Friday's Child

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Young Lord Sheringham just popped in to see Isabella Milborne. They had been neighbors since they were kids and so Sherry, as he is called by his friends, thought he could just barge in. What he didn't know was that Isabella had come home from her London season because she had taken ill. Not a serious illness, but to been seen with measles spots on her perfect face was not acceptable. So off to the country home for the current reigning maiden of the London social scene until she was back to her usual gorgeous self. For Isabella was all the rage and all the young bucks were besotted with her, including her old childhood friend, Lord Sheringham. 

But Isabella was not having it. She spurned his offer of marriage, saying she was quite sure he was not truly in love with her. And that she didn't care for his bachelor lifestyle of sports, gambling, boozing and loose women. At which point Sherry admitted that he has gotten himself into a bit of debt and needed to get married in order to gain full access to his inheritance. Which is held in a trust until he is twenty five (he's only twenty four) or until he is married. 

Sherry headed home only to quarrel with his mother and his uncle, declaring that he is going back to London and he will marry the first woman he sees. Fortunately, the first woman he sees is an old friend he comes across on the roadside not too far from his country home. Hero Wantage and Sherry are old friends, Hero, who is seven years younger than Sherry, used to tag along after him when they were kids. Sherry stops to talk to Hero and it turns out she is running away from home. Hero is an orphan and has lived with her Aunt Jane most of her young life. The aunt has decided it is time for Hero to make her way in the world and has arranged for her to start work as a governess. But Hero would rather not be a governess or marry the curate. 

When Sherry explains that Isabella turned him down and about his quarrel with his family and his threat to marry the first woman he sees, Hero laughingly points out that she is the first woman! At first, Sherry rejects that idea but quickly changes his mind. Off to London they go, to obtain a special license and get married as soon as possible, quite clueless of the pitfalls in their path to a happy marriage.

Sherry treats Hero like a pal, not like his wife. Hero is not used to London society and Sherry, pursuing his own interests, is not providing the guidance she needs and she tumbles into one scrape after the other, much to Sherry's annoyance. In fact, he becomes so annoyed that he decides to send back to the country, to live with his mother. At which point, Hero runs away again as Sherry's mother did not approve of their runaway marriage and despises Hero.  

This was a good story. Probably more enjoyable for those who not as familiar with Heyer's Regency novels as I am. For me, the characters and the plot were nearly identical to characters in some of the other stories. Nothing that happens in the story is at all surprising, all of it quite familiar. The ending is fun, with all the young people ending up at the same place at the same time, along with the old lady's dog, a chunky pug.  

Here is a review by Lauren Ann Nattress of Austenprose.

Charity Girl

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Viscount Ashley Desford is attending a dinner party when he accidentally meets young Cherry Steane. She wasn't allowed to attend the party because she lives with her aunt as an unpaid employee. Abandoned by her father, she was reluctantly taken in by her aunt, who treats rather unkindly. Desford finds Cherry interesting and spends a few moments talking to her in the hallway as she peers down into the room from the upstairs, hoping to get a glimpse of the festivities. 

Unfortunately, one of her cousins sees her chatting with Desford and tells the aunt who gives Cherry a severe scolding. Feeling she can't bear living in such a cold and unloving household, Cherry packs her few belongings and runs away, where Desford, who is traveling back to London, comes across her trudging alongside the road the next morning. 

When he finds out she has run away, he tries to talk her into returning to her aunt's home. But she flatly refuses and seems to be desperate to get away. So he offers to escort her to her grandfather's house in London. But when they get there, the house is closed up and none of the neighbors knows where the grandfather has gone. 

Not knowing what else to do with the girl, Desford takes her to a close woman friend, Hetta Silverdale. Hetta and Desford have been friends since childhood, and he views her as a sister and is depending on her to help him now. It takes a bit of persuading, but he gets Hetta to agree to let Cherry stay with her while he tries to locate the grandfather. 

Hetta does not live alone, she lives in the family home with her widowed mother and her younger brother, Charlie. At first, Cherry gets along with Hetta, the mother and Charlie very well. But then Charlie steals a kiss and the mother turns against Cherry and gives her a lecture on encouraging men to come on to her which Cherry certainly did not do.

Meanwhile, Desford is traveling around England, trying to track the grandfather down without any luck. He eventually finds him but discovers the grandfather has recently gotten married again and the new wife, the ex-housekeeper, makes it very clear that she is willing to take Cherry in as an unpaid employee, which is exactly the situation that caused Cherry to run away from her aunt.  And the grandfather refuses to give Cherry any financial support to help her out. 

Desford returns to Hetta only to find everyone upset because Charlie and Cherry are both missing. And Cherry's father, who everyone assumed was dead, has suddenly shown up at the Silverdale home, demanding his child and declaring Desford seduced her and ruined her. 

But things are not as bad as they seem because Desford's younger brother, Simon, has become involved and with his help, everything turns out as well as can be expected.  He tells Desford, at the end of the story, "But if you should get into any more scrapes, Des, just send me word, and I'll post straight back to rescue you!" 

For a romance novel, there is really no romance in this story. Mainly it is about Desford's efforts to help out Cherry.

Sometimes even a favorite author can be disappointing. 

Here is a review by Austenprose.

