The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

Once again, another wonderful novel by Georgette Heyer! I enjoyed reading

this novel of adventure and romance. It is wonderful.

The two protagonists of the story, Prudence and Robin Merriott, are obliged to don disguise

on the instructions of their father, and are sent, as it were, into the lions' den of London. This is because

they were escaped Jacobites of the time and they had lived in other countries of the Continent. For various reasons Prudence's father had wished Prudence to disguise herself.

It is a fascinating

story of loyalty, disguises and a wonderful romance of Prudence (aka Peter Merriott) and

Sir Anthony Fanshawe. Sir Anthony Fanshawe, who to all appearances seemed not likely to

notice anything untoward did become suspicious of Prudence and that she was not all that she

appeared to be.. However, he did fall in love with her which is a marvellous aspect of the story.

Prudence was completely without guile and it is this mark of her character which is also so appealing. She had courage and wit and would even accept a challenge for a duel when called out. Prudence and Robin certainly became prominent in Polite Society which may not have been

initially intended.

Robin was the consummate actor who donned the guise of Kate Merriott to perfection. He was of athletic build and looked the noble genleman in his fashionable attire and nobody would have been wiser for his disguise. As Kate Merriott, he played an often vapid woman. The father wished to embark on a new life in England and claim his title of the Viscount. This in itself is a fascinating aspect of the storyline as he had left the family home many years earlier.

The plot of the story progresses and evolves with duels, cards, rescues, banquets and balls. I loved reading about the times. The costumes are described in great detail and the reader is transported to another time completely. The dialogue is excellent. I loved reading of the characters and their romances and adventures.

Wonderful descriptions of the moonlit countryside are given of England during a night ride with the hoot of an owl or the twittering of a nightjar breaking the silence of the night. A romantic setting is described with a horse trek across the open fields guided only by moonlight and the occasional lamplight in a house window of a town which they would circumvent.

Propriety and respectability are themes which do enhance the novel as it was set in the seventeenth century.

It is a noteworthy book of value.

An entertaining novel of great value and worth! This book does have all of the elements of comedy and drama and characters of some esteem. The romance of the story is lovely.

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

This romance set in Regency times

inspires with its beauty, settings and

endearing characters who follow on

from the favourite book of “These Old Shades”

which was set about twenty years previously.

The charm of the earlier characters cannot

fail to amuse and entrance the reader with

their various quirks and foibles.

Lady Fanning, with her two children who

are remarkably alike in temperament to herself and her husband

when they were younger, Lord Rupert with his

carefree attitude and his Grace, the Duke of Avon

and the Duchess with her engaging personality, who enlighten the story. The Duke's old friend,

Sir Hugh Davenant, also puts in an appearance.

The story is evolves around Miss Mary Challoner and the Duke's son,

the Marquis of Vidal.

An unlikely romance ensues after many adventures

and misapprehensions. Miss Mary's own father had been disinherited

by his own father for marrying her mother and Mary, being a little

different from her mother and sister did not wish for the same consequence

to happen upon the Marquis, who wishes to marry her.

The story is set in a time where propriety in all things was of the highest importance

in society. Respectability and being seen to act in a proper manner did take

precedence over actions and how people were seen to live their lives.

The story is lively and amusing. The characters are so authentic and also likeable.

It is a pleasure to read this book and follow the whims and fancies of the characters

and their journey to France.

There is also humour in the story and wonderful descriptions given on the page of the sea,

the horses, the towns, the inns and balls. It is a wonderful and intoxicating novel to read.

Descriptions of the characters give substance to the story and Miss Mary Challoner was an

unlikely character, seeming to be staid and strait-laced but also well educated.

It is a captivating story which appeals for the romance of the situation.

Due to

unexpected circumstances at one time Miss Mary Challoner found herself travelling in France

without her abigail and luggage which was seen to be not at all appropriate and without

assistance at an opportune moment she would have found herself in a dire predicament.

It is wonderful to read of the manners and way of life of Regency times where it is

so different from today and the expectations of society were so very exacting in modes

of dress and customs. Fencing and duelling also came into play.

The Regency setting gives the book an added charm for all

of these different modes of conduct and expectations.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

A wonderful way to start the New Year!

A perennial favourite, These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer

is a wonderful romance story which would appeal to people

who enjoy reading of the elegance and beauty of earlier times.

This story is set during the time of Louis XV in France.

Descriptions of the Court of Versailles, the nobility of France and England

at Versailles and in Paris and also in England are related in a unique way with

special insights which give the story its charm.

A way of life which seems all but lost now is quite fascinating in

its detail to read.

Elegance, wit, sophistication and drama are all elements of this story.

The story centres around Leon, a page of his Grace, the Duke of Avon,

and of the Duke's friends and family.. also of the Duke's rivalry with an

old enemy the Count of Saint-Vire.

