daybreak1012's review against another edition
3.75
I had previously read two works by Rhys Bowen -- one full length novel and one novella -- and I had always meant to give more of her work a try at some point, because I did find it enjoyable. It has been my experience now that Ms Bowen writes historical fiction that is light, clean, pretty gentle, and has a touch of some kind of mystery. After the last book I read (in general, not of hers), which was neither light nor clean nor gentle, I needed something like this, and it was the perfect palate cleanser.
What I liked about Above the Bay of Angels:
So many good characters - Of course there were "bad guys" but even they were well constructed. And I genuinely liked so many of the characters: the kitchen staff, the portrayal of Queen Victoria, Lady Mary, Bella (our narrator), and most of all Chef Lepin.
Immersive settings - Something I love about historical fiction is an author that can bring me to a time and place that feels as though I'm there. The kitchens of the palace in London and really everywhere the book went in Nice was just lush in detail. Smells and sounds and sights. It was enough to put me there without overwhelming me or rambling more than necessary. I could sense the bustle of the kitchen preparations and the feel of walking downhill on cobblestone streets and smell the salt air. Truly lovely scene-setting.
The victim - I spent the entire first part of the book believing I knew which member of the royal party would get knocked off...and I could not have been more wrong. Well played, Ms Bowen.
All the cooking references - I enjoy good food and I really got into all the kitchen/cooking scenes that unfolded. It fit the story being told in a completely natural way. It wasn't overbearing or filled with recipes but rather became an integral sensory aspect of the storytelling which I (sorry for this) gobbled up. (I'm not really sorry for that.)
What left me conflicted:
The writing itself - Don't misunderstand me. I enjoyed this book as a whole. It was easy to read and I was never in danger of putting it down unfinished. But there were parts of the story where the pacing dragged its feet a bit, and that was not my experience with either of the author's books I read in the past -- In Farleigh Field was action and intrigue from start to finish, and the novella What Child Is This actually felt rushed to me because it seemed to be packing a full length novel into a third of the pages. It always felt like something should be happening in Above the Bay of Angels, and part of that may be the fault of the book's description, which indicated someone would die. I expect that to happen within the first third of a mystery so that we can spend the remainder of the time looking for whodunnit, but 78% of the way in... still no murder had taken place. That left very little time to address the subject. And actually I don't think it was really even the point of the book which was actually Bella's personal journey. Had the description not highlighted the murder, I likely would have been fine because my genre expectations would have been more on point. Just be prepared that the murder is not the plot of the story but rather the culmination of the plot's intensity. I will fully admit that this might have been a 4.25-4.50 star read if I hadn't spent the majority of the book thinking this was a murder mystery.
Worth noting:
Extremely clean content - This is by no means Christian fiction, so don't mistake clean for that, but there is absolutely zero coarse language and while there were some vague references to bedroom activities, it was never actually something that occurred within the pages of the book.
An overall delightful book that knew who it was: it was the story of a girl's discovery of herself, her dreams, her aspirations, her obstacles. Was it a smidge unbelievable? Yes, but not to its detriment. It was mostly just a great little escape with some intrigue and some chuckles, characters you could root for, a sprinkling of romance (it existed at the edges of the book but was never its purpose), and a satisfying conclusion, complete with the right amount of comeuppance for one of the villains. I have already added more of Rhys Bowen's books to my vast TBR list.
mary_reid1293's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
whilereading's review against another edition
3.0
Historical fiction with a little twist. Crime & survival but at the end was a happy ending, in my case.
lovleephtogrl's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
lisazd's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
msliz's review
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
rgaiovnik's review against another edition
2.0
I was given a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the premise of Bella being a Victorian cook and I really loved the scenery and the food descriptions. I also liked the character, she was spunky and fun. However, the mystery didn’t even start until the last 1/4 of the book. I needed much more than that! The romance was pretty blah too. I wouldn’t tell someone not to read it, but I definitely wouldn’t qualify it as a mystery.
I really enjoyed the premise of Bella being a Victorian cook and I really loved the scenery and the food descriptions. I also liked the character, she was spunky and fun. However, the mystery didn’t even start until the last 1/4 of the book. I needed much more than that! The romance was pretty blah too. I wouldn’t tell someone not to read it, but I definitely wouldn’t qualify it as a mystery.
readingwitherin's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Isabella takes the opportunity of a lifetime when she comforts a dying Helen Barton who is going for a job interview at the Royal Palace as a pastry chef. Isabella must choose between taking this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity even though it means she will have to lie or continuing on where she currently works as a servant who has no future prospects of being able to do what she loves which is baking/cooking.
Isabella ends up taking the opportunity but it is one that she languishes over for a time due to having to lie and keep her true identity a secret. Along with this she is learning how to become a better baker/cook and is loving it. When the Queen decides to go to Nice Isabella ends up getting chosen to go as she speaks french. While this does leave her being the only female kitchen staff, it also puts her in a unique position to figure out what is going on with the royals all while continuing to expand her knowledge of baking and cooking.
