes it is just nice to revel in someone else's good fortune however unrealistic it may be.

I hadn't read anything by Rhys Bowen before this one, and I quite enjoyed her writing style. There are some nice descriptive turns of phrase, and the dialogue doesn't feel as stilted as it does in some historical novels. The plot did seem a bit fantastic, and after watching the running of the royal households on The Crown and Victoria of late, this book doesn't quite match the level of control and decorum in Victoria's inner circle. Still, it's a light read--good for travel or the beach.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC.

Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen was just okay read for me. I was looking forward to reading it, however, it was not what I thought it would be. Two and a half stars.

This is a new to me author. I am a huge fan of historical fiction. I really enjoyed this story. Bella was born into a titled family, but was forced into service after her mother died. Her father was an alcoholic and heavily in debt. She worked for a horrible family. She is able to escape that household when the newly hired cook in Queen Victoria's kitchen is killed in a traffic accident. I really liked Bella. She didn't wallow in self-pity. She just did what needed to be done. The mystery part is only the tail end of the book, but that really didn't matter to me. I was engrossed in the story. I will definitely read more books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Light on mystery, but filled with fun characters, a bit of romance and intriguing historical details about Queen Victoria and the hotel built for her use on the French Riviera. The perfect book for a lazy weekend.
Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.

Isabella is an educated young woman from an aristocratic family. A turn in the family’s fortune forced her to take a position in service to support her father and sister. She had inherited her father’s palate and was willing to help the cook, discovering a love of cooking. In a twist of fate she witnesses the death of a woman who was on her way to interview for a position at Buckingham Palace as an assistant cook. Adopting the woman’s identity, she presents herself as Helen Barton and is hired.

Isabella was met with hostility from the chefs who did not believe that the kitchen was a place for a young woman. With the encouragement of the head chef she began reading the collection of cookbooks and her eagerness to learn soon earned her some recognition. However, she lived in fear that she would be discovered as a fraud and dismissed. When Helen Barton’s brother comes to visit, her fears come true. He is an opportunist who wants her help to secure a position for the Prince of Wales in exchange for his silence. When Queen Victoria plans a summer in Nice, members of her kitchen staff are sent ahead to prepare for her arrival. Isabella is selected to join them when they discover that she is fluent in French. There she once again distinguishes herself and is finally regarded as a member of the family of chefs. When a tragedy strikes she once again faces possible exposure.

Isabella is a survivor and you can see her confidence grow as the story progresses. From the privileges of the aristocracy to the living and working conditions of the servants there is a distinct separation of the classes. Isabella struggles with an adjustment to her lower station. She is compassionate, loyal to the queen and passionate about her work. She is an easy character to care for. This is a stand-alone from Rhys Bowen, the author of the Royal Spyness series and the Molly Murphy stories. It is a wonderful addition to her works and one that I would recommend for fans of historical fiction.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a chance to review this novel by Rhys Bowen. I'm sorry to say I was very disappointed in this novel. It was very slow - very little even happened until 75% of the was through the book. I enjoyed the chance to read the book, but did not enjoy the outlandish story. Bella/Helen just was so very childish and unrealistic. It was very nearly a DNF for me.

Just could not get into it. Tried many times but the laundry or dishes called. In the end I have yet to finish it.

I need to face facts--no matter how much I enjoy Bowen's Royal Spyness series, her stand-alone novels just don't hold up for me. I think the difference is that the Spyness stories are meant to be over the top and implausible, while the more straight historical fiction is equally implausible but not played for laughs. I'm happy to say this one is an improvement over The Victory Garden, which I hated, but not as good as The Tuscan Child. So it's fine, but nothing special.
Isabella "Bella" Waveryly, is your typical Bowen heroine, a well-born young woman fallen on hard times. She's much of a type with other Mary Sues like we saw in The Victory Garden. People love her and she rises above others in her circumstances because she has the right accent and is clever. It's tiresome. The storyline is absurd but there are no real stakes and it's not played wacky enough to be fun. Bella steals an identity and gets a job as an undercook in Queen Victoria's Buckingham Palace. That could be a setup for hijinks galore, but it isn't. The queen and her staff go to the south of France, which also could be the setting for some adventures and scrapes, but there is so little action or conflict that I didn't care. Too bad.