The Grand Tour: or, The Purloined Coronation Regalia: Cecelia and Kate Series, Book 2

It is a nice little sequel to a nice series. I like the format even though some don't. I hope they write more.

Newly (and very happily) married, cousins Kate and Cecy are ready to make their shared wedding journey on the Continent with their estimable husbands, Thomas and James. Both young ladies have romantic and exciting plans for their tour - shopping expeditions in Paris, viewing historical antiquities, visiting the opera - and it's not as if their expectations won't be met. Most assuredly, they will be. But the double-honeymoon will also include magic, intrigue, kidnapping and peril, Kate and Cecy just don't know it yet.Almost from the very minute the traveling party lands in Calais, events of a magical persuasion threaten to overtake them. A mysterious lady in blue leaves a package meant for Thomas' mother with Cecy and when it's opened the object turns out to be a magical artifact of great age and power. Then a midnight thief attempts to steal the parcel. The would-be robber is foiled, but he manages to escape - leaving only a Turkish slipper behind. Soon the newlyweds learn of several more successful thefts from various sites across Europe. In each case, an important antiquity tied to various coronation rituals is stolen. Clearly, something devious and threatening is afoot.In this adventurous sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, authors Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer have sent their young heroines (and heroes, of course) to explore the European Continent just two years after the final defeat of Napoleon. Once again, the combination of Regency manners, romance, magic and dastardly deeds is used to great effect. Clearly Ms. Wrede and Ms. Stevermer (both of whom are capable of magic with their pens) had a great deal of fun writing this novel. Cecy, Kate, James and Thomas are all extremely likable and the plot is full of action and derring-do, with a few tender moments thrown in for good measure. In Sorcery and Cecelia, Kate and Cecy were separated (one in London, one in Essex), and the novel was written as a series of letters between the two. This time around the cousins are together throughout, so the use of letters was impracticable. Instead, Cecy's voice is heard through her sworn deposition to various members of His Majesty's Government, while Kate relates the more personal details in the diary she received as a wedding present from her uncle. Once again, the combination of the two points of view adds depth and color to the narrative. Given the fabulous plot and the high quality of the writing, this book is both a pleasure to read on every level.

This was an enjoyable follow up to Sorcery and Cecilia also written in the style of two authors each writing from the point of view of their character. The action alternates between the written testimony of Cecilia and excerpts from the diary of her cousin Kate as they take their marriage tour of the continent of Europe and solve a pesky mystery along the way.For those who read Sorcery and Cecilia from cover to cover without being able to put it down (as I did), you will enjoy this story and your familiar characters and their silly antics (and yes Kate does fall in a canal in Venice as Thomas hoped), although this book is not as compelling.For those who didn't read the first book: go read the first book it's great. However this book will stand alone just fine.Kate and Cecy and their husbands Thomas and James as well as Thomas' mother in law arrive in France and are immediately given a mysterious package by a mysterious woman. The package is stolen and there is great concern as to the intentions of the thief as the package contained the saint ampoule, the oil in which is used to anoint kings and emperors. Their are also mysterious rituals taking place at sites of power and more thefts of items associated with kings. They meet Mr. Strangle and his young charge Theodore who seem to be associated with this mystery in some way.As Kate and Cecy travel the continent following various characters and visiting various cities, we travel with them and learn more about this mystery. I enjoyed the descriptions of these classic cities and the fun magic and mystery involved in this story. Go ahead and read it, you won't be disappointed, but you won't have as much fun as you did the first time around, so don't get your hopes up too high.

These really are delighful characters, and the plot is of a weight suitable to a Regency romance. The primary difference between this book and its predecessor is that, in this outing, I preferred the "Kate" sections to those by Cecilia. "Sorcery and Cecilia" had a much more even tone. I believe this may be due to the different literary devices -- no letters, as the two women are traveling together, often in uncomfortably cramped circumstances.Kate gets to use a diary format, but Cecy's is from her depostition concerning the plot they uncover and foil. Since Cecy is communicating with strangers in official positions, we hear very little about her adjustment to the married state or her inner thoughts about her own role. Kate, however, is talking to herself. We get to see her marriage from the inside. We also get to find out what the results were from all those "tests" she was given at the end of the first book. Very satisfying -- and that's all I'm going to say about it.The uneven tone is the only significant flaw in this book. I agree that a single villain, well-known to the characters, is more interesting than a relative stranger plotting at a distance. However, the really fascinating idea behind the spell the plotters have put together more than makes up for it. The book treats it lightly -- no Dan Brown hysterics -- but it has a lot more to it than appears on the surface. The characters are a lot of fun, and I particularly like getting to know more about the maids that Kate & Cecy hire.Writing a book together has to be a lot of work. I would enjoy seeing this series continue with one couple "featured" in each novel, receiving occasional letters/messages/spells from the other. That way, Kate & Cecy (and their marriages) would get equal time -- but not at the SAME time!

charming, well written, well plotted, well paced, with fun characters and great settings...amusing, witty, delightful...recommended!

Avoid this, the persons in the book can hardly be of interest to anyone. The book drags on, and nothing really happens, I have given up on this book.