Regency Buck

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency novel

After their father passed away, his nearly grown children, Judith and Peregrine, knew he had named the Fifth Earl of Worth as their guardian. Coming London to introduce themselves to high society, the two were expecting to find Lord Worth to be an elderly man, a contemporary of their father. But Lord Worth was not an elderly man at all. Indeed, he turned out to be the man who had accosted and stolen a kiss from Judith when he happened upon her as she was out taking a stroll unaccompanied. 

So things got off to a rough start in their relationship with their new guardian. And it didn't get any better due to Judith's desire to assert her independence and to her dislike of Worth. 

Judith and Peregrine are lucky to be very wealthy. Plus Judith and Peregrine are both good looking. So becoming a big hit in society is easy for them. And amazingly, young Lord Worth takes his role as their guardian seriously and his guidance and connections make their success assured. 

But wealth can be a magnet for bad people. And Peregrine becomes the target of someone who wants him dead. If he dies without an heir, his share of their inheritance would pass to his sister, Judith. So his death with really only benefit his sister. No one else would get their hands on it. Unless they were married to Judith! 

This is one of Heyer's novels that I just never liked as well as most of her romance novels. Judith is arrogant and Peregrine comes off as stupid. Lord Worth is even more arrogant than Judith is. Peregrine's only function in the story is to be the target for the killer. 

Heyer features some of the famous personages of Regency high society of the early 1800s including the Prince Regent, Beau Brummel, the Duke of Clarence and Lord William Alvanley, among others. She also describes the Brighton Pavilion in detail. I image she spent much time researching the time period and the people and places. 

Here is a review by Susan Holloway Scott on Austenprose.

Cotillion

 

By Georgette Heyer

Kitty always fancied her guardian's nephew, Jack Westruther. Handsome, athletic, charming, Jack was the epitome of a young girl's idea of a hero in the early 1800s.

Her guardian came up with the stupid idea of forcing one of his nephews into marrying Kitty by promising to leave his fortune to her. But if none of them came forward, she would be left penniless and his money would be left to some charity. Truth be told, he favored Jack as much as Kitty did but declared he wanted to treat all his nephews fairly. 

He has several nephews, including Jack, of course. But only three others could be possible suitors to Kitty other than Jack. There is Hugh, who is a member of the clergy. And Freddy, who is the only nephew who doesn't need their uncle's money as he has plenty of his own. There is Lord Dolpinton, a peer of a large Irish estate, which sounds pretty nice. But Dolphinton is mentally challenged and his estate is heavily encumbered with debt. All four have been invited to their uncle's estate to make their offers for Kitty. But the favorite of both Kitty and her guardian, Jack, refuses to show up, not liking to have his hand forced.

Of course Kitty and the old man are disappointed by Jack's failure to show. But Hugh, Dolphinton and Freddie all make their appearance. However Freddie did not know about the stipulations involving the old man's will and did not arrive intending to ask Kitty to marry him. As for Hugh and Dolphinton, Kitty has no romantic feelings for either man. Despite his lack of attendance, her heart is set on Jack. So she hatches a plot to get Jack's attention. If Jack will not come to Kitty, then Kitty will go to Jack. And she finagles Freddy into fake proposing and then getting her guardian to allow her to go to London with Freddy to be introduced to her "fiancé's" family. 

Kitty gets to go to London with Freddy. Which means pretty new clothes, stylish new hairdo, parties and fun and getting to know and form new friends. Some of these friends are not really the kind of people a young society maiden should be going around with. There's the beautiful Olivia, whose mother is willing to sell her daughter's maidenhood to the highest bidder. And there's Hannah, a plain speaking, working class woman who needs Kitty's help to free Dolphinton from the cruel clutches of his greedy, manipulative mother who has her sights set on acquiring Kitty as wife for her dim son. Kitty suddenly has a lot going on in her life after years spent on her guardian's quiet, rural estate. But the one thing missing is Jack who is keeping his distance, once again because he doesn't like having his hand forced and has easily seen through Kitty and Freddy's fake engagement. 

I guess the thing I liked best about this story is Freddy, who turns out to be a real gentleman with a kind and loving heart. He is always there to help Kitty whenever she needs him and doesn't try to squash her kind impulses and scold her for the mistakes she makes. Kitty wasn't all the that interesting to me and Jack barely makes an appearance in the story. I didn't really care about the Olivia story although I found the Dolphinton and Hannah story rather charming. 

It's an interesting story but I have never found it as entertaining as many of Heyer's other novels.

Here is a review by Alexa Adams on Austenprose.

The Reluctant Widow

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Mystery

Wellborn Elinor Rochdale had her life turned upside down when her father lost his fortune through gambling and then killed himself. Left on her own, she works as a governess in order to survive. Starting a new job, she has been instructed that a carriage will be waiting for her at the inn in the village of Billingshurst. So when she alights from the London stage and a man from a coach asks her if she is the young lady who has come from London in answer to the advertisement, she assumes he is there for her and she gladly climbs into the very nice coach. But she has climbed into the wrong coach and the people at the destination wanted someone for a very different position than governess to small children. What they wanted was a wife.

Naturally, Elinor's first impulse is to request to be taken back to the village. But then the man who is the proposed groom meets with a fatal injury and is expected to die within a few hours. And Elinor allows herself to be persuaded into an impromptu marriage and is now a widow and the sole owner of everything her dead husband possessed, including a run-down mansion.

