'These Old Shades' is my absolute favourite by Georgette Heyer. Out of so many wonderful stories that she has written this book is in a class of it's own. No romance reader should ignore this book. It has it all - romance, intrigue and humour. It is more enjoyable because it doesn't have any of the heavily erotic love-making scenes that can be popular today. 'These Old Shades' is so well written that it doesn't need to rely on them. It is, purely and simply, a romance story in its truest form.

In several ways Barbara Cartland's 'Love Me For Ever' is very similar to 'These Old Shades' - runaway meets cycnical Duke, is briefly disguised as his page, calls him Monseigner and becomes his ward. 'Love Me For Ever' is one of my favourite Barbara Cartland stories, but 'These Old Shades' has more depth and the characters, Justin, Duke of Avon and Leon/Leonie, and even the supporting characters are much stronger.

Please read 'These Old Shades'if you get a chance. You won't be sorry.

For a light-hearted read, this is one of the most wittily written Regency romances ever published. Full of believable and captivating characters, These Old Shades will take you body and soul to a time and place long past, if indeed it ever existed. The Duc of Avon is the male lead; he is an unrepentant reprobate whose basic good nature has not quite entirely withered away. He adpots a street waif in Paris, playing along with the charade that the child is a boy. His motives are not of the best, at first, but as the story unfolds, we are allowed to watch a subtle shift in the thrust of his plans. The two main characters are supported by a rich cast of characters, from the household servants to the pinnacle of Paris society. The Duc's bubble-headed sister is not as much of a lightweight as she would have you believe, and his younger brother is just a simple, nice fellow. The biggest appeal of this book, for this reviewer at any rate, is the language-of-the-day, with which Ms. Heyer brings these people and this era to brilliant clarity.

"These old shades" was the first Georgette Heyer I ever read. This was a few years ago and I never forgot this story of hate, revenge and true love. The duke of Avon is a cynical and cruel man, very aristocratic (this was before the french Revolution) and hautain. Leonie (or Leon) captures his heart with her passionate love and devotion for him, even when he was still her master and she his page. She is the most enchanting of romantic heroines and will never be forgotten. The other figures in this story are amusing and charming. There is the young brother, the silly and loving sister and a real villain. The book gives a very nice discription of the aristocratic "beau monde" in England and France before the Revolution, just like the Scarlet Pimpernel- books by baroness Orczy. I think many people will love this book.

This has to be one of the best Heyer-on-audio books that I have heard (so far, I have worked my way through Frederica and Cotillion several times, through These Old Shades once, through Regency Buck once, and through The Talisman Ring twice). Daniel Philpott undertakes the challenging task of portraying the various voices and accents of Major Hugo Darracott, the despised new heir to his cantakerous and tyrannical grandfather Lord Darracott, and all the voices of those around him.

I was taken aback when I first heard Philpott, thinking that he could not possibly do the Yorkshire dialect justice. A few minutes into his reading (well before the dialect and accent started) I was hooked. It helps that this is one of my favorite Heyers where I love even the asides from the servants. But Philpott shows us Hugo tripping up his hostile family neatly into his particular net, along with Lord Darracott, his several other descendants and daughters-in-law, Lt Ottershaw (the customs officer), and even the servants - Charles the footman, Grooby and the other valets, Chollacombe the butler, and Mrs Flitwick the housekeeper. He manages to create a distinct "voice" for each character, and to make each one come alive in a way highly satisfying to me.

Highly recommended, particularly in this unabridged audio book version.

I am a very long time fan of GH. Her best books combine a talent for humor, plot twists and characterization. The Unknown Ajax combines these talents to perfection as the hero (see other reviews for plot synopsis) impales his erst-while relatives on his very reprehensible predilition for practical jokes. In so doing he manages to get the feisty heroine to fall in love with him as well as saving the family's honor. But if the hero were the only high point in the book, it would be mediocre by GH standards. Look too for a very funny aristocratic aunt, a grandfatherly curmudgeon, the de riguer independently minded heroine and a wonderfully dithering prospective mother in law. This cast of characters has pulled me back to read the book at least as many times as I've read Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. I consider Heyer as her most worthy sucessor.

