Georgette Heyer

[rainbowskittle]

I love Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances (no laughing please!) and I've read them all so many times now. Can anyone recommend any similar authors/books? Whenever I've tried to find something similar I've always found them a bit too "Mills & Boon" (no offense to M & B fans, just not my cup of tea!). Thanks a lot.

[poppy34]

no exactly what you mean - can't think of anything that is quite the same in terms of formula/satisfaction level (except for jilly cooper but that is different story) if you're looking for something that is historic, reasonably well written and with romance lement couple of recommendations. its not same period but similar in terms of good story/romance element that works out - elizabeth chadwick. also anya seton katherine

[Tanee58]

Anya Seton - Katherine, Green Darkness, Devil Water
Elizabeth Goudge - The Child from the Sea
Margaret Campbell Barnes - don't know if she's still in print, but she's good
Margaret Irwin ditto
Jean Plaidy
Norah Lofts
Hilda Lewis

Some of these authors may be out of print now, but I loved them when I was in my teens in the 1970s and still find their writing good. I've seen them sometimes in charity shops and ebay is a good source.

Actually, I don't like Georgette Heyer but my lodger loves and rereads them too - so you are not alone.

Whatever you do, AVOID BARBARA CARTLAND!!!!

[rainbowskittle]

Thanks for suggestions. Have tried Jean Plaidy and Norah Lofts, but not the others so will look out for them. Only contact I've had with Barbara Cartland was when I dressed up as her for a "Dead Celebrities" party we had, have never read anything by her I promise!

[piscesmoon]

Anya Seton is very good-however I don't think anyone competes with Georgette Heyer as a lovely comfort read.

[poppy34]

so right pisces - have a shelf just full of her books.. others are ok but nothing is like a georgette heyer

[piscesmoon]

I am a very wide reader, but if I am under the weather or a bit fed up there is nothing to beat Georgette Heyer; they other odd thing is that I have been reading them over and over again since I was 14yrs and still love them, whereas I have moved on from anything else read at that age!

[neversaydie]

Our brand-new sparkly local library had a complete set (also brand new) on the shelves on opening day. About half of them are now out, and I have just re-read a Civil Contract for the first time in 30 years. I did enjoy it!

[Tanee58]

My lodger's suggestions (big Georgette Heyer fan):

Barbara Erskine (excellent)
Katherine Neville
Mary Brown's Playing the Jack'

mixture of history and spooky stuff (I love Erskine) history & time travel)

Diana Gabaldon - (more mixture of history and time travel)

[turquoise]

If you can find Jane Aiken Hodge in charity shops she is similar (but not as good).

Otherwise I would heartily second Diana Gabaldon and Anya Seton.

I quite enjoyed Sharon Penman too if you like a big schlocky historical blockbuster.

[cmotdibbler]

No suggestions, but I love Georgette Heyer - The Grand Sophy, Frederica and Venetia are my constant comfort reads

[piscesmoon]

I like the same 3!

[procrastinatingparent]

There was a fabulous Georgette Heyer thread a while ago, which drew all the GH fans out of the closet. I was trying to convince a sceptical friend yesterday that, despite writing 'Regency Romances', her books are utterly fabulous. She was unconvinced, but I have managed to convert others to GH.

I do dislike historical romances so much that GH would have to be fantastic to make me read her books - and she is!

cmotdibbler: those are my three favourites as well, with a little soft spot for Arabella and Sylvester.

[turquoise]

Sylvester makes me roar.

[Apollinare]

Victoria Holt - who I think is also Jean Plaidy but not sure. When I was a younger, less cynical, slip of a thing, I read and reread 'On the Night of the seventh Moon'

Anya Seton's 'Katherine' is no 1 for me, I bought it for my teenage daughter in the hope that she would love it as much, but not to be!
I read an interview with Alison Weir, who has written a biography of Katherine Swynford. She says the most daunting part was the countless number of women who told her how much they loved Katherine. The expectations were unbelievable.

[dutchmam]

Have you tried Mary Balogh? I do like her books, my favourite is Slightly Dangerous

[choosyfloosy]

Nothing is like a GH, but I do get much the same comfort reading from Dick Francis. Don't bother with his most recent ones, but do try:

Nerve
Dead Cert
The Danger
Risk
Flying Finish

If none of these do anything for you, I can't help!

[procrastinatingparent]

Choosy: agreed re DF! Odd how both regency frolics and the murky world of racing can be the literary equivalent of a packet of biscuits but they are!

(I'm very fond of Reflex myself)

[LuLuBaihasbeenagoodgirl]

Never read Georgette Heyer but how about Daphne du Maurier? Frenchman's Creek perhaps?

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' Morland Dynasty series is good, though not exactly Heyerish.

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

Here is the thread, I really think it should go into Mumsnet classics.

[Peabody]

Try Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series. Very funny, very easy and entertaining read.

[Libra]

Agree with Peabody about the Elizabeth Peters series. I also like Peters' alter ego Barbara Michaels.

I also enjoy Mary Stewart in the same type of comforting read way. Something like Wildfire at Midnight or Touch not the cat.

[LuLuBaihasbeenagoodgirl]

The Scarlett Pimpernel series is a fabulous historical romp.

[LuLuBaihasbeenagoodgirl]

The Scarlett Pimpernel series is a fabulous historical romp.

[rainbowskittle]

Hi, Thanks so much to everyone who answered, and for the link to the other thread. Have tried quite lot of suggestions but still plenty to go on. Just out of curiousity - some time ago read a book about GH, in which it mentioned something about her suing someone for plagiarism. Does anyone know who that could have been (don't even know if books in question got as far as being published), was just wondering.