Venetia by Georgette Heyer

Genre: Historical Romance; Regency Romance; Romance

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: It was a gift from my grandmother years ago.

Goodreads Blurb: Her beauty rivaled only by her sense, Venetia Lanyon is nearly resigned to spinsterhood, thanks to the enormous amount of responsibility she inherited with a Yorkshire estate, an invalid brother and the lackluster efforts of two wearisomely persistent suitors. Then she meets her neighbor, the infamous Lord Damerel, a charming rake shunned by polite society--exactly the type of man that a woman of quality should stay away from.

Though his scandalous past and deepest secrets give Venetia every reason to mistrust him, a rogue always gets what he wants. Without warning, his demanding kiss threatens to become a bachelor's undoing…and a spinster's most passionate awakening.

My Review: Venetia Lanyon may be resigned to the life of a spinster, but striking up a friendship with Jasper Damarel, the local bad boy, changes her mind. This friendship is warm and genuine, as is the romance that grows from it--and that accounts for the exceptional charm of this book. The brotherly friendship between Venetia's younger brother and Jasper only adds to that charm.

Venetia herself, meanwhile, is my favorite Heyer heroine. She also seems the most real to me; however much I adore Sophy from The Grand Sophy, she always seemed larger than life--not to mention exhausting! Venetia, by contrast, inhabits a smaller, more down to earth world. More importantly, I love her sense of the ridiculous and her quiet determination to make the best of her lot.

The problems confronting Venetia and Jasper are realistic, even if they are somewhat of their own making. (Or at least of Jasper's making.) Nonetheless, I was confident they would find a way through them. And neither the characters nor their conflicts grow old--I've read this book ten times at least, and it's one I'll keep coming back to.

Available on Kindle: No.

Scandal by Amanda Quick

Genre: Historical Romance; Regency Romance; Romance

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: With her reputation forever tarnished by a youthful indiscretion, lovely Emily Faringdon is resigned to a life of spinsterhood, until she embarks on an unusual correspondence and finds herself falling head over heals in love. Sensitive, intelligent, and high-minded, her noble pen-pal seems to embody everything Emily has ever dreamed of in a man. But the mysterious Earl of Blade is not at all what he seems.

Driven by dark, smoldering passions and a tragic secret buried deep within his soul, Blade has all of London cowering at his feet, but not Emily... never Emily. For even as she surrenders to his seductive charms, she knows the real reason for his amorous wit. And she knows that she must reach the heart of his golden-eyed dragon before the avenging demons of their entwined pasts destroy the only love she has ever known ...

My Review: Emily's naiveté, romanticism and bad poetry might make you cringe, until you realize that her escapism masks an understanding of the harsh realities of life. (Some readers never forgive Emily's flights of fancy--see 'other reviews' below!) But while Emily understands those harsh realities, she doesn't always accept them. She's made her peace with the faults of her father and siblings, but she's determined to see Simon, her revenge-obsessed husband, live up to nobler ideals. Simon gradually begins to do so, and that's what makes this book so much fun.

I fell in love with this book when I first read it, which was--well, let's just say it was a long time ago, and I was young and naive myself. I don't love this book as fiercely anymore, but I still enjoy Simon's gradual and reluctant transformation, as well as Emily's odd combination of unstinting faith and hard core realism.

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

Special Note: The author, Amanda Quick, is also known as Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle

Other Reviews:
My Book Addiction

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

Genre: Regency Romance; Romance

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

How I acquired this book: I purchased it.

Book Blurb: When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the ton by storm. Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: Ceclia is in love with a poet, Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his grim fiancee, her uncle is of no use at all, and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom. By the time she's done, Sophy has commandeered Charles's horses, his household, and finally, his heart.

My Review: I love The Grand Sophy--this is the book that introduced me to the witty Georgette Heyer, who has remained a favorite author of mine ever since. This book also contains my favorite supporting character: Sophy's father, Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy.  How does he manage to be so selfish and self-absorbed and yet so engaging?

But Sophy is the heart of the book, and she's almost as much fun as her father. Her aunt, uncle and cousins stand no chance once she decides to rearrange their lives. Only her cousin Charles puts up a real fight, but he can't stop himself from falling for her. Sophy falls hard too; Charles may seem like a prig, but she soon comes to value his sense of humor, intelligence and love for his family.

Unfortunately, Heyer's antisemitism is most obvious in The Grand Sophy, which spoils some of the fun for me. I think it would spoil it even if I weren't a Jew myself. Her portrayal of the Jewish moneylender (Goldhanger) employed just about every nasty stereotype about Jews--and this was published in 1950, just a few years after the Holocaust! (In other books, she referred to "the Jews" derisively as a synonym for moneylenders. Also nasty stuff, but the scene in The Grand Sophy is worse.)

Nonetheless, I still love this book and decided to give it a five-star rating despite the antisemitism. It's still one of my favorites. (Heck, I've lost count of the number of times I've read it.)

Are you familiar with Georgette Heyer and The Grand Sophy? Did the controversial scene with Goldhanger bother you as much as it bothered me? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.

Other Reviews:
Jane Austen's World

The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

Genre: Romance; Historical Romance; M/M Romance; LGBT


My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


How I acquired this book: I purchased it.


Book Blurb: A lad from the streets meets a lord of the manor...


When war veteran Sir Alan Watleigh goes searching for sex, he never imagines the street rat he brings home for one last bit of pleasure in his darkest hour will be the man who hauls him back from the edge of the grave. A night of meaningless sex turns into an offer of permanent employment. As Sir Alan Watleigh’s valet, Jem offers much more than polished boots and starched cravats. He makes Sir Alan Watleigh smile and warms his bed. 

Just as the men are adjusting to their new living arrangement, news about a former soldier under his command sends Sir Alan Watleigh and Jem on the road to save a child in danger.The journey brings them closer together as they travel from lust toward love. But is Sir Alan Watleigh's love strong enough to risk society discovering the truth about him?


Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices.


My Review: Sir Alan is haunted by his war memories--so much so that he's decided suicide is his only option. But first he wants one last night of pleasure and warmth with a young man, no matter how much he despises such an 'unnatural desire.' 

Enter Jem--a delightful, nineteen-year-old street rat who's more than willing to provide said pleasure and warmth for pay. But he wants to see a smile on his patron's face in the process, because he can't understand how anyone with a grand roof over his head, plenty of food in his belly and servants to cater to his every need could possibly be so miserable. So he shares some really terrible bawdy jokes with Sir Alan, along with thieves' cant and his general philosophy of life. 

Sir Alan is captivated--and it's a safe bet to say that most readers will be too! 

Alan begins to think of ways to keep Jem around for more than one night. His solution makes good sense--and up to this point, this book is damn near perfect. (Well, I could nitpick about errors regarding the clothing of the Regency period, but Jem is so much fun that I'll let those go.) 

But then the authors veer off into a subplot about a maniacal doctor that takes up the rest of the book. What a shame! I wish they had kept their focus on Alan struggling against his depression while re-learning to live day by day; Jem learning his new role and how to leave behind some of the habits that helped him survive on the streets; and both men learning how to balance their relationship as master and servant on the one hand and lovers on the other. 

So, for me, the entire subplot was an annoying distraction. I can see myself reading the first few chapters of this book over and over, and then skipping around, ignoring the maniacal doctor. I'm glad Kindle has a bookmarking feature!

Have you read this book? If so, how did you like the maniacal doctor subplot? I'd love to hear a different take on it.


On Kindle: Yes. Find it at Amazon here.