It doesn't take long for Elinor to realize that something odd is going on with the house as she surprises a strange man who walks in as if he owns the place. And there is the intruder who shoots and wounds a guest of Elinor's when the guest surprises him in the night. Plus it all might be connected to the war between Britain and France. 

 

I first read this book decades ago. And I have read it several times over in the years since. I always liked the book and I enjoy rereading it every time. This story is kind of between a Georgette Heyer romance and a Georgette Heyer mystery. It's not really a murder mystery because the only one who dies is the groom and his death is not a mystery. But the mystery is what the groom was up to before he died and if he was a traitor. 

The romance story is not romantic. It's really a very minor subplot, with the mystery being the main plot. There is virtually no love-making beyond the hero binding a bandage around Elinor's head when she get bashed by an unknown person. But I have never minded that the romance is mostly missing. It really is a fun and light read, despite the gloomy mansion, the midnight intruders and people getting shot and bashed in the head.

Here is a review by Jane Greensmith on Austenprose.

The Talisman Ring

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance.

Ludovic is the disgraced grandson of a wealthy lord. Ludovic is on the run from law, accused of murdering a man over the loss of his family heirloom, the talisman ring. Ludovic is assumed to be on the continent, safe from the English authorities. But one night, his teenage cousin Eustacie, who is running away from a marriage arranged for her, encounters Ludovic on the road. Ludovic is involved with the local smugglers and he and Eustacie have to escape the Excisemen. In the process, Ludovic is wounded. 

Eustacie takes Ludovic to an inn that Ludovic has a good relationship with, since the innkeeper is part of the smuggling ring. The innkeeper treats Ludovic's wound and hides him from the Excisemen who show up at the inn looking for the fugitive.

Staying at the inn is Sarah Thane. Sarah quickly steps in to help Eustacie and Ludovic. Soon after Ludovic is treated and hidden, the man Eustacie was supposed to marry, Sir Tristam, shows up at the inn looking for her. He is surprised when she informs him she ran away because she didn't want to marry him. He reassures her that he has no interest in forcing her into a marriage she doesn't want. Sir Tristam also discovers that his disgraced relative Ludovic is at the inn, wounded and has been spending his time smuggling. 

Ever since the murder, Ludovic, who knows he is innocent, has thought that Tristam was the murderer and that Tristam has the talisman ring because he is a collector of rare and valuable items like the talisman ring. But Tristam thinks that Ludovic is guilty and is surprised to find that he doesn't have the ring at all. It dawns upon them that the true killer is their relative, Basil, who also lives in the area and who also loves to collect valuable and rare items. All they have to do to prove it is find the talisman ring in Basil's possession. 

But to do so means keeping Ludovic hidden while he heals from his wound, not only from the authorities but also from Basil. It also means gaining access to Basil's home and searching for a hidden panel that Ludovic remembers seeing in Basil's house when Ludovic was a youngster. But he can't recall exactly in which room the panel is to be found. Which isn't too helpful of him.

I have read this novel several times over the years and I enjoy it every time. It's fun and exciting and romantic and a bit silly and doesn't make a lot of sense. But it's still engaging and entertaining and it is what I call a keeper, a book I enjoyed reading so much that I know I will enjoy reading it again and again. 

Here is a review by Dear Author.

Lady of Quality

 

Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance.

Annis is fortunate in that she is young, beautiful and wealthy. She is also very independent for a woman of her time and station and, at the age of twenty-nine, is living in a home of her own with an older female relative as a companion. 

Since she has enough money to live as she chooses, Annis never felt the desire to get married. She had plenty of suitors and offers of marriage but turned them all down. So Annis and her companion live on their own in the resort town of Bath. That is until Annis encountered a young couple in trouble on the side of the road after their gig lost a wheel. 

Lucy and her good friend Ninian are escaping from their families who are putting pressure on the two to get married. Lucy is very young, pretty, and wealthy and she and Ninian, who lives next door, grew  up together and have no romantic inclinations toward each other. Lucy's parents are dead and she has been living with her aunt, but her guardian is Oliver Carleton, a notorious member of London society. 

After Annis rescued Lucy and Ninian, she felt sorry for Lucy's situation and invited her to stay with her at her home in Bath. And that is how Oliver Carleton entered Annis' life and turned everything upside down for her.

I have read this novel three or four times in the past and it was never one of my favorites. But that was when I was a lot younger. When I read it again this time, I enjoyed it more than I did previously. It's the humor that I probably didn't notice so much when I was younger. Oliver Carleton is not mealy mouthed and his pursuit of Annis is quite enjoyable and often amusing. 

Here is a review by Elizabeth Hanbury on Austenprose.

Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Phoebe Marlow's mother died when she was quite young. Her father remarried and he and his new wife had several more children. Phoebe did not enjoy a close or loving relationship with her stepmother, who was an overbearing and stern parent to Phoebe. After years of bullying by her stepmother, Phoebe lived in fear of displeasing her in any way and yearned to escape from the woman's oppressive control. 

Phoebe had the required coming out for a girl of her social standing in London, but it hadn't been successful. She was too thin, too shy, too awkward to gain any admirers. But she did have a keen eye and her observations of society ended up in a thinly-disguised novel about a cruel man trying to deprive his infant nephew of the nephew's rightful inheritance. And once her novel was published, it was an instant success, as members of the upper class recognized their fellows in the caricatures in the pages of the novel.