Lord Darracott's heir is dead - and now the martinet and generally gouty old man must call on the new heir, Hugh Darracott - the child of a mesalliance between his favourite son and a Weaver's daughter - thus the scene is set for one of Heyer's funniest and strongest romances.

This is the story of the heir Hugh, generally disliked in advance by the entire Darracott family before he arrives, and the gradual way he insinuates himself into the household, without ever trying. His good-natured humour, but iron-will win him friends, respect and love. God, that sounds so wet doesn't it? That's the trouble with Heyer - you strip the plots back to the bare bones and the whole thing looks pathetic - yet it is her ability to characterise, overlay complex story lines and inject the whole with an ironic voice that gives her books such strength.

The book is one of Heyer's best. All the action takes place at Darracott Hall which geographically is somewhere down on the border of Kent and Sussex, it has the requisite number of smugglers, dandy's, beau's and gouty grandfathers, along with a beautiful grand-daughter for a love interest. What sets this book above the norm is the wonderful hero - Hugh - or Hugo. He is a gem.

The first time I read this book I have to admit I didn't much like it. I was defintiely put off by the accent which Hugh adopts at the start. He did seem a clumsy oaf and I never quite recovered. However as a confirmed fan of Heyer I have come back to it again and again and not only has it grown on me, it is one of the top five (alongside Talisman Ring, Corinthian, Cotillion, and Toll-Gate). It is witty, ironic and the hero is so capable but so humourous I can't help falling in love with him each time I read it.

The story develops at an even pace. There are a number of threads to tie together. The grand-daughter love interest - Anthea has been told by her grandfather that she must marry Hugh - and naturally she is very resistant to this idea. There are also some mysterious goings on round the manor and these need to be sorted out - and the estate is going to wrack and ruin.

If you find yourself a bit at sea for the first part of the book - new readers of Heyer often find this difficult, then bear with it - it is worth the effort and re-reading will only get better. But it this has an especially good and complex ending which is difficult to predict.

I've been a fan of Georgette Heyer's wonderful Regency Romances for 25 years. I've started reading her books when I was 13 and my library of Heyer books is one of my most cherished possessions. Her sparkling dialogue and wonderfully created characters come alive in every page of the book. Frederica has my all time favorite Heyer heroes - The Marquis of Alverstoke is a bored and pampered aristocrat who when he meets Frederica and falls in love with her, finds his humanity and a heart beneath his cold exterior. What's wonderful about this book how warmly Frederica's family is portrayed. This book is full of wonderful romance, humor, and heartwarming joy! If you read this you will become Hooked on Heyer forever...

I really feel this book rates 6 stars.

Georgette Heyer researched her books in great detail and they are quite simply in a class of their own. Many people feel she invented the Regency Romance. The dialogue used is often from original sources, this book actually contains one of her very few historical mistakes, Soho in Birmingham not Soho in London is where the foundry was located. There are misunderstandings but ones that seem to occur quite naturally. In this book Felix Fredrica's schoolboy brother with a scientific bent questions practically everything and is quite central to the story. The character descriptions and dialog are excellent and all in all it is one of my favourite Georette Heyers.

From the dust cover of the Bodley Head edition...

Written in Georgette Heyer's lightest vein, this is the story of the adventures in Regency London of the Merriville family: Frederica, riding the whirlwind and directing the storm; Harry, rusticated from Oxford and embarking with enthusiasm on the more perilous amusements pursued by young gentlemen of ton; the divine Charis, too tender-hearted to discourage the advances of her numerous suitors; Jessamy, destined for the Church and wavering, in adolescent style, between excessive virtue and a natural exuberance of spirits; and Felix, a schoolboy with a passion for scientific experiment. In Frederica, Georgette Heyer created one of her most engaging heroines; and in the Marquis of Alverstoke - a bored cynic who becomes involved in all the imbroglios of a lively family -a hero whose sense of humour makes him an excellent foil for Frederica.

