Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Sylvester
    Unavailable
    Sylvester
    Unavailable
    Sylvester
    Audiobook10 hours

    Sylvester

    Written by Georgette Heyer

    Narrated by Nicholas Rowe

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, first meets Phoebe Marlow, he finds her dull and insipid. She thinks he is insufferably arrogant. But when a series of unforeseen events leads them to be stranded together in a lonely country inn, they are both forced to reassess their hastily formed opinions, and they begin to discover a new-found liking and respect for each other. But what Sylvester doesn’t know is that Phoebe is about to publish a novel – a novel in which all London will recognise him as the villainous ‘Count Ugolino’.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateNov 13, 2014
    ISBN9781843797586
    Unavailable
    Sylvester
    Author

    Georgette Heyer

    Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer’s father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father’s death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.

    More audiobooks from Georgette Heyer

    Related to Sylvester

    Related audiobooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      6 Best Jane Austen Books: From ‘Sense And Sensibility’ To ‘Emma’

      Feb 2, 2021

      Ranking Jane Austen’s six witty, wise, and utterly moreish novels changes over the years. You might have found Northanger Abbey absolutely unreadable when at school, but were rendered helpless with laughter when you picked it up again years later. Pr

      6 min read

    • Article

      LUCY LETHBRIDGE on Sylvia Townsend Warner's 1920s novel Lolly Willowes

      Nov 16, 2022

      Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes is a tale of witchery, devilment and transformation. What starts as a beady, satirical comedy of manners about a poor and eccentric middle-aged spinster dependent on her relations takes a sudden turn into chaos

      3 min read

    • Article

      Page-turners

      Feb 7, 2020

      It’s 1980 and young Elise Morceau is wandering around Hampstead Heath in London when she has a chance meeting with the older Constance Holden, a celebrated author. The pair quickly become enamoured and when Constance’s novel is optioned for movie rig

      3 min read

    • Article

      I Used to Live Here: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys

      May 4, 2022

      Collins £22 Jean Rhys (1890-1979) was born in Dominica to a white Creole mother who was, by her daughter’s account, hard and cruel. ‘I’ve done my best, ’ her mother told her after yet another whipping. ‘You’ll never be like other people.’ Her father,

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Mar 30, 2021

      Aspiring writer Florence Darrow jumps at the chance to assist the celebrated, yet anonymous author Maud. But when, on a ‘research trip’ to Morocco, a car crash leads to Maud’s disappearance, Florence sees an opportunity to step into someone else’s li

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Dancer Who Toppled A King

      Jun 18, 2020

      The Dancer Who Toppled A King
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Matt Seidel

      Dec 9, 2017

      I tend to buy used books in bunches, which means the haul from some expeditions stays buried for weeks, months, years even. For this entry, I highlight three finds that, breaking custom, I bought and read almost immediately this year: Hugo Charteris’

      6 min read

    • Article

      May Fiction

      Apr 19, 2022

      A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin (HarperCollins, £14.99) IF YOU DIDN’Tknow that Sophie Irwin once wrote a dissertation on Georgette Heyer—the queen, and possibly inventor, of Regency Romance novels—then it wouldn’t be hard to guess f

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Books

      Jan 25, 2022

      Best Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Eccentrities And Obsessions

      Jun 29, 2023

      LORRIE MOORE IS ONE OF those writers who seems to shift whichever way you look at her. She’s the archetypal “writer’s writer”, acclaimed by her peers and a serious shoulder-to-the-wheel artist who, we sense, never forces the work, lets it come, and p

      5 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Aug 25, 2020

      Holden’s first foray into historical fiction sees Scottish governess Marion Crawford enter the lives of the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The nanny gives them a glimpse of normal life, but why is Marion there when she wanted to teach in th

      1 min read

    • Article

      October’s BOOK CLUB

      Aug 27, 2020

      It’s 1459, and the English nobility are bitterly divided over whether to remain loyal to their weak-minded King Henry VI and his haughty French wife Marguerite of Anjou. And when powerful Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, is imprisoned, she does every

      2 min read

    • Article

      “Caroline Was Besotted With Byron. But, Ungrateful Love Rat That He Was, He Set Off Chasing Others”

      Jun 8, 2023

      Ellie Cawthorne: Why did you want to write a biography of Lamb? What was it about her that intrigued you? Lady Antonia Fraser: During lockdown, I dusted a room that I haven’t dusted for years, which is full of books, like every room in this house. A