The villain of the piece was based on Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, whom Phoebe had meet a couple times at parties when in London. He did not make a favorable impression on her, as she judged him to be cold and arrogant. And he had a very recognizable face because of his rather unusual eyebrows, which, of course, she included in her novel. 

In the novel, the heroine struggles to save her child from his uncle's evil machinations. What Phoebe didn't know when she based her villain on Sylvester was that he was also the guardian of a young boy and that Sylvester was at odds with the boy's mother because she was trying to remove her child from Sylvester's guardianship. 

In Phoebe's novel, the mother frees her son from the wicked uncle's captivity and they flee together to freedom. So the mother of Sylvester's nephew, upon reading the book and seeing the wicked uncle based (loosely) on her brother-in-law Sylvester, views it as a roadmap to freeing her child from his guardianship. So she kidnaps her son and takes him to France.

Phoebe, the anonymous author of the novel that has high society talking and wondering who wrote the book, has meanwhile come to know Sylvester and realized that her caricature of him was cruel and unjust and has caused him considerable embarrassment. They have a huge fight in public and Phoebe's reputation is ruined. So her grandmother decides to take her and travel to France to give society time to get over the scandal. But while waiting to board a ship, Phoebe encounters Sylvester's sister-in-law with her young son, Sylvester's ward, preparing to flee to France. By now, Phoebe knows that Sylvester is not the monster portrayed in her novel, but a caring and loving uncle to his young ward. And she also has come to understand that the boy's mother is selfish, shallow and irresponsible and that Sylvester is actually the better guardian for the boy. Phoebe, on board the ship, tries to reason with the mother, but ends up being taken to France when the woman's husband sneakily orders the ship to set sail.

This was a good story, spoiled by its heroine, who is probably one of the weakest and most feebleminded heroines that Heyer ever created in her romance novels. Oh, Phoebe is supposed to capture her hero's heart, but how he could ever fall for such a weakling is rather hard to understand. We are supposed to admire Phoebe, but instead we end up just wishing she would show a little gumption and stand up to her overbearing stepmother instead of trembling in fear at the mere thought of that woman's bad temper. And once Phoebe is part of London society, she shows the same lack of spine when her authorship of the notorious novel becomes widely known. Instead she agrees to run away to France and hide from the criticism and curiosity. And yet Sylvester decides this is the woman for him? Hard to believe.

Here is a review by Laurel Ann Nattress on Austenprose.

The Grand Sophy

 

By Georgette Heyer

Charles Rivenhall inherited a large fortune when his great uncle died.  Which was fortunate for his parents because his father, Lord Ombersley was a gambler and a spendthrift and his careless ways had put the family into serious debt. Charles took over the family finances from his father and pretty much became the boss of them all, including his mother, his father and his several siblings. 

Charles is engaged to a worthy but rather cold and very proper woman, Eugenia. Their wedding had been delayed due to a death in Eugenia's family. 

Lady Ombersley's brother arrives unexpectedly at the Rivenhall home in London. He has been in France and now he has to travel to Brazil and he wants his daughter, Sophy, to stay with his sister while he is gone. He describes Sophy as a dear little soul who won't cause any trouble. He also wants his sister to find an eligible suitor for Sophy as he feels it is time for her to be married. 

Turns out Sophy is not quite the demure little miss her father seems to see her as. She is twenty years old and has been without a female companion ever since her governess died a few years ago. And at five foot nine, she is also not a little miss. She has a strong character and is a bit of a force of nature, sweeping all before her. She loves managing things and people and when she gets a good look at the Rivenhall family, she moves to set everything she sees as wrong to right, willy nilly. Good luck to anyone who gets in her way! 

This is probably one of Heyer's most funny and enjoyable stories. I must admit that I don't think I would like Sophy in real life, as she seems a bit mental. I mean, at one point she shoots a friend in order to further her plans for the Rivenhall daughter, Cecelia, who has fallen in love with the wrong man. Sophy certainly is one of Heyer's most unforgettable characters, that is for sure. I wonder if Heyer ever knew anyone like that in real life.

Here is a review by Laurel Ann Nattress on Austenprose.

The Quiet Gentleman

 

By Georgette Heyer

Napoleon is locked up and it is time for the British fighting men to come home. One such is Captain Viscount Desborough, Viscount no longer upon the death of his father, the Sixth Earl of St. Erth. 

Desborough, aka Gervase, was not liked by his father who favored Gervase's younger half-brother, Martin. Martin has grown up to be a spoiled brat who always thought Gervase would not survive the war and that he, Martin, would be the Earl when their father died. So when that didn't happen, Martin had a hard time adjusting to the reality and deeply resented his elder brother's ascension to the title. 

So Gervase has returned home to the family estate to take up his position as the Seventh Earl. But it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to remove Gervase from this position and all the clues seem to point to young Martin. 

This was an OK read. It's not one of my favorite Heyer romances, as the culprit is pretty clear from the get-go. The real villain is oddly portrayed as a really decent guy and it seems so completely out of character for this man to be capable of so callous a murder. 

Heyer did write a lot of murder mysteries and I have read some of them. But I have not enjoyed them as much as I liked her Regency romances. Too much of her murder style leaks into this story which taints it, in my opinion.

Here is a review by Deb Barnum from Austenprose.

