Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
"Abigail Wendover, on the shelf at 28, is kept busy when her niece falls head over heels in love with a handsome fortune hunter and Abbie is forced into a confrontation with his scandalous uncle.
Miles Calvery is the black sheep of his family- enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, disconcertingly blunt and brash. But he turns out to be Abbie's most important ally in keeping her niece out of trouble.
But how can he possibly be considered eligible when she has worked so hard to rebuff his own nephew's suit for her niece? And how can she possibly detach from an ailing sister who needs her? This is a heroine who has to be, literally, swept off her feet . . "
Why was it on the shelf?
I love Georgette Heyer. She's the mother of modern Regency Romance and when I first discovered her books, I glommed a dozen or so of them. Also, publisher Sourcebooks reissued many of her titles a few years ago in these beautiful trade paperbacks with gorgeous cover images and thick sturdy pages. I'm not usually one to wax rhapsodical about book appearance but they really are lovely. Anyways, I asked for this book for Christmas a few years ago because Heyer novels with older heroines (late 20's rather than early 20's or teens) tend to be my favorites. I kept meaning to read it but I found myself trying to save it for when I was in that oh-so-rare "perfect mood" for it and that just didn't happen.
Why did I finally read it?
I did a bunch of re-reading over Christmas break and found myself needing a Georgette Heyer fix.
Thoughts on the book?
I enjoyed it but felt like it was a bit too similar to other Heyers I have already read; "Lady of Quality" in particular. I had a great deal of trouble getting through the denseness of the first few chapters but once the hero of the romance entered the picture, the pacing improved dramatically. And once he started baiting his heroine because her eyes sparkle when she's all riled up? Yup. I was hooked. At that point, I was able to just sit back and enjoy Heyer doing what she does best.
How's the challenge going?
I'm not going to lie, this first book was rough going. The temptation to go read something I could finish in a few hours rather than a few days was really strong but I ultimately enjoyed myself so I'm glad I kept going.
I enjoyed it but felt like it was a bit too similar to other Heyers I have already read; "Lady of Quality" in particular. I had a great deal of trouble getting through the denseness of the first few chapters but once the hero of the romance entered the picture, the pacing improved dramatically. And once he started baiting his heroine because her eyes sparkle when she's all riled up? Yup. I was hooked. At that point, I was able to just sit back and enjoy Heyer doing what she does best.
How's the challenge going?
I'm not going to lie, this first book was rough going. The temptation to go read something I could finish in a few hours rather than a few days was really strong but I ultimately enjoyed myself so I'm glad I kept going.
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