Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer

It's been a year and a half since I read my last Heyer, and I had almost forgotten how delightful her books were.

In Faro's Daughter, Max Ravenscar has been enlisted by his aunt to defer his cousin's attention from a young lady from a gaming house, who she believes is a fortune hunter. Deborah Grantham is a young lady who is trying to help her aunt and herself rise up in society and away from the gaming house that her aunt owns.

Deborah has no intention of marrying Ravenscar's young cousin, but Ravenscar unaware of this, offers to buy her off, to which she sees as an insult. She vows to torture him at every possible moment, by making him believe that she fully intends to marry his cousin. Of course, these small bits of annoyances soon escalate. Hilarity ensues, and it wouldn't be a Heyer novel without some big misunderstandings.

Faro's Daughter had one particularly hilarious scene, which I won't spoil for those of you who haven't read it, but the dialogue had me cracking up. This was another delightful, hilarious Heyer romance.

The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

I'm starting to think that I enjoy Heyer's Georgian adventures, more than her regencies! They are so action-packed with sword fighting and disguises and the whole bit, that you can't be bored.

After reading Devil's Cub, I was in a bit of a Heyer slump. I didn't particularly enjoy that one, but it didn't last for long because after reading The Masqueraders, my faith was restored.

The Masqueraders is a tale of a brother and sister who find themselves on the wrong side of the Jacobian rebellion and are forced to go in to disguise. They each masquerade... as the opposite sex. Oh, what fun! However, it is not easy as each of them starts falling in love. Prudence with Sir Anthony Fanshawe and Robin with Letitia Grayson. They each stick to their false identities, though, and intend to see it out.

Just when you think it's getting good, their cunning father shows up. Without a doubt, he is my favorite character. He was utterly impossible and everything that came out of his mouth had me rolling.

Sword fighting, cross dressing, secret identities, abductions, people being thrown out of carriages - this book had it all. Good, good fun!

I received my copy of this book from Sourcebooks for review. This in no way affected my opinions.

Georgette Heyer

Books I have read are in bold. If I have written a review for a book, a link is located beside the title. This list will be continuously updated.

Historical Fiction
The Great Roxhythe (1923)
Simon the Coldheart (1925)
Beauvallet (1929)
The Conqueror (1931)
Royal Escape (1938)
My Lord John (1975)

Romance Novels
The Black Moth (1921)
Instead of the Thorn (1923)
These Old Shades (1926) Review
The Masqueraders (1928) Review
Helen (1928)
Pastel (1929)
Barren Corn (1930)
Powder and Patch (Originally The Transformation of Philip Jettan) (1930)
Devil's Cub (1932) Review
The Convenient Marriage (1934)
Regency Buck (1935)
The Talisman Ring (1936)
An Infamous Army (1937)
The Spanish Bride (1940)
The Corinthian (1940) Review
Faro's Daughter (1941) Review
Friday's Child (1944)
The Reluctant Widow (1946)
The Foundling (1948)
Arabella (1949) Review
The Grand Sophy (1950)
The Quiet Gentleman (1951)
Cotillion (1953)
The Toll-Gate (1954)
Bath Tangle (1955)
Sprig Muslin (1956)
April Lady (1957)
Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle (1957)
Venetia (1958)
The Unknown Ajax (1959)
A Civil Contract (1961)
The Nonesuch (1962) Review
False Colours (1963)
Frederica (1965)
Black Sheep (1966)
Cousin Kate (1968)
Charity Girl (1970)
Lady of Quality (1972)


Short Story Collections 
Pistols for Two and other stories (1960)

Thrillers/Mysteries
Footsteps in the Dark (1932)
Why Shoot a Butler? (1933)
The Unfinished Clue (1934)
Death in the Stocks (1935)
Behold, Here's Poison (1936)
They Found Him Dead (1937)
A Blunt Instrument (1938)
No Wind of Blame (1939)
Envious Casca (1941)
Penhallow (1942)
Duplicate Death (1951)
Detection Unlimited (1953)

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

I don't know if it's me, or what, but I didn't enjoy this. I simply adored These Old Shades, and perhaps I was looking for a These Old Shades Part Deux. Alas, no.

I found Vidal to be utterly detestable, but not in an endearing way like so many heroes from historical romances are. In some scenes he disgusted me and in other scenes I just want him to shut the heck up. Mary I liked, up to a point, but I couldn't understand how she could fall for him.