The Nonesuch

 

By Georgette Heyer

Sir Waldo Hawkridge is known as the Nonesuch. In his time, the early 1800s, this was a man who was an accomplished and talented and admired all-around sportsman, good at everything the upper classes considered a worthy pursuit. Like boxing, hunting, fencing, horsemanship. It also helped that Waldo was tall, good looking, personable and extremely wealthy. The whole package, as the saying goes.

Ancilla Trent, a humble governess, did not approve of men who spent their time pursuing sports. So when she got to meet Waldo and found out what a good-hearted and genuine person he was, it was a bit confusing for her. He was totally not what she pictured a sportsman to be. And bit by bit, she lost her heart to Waldo, even though, as a mere governess, she was not on the same social level as he. 

But Waldo didn't care who society thought was the appropriate mate for a man of his wealth and standing. He thought Ancilla was the only woman for him. But when he began to pursue her in earnest, she spurned him. But why? Then he discovered that she knew about what his friends called "Waldo's brats." Oh, dear!

This was an OK read. Not as engaging as some of Heyer's romances. At over 240 pages, it a bit on the long side and really doesn't cover much ground other than two adults meeting and falling for each other. And clearing up a slight misunderstanding before true love triumphs. And the bad behavior of Ancilla's teenage student, Tiffany Wield, beautiful, selfish, wealthy and very spoiled.  Really not much of a plot there at all. But it is still quite a pleasure to read and enjoy, even if not as dynamic as some of her stories. 

Here is a review by Marie Burton on Austenprose.

False Colours

 

By Georgette Heyer

Christopher "Kit" Fancot come home to London unexpectedly from his diplomatic service on the continent only to find his poor mother very upset about the disappearance of his twin brother, Evelyn. Adding to her distress is the knowledge that her debts may be part of the reason Evelyn has vanished. 

After their father, the Earl of Denville, died, his wife's debts should have been paid out of his estate. But Lady Denville failed to disclose just how much money she owed. For try as she might, she never learned how to be prudent with money. So her debts fell upon the Earl's heir, the older twin, Evelyn. 

Unfortunately, the estate is in trust until Evelyn turns 25 because his father thought his son was too flighty and careless to be in charge of the fortune he would inherit. However, if he showed he has settled down by marrying a suitable young woman, the trust would be ended and he would have access to the funds needed to pay off his mother's debts. Toward that end, Evelyn proposed and was accepted by Cressy Stavely.

Neither Evelyn nor Cressy is in love with each other. We know why Evelyn has proposed. We find out that Cressy is very unhappy in her father's house since he remarried. Her stepmother doesn't like Cressy and life has become uncomfortable for Cressy. Anxious to break away from a bad situation, Cressy is willing to get married if that is what it takes.

Kit is informed by their mother that Evelyn is supposed to attend a dinner at Cressy's house in order to meet her family and gain the approval of the Dowager Lady Stavely, her grandmother. So if Evelyn is a no-show, it will mean the end of the engagement and Lady Denville's financial problems will continue to mount. Kit jokes that he could step in for Evelyn as they are identical twins and Lady Denville loves the idea. She talks Kit into it, when she explains how important it is to both her and to Evelyn, who is finding the lack of control of his inheritance dispiriting and humiliating.

Kit makes it through the dinner and the plan is for him to travel to the ancestral home in the country and thus remain in seclusion until Evelyn turns up or can be located. But events conspire to thrust Kit and Cressy together and Kit finds he is falling in love with Cressy and she with him. Meanwhile, no trace of Evelyn is found, until he shows up one night. He informs Kit and Lady Denville that he can't marry Cressy because he has fallen in love with another woman! 

This was a fun read, watching Kit and Lady Denville trying to succeed in hiding his true identity from everyone. I did enjoy the book but of Heyer's romances, it is not one of my favorites. But it is still a good read.

Here is a review by Laurel Ann Nattress on Austenprose.

Bath Tangle

 

By Georgette Heyer

Nobody expected the Earl would die in his early fifties. He left behind his daughter Serena and his wife Fanny. Fanny was the Earl's second wife and is a couple years younger than her stepdaughter Serena. The Earl was a very wealthy man and he and Serena moved among the upper classes of Regency Britain secure in their place in the world. Although Serena is not the Earl's heir, she knows she will inherit a large fortune, including the  estates of Hernesley and Ibshaw. The Earl's main residence, Milverly Park, will pass into the hands of his heir, Hartley Carlow, who is now the Sixth Earl of Spenborough and Serena's cousin.

When Serena was younger, she was engaged to Ivo Rotherham, a friend of the Fifth Earl and a near neighbor, a man Serena knew all her life. Like Serena and the Earl, Ivo is also a man of wealth and property. Ivo has a reputation as an unpleasant and haughty person. Serena, also a rather haughty woman, clashed frequently with Ivo and broke off their engagement. So when her father's will was read and she heard that her father had appointed Ivo as her trustee, in control of all her money and of whose approval she would have to get if she ever wanted to marry in the future, she just about exploded. 

Clearly it is her dead father's attempt to bring Serena and Ivo back together as he was very disappointed when she broke it off. 

Serena and Fannie move into the Dower House when Hartley and his family move into Milverley Park. But living so close to her old home is hard on Serena, especially as she observes all the changes the new owners are doing to what was her home for all her life. So she and Fanny move to Bath for a change of location and for a chance to socialize a bit more than they were able to do living in the Dower House.