Little is known of Leon until later in the story.

There is a game to be played of which many of the characters are ignorant.

However, the Duke of Avon has a winning hand in this game which involves

old passions, the way of the world in eighteenth century France and high society.

I loved this story.

Adventure and romance engage the reader and enliven the story.

The characters are believable, the settings authentic, even an old stage coach inn

in France where many of the characters of the story meet before embarking

on a journey to Paris.

The spirited page, Leon, whose

loyalty and love for the Duke of Avon give a magical touch

and add another dimension to the story which is quite beautiful.

The true identity of Leon, the page, who later becomes a ward of the Duke of Avon

is also finally revealed.

A magical story!

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

I loved reading this book by Georgette Heyer.

A wonderful adventure story and romance.

This book is set in the countryside at many of the country inns

which were often habited by members of the nobility on their travels.

Characters, places, towns and settings add interest and sparkle

to this unique story.

The Corinthian is Sir Richard Wyndham of the Wyndham Fall,

made quite famous in fashionable London, by the tying of his

cravat. He is accused of being a dandy by a few people in the story, but he is not this at all.

At one time Sir Richard is told by a disgruntled matron

that she has “the greatest dislike of all forms of dandyism” and has “ever deplored the influence exerted by the Bow -Window set upon young men of respectable upbringing.”

This is at a time when the lady's niece, Miss Penelope

Creed, has run away and she is searching for her with a view to her marrying her son.

Sir Richard Wyndham and Miss Penelope Creed, who is living in disguise, unwittingly

come across a stolen necklace which needs to be returned to its owner and meet with

some unexpected happenings along the way when they encounter thieves and villains.

The story is amusing, enchanting and appealing. Humorous dialogue also carries the story.

I loved reading this story. The romance is quite extraordinary. The characters of the novel apealing.

There are two romances in the story and the parralel romance is quite unusual also, involving a mid-night excursion to Gretna Green for an elopement.

An extraordinary set of circumstances brings about this unusual twist in the tale. Two families who were at odds with each other as similarly in the story of the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet gave an added dimension to this adventure story.

Georgette Heyer, known as the Queen of the Regency Romance,

writes well of these earlier times, with inclusion of thieves's cant,

a reference of the Rogues' Calendar, Bow Street Runners and the Beau Monde set,

the “haut ton” of the worldm, many who reside in London, including the mother, sister and brother-in-law of Sir Richard.

Sir Richard is also being pressured and expected to marry against his better inclinations to a daughter of a family whereby a business arrangement is expected as he is informed quite frankly and directly by the daughter of the family.

Sir Richard believes that Penelope Creed has come into his life in the guise of Providence, as he tells her, either that or of Disaster and at the moment in reflection he does not care which. The story is very humorous.

The story commences in London and it is a lovely story. Well worth reading!

The delightful "Arabella" by Georgette Heyer

This book is a delight to read. The story is refreshing,

light and wonderful. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Arabella is sent to London to make her debut in polite society

of the Regency times. Coming from a country town London

is quite fascinating and new to her. There is much to delight in and

enjoy with the new fashions and parties and society balls.

Georgette Heyer is known as the queen

of the Regency romance and this book certainly lives up to form

with the wonderful descriptions of dress, fashions and formality during

these years. The etiquette, manners and decorum all play their

place in the story. I loved reading of the refinement of the times, London in

the Regency where elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen would display

their fine horses and curricles in the parks where they would often go for

an outing in the mornings; the humour of a situation where Mr Beaumarris's grand-mother

tells him that his grand-father would turn in his grave to see the young men

dressed without lace at their collars and wrists and without powder in their hair.

Mr Beaumarris is the perfect English gentleman whom Arabella

forms an attachment to.

The story sparkles and Arabella does unknowingly give herself away as not quite

the society girl as people are led to believe with her concerns

for a chimney sweep and a poorly treated mongrel dog who she requests

Mr Beaumarris to look after when she realises that the dog may not be welcome after

all at her place of residence in London.

Being young, a little rebellious and acting without thinking Arabella does inadvertently get into a scrape of momentous proportions as regards the expectations of society where she is mistakenly believed to be a wealthy heiress.

Matters are not helped by the appearance of a younger brother in London who becomes embroiled

in difficulties of great magnitude.

I was surprised by the ending of the story which is quite admirable and pleasing. Mr Beaumarris proves his worth as a romantic hero of the story.

A wonderful romance well worth reading.

I will have to look out for more Georgette Heyer books as they are such a delight

to read.

“These Old Shades” is a book I remember enjoying as it was

an exquisiste story of a girl who became disguised as a page and also

found “The Conqueror” to be an excellent informative account of the Norman conquest

of England.

In recent years I also

read “The Nonesuch” which I enjoyed reading.