09.01.26
Heyer is a dependable comfort read when I'm under the weather (I've been winged but not by a pistol) and this, as usual, featured vivid characters and gentle humour, but it's also a little dull (despite the smuggling subplot). Much of it hasn't aged well since the 1950s - marrying one's cousin and bullying a queer relation lands rather differently these days.
17.06.25
The only memorable thing about this middling Heyer was its excellent use of The Tiffany Effect (even if it is a nickname for Theophania).
18.03.25
Some reviewers enjoy the more serious approach to relationships (and class and politics) that make this a rather untypical Heyer but it bored me and lacked the light touch of the better Heyers. The male lead was totally unsympathetic, and the female lead remained as dull as she first appeared. The class clashes were handled awkwardly - although the vulgar new-money father was one of the few vivid (if overdone) characterisations.
06.01.25
New year, old favourites. This was a middling-to-good Heyer. The dialogue in particular was a masterclass - every character had a distinct way of speaking that reflected their personality and the effect was reliably entertaining. Yet the novel was overlong and portrayed gender-based behaviours that are discomforting to a modern reader (the hero occasionally resorts to what we'd regard as domestic violence) - although, as usual, the hints at gay characters were sympathetic.
52%
21.12.24A glance through my reviews shows how much I love many of Heyer's books but this wasn't one of her best. Unfocused and lacking the usual vivid characterisation and witty dialogue, it's clear that Heyer's heart and mind weren't really in the right place for this late-in-life offering.
05.11.24
I maintain that Heyer was one of the best authors of the 20th century and isn't taken seriously because she wrote romances. This is a particularly delightful example, with sparkling dialogue and the usual strongly drawn characters (except, oddly, for the love interest, who was a bit of a bore).
This was only really notable for its sympathetic characterisation of two plainly gay male characters. Otherwise, the plot was based on a stupid misunderstanding that could have been easily resolved in the first few chapters. And the 'hero' was too full of toxic masculinity for my taste. Not one of Heyer's best.
As usual, I found myself reading Heyer as a relief from a couple of rather more hardgoing novels. This had its moments of brilliance, especially in its characterisation and dialogue, and it even had rather higher stakes than usual - but overall I don't think it will stick out among the many other Heyers. (Not really a spoiler: Despite the title, she doesn't marry her cousin, which is a relief.)
More Heyer, more fun, more predictable romance with a less predictable mystery which, nevertheless, was resolved with panache by the engaging and resourceful characters.
65%
This is the 16th Georgette Heyer novel I've read in five years so I am clearly among those readers who regard her as an inexplicably underrated master of her art. This was slightly unusual in its subtle romance and rather predictable mystery, but it was no worse for that: I had to read some passages several times to savour their delights. Some wonderful characters here too, as usual, not least the rather plain, rather boring heroine who (spoiler) charms her earl with her unfashionable brains and good sense.
60%
Delightful as ever, with the usual strongly drawn characters and (fairly) feisty heroine. Not particularly romantic for Heyer, though - it's mainly a mystery story with 'oh, we might as well get married' on the last page.
03.11.22
Heyer's stories are always a product of her time. By modern standards, this 'hero' is really not the sort of guy you'd ever want to meet, let alone marry, even if he is described as kinda hot. It's uncomfortable to buy into the feisty-yet-virtuous heroine eventually submitting to his overbearing persuasions. There's also the author's patronising treatment of anyone who doesn't happen to be of the nobility. That said, Heyer's stories are also always crammed with more vivid characters and relatable humour than most modern novels, with plots that roll out and resolve satisfactorily. And that balance of great and dodgy is what keeps her endless supply of Regency romances interesting.
53%
Not the best Heyer, but not terrible - how could it be, with its typically vivid characters and seamless worldbuilding (although the slang was overdone to the point of incomprehension)?
11.07.22
Heyer's characterisations and amazingly in-depth research (which we'd call 'worldbuilding' today) make her books stand out, and this was one of her better examples. You know what the outcome will be, but not how it will come about, and that, too, adds to the pleasure.
09.04.22
As long as you can make allowances for being of its time - both 1928 and 1745 - this is one of the better Heyer novels. OK, so cross-dressing always adds an extra frisson but there's also the impeccable research, the clever dialogue and, most of all, the vivid main characters.
Heyer has been shockingly betrayed by some ugly covers over the years. This recent one is at least pretty but the designer clearly hadn't read the book, showing a woman (presumably not a man!) in a dress from about 150 years after the story is set.
This Heyer at her jolliest, with a clear nod to Austen in its spirited (and frankly rather tiring) Emma-like heroine. Featuring the rich characters and vivid Regency world-building you'd expect, if typically formulaic, although cousin-as-love-interest is a little too 19th-century for my comfort.
(So many covers to choose from but I liked this rather unconventional one best.)
51%
Copy and paste what I said abut False Colours and Faro's Daughter. Because it was even slightly less memorable than them.
28.04.21
If you want to find a guilty feminist, catch her (or him) reading Georgette Heyer. Whatever. It's of its time - both the 1810s and 1950s - and this one's colourful cast of characters, vivid social situations and surprisingly direct (but still indirect) references to sexual scandals make the dodgy gender imbalance easy to overlook.