Not long after moving there, Serena chances to meet an old boy friend of hers, Hector Kirkby. They rekindle their romance and become engaged. But it doesn't take Serena long to understand that Hector is not the man for her. Hector also may be realizing that he is not the man for Serena. He is actually rather fearful of Serena's bad temper: "Forbid her! I?" he exclaimed. "She would most hotly resent it! Indeed, Lady Spenborough, I dare not!" 

Meanwhile Ivo has announced that he is engaged to silly young girl of seventeen. So the two people who are clearly meant to be together find themselves engaged to marry the wrong people. It is a tangle, indeed.

Serena is not serene. She is a woman of strong opinions and used to getting her own way and accustomed to ruling the roost. Raised as the only child of an important and wealthy man, she is more than a little haughty and arrogant, as only those of her class can be. She is one of Heyer's less appealing heroines. And Ivo is one of Heyer's less visible heroes. He only makes a few appearances in the story and vanishes from the main part until he shows up towards the end. We don't see his and Serena's courtship at all, really, only in Serena's determination that Ivo not be jilted again do we realize how much she loves him. His love for her is not apparent at all until the very end of the story. Kind of a strange romance and not one of Heyer's better efforts, I think.

Review by Deb Barnum on AustenProse.

Arabella

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Arabella is a lovely young girl, eager to make her debut in polite society. She has three sisters younger than she is and her family is hoping Arabella finds a husband who is well enough off the help the three younger girls find suitable husbands when the time comes. Fortunately, Arabella has a godmother who lives in London and who is happy to sponsor her into society.

So Arabella sets out on her journey from her home in northern England to London, a journey that will take several days. She is being accompanied by a respectable older woman who is also traveling to London. But the carriage they are traveling in suffers a breakdown and Arabella and her companion take refuge at a nearby house, seeking shelter from the rain. 

The house belongs to Robert Beaumaris, a man of great wealth and a leader of London society. He is there with a friend of his and is inclined to send the two women packing but his friend protests. So the housekeeper takes them to freshen up and upon their return, Arabella overhears Robert telling his friend that he thinks Arabella's accident was just an attempt to attract his attention: "My dear Charles, when you have been hunted by every trick known to the ingenuity of the female mind, you may more readily partake of my sentiments upon this occasion! I have had beauties hopeful of wedding my fortune swoon in my arms, break their bootlaces outside my London house, sprain their ankles when my arm is there to support them, and now it appears that I am to be pursued even into Leicestershire! An accident to her coach! Famous! What a greenhorn she must believe me to be!"

Which is more than just a tiny bit conceited of him. Thing is, Arabella has no clue who he is. But when she hears this, it makes her very angry. So when she and her companion rejoin the two men, she pretends she is a very wealthy heiress who is tired of being pursued by men more interested in her wealth than in her. Then she asks the men not to reveal to London society that she is vastly wealthy and they promise to keep it a secret. 

Robert sees through her lie and is amused by it. Just to stir things up, he encourages his friend Charles to spread the rumor of her wealth to society. So Arabella finds herself feted and courted when she settles in London in her godmother's house and is upset to discover it is because people think she is rich. 

Robert's intention was to cause mischief when he encouraged Charles to reveal her secret. But as he becomes more acquainted with Arabella, he starts to understand she is not like most society maidens. Arabella is a very compassionate girl and she rescues, in short order, first a small abused boy and then a small abused dog. Both of whom end up in Robert's care. Obviously, Robert has fallen in love with her, but consciousness of the lie she told him is preventing her from returning his affection. Then her hapless younger brother arrives in London and proceeds to get himself into serious trouble, it seems to her only Robert has the wherewithal to rescue the young man. But how could Robert ever believe her love is real if she marries him only to get access to his money to save her brother from his folly?

This is a charming story. Arabella and Robert are both a bit impetuous. Arabella flies to the rescue of suffering creatures and Robert enjoys wrapping society around his little finger with his little jokes, like wearing a dandelion in his buttonhole for several days, getting all the society swells searching for dandelions to wear in their buttonholes too. Whereupon Robert stopped wearing them. He's certainly a bit more fun than Arabella is and seems to enjoy that the joke is on him too. 

Check out this review by  Austenprose too.

Sprig Muslim

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Sir Gareth has given up on romantic love. His first love died tragically several years ago and Gary has never recovered from that loss. But he knows his duty to his family and has decided to ask Lady Hester to be his wife. Lady Hester is an old friend and Gary thinks she will make him a good wife who won't expect passion in their marriage. Little does he know.

On his way to propose, he comes across a maiden in distress. Amanda "Smith" is obviously a runaway who is in trouble. Gary befriends her and she tells him her story. Just sixteen, Amanda, only grandchild of a doting grandparent, is determined to wed Captain Neil, whom she has known all her life. He is home from the war to recover from a wound. And before he has to return to duty, Amanda wants to be married to him and accompany him overseas. Of course, the grandfather is opposed to this plan, believing she is much too young for such a serious step. Also, he wants his beautiful granddaughter to make a "better" match than a military man. 

So Amanda ran away, planning to get some sort of work to support herself. Her first attempt fell through when she showed up to be a governess. The mom immediately knew Amanda was a phony and sent her packing. When Gary found her, she was trying to get a job at an inn and was being told off by the landlord who thought she was a not a nice girl. 

