I always look forward to a new Rhys Bowen title. I've read several of her series and enjoy the historical as well as mystery aspects of her books. Unfortunately I was disappointed in Above the Bay of Angels. In keeping with its food aspects, it was more of a light bon bon than a more substantial solid cake. Most of the story is about the "downstairs" life in the British royal household. It's fun reading but not much substance. The mystery appears only in the last part of the book, as if it were a last minute thought. 
It's a quick snack, but not very filling.

Slice of History with a Dash of Suspense

When her aristocratic father lapses into alcoholism, Bella Waverly must forget about school and go into service to support her family. Motherless and without any practical training, she finds herself at the very bottom of Britain's social ladder. As a scullery maid, she lugs coal up multiple flights of stairs all day and collapses into a dreamless sleep at night. Though she gradually works her way up to assistant baker she doesn't see much of a future for herself. Then one day she witnesses an ominbus run into a young woman and rushes to her aid. The dying woman shoves a letter into Bella's hand and in a moment everything changes. The letter, as it turns out, is an offer of employment at Buckingham Palace—as an undercook for Queen Victoria. Bella ignores her misgivings about impersonating a dead woman and grabs at the chance to make a better life for herself. But, as always, such choices come with risks.

Above the Bay of Angels is the first Rhys Bowen novel I've read and it's the sort of cozy mystery I enjoy. The historical backdrop kept me engaged and I especially liked Bowen's decision to set part of the novel at the Hotel Regina, which was built for Queen Victoria's vacations in Nice. As a baker, I loved the descriptions of the queen's kitchens and the pastries Bella prepares (this was actually why I chose to read the book). Bella's character is a likeable, spirited cozy mystery heroine and the supporting characters, particularly the historical figures, were well sketched, for the most part. Bowen captures Victoria's strong, intelligent, independent character, as well as her son Edward's tendency to seduce every woman he encountered. There is even a cameo of Sarah Bernhardt, the famous French actress who was Edward's mistress at one point. I also appreciated the upstairs/downstairs mood that persisted throughout the book; as a down-on-her-luck aristocrat, Bella is caught between two very different worlds and must ultimately decide which one she wants to commit to. Does she want an easy life of luxury or should she pursue her passion for cooking?

There is one drawback to the novel—the “mystery” aspect is definitely not the plot's driving force. While the story begins with an intriguing mix-up, the suspense is put on the back burner (pun intended?) until the second half of the book. The murder occurs quickly and is resolved just as rapidly, so if you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat page-turner, this probably isn't the Bowen novel to start with. On the other hand, if you're in the mood for a light, charming read that depicts a little known historical vignette, this might be the book for you. It reminds me of the vintage postcards I collect—quaint yet vivid, with just a tinge of the enigmatic.

Much thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Four Stars  

Preorder on Amazon

I received an Advance Readers Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rhys Bowen‘s new book drops February 2020 and, if you‘re a fan of Queen Victoria and all things Victorian, you may enjoy this novel about a young gentlewoman, Isabella, who falls on hard times. After a distressing period as a scullery maid, discovers that she loves to cook. 

Assuming a false identity, Bella ends up cooking for the royal household and travels to the Ancien Regina Hotel in Nice with Queen Victoria's retinue. A murder mystery is rushed through at the very end which, in my opinion, did not improve the book and stretched credulity. There is plenty of melodramatic tension about whether Bella's true identity will be discovered and which man (and fate) she will choose. Fans know that Bowen has the ability as a writer to be wickedly funny and to venture beyond mere tropes, but in this novel, she doesn't.

Not as funny as the “Her Royal Spyness” series and lacking the depth of “On Fairleigh Field,” this is still an enjoyable light read.

In her newest historical novel, Rhys Bowen goes back to the age of Queen Victoria. The narrator is a young woman named Bella. Born into the aristocracy, Bella  has fallen on hard times due to her mother's death and her father's alcoholism. But Bella's luck changes when she witnesses the death of a young woman named Helen Barton, and she sees her chance to start a new life for herself. Bella assumes Helen's identity and finds herself working as an undercook in the household of Queen Victoria. Bella is so successful as a cook that she quickly grabs the queen's attention and they form a sort of friendship.

Queen Victoria's life has been well-documented, but I still learned a few things I didn't already know--like the fact that the queen traveled often to Nice and the city built a hotel for her and her entourage. This hotel is still standing today, though it has since been converted into an apartment building.

