Georgette Heyer
These Old Shades (1926)
Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is walking through Paris one night when a youth dashes out of an alley and runs into him. After first checking for his purse, the Duke starts to berate the boy when a large burly man who claims to be the older brother of the pale and slender youth comes out of the alley and takes the youth to task. Justin–who is called Satanas by friends and enemies alike–decides he is going to buy the young Leon from his brother.
This was marvelous. Justin is a cad and a rake and a cold-hearted SOB. Leon seems very unlike the child of farmers and then the brother of a Parisian tavern owner, and with his fiery red hair, seems entirely too temperamental to be the page Justin as decided he will be.
All of the characters were distinctive, the plot took many twists and turns, and although I knew it was a romance, I was not certain for quite a while precisely who the romantic leads were going to turn out to be.
But what I think I liked most were the changes in Justin over the course of the story, and the fact that although it seems that Leon blindly worships his savior, in many ways Justin begins to live up to being the man Leon see him to be.
Lovely, and almost immediately engrossing, and highly recommended.
Rating: 9/10
The Masqueraders (1928)
A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted something completely different to read. After coming upon a review of The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer, “I thought this might be a fun read,” and ordered it.
I will admit, the language took some getting used to. The book is set in London in the mid 1700s, and written in 1928, so it did wander a bit in comparison to what I usually read, and there were lots of flowery descriptions, but once I settled into the book and got comfortable with its pace and wording, it was a very fun read.
Prudence and Robin were involved in the Jacobite rebellion, and so Robin cannot show his face in England, so the two contrive of a plot to return to London–Robin as Miss Kate Merriot, and Prudence as Kate’s brother Peter. They are to wait in London for their father–a extraordinary trickster who often kept Prudence in trousers instead of skirts as a child, for her safety in their ventures.
First, Prudence is marvelous. Her attitude! Her skill! her wits! Then there is the man she falls for, Sir Anthony Fanshawe. Robin, on the other hand, falls for a woman of far less substance, the heiress Letitia Grayson, who is far more a woman of her times than Prudence (and thus–to me–rather annoying) and whom Peter and Kate manage to save in the opening chapters of the story.
Yes, it is a romance, with true love and all that, but there is also fencing! fighting! and adventures galore! Would I recommend it to a teenage boy? No way. Would I recommend it to someone else looking for an enjoyable read set in historical London? Most certainly!
Rating: 9/10
The Black Moth (1929)
This is the first of Georgette Heyer’s historical romances, and in it are all the elements of the later stories of hers I have read: love, romance, kidnapping, spouses misunderstanding one another, highway robbery–everything needed for a romantic adventure.
Interestingly, although it is a romance, one of the main female characters does not even appear until well into the book. The other female lead is a spoiled brat who seems entirely unlikable on the surface, and her brothers are most certainly odious. It seemed odd to me that a book classified as a romance focused very little on the romance. Which was of course fine with me, because I quite enjoyed the bits about the brothers and their problems.
Of course there is the clothing and makeup–I am so very glad to live in the modern age. Thick make-up and patches? Ugh. Hoop skirts? Please NO!
I think, however, what I found most interesting was what happened to (and with) Tracy in the end.
Is this as strong as her later books, such as These Old Shades? No. But the groundwork is there, and I can see how these bits and pieces of this first book were later developed into many of the books I have already read (and he more I hope to read as well.)
Also, a very impressive book considering she wrote it as a teenager. The dialog is strong, and although the story does tend to wander all over and one of the heroines does do the annoying thing where she stands there while the men fight over her instead of trying to rescue herself, it is still good, and a lot of fun.
Rating: 7/10
Devil’s Cub (1932)
I took me a ridiculously long time to realize that this is (sort of) a sequel to These Old Shades. Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal, is the son of Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and he is, if possible, more of a rake than his father. And her certainly gets into more trouble than his father, possibly because he inherited his mother’s temper.
When Dominic manages to shoot a man in a duel–in a gaming hell and not even particularly following the rules of dueling–his father sends him to France.
Mary Challoner, granddaughter of Sir Giles Challoner, was sent away to school to be raised like a lady at her father’s family’s expense, but when it came to her sister, her sister took entirely took much after her mother, and they received nothing from their father’s family. Yet despite their differences, Mary seeks to look after her family, and to keep her sister Sophia on the straight and narrow–no matter how much of a challenge that is.