      6 min read

    • Article

      Brilliant Reads

      Aug 4, 2023

      By JO NESBO Harvill Secker Harry Hole, the brilliant maverick Norwegian detective, has fled to California. He’s grieving the loss of his wife, Rakel, and blames himself for her death. Down and out, living in a cheap hotel and drinking himself into a

      3 min read

    • Article

      New On The Shelf

      Jul 17, 2020

      Maximilian Fritz, editor and owner of small-town newspaper The Lowveld Mirror, receives a letter from Denmark. It’s from Freja Casperson, cousin of his boyhood friend Karl Udengaard. She tells him that Karl has committed suicide and that she lives in

      3 min read

    • Article

      Empire Of Dishonour

      Oct 23, 2022

      Empire Of Dishonour
      2 min read

    • Article

      Burn It All Down

      Jul 3, 2019

      Burn It All Down
      9 min read

    • Article

      For December, Forget Wrapping Presents And Treat Yourself To These 3 Romances

      Dec 12, 2017

      Escape from the holiday whirl with three tasty romances, featuring a duke with an epic library, a young girl finding herself in the big city and a proper lady finding love where she least expects it.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jan 12, 2022

      Introducing a most endearing character in this compelling whodunnit, Molly the maid may be considered a nobody, but she is far from it. On discovering a dead body in the grand Regency hotel where she works, everyone soon knows who Molly is, and many

      2 min read

    • Article

      Reading CORNER

      Jan 15, 2023

      It’s time to kick back and lose yourself in romance Light and frothy reading is often called for at this time of year, as we relax as much as possible. Modelled on Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series, this book definitely fits the bill. It’s the fir

      3 min read

    • Article

      “You’ve Got To Be Impressed By How These Women Played The System”

      Apr 16, 2020

      Ellie Cawthorne: First of all, why did it matter who Charles II was sleeping with? Linda Porter: Charles’s love life was a reflection of the luxury and glamour – but also the corruption – of the royal court at the time. The extramarital relationshi

      9 min read

    • Article

      A Life Indecently Full Of Fun And Games

      Nov 25, 2021

      ANNE GLENCONNER CALLS Oh What a Lovely Century, “a wonderful journey through twentieth century history”. It is not a journey you will find in most accounts of the period, but the young, moustachioed, army officer on the cover of this book seems to ha

      3 min read

    Reviews for Sylvester

    4.5/5

    699 ratings53 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      At first glance, the subtitle of this book was somewhat confusing. Granted, that's likely because the copy I borrowed from the public library was a (first edition?) hardcover completely lacking a dust jacket, so there was no summary or blurb or anything else of that sort. Still, it took a bit for the "wicked uncle" part to be made clear.

      Sylvester, Duke of Salford, and Phoebe Marlowe are delightfully entertaining characters, with plenty of quirks. I also loved the various secondary characters in this story--Edmund is a particularly adorable little imp.
    • 4/5
      I've read this more than once and I really like it. I bought on the Kindle because it was on sale and my paper copy is probably in bad shape and I can get rid of it and still keep a copy of the book. Yea.
    • 4/5
      I decided to read Sylvester to take a break from all the non-fiction I'd been slogging through, and I am glad I did. The author has a light touch with the typical breathless romantic ups and downs of most Regency writings, but a deft and stronger handle on characters and situations. I thoroughly enjoyed romping through the trials of the protagonists in Sylvester, and have made a mental note to indulge myself with more Georgette Heyer's works in the future.
    • 4/5
      This is my second Georgette Heyer book, and it was awesome! There were a few moments where the feminist in me raised her eyebrows, but I was able to quieten her for the most part. Sylvester, I think, was my favorite - he was the first in my experience to be a regency hero who made jokes, teased the heroine mercilessly and showed good humor to those he liked. He was very reserved, yes, but once you got past the "thin sheen of ice," as Heyer puts it, he was kind and humorous. The portrayal of his fault, arrogance, too, is somewhat uncommon, in that he simply doesn't understand what it means to be truly humble or thankful! My favorite thing is his endearing term for Phoebe - Sparrow, which is both teasing and sweet at the same time!