In the latter half of the book, we are treated to a royal mystery that reminded me of something Rhys Bowen might include in one of her Royal Spyness mysteries--a series that I love. When the murder "weapon" turns out to be poison, Bella becomes a suspect in the murder. If the truth comes out about her true identity, than she stands to lose everything, including her freedom.

This would make a great book for a low-key weekend or a beach vacation (perhaps to the South of France?). The story flows well, and the characters are intriguing enough to keep the pages turning. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this new book by Rhys Bowen. Set in a gorgeous setting, London and Nice of the Victorian era, it is a charming little story with a little murder mystery in the mix!
I loved the determination and the confidence that the heroine showed. I admired how she took responsibility for her own life and how hard she was willing to work to make her dreams come true. I also especially enjoyed the fascinating glimpse in Queen Victoria's life as Empress of the British Empire. 
A charming little story. 
For fans of Downton Abbey.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unlike most of the ARCs I review, this isn't the first book I've read by Rhys Bowen.
I've devoured all her Royal Spyness series and really love them. So I was super excited to see a new story by Rhys Bowen.
Isabella has, unexpectedly, ended up working in the kitchens cooking for Queen Victoria.
The Bay of Angels referred to in the title is in Nice where she's part of the group looking after the Queen while she's on holiday.
This story has a little bit of everything - romance, mystery, adventure with a large helping of history of the kind Rhys Bowen does so well. The kind that makes you want to read more.
I really loved the story - I've already read it twice and would recommend it to anyone who likes good writing, interesting characters, and learning something while they read.

Having read this author before, I was really happy to see that this was available for us to read here, I have enjoyed every single book that I have read from Rhys Bowen .

This book is set in the Victorian era, and we are introduced to ur main charecters pretty early on,

Isabella Waverly, a gentlelady, hits hard times and it falls up her to provide for her family, one day circumstance thrusts a letter into her hand from a dying lady in the street.

Without saying too much, Isabella takes on the identity of the dead lady and takes up her role as an under cook at Buckingham Palace.

This story takes us on a rollercoaster of plot and it grabbed me from the very beginning.

I really enjoyed this, thank you Netgalley and The Publishers for letting me read this :)

A fuller review will appear on my social media sites nearer the publication date.

So enjoyed this standalone mystery by Rhys Bowen. In addition to appealing to those who enjoy historical fiction and mystery, I think those who love Downton Abbey would love the feel of this novel as well--although this involves the Royal Family! Loved the setting (London and Nice) as well as the mystery and main character Isabella. I loved the touch of romance and was rooting for Isabella the whole time. I read it in two days!

I have a great love for Rhys Bowen’s books. Her series are wonderful, but I love her stand alone novels. This story brings to light yet another thing that I did not know. There was a hotel in Nice that was built for Queen Victoria. It was called the Regina Excelsior. It seems that she loved spending time in Nice, so it was decided that a hotel would be built for her use, and that it would hopefully bring in more guests as well. The story is not solely about Queen Victoria, but about a young girl named Bella Waverly who though she comes from a family of means, is made to go into service by her father in order to make money to take care of her family after her mother dies and he loses his job. After years in service to a family of new money, a twist of fate lands Bella in the Queen’s kitchen as an under cook with an incredible amount of talent. What follows is a trip to France, an unhappy Princess and a murder to name a few. I would like to thank Net Galley for the chance to read an ARC of this book.

I read about 10% of this before I set it aside. It just didn't hold my attention; the characters were not interesting to me.

With a likable female lead that will carry you through some slow parts in the middle, this book is completely satisfactory.

This book paints a sad picture initially as we meet a young woman in London working below stairs for little reward plus a dollop of cruelty. Her story is a moving one as she was born to aristocracy but her father does not support his two daughters after the death of his wife since he prefers alcohol. Then he dies. Bella supports her younger sister with all her strength and low wages. Then her sister decides on marriage rather than continuing school that Bella had been paying for. A twist of fate brings opportunity to Bella with a chance to enter service in the kitchens of Queen Victoria and a ray of light enters the picture.
 
Queen Victoria includes Bella in the retinue she takes to Nice for her winter visit to the hotel built for her. There will be many challenges on the Riviera for the young woman including suspicion of murder. How will she cope?
This historical/romance/mystery succeeds in delivering a delightful and satisfying read.