I very much liked Mary. She was strong and resourceful and not given to hysterics, yet was friends with those who might be given to such. I don’t like Dominic quite as much as I liked his father Justin, but it was still a fun and rollicking story, and it was took lots of twists and turns to get where it finally ended up.
Rating: 8/10
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
The Convenient Marriage (1934)
The Earl of Rule has decided to finally get married. As he’s not particular about who he marries, he decides to request the hand of Elizabeth Winwood. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is in love with someone else, so her younger sister Horatia decides that Elizabeth should not have to make the sacrifice for the family (the brother has thrown the family into debt, and the father is no better) so Horry decides that if the Earl of Rule doesn’t particularly care who he marries, than it should best be her, since Lizzy is in love.
I went back and forth between liking and then disliking and then again liking the characters in this story. Because of her pluck at the start of the story, I tended to forget precisely how young and immature Horry actually was, which meant I got annoyed with her when she did really stupid things. But then I’d remember, and go back to liking her. Especially because the thing that might have concerned her most–her stutter–seemed to bother her not at all.
And of course, there are lots of entertaining–although wildly improbably–parts of the story, including duels, kidnapping, highway men and other ridiculousness.
So it’s fun, but much more far-fetched than the other books I’ve read by Georgette Heyer. I’m rather glad I didn’t read this first, because although I enjoyed it, I didn’t find it nearly as good as some of her other stories.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Faro’s Daughter (1941)
Max Ravenscar is one of the most wealthy men in London, but seems to care little for high society and fashion. Yet, as trustee of his nephew’s fortune, a call from his sister to keep Adrian from marrying the niece of a woman who runs–of all things!–a gaming house, send Ravenscar to the home of Lady Bellingham where he meets the beautiful and spirited Miss Grantham for himself, and see just why his nephew has fall for her, but thinks that removing Adrian from her clutches will be a simple thing.
Unfortunately for Ravenscar, Deborah doesn’t want Adrian in her clutches, and so a dangerous game full of insult and misunderstanding is begun.
Although there are some things I do like about Deb, occasionally I do think she is quite silly. That did not, however, stop me from enjoying the story.
Rating: 7/10
The Grand Sophy (1950)
Horace Stanton-Lacy needs to get his daughter married. He also needs to go to South America on a diplomatic mission, thus he Sophy to stay with her aunt in London, where he hopes she can be introduced to society and find a good match.
The Ombersley house, however, is in something of an upheaval, and the eldest son, Charles Rivenhall has used his inheritance to pull his father and the rest of the family out of debt, but his control over the house–and the likely control over his fiancee, a well-bred women who seems not to have a sense of humor–has upset the house. Even more distressing is the fact the eldest daughter, Cecily, has fallen in love with a poet and wants to break the match her family has set up for her. The arrival of Sophy and her menagerie pushes everything into a complete upheaval.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
Rating: 9/10
Cotillion (1953)Â
Kitty Charing has been adopted by the very rich and very unpleasant Matthew Penicuik who has decided that she will inherit his entire fortune–if she marries one of his great-nephews. Odds are on Jack, who is Uncle Matthew’s favorite (and Kitty’s too) but Kitty doesn’t like being told what to do, and for all intents and purposes, being put up for auction, and so she convinces Freddy (who didn’t show up as commanded to ask for Kitty’s hand) to help her come up with a way to get out of her situation.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Frederica (1965)
Lord Alverstroke is a selfish rake who hates–more than anything–to be bored. When his sister as well as their cousin ask him to throw a ball to launch their daughters, Alverstroke refuses unequivocally.
Frederica has come to London determined to find a good marriage for her beautiful younger sister, while keeping her younger brothers out of trouble. Frederica herself is past her first blush of youth and sees herself as quite marriageable, and so has no qualms acting as chaperone and doing as best she can to get her sister introduced to the ton.
Rating: 8/10
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
These Old Shades (1926), The Masqueraders (1928), The Black Moth (1929), Devil’s Cub (1932), The Convenient Marriage (1934), Faro’s Daughter (1941), The Grand Sophy (1950), Cotillion (1953), Frederica (1965)
