Above the Bay of Angels

Paige

Rating: really liked it
In Victorian England, young Bella takes a letter from a dying stranger in the street. She uses the dead stranger's name, background, and letter of recommendation to obtain a job working as a cook for Queen Victorian in Buckingham Palace. But as events transpire, Bella realizes that she is not the only one with a secret.

The overall story is a very light and cushy historical fiction that slowly builds up to Queen Victoria's stay at the Hotel Regina Excelsior on the Riviera in France. Once they arrive and acts of treason begin to unfold, the story begins to pick up a bit.

For the first 3/4 of the book, it's basically about the main character, Bella, wondering if anyone will realize she is lying about who she is, helping choose dishes for the Queen, and trying to prove herself among a kitchen full of men. During this time, she is pulled this way and that by various men who are romantically interested in her, and she often thinks about what decision to make regarding their romantic interest in her.

"Did I really want to become a real chef? Even if the prospect of marriage was offered to me?"

Chapter 30 (82% on a kindle) a mystery develops involving a murder. Before this murder mystery occurs, it is mainly what I described above.

There is little historical context outside of the royal family, though I enjoyed reading the Historical Note at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Phrynne

Rating: really liked it
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.

My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Carolyn

Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed this mostly for it's historical and geographical setting. A murder mystery late in the novel was an added bonus, used mainly as a device to bring the main character's secret out in the open.

Isabella Waverley, an educated girl from an aristocratic family was forced to work as a maid when her mother died and her father squandered everything they had on the demon drink. Discovering that she enjoys cooking, she manages to train in the kitchen of a large house and through a twist of fate lands a job in Queen Victoria's kitchen where she starts to specialise as a pastry cook.

Isabella is lucky enough to get taken with the Queen’s entourage to Nice for the summer when the pastry cook is injured and falls in love with the town, the markets and French food. However, when a member of German royalty falls ill and dies, Isabella is suspected of poisoning him.

This is a very pleasant read, a little slow perhaps, but entertaining. Queen Victoria is towards the end of her life in this novel and is depicted as a little rotund women in the black garb of mourning who loves her food. Isabella as the main character was appealing as she stuck to her principles despite all she had been through (and the deceptive way she got her job in the palace). I did think more could have been made of the made of the murder mystery and perhaps not had it solved quite so quickly by Isabella finding all the clues herself (view spoiler)[ the gun, the oleander leaves, the chocolates (hide spoiler)] 3.5★

With thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC to read.

Linda

Rating: really liked it
Fate pulls you in no matter how many mistaken paths you take.

Isabella Waverly thought she had all the stars aligned. She came from a good family with her father having served in India with the Bengal Lancers. She and her sister Louisa were well educated and adored by their mother.

But sometimes that Big Dipper allows those stars to spill out in all directions in the heavens vastly changing the original intent. Roddy Waverly left his command with the Bengal Lancers and returned to London due to his wife's inability to withstand the harsh heat of India. He soon becomes a drunk who can't hold a job and his wife dies from neglect. Isabella is forced into working as a maid at the age of fifteen in order to support her sister. The lights seem to have gone out.

But at times the unexplainable happens. Isabella witnesses a carriage accident which crushes a young woman in the streets of London. The dying woman thrusts a letter into Isabella's hand and tells her to follow through with this. It's a letter of introduction to Buckingham Palace for employment. And our story begins with Bella becoming Helen Barton.

Rhys Bowen always delivers with her historical fiction. She gets a nugget of an idea from an unusual experience of her own (See Author's Notes) and the premise of the book is born. Bella/Helen becomes a first ever female cook for Queen Victoria. We feel her struggles as she tries to establish herself in the queen's kitchen among a majority of male chefs. Bowen also whets our appetites with menus from the past. It's a clearly unusual lead character with the introduction of a cook who is struggling with her own personal identity along with that of a newly founded career in the Victorian Era.

Bowen heats this one up with a touch of blackmail and a fatality from poison tracked back to the royal kitchen. Will Bella have had a hand in it all along or was someone trying to frame her? Another enjoyable offering from the talented Rhys Bowen.

I received a copy of Above the Bay of Angels through Net Galley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Rhys Bowen for the opportunity.

Brenda

Rating: really liked it
Isabella Waverly and her sister Louisa had been devastated to lose first their mother, then their father. Bella had been sent into service not long before their father died, so she had to continue to support Louisa. It was when she witnessed an accident and comforted the victim that Bella’s life and fortunes changed. Her new position was working in Queen Victoria’s kitchen – her new name Helen Barton.