Gary, seeing that Amanda is an innocent with no experience of the real world, offers her a ride, letting her think he will take to the next town where she hopes to get a job at another inn. But what he really does is take her to the woman he intends to propose marriage to, Lady Hester. Which makes Amanda enraged and determined to get away and carry on with her plan of forcing her grandpa into agreeing to her wedding her Neil.

Hester's family doesn't take too well to Amanda, even though Hester welcomes her and even loans Amanda a gown to wear to dinner. Too bad for Gary, though, for when Hester sees how he can't seem to take his eyes off of Amanda, she rejects his offer of marriage. Then Hester's Uncle Fabian, who is also visiting Hester's family's home, thinks Amanda is Gary's mistress and when she confides in him that Gary is holding her against her will, he offers her a ride and they sneak away early in the morning. Fabian is not planning to help her, he thinks she is an easy woman and he wants to seduce her.

When Gary discovers the two are gone, he sets off after them, to rescue Amanda from the licentious Fabian and bring her home safely to her grandpa. But Amanda is, to quote Gary, "the naughtiest little wretch I ever encountered." Gary doesn't really understand the lengths Amanda will go to get her way and will embroil Gary, a chance-met schoolboy named Hildebrand and Hester in her schemes.

This is one of my favorite Heyer novels. I think I first read this story when I was in junior high school. I have reread several times over the years.  I enjoyed it nearly as much as this time as I did the first time I read it. It's sweet and amusing and so satisfying. I just like everything about it. It's perfect!

Review by Laura A. Wallace at Austenprose.

Venetia

By Georgette Heyer

Oh, the Wicked Baron: byword of the neighborhood. Subject of scandal and gossip and warnings to the local young ladies to take care when he is at home. Fortunately, Lord Damerel is rarely at home. So when Venetia decides to gather some berries, she is not worried about any unwanted encounters is she trespasses on Damerel's land. Dressed in a shabby old gown and wearing a sun sunbonnet and carrying her basket, accompanied only by her pet dog, Flurry, it not surprising that the Wicked Baron mistakes her for a farmer's daughter and not a member of the English nobility. And so he takes liberties with her that he might not, maybe, take with a woman of his own social class. Not to worry though, Flurry flies to her rescue only to be commanded to sit by Damerel. But when Venetia quotes Shakespeare to him, Damerel quickly realizes he has made a mistake: "Who are you? I took you for a village maiden—probably one of my tenants." Venetia responds, "Did you indeed? Well, if that is the way you mean to conduct yourself amongst the village maidens you won't win much liking here!" To which he fires back, "No, no, the danger is that I might win too much!" And so begins the courtship of two of Heyer's most appealing characters, the black sheep Damerel and the innocent but bold maiden Venetia. 

I really like this story. It is not a lively read and there are no thrilling scenes, no runaway romances, no duels at dawn. Just two adults falling in love, despite the obstacles Venetia's well-meaning friends and family members put the way.

Review by Austenprose.

Duchess in Disguise

 

By Caroline Courtney

A Regency romance

Things are not good in the de Villiers household. First father died and now mother is dead and elder brother is now in charge and he has a gambling addiction and is deeply in debt plus the debts inherited from an improvident father and a foolish mother. If something doesn't happen, the three siblings will lose the family home. 

A letter arrives that just may save the day. The de Villiers name is ancient and honorable and a wealthy lord, a Duke, is interested in allying himself with the de Villiers family and wishes to wed Miss de Villiers, sight unseen. Problem is, Miss de Villiers is already in love with a worthy but not at all wealthy local man. So the youngest sibling, Clorinda, who is only seventeen, volunteers to marry the wealthy lord instead and save the family honor and the family home. 

So Clorinda is bundled off to London wearing her dead mother's old clothes and is immediately married to the Duke. He installs her at his mansion in the country and heads back to his hedonistic life in London. Naturally, Clorinda is not happy with this arrangement. So she hatches a plot to win the Duke's love. She will go to London to live with her sister, who is now also married, and with the very generous allowance the Duke set her up with and with a new hair style and fancy new clothes, and a false name, charm the Duke and make him fall in love with her. Complications ensue.

This was a good story, despite how silly it sounds. It is just a light and fluffy regency romance story, but sometimes a person just needs something light and fluffy. I enjoyed it. 

Irresistible

By Mary Balogh

Sophie has a secret and unfortunately she is being blackmailed because of it. It isn't even her secret, it is her dead husband's secret. But to protect his reputation and his family, Sophie has been paying the blackmail.
She is not a wealthy woman and the blackmailer keeps demanding more and more money. She may even have to sell her modest home to buy his silence. She does sell her wedding ring and her pearls, the only valuable jewelry she owns.
Living quietly in London, she suddenly finds her social horizons expanding when the "Four Horsemen" reenter her life. Four friends of her husband, they had all fought in the war together but had gone their separate ways afterward. But they have all come to London for the season for various reasons.
Sophie always had a bit of a crush on one the four, Nathaniel. So now that she is a widow and he is looking for love in all the wrong places, it is not too long before they are in an intimate relationship. They have decided that no strings will be attached. She is lonely, he is lonely and together they will ease their desires. But Sophie's financial problems and her rather irrational scruples are going to ruin everything.