      Phoebe, too, I liked, but she was a bit of an acquired taste. Like Sylvester, I was a little disappointed at how mouse-ish she was, and wasn't sure how Heyer could save her character from being bullied horribly all her life. And in fact, at first it did seem a trifle strange that Phoebe was able to come about and stand up to Sylvester a bare few days after she had escaped from her oppressive stepmother. I would think that having been squashed down by the one person who was supposed to take care of you almost all your life would have more...lasting effects. On the other hand, it is clear as you get to know Phoebe that she is still afraid of being bullied, and is indeed easily swayed by others to one course of action or another, and yet learns more and more to stand up for herself. I really enjoyed watching her character grow from a frightened mouse to a woman who isn't afraid to ask for what she wants.
    • 3/5
      A young woman has anonymously written a novel; it in she has several caricatures of current society darlings, including the man who now wishes to propose to her out of the blue. Aghast, she tries to flee, but alas her escape is thwarted by a downed carriage; and who should come along and find her? Her proposer and the villain of her book, Sylvester, the Duke of Salford. He helps Phoebe Marlow and her companion to the nearest inn, where they are promptly snowed in....A very typical enjoyable Heyer romance, but not my favorite.
    • 4/5
      One of my less favourite of Heyer's Regency romances. The fix that Phoebe, the heroine, gets into is rather implausible. (spoiler alert) She is frightened to confess that her book was accepted for publication and is now seen to have many real life parallels. Although there's a bit over-the-top unrealistic kidnapping of Sylvester's young nephew, the story is entertaining and worth reading if you love Heyer's oeuvre.
    • 4/5
      This is a very easy way to get into Heyer - something I'd been struggling with. I really enjoyed this one. Richard Armitage is very easy on the ears!
    • 4/5
      Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has decided that it is time he took a wife. He's made a list of suitable females, and he submits that list to his mama for approval, as he doesn't wish to disoblige her. His mother is rather appalled at his unromantic approach to the matter. In the course of the conversation, she mentions a girl not from the list, the daughter of one of her dear friends. Sylvester isn't opposed to adding the girl Phoebe to his list of ladies to consider, never suspecting for a moment that his advances, should he choose to make them, might prove unwelcome. After a disastrous house party (if you can call it that, when Sylvester is the only guest), he's firmly set against the notion anyhow, but Phoebe, not knowing the Duke's intentions (or lack thereof), decides to run away to her godmother's house in London. With the help of the local squire's son (who is like a brother to Phoebe), she sets out -- only to get trapped at an inn when a snowstorm strikes and their carriage breaks down. And who should arrive on the scene but Sylvester, hoping to make his own way back to London. With a high-handed grace, he immediately sets everything to rights, and Phoebe can't help but admit that he is perhaps not as bad as she once supposed. And, away from the quelling influence of her stepmother, Sylvester discovers that Phoebe is a great deal more interesting than his first impression led him to believe. But there's still more than one obstacle between this couple, if they are ever to fall (and stay) in love...This tale of pride and prejudice, though perhaps not one of Heyer's very best, is still light and fun and just the thing if you are wanting a well-written Regency.
    • 3/5
      Not as solidly constructed or convincing as her best novels. I am not sure Phoebe's personality fully made sense.
    • 2/5
      Another case where a lot of bits were great--Nugent in particular was appallingly hilarious--but I can't see the main couple being happy, and Phoebe would make a lousy duchess. I might have bought it more if Sylvester were more minor nobility, or even just a Mr. Rayne with noble relatives, like Mr. Darcy.
    • 5/5
      It was only on my second read of this book that I truly appreciated it. I love the scene in the ballroom, and the ending. So romantic.
    • 4/5
      Oh, the angst.Generally liked the book, especially how all the characters seemed real and sympathetic -- even the "villains," who could have been really unlikeable and the nephew, who mostly avoided plot moppet-ness. The humor of their presentation helped a lot with that.The end seemed a little wobbly to me though. In terms of Edmund (the nephew), things seemed resolved. In terms of Sylvester and Phoebe, it felt like the middle of their romance, not quite the HEA yet. I mean, yes, they were engaged so I guess it fits the genre convention, but I'd have felt more satisfied by it if I had the confidence that they knew how to (recover from a) fight with each other. But, I guess that's why Sylvester's mother was around -- to knock thick skulls together.
    • 2/5
      Read the book rather than listen to this ABRIDGED audiobook! Whoever abridged this left out all the best parts and so changed this from being a wryly witty romance into a "typical" Regency romance similar to all those who copied Heyer without capturing her style or humor.
    • 4/5
      Heyer is sometimes hit or miss with me. This is one of the good ones. Not any society pretentiousness, and the characters speak and react to each other with a naturalness that is refreshing.
    • 4/5