She enjoyed her work and the camaraderie with the other members of the royal kitchen; she told no one of her previous life as she didn’t wish to lose her position. When Queen Victoria and her retinue were heading to Nice for a few months away from London’s winter, Bella was chosen to accompany the other cooks. Her delight was infectious – but trouble was looming, and her secret was in danger of becoming known. What would be the outcome when Bella was accused of murder?

Above the Bay of Angels is my first book by author Rhys Bowen and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, beautifully descriptive, I enjoyed the journey to the Riviera as much as Bella 😊 I really enjoyed the character of Queen Victoria, especially in her interactions with a forthright Bella. A great read which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Karren Sandercock

Rating: really liked it
Isabella Waverly’s a lady, her circumstances change when her mother dies and her father starts drinking. Faced with no other choice, she starts working as a scullery maid to support her father and younger sister Louisa. The hours are long, it’s hard work and a kindly Mrs. Robbins teaches Bella how to cook. Soon Bella realizes she’s stuck being a maid, to get a new job as a cook, she needs a reference and her current employers won’t give her one.

A young woman’s hit by an omnibus, Bella comforts her on the street and she gives her an envelope. It’s an offer to work as assistant cook at Buckingham Palace, the interview has today’s date on it and Helen Barton from Yorkshire has tragically passed away. Bella knows this could be her only chance to be employed as a cook, she decides to take a risk and she attends the interview as Helen Barton.

Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen, is a hive of activity and has so many staff. Bella’s captivate by it all, she has so much to learn and studies cookery books in her spare time. Bella’s a talented baker, she makes the best scones and they get the Queen’s tick of approval. When the monarch travels to the Riviera, Bella’s one of the English staff to go with her and she can speak French.

Bella’s threatened by someone who knows her true identity, they try blackmailing her and then one of the queen’s quests falls ill and dies. Bella cooked the guest’s final meal, they think she poisoned the Count, during the investigation she has to prove her innocence, and she’s concerned her true identity will be revealed

Above The Bay Of Angels, is a story full of interesting characters, I find Queen Victoria and her relationship with her servant Abdul incredibly fascinating. I enjoyed reading about Bella learning to cook, her visiting the local markets with French chef Jean-Paul Lepin, her seeing and tasting new ingredients and recipes. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, full of mystery and secrets, a wonderful change of writing style by Rhys Bowen and five stars from me.

Kylie H

Rating: really liked it
Bella Waverly is born into an untitled aristocratic family, but through a series of events finds herself 'in service' to a nouveau riche family in order to support her alcoholic father and younger sister. 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.

Louise

Rating: really liked it
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.

Bam cooks the books ;-)

Rating: really liked it
*3-3.5 stars. A charming, cozy mystery set in Victorian England. Isabella Waverly was raised and educated in an aristocratic family until hard times for the family require her to take work as a servant for members of the nouveau riche. There she discovers a talent for cooking. One day a tragic accident presents her with the opportunity to assume another's identity and interview for the position of under-cook in service to Queen Victoria. Carpe diem!

Her delicious scones bring her to the attention of the Queen herself, in whose presence she also meets the lecherous Prince of Wales. When the court travels to the south of France for the Queen's health, Bella is fortunate to be included. At least she thinks so until she is implicated in a poisoning!

The scenarios that support this plot are rather preposterous but I enjoyed the settings and the characters. Isabella is an attractive, intelligent young lady, determined to find her own way in the world. Her upper crust manners are noticed by the royals and she often finds herself included where most servants would not be. She'll need her wits and friends in high places to work her way out of the impossible positions she soon finds herself in.

I received an arc of this mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Louise Wilson

Rating: really liked it
Isabella Waverley comes from an aristocratic family. She hasn't had the easiest of lives. Her fathers drinking puts isabella into servitude. She has to work as a scullery maid for a family with no breeding. Isabella goes to the aid of a young woman who was dying on a street in London. The woman gives her a letter and she asks Isabella to deliver it for her. It's addressed to Buckinghan Palace. The woman had been going for an interview for a kitchen position. Isabella takes the opportunity to replace the woman.