This was an OK read. I suppose sexual promiscuity was not all that rare back in the 1700s and 1800s.  People will do what people like to do, that is for sure, no matter how much religion and society may frown upon it. But reading about sexual antics does not appeal to me. I have enjoyed Regency romance novels since I was a kid, but these writers nowadays always have to thrown in detailed descriptions of sexual acts. Writers used to be able to tell a romance story without the characters ripping their clothes off and hopping into bed together. I miss that.

Dear Author review: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-minus-reviews/review-irresistible-by-mary-balogh/.

Lilies on the Lake

By Katherine Kingsley

Portia "Pip" Merriem has a dream to visit Egypt. But young gentlewomen of her time, the early 1800s, did not travel alone to such far off places. But now Pip is in her late twenties and has found another young woman who is willing to travel with her and together they are off to explore the exotic sights of a far away land: Egypt!
Things don't go as Pip had hoped. Turns out the traveling companion has a huge secret --- she is pregnant. And unwed. She hid her condition from Pip until they arrived in Egypt.
Things go from bad to worse when the woman dies while giving birth, leaving Pip with a newborn baby boy. Pip is baffled as to what to do next. It would be unthinkable to leave the baby behind in Egypt. It would also be unacceptable to Pip to give the baby to strangers. But if she returns home with a baby in her arms, everyone will think the worst and dismiss as a lie that the baby's real mother died.
Fortunately, an old friend from childhood, John Henry Lovell, is also in Egypt and he saves the day by volunteering to marry Pip and raise the baby as his own son. Perhaps the fact that he has been carrying a torch for Pip since they were teens might have something to do with it. But his love was unrequited and Pip feels trapped by the circumstances. She does agree to marry him and pass the baby off as their own child. Pip believes that John Henry, who comes from a more humble background than her, is marrying her to improve his own social standing. Little does she know that John Henry is now Sir John Henry Lovell, knight of the realm, and a very wealthy man, who needs neither her money, her social standing nor her connections, having done very well for himself on his own. And so they return home, wed but with no bliss. John Henry, determined to prove himself to his new bride, has hidden his improved standing and finances from Pip. And Pip is eaten up with resentment to John Henry for taking advantage of her difficulties to trap her in marriage. Looks like they are off to a very rocky start.

This was a pretty good read. I didn't really understand John Henry's motive for keeping his success a secret from Pip. Mainly it was just to add tension to the story, I guess. Seemed kind of silly and pointless. Also, after returning to England, Pip doesn't share the truth with her mother and stepfather, keeping the baby's origin secret for some reason that didn't make any more sense to me than John Henry keeping his secrets from Pip. More plot devices, I suppose.
Another thing I found more than a little odd was the rather graphic sex scenes juxtaposed with the pious, prayerful scenes. Not being a religious person myself, I wonder if readers who appreciate the piety would also care to read what is virtually porn:

Pip spread her legs beneath him, urging him to come into her, her small hand reaching for his engorged shaft, guiding it to her entrance.

 I guess it's not porn if you say shaft instead of penis and entrance instead of vagina.
Porn aside and contrived plot twists aside, it was a pretty good story and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Elyza

By Clare Darcy

Regency England and young Elyza Leigh has been placed with a with a respectable lady, Mrs. Winlock, in London who has been charged with finding a suitable match for Elyza.
Elyza is pretty young woman but her particular looks are not in fashion at the time and she has been overlooked by the local eligible bachelors. On the other hand, Elyza is her father's sole offspring and will inherit a nice fortune. Which why Winlock has arranged for stodgy and boring Sir Edward Mottram, a young man who finds himself in need of an heiress, to ask for Elyza's hand. Elyza dresses herself in men's clothing and flees London, intending to take refuge with her aunt in Bath. But while traveling, Elyza lands in trouble when she is robbed of all her money. Fortunately, she encounters Cleve Redmayne, who sees through her disguise and is willing to rescue a maiden in distress.
Redmayne sensibly points out that no one can force Elyza to marry Mottram and he advises her to return to London. As her guardian, Mrs. Winlock is planning to shortly travel to Brighton and since Redmayne is also on his way to Brighton, he promises they will soon meet up again there.
Redmayne has returned to England after gaining his fortune in India. He became enamored of a girl he met briefly a few years before he left for India, Corinna Mayfield. Redmayne, son of a poor clergyman, plans to display his new-found wealth for Corinna's benefit and woo her to become his bride.
Once Elyza and Winlock are in Brighton, it doesn't take long for Elyza to realize that she has fallen in love with Redmayne. But Redmayne has his sights set on Corinna. Corinna seems dazzled by Redmayne's charm, good looks, wealth and his apparent fascination with herself. Elyza decides she must do everything to make her beloved happy even if that means giving him up to Corinna. But "the course of true love never did run smooth." So naturally there are complications involving blackmail and kidnapping and falls from grace.

This was a pretty good story. Elyza is a good-hearted, sweet girl who is willing to give up her own desires to ensure the happiness of the one she loves. Redmayne is portrayed as a handsome, athletic and accomplished man, but in view of his crush on Corinna, he is a bit lacking in judgment. The same of which can be said of Elyza, who preferred to run away rather than face her problems. Of course, they are destined for each other! A nice read, if a bit of a disappointment in the scene where Redmayne confronts the kidnapper  which the author chooses to tell in a mere three paragraphs, instead of going into the juicy details. Other than that one disappointing section, the rest of the novel was quite satisfying and enjoyable.