To whoever recommended Georgette Heyer - THANK YOU!

[BellaBearisWideAwake]

Picked up 'Friday's Child' today in waterstones and it's fab. Just the kind of book I needed.

So thank you whoever said to read them

I have a German au pair called Fanny. I insist on using her name even though she wants to use her middle name. I'm reclaiming it!

I love Felix in Frederica too - I wanted to call ds2 Felix because of this.

trying to remember all the others now...

frederica is excellent, sprig muslin too. Would love to see the companion book, any idea on the name anyone?

Tell me, if I liked these what else would I like?

I love easy lit but it depends on the writer - some things grate. Can you tell me other favourite authors you think are similar?

Thanks

Hope the hijack is forgiveable.

SarfEasticated the companion book is called Georgette Heyer's Regency World and it's by Jennifer Kloester.

I loved the fact that you could see what a curricle looked like, or find out a bit more about Almacks etc.(it's even got drawings of the patronesses, Lady Jersey and her cohorts - very strange to see what they actually looked like!)

It's a bit annoying how she's constantly referring back to certain characters or books, but hey ho it is called Georgette Heyer's Regency World, after all!

Arabella is one of my favourites as well, actually - even though she tells an almighty whopper near the beginning of the story and then spends most of the rest of it trying to work out how to deal with the consequences, it's a funny story.

Agree re. the Spanish Bride - but that's one of the historical ones; as is Royal Escape (about Charles II fleeing the country before he was King). My Lord John, her last book, was never finished properly but again, being a historical one is not so amusing - and An Infamous Army, while being the winding together of two strands of other books (These Old Shades/The Devil's Cub and Regency Buck) is apparently an excellent historical rendition of The Battle of Waterloo, one of the best written, according to my mate in the Army (he was told this in lectures, apparently). It still manages to be an excellent read as well as full of the horror of war.

Although they are nearly always described as Regency romances, and most of them are, they span a period from the late 17thC right through to early 19thC and I love the changing language in them!

Well, an update finds the Viscount behaving in a strange way towards his innocent young Kitten - could it be jealousy? Could he actually be ... ... In Love With The Waif? Will he run out of money before discovering True Love?

It's so exciting!

I've bought the book!

Oh me too! GH was my guilty secret for years as a teenager! Hilariously funny. I must re-read.

LoudRoudyDuck - I also loved The Marigold Chain and A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley - very similar to GH.

Then I went on the Lymond series by Dorothy Dunnett, Game of Kings is the first (6 whole books!). Bit more grown up, beautifully written and just as enthralling and I couldnt see the plot twists coming.

Goodness me! There is a poster called HeroWantage! (the heroine of the book I am reading)

How cool is that?

Things have just become critical, the Kitten has Run Away, and the Viscount may have realised he loves her.

Onward!

plenty more drama to come yet, Bella!

I loved these too in my teens. Have I dreamt it though or was there one with a girl pretending to be a boy?

I read them after a character in the Chalet School recommended them to another character.

I have suddenly gone all nostalgic about the books I used to love. I need to go rummage in my parents loft...

I love (and frequently use) the expression "more hair than wit".

Whenever life is Traumatic, Tedious or just plain Tiring, I turn to GH again. I keep them stashed in the wardrobe so they are near to the bed for emergency selection.

Chocaholica - I think you are recalling either These Old Shades or Powder and Patch - both of which have some cross-dressing intrigue.

What about favourite heros/heroines?

I have a huge crush on Damerel (from Venetia) and I would have liked to be mates with Annis Wychwood (Lady of Quality). I wanted to call DD1 Annis.

These Old Shades, have been googling. Leon.

I need to go back and reread them to recall favourites.

Someone upthread mentioned Jean Plaidy. I used to read her too, and her alter ego, Victoria Holt....

Aargh! Not Powder and Patch - I meant The Masqueraders, obviously.

I have taught a couple of teenage boys with more hair than wit!

I really liked the one with girl pretending to be a boy - but can't remember which one it was.

Chocoholica - snap! It was the Chalet School which put me onto GH too. Boy did those middles come a cropper when they came over all GH stylee...

Well, Friday's Child all ended very predictably yet hugely satisfyingly, so I now need a new one!

Saw Regency Buck recommended lower down, would that be a good one to turn to next?

Regency Buck is a good one. The Grand Sophy snared in a friend of mine, Venetia is a personal favourite. I'd say that the top flight ones are:

These Old Shades
Devils Cub
Venetia
Frederica
Arabella
The Grand Sophy
The Masquaraders
The Civil COntract
The Unknown Ajax
The Nonesuch
Black Sheep

The ones that are next tier:
Sprig Muslin
Powder & Patch
The Quiet Gentleman
Lady of Quality
The COrinthian
THe Toll Gate
The Black Moth

The bit samey samey ones or just not so well done:
Charity Girl
THe Foundling
Cousin Kate
Bath Tangle
Pistols for Two

And the historical ones i.e., not her usual period!
Beauvallet
Spanish Bride
My Lord John
Simon of Beauvallet

I may have forgotten some......

now that's what I call service!

Definitely second the DuchessOfAvons tier system...the only one I haven't heard mentioned yet is Cotillion. A leetle bit like Fridays Child, but because it's so funny and just plain fab, I'm sure you can overlook the similarity!

Get them all. Go on,you know you want to
Call it an investment (although, you really shouldn't ever have to justify buying a Heyer!)

Hells Teeth - there are loads I'd forgotton:

Additions to:

Top Tier
Sylvester
The Reluctant Widow
Faros' Daughter
Cotillion
Friday's Child
The Talisman Ring
Regency Buck

Second Tier
The Convenient Marriage
False Colours

Third Tier
April Lady

And the historical SImon is SImon the Coldheart not Simon of Beauvallet.

And there appears to be two (horrors) not in my collection:
The COnqueror
The Great Roxhythe
How did this come to pass?

And you still forgot An Infamous Army! Which I'd place in top tier. But then I love False Colours and woudl put that in top tier too. I lurrrve Cotillion, it's brilliant.

I have never heard of those last two you mention - what are they??

I have no idea - I was consulting from one of the newer editions and there they were. I have never encountered them before but will do some research.

I can be swayed to admit False Colours into the top tier - Bonamy Ripple always makes me laugh. Not sure about An Infamous Army in the top tier though, imo when she gets onto her military hobby horse she loses her lightness of touch. Babs is one of her least convincing heroines too, although I do have softspot for CHarles Audley.

I guess it depends on what criteria you are using for the "top tier" - I find An Infamous Army very moving and get sucked fully into the whole drama of the war situation. I like that it pulls together threads of the Avon family and the Worth family too. But yes - it's not as light and humorous as many of the others (probably justly so).

Oh I am embarrassed now! I actually own the Conqueror and had forgotten until I read about it on Wiki. I have never heard of the Great Roxhythe though - doubt that one's been reprinted!