"In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks 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."
My Thoughts:
This series and this book are just a delight to read! I enjoyed the first book in this series (The Right Sort of Man) last year so I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. This book was just as fun and pleasurable to read as that first book! One of the things that I adore about this series is the two main characters of Gwen and Iris. They are two very different women but they work together so well and really complement each other. With a book that has two main characters, as the reader I sometimes can end up preferring one over the other but that just isn't the case in this series. I'm constantly rooting for Gwen as she works to take back control of her life. I'm also constantly rooting for Iris to actually find love and maybe even settle down one day. They are just so much fun to read about and I love reading about the different types of trouble that they constantly seem to find themselves in. At first, I had a bit of a time keeping track of all of the different kings, princes, and the like that were possibly caught up in the mystery both present day and in the past. Happily enough, I just allowed myself to go along for the ride and before I knew it I was able to figure out who was who. The mystery was one that kept me guessing but honestly I really read this one for the characters and just the adventure of it all. Both this book and the first were just fun books to read! I found myself laughing out loud a few times with this one - especially over some of the comments Iris and Gwen would make. This book really just was a delightful read and I'm eager to continue on with it in future books!
Overall, I cannot say enough good things about this series and this book! They are just fun, light reads that I enjoyed immensely. I don't think that you have to read these book in order necessarily but as there is only two books...I feel like why wouldn't you want to? They are both completely worth it in my opinion! I am so glad to have found this author and series! It is one that I will definitely be both continuing on with and recommending! This is a book that I definitely think historical mystery fans will enjoy, one that I would also recommend to cozy and mystery readers, and I would also recommend the series to fans of Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series!
Bottom Line: A delightful addition to what is becoming a favorite series of mine!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series but forgot to keep an eye out for the second book! Definitely need to pick this one up. It sounds great!
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