This is a cleverly written story that mixes fact with fiction. The story flows off the pages. The characters are well rounded and the scenery is well described. Bella (Isabella) is taken from London to the French Riviera. The author has done her research before writing this book. The pace is well set. We get an insight into the workings of the Royal household. The story includes blackmail, love and murder. An interesting and informative read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Rhys Bowen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kathleen

Rating: really liked it
#AboveTheBayOfAngels #NetGalley Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for this advance copy of Rhys Bowen's latest stand alone."A single twist of fate puts a servant girl to work in Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen, setting off a suspenseful, historical mystery"

I enjoyed it and the historical period it evoked. Of course Queen Victoria was a bit out of known character but who knows?

I would not mind it being the beginning of a short series as the characters were a bit uneven, but that came and went in the book. That often happens with the first part of a series.

I enjoyed the time period and setting and it was a fun read! I think that Helen/Bella's figuring out the killer was a little bit hard to be plausible, but it was fiction.

Sarah

Rating: really liked it
2.5 stars. I've really enjoyed some of Rhys Bowen's standalone historicals in the past, but this wasn't one of my favorites. I did really like the premise and the character of Bella, and the descriptions of food were great. If you're someone who likes reading food-centric books you may like this one. After the promising beginning (where Bella takes a letter from a dying woman and uses it to get a job cooking at Buckingham Palace), the story just wasn't compelling enough. It sounds like a mystery, but the murder doesn't occur until 80% of the way through, so there's a lot of pages to fill before that, and some parts are quite boring. The ending was satisfying if a bit pat and unrealistic.

I could really round either up or down, because there certainly were parts of the story I liked, and the historical details had me constantly turning to Wikipedia to learn more about certain historical figures who appeared. But I'm rounding down because Rhys Bowen has yet again made the only gay character in her story into a boorish lech, something which happens not infrequently in the otherwise delightful Royal Spyness series.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Judy

Rating: really liked it
Historical fiction set in the time of Queen Victoria. Bella Waverly was brought up in an aristocratic family, but after her mother died she had to work "in service" to support her alcoholic father and her younger sister. She went to work for a family that treated her poorly, but Bella found she loved to cook and had a talent for it. When she wanted to leave and try her luck elsewhere the family refused to provide recommendations. Then one day she saw a girl hit by a bus and goes to help, but the girl is dead. She had a letter in her hand that was a notice to interview for a job as as cook at Buckingham Palace. Bella takes the letter and decides to impersonate the girl and interview the job. This is the story of Bella and her life as a cook for the Queen.

I enjoyed the book - mostly the parts about learning the inner-workings of cooking for the Queen and for the palace. But there is no in-depth character portrayal here that made me fall in love or hate with any particular characters. I do recommend it as kind of a cozy mystery and for the historical aspects in the novel.

Thanks to Rhys Bown and Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lindsey Gandhi

Rating: really liked it
I was extremely excited when I heard Rhys Bowen had a new book coming out. I loved The Tuscan Child and joked that I felt I had gained 10 pounds just reading that delicious book. Well, if we are going to keep up the analogies with food and writing, this book, Above the Bay Of Angels is about as bland as English food!! I say that somewhat sarcasticly, as having traveled a lot to England, I didn't necessarily find the food boring and bland. That's just the general opinion of their food. But I did find this writing to be somewhat boring and bland.

The synopsis of the book seemed interesting and one I would rather enjoy. I think for me this is another example of poor execution. It's a great idea for a story. There were incredible elements to build on, they just never got built. The characters were weak. Almost 80% of the story is spent on one topic - people not finding out that Isabella Waverly is now Helen Barton. This drags on for far too long. The story finally picks up when the murder happens and that's when the story gets interesting. I feel had those proportions been flipped with 20% of the story focused on Bella hiding her identity and 80% around the murder this could have been a fascinating book.

The back 20% from the murder to the end I thoroughly enjoyed. And I did like how the author ended the story, that gains points for me in rating. It's a cozy little book with a tiny mystery. Rhys Bowen does an excellent job of replicating how English subjects spoke in that day and age. At times it was, well, bland, but she did nail it. I also will admit the title and book cover did nothing for me, and after reading the book they don't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I do like Rhys Bowen's writing and other books, this just isn't one of the good ones. I will still read other books by her, just probably won't recommend this one.

My thanks to Rhys Bowen, Lake Union Publishing and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Allison Keith

Rating: really liked it
This was a lighter read than I expected with the mystery and intrigue mentioned in the synopsis not showing up on the page until the last quarter of the book. I always enjoy Rhys Bowen’s writing, and her research is impeccable, transporting me to other eras with each book I read. The descriptions are lovely, and the plot unfolds at an even pace. Overall, this is a charming tale about a woman finding a place for herself in the world.