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Original poster

Guilty Pleasure - Georgette Heyer and other Historical Romance

30 replies

dreamofwhitehorses · 28/05/2011 18:50

God I love Georgette Heyer, and I'm not even going to pretend to be ashamed about it, well written, witty and historically accurate. And all based in my favourite period of history. However I need something else in the same vein to relax with. I'm pretty fixated with the Regency, and it has to be accurate and literate - any suggestions?

OP posts:
MrsDanverclone · 29/05/2011 11:35

The audiobooks read by Richard Armitage are definitely yummy, I have indulged when tackling a huge ironing mountain. Although I have to confess, I could listen to Richard Armitage read Caravaner's Weekly and still enjoy it.

Definitely agree about Stephanie Laurens, I actually shudder when I see her books and can't believe people read such crap. Our libraries have loads of her books, so they must be popular.
Eloisa James also does Regency and makes loads of really silly mistakes, that 2 seconds on the internet would solve. One of her books mentions the hero licking ( or wanting to lick, can't remember which now) Yorkshire puddings from the heroine's naked body. Now I love Yorkshire puds, but would find them quite difficult to lick from even the naked body of Richard Armitage ( although I am prepared to give it a good try!)

Anne Gracie's The perfect Rake, has one of my favourite Regency heros outside of Georgette Heyer, Gideon, he is wonderful.

Original poster
dreamofwhitehorses · 29/05/2011 10:49

Thanks, MrsDanverclone, I've seen Mary Balogh mentioned before, but hadn't seen any of her books available. However just checked on Amazon and it looks like they've recently been republished, so I'm quite excited by that. I do sort of know that there's not going to be anything out there to equal Heyer, and you're right, there is some awful dross out there. I have lowered my standards a bit, I think I'd settle for a lightness of touch, and written by a genuine Heyer fan. I have to appear to be well read in my job, so when I read purely for pleasure I don't care if its fluffy.

Oh and if you haven't discoved it yet, Stephanie Laurens - what a pile of fcking shte.

I can't imagine a Heyer audiobook, epecially read by a man. Good choice of titles though. My faves change all the time, but Sylvester has to be a favourite, what with having a heroine who is an author.
Haven't actually read Vanity Fair since a teenager. Will search it out again.

OP posts:
meditrina · 29/05/2011 10:16

I love Georgette Heyer too!

You might like to try Vanity Fair by William Thackeray. It's one of my all-time favourite books.

DumSpiroSpero · 29/05/2011 10:04

Have you listened to the 3 Georgette Heyers audiobooks (Venetia, The Convenient Marriage & Sylvester) read by Richard Armitage? Yum! Smile

MrsDanverclone · 29/05/2011 09:38

I adore Georgette Heyer books as well and unfortunately nobody can write them the way she did. But Mary Balogh is good for historical accuracy and I've quite enjoyed some of her books, Lisa Kleypas also writes well and within the historical context of the Regency period and Jude Morgan's Indiscretion, was a very 'diverting' read.
I am currently researching my way through Regency writers and there is some utter drivel out there, but I keep hoping I will find someone, even a bit close to Georgette Heyer and with a whole back catalogue of books, waiting to be read.