Overall I enjoyed this book. At times certain things did seem a little far-fetched especially when they got to Nice. She was able to have full moments alone with the queen and even made friends with other people who were visiting Nice that were rich which just seemed a little odd considering she was a kitchen staff member at that time. Yes, she had a good upbringing and knew certain things, but still, her position was kitchen staff and would have most likely been seen as that by the people who were rich that were around her for the most part. Having said that though it did make the story more interesting and allowed us to see more of Nice and what was happening with the Queen and her party of people as they enjoyed a nice vacation.
The ending I was okay with it and was nice because finally, Isabella wasn't on edge all the time because the person who was blackmailing her couldn't anymore.
I am interested in reading more by this author in the future as so many people love her writing and I did enjoy reading this book and getting to see Queen Victoria in a new light.
Isabella ends up taking the opportunity but it is one that she languishes over for a time due to having to lie and keep her true identity a secret. Along with this she is learning how to become a better baker/cook and is loving it. When the Queen decides to go to Nice Isabella ends up getting chosen to go as she speaks french. While this does leave her being the only female kitchen staff, it also puts her in a unique position to figure out what is going on with the royals all while continuing to expand her knowledge of baking and cooking.
Overall I enjoyed this book. At times certain things did seem a little far-fetched especially when they got to Nice. She was able to have full moments alone with the queen and even made friends with other people who were visiting Nice that were rich which just seemed a little odd considering she was a kitchen staff member at that time. Yes, she had a good upbringing and knew certain things, but still, her position was kitchen staff and would have most likely been seen as that by the people who were rich that were around her for the most part. Having said that though it did make the story more interesting and allowed us to see more of Nice and what was happening with the Queen and her party of people as they enjoyed a nice vacation.
The ending I was okay with it and was nice because finally, Isabella wasn't on edge all the time because the person who was blackmailing her couldn't anymore.
I am interested in reading more by this author in the future as so many people love her writing and I did enjoy reading this book and getting to see Queen Victoria in a new light.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this. I can't say it was anything profound - just a simple story. One and done. Got the audio from AudibleEscape ... and this was actually perfectly clean ;) The kindle copy was available on KU, but I didn't need it (I enjoyed the narration and never really got lost, needing to skim/review). This was based back in England, under Queen Victoria. The Queen's household is where most of the plot takes place. There was quite a bit of "cooking" talk too. Then it turns into a bit of a murder mystery, and then while it wasn't really a romance, there is suddenly a love triangle, which resolves quickly.
Near the end, an investigator seems to question the fact that Bella/Helen happened to uncover, figure out, find evidence, be involved in ... everything that was happening. I wondered at that coincidence too ... ;)
3.5 stars
Near the end, an investigator seems to question the fact that Bella/Helen happened to uncover, figure out, find evidence, be involved in ... everything that was happening. I wondered at that coincidence too ... ;)
3.5 stars
openmypages's review against another edition
3.0
{3.5 stars}
Bella lives a charmed life in Victorian London until her mother dies and her father's drinking leaves her to become a servant. She is living a pretty quiet life but always dreaming of more until one day she witnesses a deadly accident. The woman who is killed was heading to the palace for a role working in the royal household. Bella decides to take her referral letter and assume the life that Helen Barton was destined for. She thrives in the queen's kitchen enjoying the art of cooking and the gossip within the queen's household until Helen's real brother comes to blackmail her. She ends up in France with the queen's travelling retinue and relishes the opportunity until someone who ate her food dies and she is investigated for the crime and just may lose it all.
I enjoyed Bella's story although I think the blurb makes you think it's going to be a little more murder mystery - the poisoning case doesn't happen til the last quarter of the book. (And the culprit was pretty obvious.) The historical fiction aspects were well done and while perhaps some aspects of her trajectory were unbelievable, I enjoyed this unique view of the queen's latter days.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for gifted access. Apologies for how long it took me to get around to reading. All opinions above are my own.
Bella lives a charmed life in Victorian London until her mother dies and her father's drinking leaves her to become a servant. She is living a pretty quiet life but always dreaming of more until one day she witnesses a deadly accident. The woman who is killed was heading to the palace for a role working in the royal household. Bella decides to take her referral letter and assume the life that Helen Barton was destined for. She thrives in the queen's kitchen enjoying the art of cooking and the gossip within the queen's household until Helen's real brother comes to blackmail her. She ends up in France with the queen's travelling retinue and relishes the opportunity until someone who ate her food dies and she is investigated for the crime and just may lose it all.
I enjoyed Bella's story although I think the blurb makes you think it's going to be a little more murder mystery - the poisoning case doesn't happen til the last quarter of the book. (And the culprit was pretty obvious.) The historical fiction aspects were well done and while perhaps some aspects of her trajectory were unbelievable, I enjoyed this unique view of the queen's latter days.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for gifted access. Apologies for how long it took me to get around to reading. All opinions above are my own.