      Not bad, but not a favorite. Actually, the problem is that it's too funny to be heartrending and too heartrending to be funny. If Sylvester and Phoebe were ripping up at each other as easily and comfortably as she does with Tom, it would be a hilarious book; if they didn't express themselves with quite as much wit and sharp observation, it would be a tearjerker as they thoroughly mess up the relationship. As it was, I was balanced between the two and never quite got absorbed into it. I thoroughly approve of Edmund (though he'll take a firm hand, if he's not to be spoiled), and thoroughly disapprove of Ianthe and her beau (though he did manage one moment of spine, at exactly the right time). And it does have a happy ending - happy in all senses, it's not merely Sylvester winning; he does get the setback he needs. This is one couple I'd have loved to see again (as far as I know, they don't show up in any other books - Heyer mostly didn't do series, in her romances. A few, but most of them are standalones). I'll probably reread it, but not for a while.
    • 4/5
      Sylvester, more formally known as the Duke of Salford, is a duke right down to the beautifully shined toes of his Hessian boots. His manners are impeccable and he is careful to treat his lessers with cool courtesy. For all that, his attitude strikes Phoebe as the very height of arrogance, and she responds to the prospect of marriage to him by running away from home. Part of her consternation has to do with the roman a clef she has written and published anonymously which skewers many members of the aristocracy but none more pointedly than the Dook. Antics, misunderstandings, and shenanigans ensure before the requisite happy ending.It's hard to say this is one of Heyer's funniest Regency romances because so many of them are delightfully humorous, but the characters of Sylvester and Phoebe are well-drawn and there is a stellar supporting cast that adds greatly to the novel's enjoyment. And I would give anything to read Phoebe's tell-all tale!
    • 4/5
      Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, has decided it's time to take a wife, and has made a list of suitable candidates. When he runs the list by his Godmother, she asks him to add her granddaughter, Phoebe Marlow, to the list. When he meets Phoebe, he realizes she doesn't meet his requirements that she be well-born, intelligent, elegant and attractive. Phoebe isn't thrilled at the idea of marrying Sylvester either, she had met him before and disliked him enough to portray him as a villain in a novel she has written. She runs away to her godmother, rather than have to marry him. But circumstances bring her and Sylvester together more than once, and they slowly find themselves falling in love.This was an enjoyable and funny read. Some compare it to Pride and Prejudice, I noticed the likeness especially in Sylvester's proposal to Phoebe. I enjoyed the characters of Tom Orde and Edmund. I would have liked to see more of Phoebe's sisters, however. Sir Nugent made me laugh out loud at times with his foolishness.Sylvester is the perfect book for fans of Regency romances.
    • 4/5
      I love this story of an arrogant man who sees his image in the eyes of the girl he has chosen to marry - when she refuses to have him. He sets out to make her fall in love with him, and falls in love with her himself. As always with Georgette Heyer, there is plenty of fun and entertaining dialogue.
    • 5/5
      I would give this 6 stars if I cud --one of Heyer's very best, and that I saying a lot. Phoebe Marlow presents Sylvester as the villain in her novel and then falls in love with him, while a remarkably silly woman believes he is the villain Phoebe described..
    • 4/5
      One of my favorite Heyers! Zippy and witty, as always, but her young novelist makes for an exceptionally engaging heroine, and Sylvester The Wicked Uncle has more nuance and growth than some of her romantic foils. Even the kids are more comic than grating. Delightful. Why isn't this a movie?
    • 4/5
      Now this was a Heyer that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was fun and lively. I liked the main characters. The heroine said everything she thought, and ended up in a lot of unenviable but funny predicaments. Just plain fun.
    • 4/5
      Sylvester is a great marriage catch and he has avoided it until now. He has decided it is an appropriate time to marry and gives his mother a few names of girls he is considering. She is horrified that he doesn't want to marry for love. Sylvester is then talked into meeting his godmother's granddaughter, Phoebe.Phoebe is a smart young woman who has no ambitions to marry. She wants to be a writer and has written a book. She hopes to be able to set herself up, along with her governess in her own small home. When she hears from her not so nice stepmother that the Duke of Salford is coming for a visit and plans to make an offer for her, Phoebe is desperate. She tells her father that she does not wish this but he ignores her. And when she meets the Duke, he is cold and distant. She met him previously in London society and he was rude to her. So she made him the villain in the book she has written. In desperation, she convinces her friend Tom to take her to London, where Phoebe can live and be under the protection of her grandmother. But the weather intervenes, stranding Phoebe and Tom as their carriage is overturned. Meanwhile, the Duke, who never intended to offer for Phoebe takes advantage of the household chaos that ensues to leave for London. He finds the overturned carriage and finds Phoebe and Tom at a nearby farmhouse. When he discovers why Phoebe fled, he is miffed but helps her to get to London. They then find themselves in frequent company and Phoebe discovers he is not so bad. But now her book is to be published and she is terrified he will find out.I love Heyer novels. They are like more adventurous Austen novels with heroines that are strong and not traditionally beautiful. The heroes are flawed and arrogant but of course we love them anyway.This wasn't my favorite Heyer but I did enjoy it a lot and recommend it.my rating: 3.5/5