Like the reader from Seoul, I began reading Georgette Heyer around age 13. I quickly discovered Frederica, and in fact, tried to use a passage from the book for an elocution contest (unsuccessfully). What is it about this book that stays with you over the ages?

I believe it is not just Georgette Heyer's wit, sparkling dialogue, careful historical research (despite the occasional error), or her lively characters. Somehow this book transcends even her usual output. Both the hero and heroine are older and more mature, with Frederica believing that she is fit only to be a chaperone. The Marquess is bored, cynical, and shows more affection for his secretary than for any member of his family. And of course, he values his horses above them all, as famously said by his sister. While his intentions for taking up Frederica and her family are hardly benevolent, his continued interaction with her and her irrepressible younger brothers Felix and Jessamy gradually humanize him. In that sense, this is the Heyer book closest in spirit to Pride and Prejudice, my all-time favorite. Perhaps that is why I love them both.

There is a thrilling chase after a balloon which results in near-tragedy, the usual minor characters who act in ways designed to exasperate the hero and heroine, and two sub-plots with two other couples falling in love during the book. The latter half of the book takes place with Frederica very preoccupied with family concerns. If you want a book full of drama and chases, this might disappoint you. However, this is the very part which shows me how much Alverstoke has changed. The part about the pork jelly is priceless, but I will leave it to the reader to find that out.

In conclusion, if you like the mature Georgette Heyer with the older hero and heroine, this is probably going to become one of your favorites.

This book has been described as one of the greatest Regency romances of all time. It subtly and with cracking good humour subverts all the expectations of the genre with a great deal more subtlety, humour and cunning than most deliberate parodies. Heyer builds up her usual cast of powerful and memorable characters - no two-dimensional characters for her!

She gives us a vain and slightly selfish, yet also totally generous and completely charming heroine, who you cannot dislike; a delightful, stammering and ineffectual dandy who turns out to have gumption beneath his affectations, his lovely, silly sister with no fashion sense, but a great deal of kindness, a wicked rake who yet fascinates and interests us - a cast literally of dozens of characters, all of whom are distinctively portrayed.

There are no less than four romantic plots in this book, interthreaded and interwoven out of each other with exquisite grace - (hence the title - "Cotillion" - basically a gay little dance). In less skilled hands this book would have become heavy-handed and ponderous, exquisitely tactless. In Heyer's hands the book is light and flowing, fluently written, complicated and yet not at all hard to follow. It is a book for the fan of Heyer, and is best read after you have cultivated a familarity with Heyer's traditional Regencies - for example, Regency Buck. She subtly and wickedly subverts traditions she herself established.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, your emotions will all be twanged one by one. It is a very fine book. A very fine book indeed. I won't tell you who the hero is, because it would ruin the book for you - but you won't be disappointed. Cotillion is a happy book, written by Heyer at the very height of her powers. It is not just a Regency Romance. It is a novel about history - Heyer's Regency novels have, collectively, been described as the most important set of books about the Regency middle and upper class lifestyle ever to be written. It is a novel about real people. It is also a novel about the Regency Romance. And it is also a seriously comic novel. Read it. Preferably after you have read several others of her Regency Romances (I recommend Regency Buck, Sylvester, Faro's Daughter, and The Corinthian as the best examples of Heyer's traditional Regency - that she subtly teased in this book), so you have the right expectations.

The good news--Georgette Heyer is the standard by which all writers of Regency Romance are judged. The bad news--after reading any of Ms. Heyer's books, one becomes a true stickler for detail when it comes to other writers in this genre.

Like most of her novels, 'Cotillion' is a witty and elegant romp through the world of the beau monde--its foibles and its fashions.

Kitty Charing in her own right is as assertive as any modern heroine as she learns to navigate the convoluted social waters of London. Unlike those around her, she sees the good in everyone, which of course lead to some comic mishaps. Her pretend 'fiance' Freddy is wonderful as the not-quite-as-brain-dead-as-everyone-thinks-him man about town.

