Miles Calverleigh vies with Hugo Darracott (of The Unknown Ajax) for the title of my favorite Heyer hero. The novel takes place in Bath, a spa town. If Regency London is like New York, Bath is like Palm Springs -- lots of retirees of good social standing. The pace is quieter, but hardly rural. So this is hardly the place for a man who snaps his fingers at society's opinions, but that's where Miles winds up. Miss Abigail Wendover is one of the lights of Bath society -- beautiful, well-off and well-bred; her family is very distinguished. She lives with her silly and clinging elder sister and her affectionate niece Fanny. Alas, Fanny has fallen under the spell of a fortune hunter, and Abigail hunts for a way to wean Fanny of the attachment without ruining their good relationship. Meanwhile, Abigail herself is falling under the spell of the fortune hunter's uncle Miles, who appreciates (nay, encourages!) her deplorable tendency to levity. He has no patience with the social restraints that Abigail has accepted, but how can she throw over society's approval without condoning Fanny's determination to do the same?

It's always good to return to Georgette Heyer once in a while. I hadn't read Black Sheep for several years, and it made a delightful read. As I'm getting a little older myself, I'm coming to appreciate, and much prefer, Heyer's older heroines, such as Abby here and Serena in Bath Tangle.

Abby, supposedly on the shelf at 28, is certainly no stereotypical maiden aunt, despite the fact that she has a niece and is unmarried. Having been brought up in a strict family, she finds that propriety irks her; and yet, ironically, she is faced with having to instil a sense of propriety in her impulsive 17-year-old niece.

For Fanny, the niece, has fallen in love with a man everyone - except Fanny and Abby's older sister Selina - can see is no more than a fortune-hunter. But Fanny simply won't listen to reason, and Abby begins to fear that she'll elope with Mr Stacey Calverleigh. But then, a stranger appears on the scene: Mr *Miles* Calverleigh, Stacey's uncle.

Miles Calverleigh is, apparently, the black sheep of the title; having been guilty of too many indiscretions when young - including that of an abortive elopement with the woman who became Fanny's mother! - was sent to the Indies. There, he worked hard and made his fortune, but on his arrival in Bath he does not appear to have lost any of his disregard for convention. He is utterly careless of propriety, and insists that he feels no sense of obligation to family - therefore he refuses to help Abby in any way by warning off his nephew.

Despite his unhelpfulness, and his habit of teasing her outrageously, Abby finds herself drawn to Miles...

Heyer's inimitable witty style is in evidence, as ever, in this book. There is some hilarious dialogue, as well as very acute observations on human nature. Her secondary characters are, as always, very well drawn, and her cameo characters wonderful caricatures of the type of people we all meet: gossips, pinch-purses, the upright type who disapprove of anything and everything. And who could avoid falling in love with Miles?

A side note - I am appalled that the editorial review above managed to spell the main characters' names incorrectly.

Black Sheep is very likely my favorite of Miss Heyer's remarkable books. Abigail is proper, but not cardboard - responsible, but not hidebound. She is the perfect foil for Miles and his complete disregard for the manners and perceived obligations of his class. They are entirely enchanting in their irresistible attraction to each other; and, of course, Miss Heyer's dialogue is deliciously funny. If you like Heyer, you'll love this one (I enjoy it more each time I read it!).

When I first read Cousin Kate, many years ago, I didn't like it much. But I decided that it was time to give it another try, to see whether my tastes had changed with maturity. Not in this case, it seems.

I realise that this book is in the Gothic style, and of course even Jane Austen tried one Gothic novel - which I don't like anything like as much as the other Austens. My problem with Cousin Kate, however, wasn't its Gothic content, but the fact that much of it is extremely boring. Heyer's other works are full of witty dialogue and entertaining characters; here, the dialogue is dull, the characters uninteresting (even the hero, Philip Broome, failed to excite me), and the narration and introspection tedious. I realise that Heyer is trying, for some part of the book, to indicate Kate's boredom with her situation, but there's no need to bore the readers at the same time!

I couldn't really come to like Kate much, at the same time. She's a young woman of quality - lower-ranking aristocracy - fallen on hard times, like a number of Heyer's other heroines, but without the character or determination or resilience of those other heroines. She hasn't got an ounce of Ancilla Trent's independence and resourcefulness, for example. I found myself gritting my teeth at the way Kate takes her old nurse, Sarah Nidd, for granted: the woman left her family's employ many years earlier and is married with her own family, and yet Kate assumes that she can simply descend on Sarah any time she wants, and be waited on hand and foot - for nothing - in Sarah's own home. No wonder Sarah wrote to Kate's aunt Minerva!

However, this is clearly an aberration among Heyer's usual excellent work. And I don't agree with a previous reviewer that it marked a decline in her talent; Lady of Quality, to which that reviewer refers, is another highly enjoyable Heyer.

When Kate Malvern finds herself unable to obtain another post as a governess, her future looks bleak.As a penniless, orphaned daughter of an army officer of good family, her chances of a good marriage are negligible.Unexpectedly,she is visited by an aunt whom she has never met before and whisked off to the country.Aunt Minerva plies her with gifts and clothes,but, to her horror, realises that she's been chosen as a bride for her mad cousin Torquil.She then meets Philip, a nephew and possible heir of Sir Timothy, Torquils father, and they fall madly in love. Terrible tragedy befalls the family before the obligatory happy ending.It's a likeable quick read and quite a bit darker than Miss Heyers usual tales.