This one started off well, lighthearted and interesting, with the fun but not overly fluffy tone that Bowen also pulls off in her Royal Spyness series. I liked Bella and found her interesting, and enjoyed the buildup and idea of the plot. However, the book went off the rails for me in the final quarter. The entire mystery happens and is solved in a very rushed manner full of convenient plot devices and extreme coincidences, and the romantic storyline concludes in a similar superficial, unbelievable manner. I’m bummed because I really did enjoy the first 75% of the book, including the pacing, but the last quarter is where the action really happens and that’s where it felt like Bowen was racing to meet a deadline and failed to really flesh out the plot. This one had a lot of potential but ended up falling flat for me.

Rhys Bowen is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction and I really enjoyed Above the Bay of Angels and was thrilled about the chance to read it! The story was engaging from start to finish and I felt I dipped my toe into another world and time. Recommended!

This is a period novel with a good pace and a sympathetic lead character.  It follows her story when owing to a subterfuge she manages to get a job in the kitchen of Buckingham Palace. The plot is interesting and well written . I enjoyed Tuscan Child by this author and this book was just as good

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for the eARC.
This is a historical story I enjoyed a lot and the first Rhys Bowen book I've read.
Isabella comes from a good family fallen onto hard times and finds herself working as a maid at age 15.  Her mother is dead, her father an out of work alcoholic and it's up to her to look after her younger sister.  An unexpected incident ends with her working at Queen Victoria's palace.  She loves her job in the kitchen and is determined to become a pastry chef, her dream job.
Going to Nice as part of the Queen's retinue is everything she dreamed of as a child and will change her life forever.
It was fascinating to learn about Queen Victoria's later years and my goodness, the array of foods described (and the Queen eats!) is unbelievable, very informative.  Some of the savories were a bit creepy (tiny birds!), but the pastries sounded wonderful.
A good, atmospheric novel I definitely recommend.

I'd give this book 3.5 stars if I could but have gone for four as I suspect a lot of her regular readers will like it. The novel makes for a pleasant afternoon's read of frothy nonsense, a retelling of Cinderella in Queen Victoria's court. 
I liked the historical background of the Queen's visit to Nice and the new grand hotel built to attract the beau monde to the city, and how she took her own chefs with her, and also Bertie's bad behavior.

For me, the problem was the improbability of many of the coincidences and the bizarre proposition that no one in the aristocracy would mind that she was a cook because she was pretty and well-born. To be fair Queen Victoria probably wouldn't have, she did indeed like her  (male) servants for themselves, not their status, but the rest of society would have been far less forgiving.

Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen is a fantastic historical fiction novel that is part history part romance part coming of age. Ms Bowen expertly interweaves fiction into fact, and the result is stunning. 
Isabella ( Bella) Waverly has had a rough go of it in life, of which all of it beyond her control, up to the present where the story begins. A twist of fate allows Bella to escape her current situation and allows her an escape, to flourish, and allows her to find herself and her destiny in the process. Assuming the identity of another woman after she was accidentally hit by a carriage, Bella gets to learn her passion and trade as a fantastic cook in the employment of her Majesty Queen Victoria. This creates a few unintended complications, however I truly enjoyed the end. 
I like Bella, her passion, her drive, her loyalty, and the fact that she is imperfect in her decisions (however she has everyone’s best interests at heart).  I enjoyed the mystery element, and the antagonism that was added in as well. The ending was appropriate, entertaining, and satisfying.
I truly love anything about Queen Victoria, so of course I love that element added to the plot of the book. It was more then I could have hoped for.

Excellent read. 
5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR account immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Bookbub, and B&N accounts upon publication.

This was less of a historical mystery than most of Rhys Bowen's other books. The first half or so of the book both felt too rushed in terms of glossing over certain timelines and too slow in the sense that there wasn't a lot of action. I initially liked Bella's character, got annoyed by her with the stolen identity, then was a but ambivalent. I did like the sense of the time period and historical details and the mystery was well done towards the last quarter of the book or so.. The part I did find really unrealistic was literally EVERYONE Bella told her true identity to toward the end of the book just easily accepted her and she faced absolutely no consequences for it. I wanted to like this since I like her Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy series but I just didn't connect with this one.

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.