Like all of Ms. Heyer's novels, it does help to be rather familiar with regency cant, and there are actually fan sites out there with glossaries of regency slang used in her books.

My college roommate introduced me to Goergette Heyer in the last semester of my senior year. . .and somehow I managed to graduate anyway. That was 30 years ago and I collected all her Regencies in paperback and reread them all every few years. Cotillion is my favorite of many favorites. I still remember when I got to the point I was rooting for Freddy. . .and feeling guilty about it becasue he was NOT the proper hero of a Regency book. Georgette is great. Now I have a fourteen year old daughter to whom I am introducing these most witty and well written of books. . . and I find my collection is musty smelling and the bindings decaying. So, so I can share them with my granddaughters (the ones I hope to have years from now), I will be building my collection of Georgettes in hardback as I can. . .Thank you, Amazon.com., for making that a possiblity for me.

This is not one of my favorite Heyers, perhaps because I don't feel much for the main couple in the story (but with Heyer, it's almost always this way with me- I usually prefer the supporting cast, so to speak). However, it IS one of her most 'artistically perfect' books, so to speak, with a well-integrated plot that rarely seems to rush unnecessarily, and it's a very good read overall. Damerel is just another Heyer Rochester-like dissipated, impetuous, masterful hero, but he's handled more realistically, perhaps. I never warmed up to either him or Venetia, though. The best character of the book is, in my opinion, Aubrey, Venetia's sickly, sarcastic, scholarly brother, who is endearing for all his faults (not despite of them). Overall, satisfactory in the best of Heyer style.

Venetia is one of the best Heyers. In regency England, Venetia Lanyon is leading a secluded life with her brother, and her only options are marrying a dull suitor, or staying as a maiden aunt in her second brother's household. Very intellegent, warm-hearted, and with a wonderful sense of humor, she seems destined to be unappreciated. That is until she meets her neighbor, Lord Damerel, a man of an unsteady character, a gamester and a rake. This review does not do justice to the book. Read it, I promise you won't regret it.

Heyer is absolutely the Queen of Regency romances, and Venetia is, as far as I'm concerned, her best. An independent woman determined to resist her two insistent suitors and take good care of her younger borther; she meets her new neighbour, Damerel, the most notorious rake in England. At first he is tempted to seduce her, but later becomes protective towards her. Then, when her older brother marries and she is forced to leave her home for London, she thinks she will never see Damerel again. Desperate measures are called for...

This is not a typical Regency; Venetia is not a blushing debutante, and Damerel is not a dandified town gentleman. But the characters are delightfully appealing and Damerel is such a wonderful, down-to-earth hero! Read it, re-read it, treasure it for ever. I do.

You guys have got it all wrong! There is a trilogy: These Old Shades, Devil's Cub and The Infamous Army. I love the dialogue. "I am not considered dangerous until after the third bottle" or "No sir, not a gentle man, a noble man." Infamous Army is about the Battle of Waterloo and one of the heroines is the daughter of Vidal and Mary Challoner.(She has her parents and grand parents traits: Red hair, gold painted toenails, compelling sexuality, great rider, supremely unconconcious of the attention she attracts in the ball room, no physical fear). I was reared on these books: I remember Dad and Mum and I all struck down with flu fighting over who would get to read Frederica, the Grand Sophy, Sylvester or Venetia. These and the Avon family series are our favourites.

This is the second book in the trilogy. We first meet Justin, Duke of Avon, in These Old Shades. (He is NOT the Duke in The Black Moth.) These characters are delightfully developed and sustained in The Devil's Cub with the introduction of Justin and Leonie's son, Dominic. It is marvelous! The Infamous Army is the third book and introduces Dominic's grand-daughter during the war with Napoleon.

This is the sequel to Heyer's 'These Old Shades' which was my introduction to her Regency writings. I liked 'Devil's Cub' almost as much as 'These Old Shades'. There are a lot of un-PC things that both Mary and Vidal do but at the time these books were written, a lot of un-PC things happened every day in normal life. Mary has her morals, Vidal is a charming rake, and they manage to fight more often than not in the first 7/8ths of book. The writing is superb and the plot moves along briskly. It would be wonderful to read the two books consecutively but it's almost impossible to find 'These Old Shades' nowadays.