This is a superior Georgette Heyer work; a bit darker and more serious than most of her other books, but as always there is the fast wit, and a happy ending.

Kate Malvern is the orphaned daughter of a goodhearted, gambling-prone father and a beautiful but poor mother. Her father's death leaves her alone and impoverished in the world, and she comes to stay with her old nurse, Sarah, while looking for a new job. An aunt comes along and kindly and affectionately invites her to stay in her husband's family estate. Kate agrees, reluctantly-- because none of her relatives have never acknowledged her existence before. Staplewood, the estate, is beautiful and cold, and there she meets her cousin Torquil (a young man with the face of an angel), her sickly uncle Sir Timothy, and Sir Timothy's nephew Phillip. At first, everything seems too good to be true, and slowly, Kate unravels the deep secret that haunts the family.

Kate is a very charming and appealing heroine. She is mature yet innocent, is very witty and charming without being obnoxious, and is spirited without being willful or heedless. The hero, kind-hearted Phillip, is neither a dandy nor a cynical Corinthian, which is quite refreshing. Although still a Cinderella story of sorts, the romance between them is much more satisfying and believable than those in most other Heyer works.

Overall, a very interesting and different book from Georgette Heyer, and one of her best.

The plot is straightforward but the characters are a joy to behold! I have an old 1967 edition of this novel and I cringed at the romance-looking cover (bare-chested male, swooning female) and the blurb on the back, but the actual romance in the story is with another (and far better!) pair entirely. Nothing embarrassing in the least, with touches of Austen's wit and practicality. Heyer, I think, did better with the concept of spoofing bad romances than Austen did in Northanger Abbey. I found myself laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoying this book. For a bit of light fun, go for it! :)

Duplicate Death is a wonderful mystery of the kind that Goergette Heyer excells at--witty, cleverly plotted, and with a strong inclination towards social satire. She paints a delightful picture of London high society in the 1930s, and it's great fun to get lost in the details of balls, chaperones, debutants, etc. Amid the social whirl, there's a crafty killer at large, and two deserving young people who must do their best to solve the mystery if they are to avoid being suspected of murder--or become victims themselves.

I don't know if I'll ever view Heyer's books in quite the same way after reading this biography. It painted an (accurate?) picture of a snobbish, cold woman who I could no relate to the author of the books I love. Frankly I found it unhelpful.

I relished finding a copy of this book as I had been on the look out for years and anxiously delved into it-expecting to find the Georgette Heyer I had fondly imagined for many years instead of her being the antithesis of who she really was. Upon closer scrutiny I realised I may have been mistaken. Although my first impression is of a large and intimidating woman, I read between the lines to realise that a possible shyness is responsible for the refusal to let the adoring public into her life. For this and for the hours of joy I have had and will have as long as I can read, I will continue to think her one of the best authors the 20th century ever produced.
I was certainly more interested in what her own personal favourites were and what was her motivation in writing certain stories than I was with her private life at the time of her writing them. This is not so much mentioned in the book. And perhaps this is why I am less appreciative than I might otherwise have been of Miss Hodge's efforts....

I have enjoyed reading books by Heyer for many years now and have read all of her Regency books. Therefore, I was very interested to read this biography. If you are a Heyer fan you will find many things of interest throughout the book. I especially liked the pictures from her journals showing her meticulous research into all matters of fashion of the day. I also enjoyed that the author, Jane A. Hodge, wrote with affection for the Heyer books and presented insight into what was happening in the life of the author when she was writing them. If you enjoy reading the Heyer books, you will enjoy reading Hodge's informative biography.

This is pleasant piece of fluff as unsubstantial as a sweet meringue. Cleone, beautiful as only a Heyer heroine can be, has been loved by her neighbour Philip since childhood and is piqued to find herself taken for granted by this very decent but unpolished young man. She advises him to take himself off to gain a bit of charm and polish, but when he returns, painted, powdered and mincing in satins and lace and affecting a languid air, she realises that she prefers the honest young man to the fop that he seems to be. Of course it's all an act and true love wins out in the end.

I found that this work lacked the gripping characters, suspense and hilarity that characterise the author's other works. The characters were particularly disappointing; the heroine is a work of insipidity and the hero moves from being a stiff, but likeable country bumpkin to an irritatingly controlling male who is invested overnight with incredibly pretentious society manners.

Nonetheless, the period detail is fascinating as always and there are moments of fun. I'd also recommend brushing up on your French before reading this book. I don't know any, so perhaps that's why I didn't enjoy it much.

This book is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer romances (you simply can't pick one favorite!). Phillip Jettan is a man who disdains the current fashion for powdered wigs and light-hearted flirtation, but he adores his childhood friend Cleone who has tasted the elegance of a London season and isn't content with her crude lover. With the help of his frivolous Uncle Tom he sets off for Paris, and is transformed into "le petit Philippe" who becomes the darling of French society - much to the dismay of Cleone! This story sparkles with witty dialogue, and wonderful descriptions of costumes and festivities of the 1700's. I re-read it at least once a year and I enjoy it as much as the first time, again and again!

the true story of the Queen's pirate, Nicholas Beauvallet, how he finds love on the high seas, and moves heaven and earth to secure his happiness with the woman he loves.

A dashing gentleman of 16th Century England might dare to break the rules, especially if, as tensions rose with Spain, he found his heart lost to a Spanish lady. So Nick Beauvallet, knight and sailor, who dares much, and whose manservant Joshua is himself worth the book. The author's keen eye for history, and neat writing, make her work delightful.