The return of characters from These Old Shades made this somewhat enjoyable. Leonie and Rupert made me giggle like in the predecessor. And Fanny was her usually flitty self.

I don't know if it was just the character of Vidal that ruined this book for me, or what, but no scenes stood out to me and I didn't become attached to any of the brand new characters. Sad that I could dislike a Heyer book so much, but I can not tell a lie. I think I need to take a Heyer break.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer outdid herself with this one. This is going in my top five for sure! The whole girl disguising herself as a boy thing always had me intrigued, Heyer added humor and BAM! A hilarious romp.

The Duke of Avon is strolling home one night and happens upon a ragamuffin fleeing from their nasty guardian. The Duke buys Leon and makes him his page and soon figures out that Leon is actually Leonie and that a mystery surrounds her.

As usual, I enjoyed the side characters more so than the main. Rupert had me cracking up every time he spoke and I just loved Fanny's silliness. Of course, I just loved Leonie, as well. She was a very outspoken heroine, not at all the norm.

When a Heyer novel makes me grin like a silly person without realizing it, then it is definitely a keeper! These Old Shades is a true Heyer classic! On to Devil's Cub!

The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer

Such a cute book. It's not my favorite Heyer, but I still enjoyed it.

Sir Waldo has inherited a run-down house in the country and travels there to fix it up, bringing his cousin with him. The town is thrown into tithers upon the arrival of The Nonesuch and all kinds of shenanigans arise, in true Heyer style.

Sir Waldo, the hero, was absolutely delightful and probably rates at the top of my favorite Heyer Heroes. Such a witty gentleman with a bit of a mischievous sense of hu...more Such a cute book. It's not my favorite Heyer, but I still enjoyed it.

Sir Waldo has inherited a run-down house in the country and travels there to fix it up, bringing his cousin with him. The town is thrown into tithers upon the arrival of The Nonesuch and all kinds of shenanigans arise, in true Heyer style.

Sir Waldo, the hero, was absolutely delightful and probably rates at the top of my favorite Heyer Heroes. Such a witty gentleman with a bit of a mischievous sense of humor.

The heroine was nothing to sneeze at. I couldn't quite make out her personality. She was a perfectly nice, bland governess. Her ward, though, lord have mercy, what a brat! I wanted to smack the dickens out of her.

The 'misunderstanding' cracked me up. It was such a Heyeresque twist.

A good, solid Regency comedy.

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

This is by far the most cleverest plot that Georgette Heyer has created. Granted, I wouldn't call myself someone who has read a great part of her novels yet, but I'm getting there.

Arabella is headed to London to stay with her godmother who is going to introduce her into society. On the way there, her carriage breaks down and while waiting for help to arrive (where's a gas station when you need one?) she takes shelter in a nearby home that belongs to none other than the infamous Nonpareil Robert Beaumaris.

Beaumaris wasn't born yesterday. He has been bamboozled into meetings with marriage-seeking ladies who conveniently get into 'accidents' just to meet him for years. Mortified, Arabella - a daughter of a Vicar - concocts a clever story that she is a wealthy heiress. Figuring this is false, Beaumaris decided to play along due to boredom. But boredom eventually leads to something more.

A lie such as that can only bring about shenanigans from there. Once word gets out that a heiress is town, every fortune seeking bachelor is vying for her affections.

Arabella is witty story that brings with it a lot of laughs. A sweet, strong heroine and a devilishly clever hero and a strong plot makes this a definite Heyer must read.

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

The only question which hangs over the life of Sir Richard Wyndham, notable whip, dandy and Corinthian, is one of marriage. On the eve of making the most momentous decision of his life, he is on his way home, a little worse for drink, when he chances upon a beautiful young fugitive climbing out of a window by means of knotted sheets - and so finds a perfect opportunity for his own escape.

How can one resist a story with a summary like that? There's nothing more refreshing than a Georgette Heyer Regency novel to take a break from serious literature. Still, Heyer's books aren't frivolous romances. They have rich plots and original - and sometimes insane - characters.

The Corinthian was a fast-paced story with lots of action filled with murder, intrigue, thievery, purposeful mistaken identity and a little romance. Add some witty dialogue to round out this sparkling Heyer classic.