The very first romance novel I ever read (and I'm not including Jane Austen in this category) was "Black Sheep" by Georgette Heyer. I enjoyed the book so much that I immediately began haunting used book stores, hunting for as many of her novels as I could get at a time. That was more than two decades ago, and Georgette Heyer has remained a firm favourite ever since (in spite of her rather dated opinions about the merchant middle class, etc). "The Grand Sophy" ranks up there with other of my all time favourite Heyer novels (the ones that I rate about 10 stars) like "Sylvester," "Sprig Muslin," "The Foundling" & "These Old Shades," -- they're all excellent reads that every Regency-era romance novel addict should read at least once!

Other reviewers have done excellent jobs in giving plot synopsis, so I'll leave off doing the same except to note that the novel deals with the humourous and outrageous efforts of a visiting cousin, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, to sort out the myriad of problems that all those around her have (mainly her Rivenhall cousins like Herbert and Cecilia) become entangled in. What makes this novel 'work' is not only the clever plotting and the numerous escapades that Heyer has Sophy pull, but also the brilliant manner in which Heyer draws her characters. In Sophy Stanton-Lacy, for example, Heyer has created a young heroine who while incredibly managing, bossy, independent and very determined, and yet who is so utterly charming that you cannot help but root for her to come out on top -- this in spite of the fact that your sympathies may lie elsewhere. And I did have sympathies elsewhere! The first time I read the book, I felt quite sympathetic towards stuffy cousin Charles. Here was a young man, the only sensible person in a rather flighty family, who had had to contend with some crisis or another for goodness knows how long, all he gets for his efforts is abuse from his family! Yes, he is stuffy and easily angered, but his family was enough to give even me the megrims (and all I was doing was reading about them!)

"The Grand Sophy" is a riot of a read. Heyer sketches Sophy's escapades in such a humourous and entertaining manner that we cannot help but be charmed. Cleverly plotted, possessing elegant prose and characters that are just so alive and real "The Grand Sophy" proved to be the kind of book I wish I could find and read everyday.

This was my first introduction to the world of Georgette Heyer and what an introduction it was. I still laugh to this day at Sophy's delightful unconventionality and at the way her poor bewildered cousins learn to deal with her. A wonderful, wonderful book with great period detail and a light-hearted touch that makes it refreshing and non-sentimental at the same time. Read it. I'll not spoil the enchantment for you but beware...Sophy (and in consequence Heyer herself) is very addictive. You might just find yourself craving more.

I grew up on Georgette Heyer romances and I am so sorry to find that so many of them are out of print. My mother, sister and I have literally read two copies of "The Grand Sophy" to pieces!

She's a positive role model that transcends 19th century England and contradicts the waifish pseudo-sex goddesses of the 90's. I wish more young women would read this marvelous book and not feel so ashamed of who they are or what they look like!

This is one of those Heyer novels which come much closer to being termed a "Romance" in the modern sense of the word. Most Heyer books are pure comedy of manners almost akin to a P.G.Wodehouse, some are more romances than comedy. This book belongs to the latter group. This does not however mean that there is no comedy - how can there not be when its a Heyer writing ? The humour is rich and most witty.

Arabella is amongst Heyer's delightful heroines - and the hero amngst her more endearing. We also have Ulysses the dog who is superbly drawn. What I do miss in this book are the wealth of support characters who form the heart of the comic parts of most Heyer novels.

But all in all, its a jolly good novel - a laugh every page.

This is the best Cinderella-type regency that I have EVER read. Heyer has a wonderful gift and a unique sense of humor that is unequalled.

Arabella is the eldest daughter of a poor vicar and his wife who has pinned all her hopes on her eldest, most beautiful offspring marrying a rich man in order to help the family. The mother engineers a season in London for Arabella and while she was on the way, Arabella meets the wealthy, handsome Mr. Robert Beaumaris. They clash, he is entranced, she is in love and Arabella's season is unlike any other you'll ever read.

Mongrel dogs, chimney sweeps and limping prostitutes, not to mention gin-drinking babies are but a taste of what you might encounter in this wonderful romantic tale of love winning against all the odds.

Prepare to laugh out loud and long many times throughout the book!

This was the first Heyer book I read. It was given to me by my aunt who suggested it to me as similar to Pride and Prejudice, one of my very favorites. It is the best type of charming, lighthearted, and entertaining novel one could ever want to read. Its endearing characters won't let you stop till you have read it to its end. Being a girl, I naturally focus on the male lead and this one is incredible. His appeal is so obvious and yet Heyer, even in her most devestating heros, stays cleanly away from degrading sexual banter. The humor in this book made me laugh out loud...Heyer has a talent for instilling in her characters a dry and ready wit that makes for the most entertaining dialogues. Arabella, the lead female is clever, coniving, sweet, endearing, and a bit of a rascle. Pleanty of fire and spice in all the right places. Really an excellent read, especially for ladies, young and old who long for romance yet don't want to fill their minds with trash.

This is a good book in the Heyer mystery collection. It is written like many of her other mysteries with increasingly higher levels of suspence which make you want to finish the book before you can put it down. The biggest question is why the body is found in the stocks, and who put him there? And like most of her mysteries, there is romance. But mostly there is just a lot of good humor and a murder.

This book is funny and clever. As in most of her novels, mystery and romance, Heyer writes wonderful characters and gives them entertaining dialogue. As an added bonus the mystery keeps you guessing, too. This is a book that is hard to put down and one you will find yourself reading again. Special note: some of the characters in this book reappear in Heyer's Behold, Here's Poison.

Let's be rational. Heyer wrote this book when she was only 17. In that case - the book is WONDERFUL, an amazing product for a teenager to have written. But let's consider what the author went on to produce - and how can you compare this debut - awesome though it is - to Heyer's other major swashbuckler - These Old Shades, which is by far the greater novel, widely believed to be a reworking (but NOT a sequel - that is an urban myth) of the themes explored in Black Moth.

Let's take Black Moth. In its favour, we have a good, old fashioned D'Orczy-type swashbuckler, with silk coats and lace ruffles, a scary villain, and a beautiful heroine who doesn't really have very much to do - in marked contrast to Heyer's wonderful female leads in later novels. She is really just there to be rescued. It has moments of Heyer humour too, but Heyer was not at her best when using the stilted "Ecod!" language of the traditional 18th century swashbuckler. The female characters are strangely weak and border upon the two-dimensional, the male characters are not much better. As juvenilia, this is a masterpiece. As a mature novel, it seems faintly mediocre - but it is very readable and amusing. If you love Heyer, you MUST read this book, and see where it all started. You may even fall in love with it! it is not so unknown, after all. But if you, like me, dislike stilted pseudo-18th century language sprinkled with "ecods!", "t'were" and "t'was"; and like more gumption and character in your heroes and heroines, this book may prove slightly disappointing.

The Black Moth, though a wonderful book, is NOT (I repeat NOT) part of a series with any of Georgette Heyer's other books - certainly not with These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, and The Infamous Army. Devil's Cub is a sequel to These Old Shades, and An Infamous Army is a sequel to Regency Buck! The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, and though it is not yet as mature as her later regencies, it is still good, lighthearted fun. Her characters are not greatly developed, and the plot is nothing special, but Heyer's charm and dawning style show through.

I believe The Black Moth was written by Georgette Heyer to entertain her brother who was ill. It was published in 1929. The Black Moth is a light tale of adventure, honor and love written with humor. Heyer's typically well-developed and charming characters struggle with questions of honor and family loyalty before they can resolve their problems. Georgette Heyer's romances and her mysteries have entertained me for years. I have read and reread this book and am delighted to own it. I hope others enjoy it too!