    • 5/5
      At first glance, the subtitle of this book was somewhat confusing. Granted, that's likely because the copy I borrowed from the public library was a (first edition?) hardcover completely lacking a dust jacket, so there was no summary or blurb or anything else of that sort. Still, it took a bit for the "wicked uncle" part to be made clear.Sylvester, Duke of Salford, and Phoebe Marlowe are delightfully entertaining characters, with plenty of quirks. I also loved the various secondary characters in this story--Edmund is a particularly adorable little imp.
    • 3/5
      Phoebe runs away to avoid a proposal from a man she found arrogant, and mocked in her soon to be published novel.
    • 5/5
      Sylvester has decided it is time for him to marry and, not having fallen in love, draws up a list of requirements for his bride. On his way to check out his short list of potential brides he decides to visit the girl his mother picked out for him at birth, Phoebe Marlow. It is an unprepossessing first meeting but when Phoebe attempts to flee to London in order to escape his attentions, despite his best intentions, Sylvester is intrigued. I loved this book, its one of Heyer's best and is absolutely hilarious from Sylvester and his eyebrows to Sir Nugent and his tasselled boots.
    • 4/5
      Sylvester is one of those books that teeter on the edge of being guilty pleasures. Heyer is not what I would call high-brow literature or deep philosophy. Instead, she's just plain fun. Novels like this tend to be somewhat predictable, though the way this one was set up allowed for several different endings and it didn't become clear right away what would happen. There are spoilers below, so proceed with caution.Heyer is often said to be "the next best thing to reading Jane Austen," and while I certainly agree with that, there are some important differences between their work. One in particular struck me in Sylvester; unlike Austen, Heyer explores the inner world of her male characters, analyzing their feelings and motivations. It makes sense that this tale would begin with a comprehensive character sketch of Sylvester, as the book is titled with his name. But our heroine Phoebe Marlow doesn't suffer in characterization either, though I found her a bit contradictory at first. She is a fearless rider and manages her father's stables with authority, but she morphs into a fearful, dull, insipid girl under the stern eye of her stepmother? It didn't quite add up. But as the story progressed, I began to understand her better, and actually found the combination of contradictory traits truer to life than the "sassy lady" or "timid child" stock characters that so often people historical novels. Phoebe can certainly be forthright in a most unladylike way, but that isn't the sum of her. She's a little more complex than that, with real fears and struggles.I was expecting a scene in which Phoebe finally faces down her stepmother without the crippling fear of her childhood to hamper her, but it didn't happen, alas! And looking back, it probably would have done violence to Phoebe as a believable character to have her suddenly pluck up such courage. It's possible it could happen some years later after Phoebe grows more accustomed to her position and consequence, but Heyer was wise not to insert a scene like that. The rest of the characters are delightful in their own ways. Ianthe is the very picture of an emptyheaded, self-absorbed beauty, Nugent Fotherby the epitome of a foolish dandy, and Ianthe's son Edmund such a believable, michievous little boy. I enjoyed the understated but quite present rivalry between Keighley and Swales, Sylvester's groom and valet, respectively. Alice from the inn was also quite fun with her rough, outspoken speech. It was a pity she seemed to drop out the story when they arrived in London.Through Phoebe's scandalously popular novel, written after her first season in London, Heyer pokes a little gentle fun at the literature of the day. Like Austen, Phoebe publishes her novel anonymously, and her sketches of the leading members of the ton are so witty that everyone is simply wild to find out the identity of the authoress. Many of the people Phoebe mimics in her book come off looking foolish, but only one positively wicked. Yes, Sylvester! In Phoebe's book he figures as the diabolical Count Ugolino who wants to murder his nephew, the heir of the estate. It's all the fault of his eyebrows, of course.As in Friday's Child, the hero and heroine find themselves in need of older and wiser heads to unravel their romantic problems and finally bring them together. In this story it was Sylvester's mother, a most unusually sympathetic and pleasant invalid. I appreciated Elizabeth's clear perception of her son's faults and her ready forgiveness for Phoebe's literary indiscretion. It's refreshing to meet an invalid in a Regency novel who is not a fussing hypochondriac.Heyer just has such a gift for creating characters the reader cares about, and humorous scenes which are made so by every character simply behaving according to his personality. Fotherby's distress over the dog eating the gold tassels off his boots, and the scene that ensues, is just hilarious. The dialogue is witty and sprinkled with the slang of the period, the motivations for each character's behavior are realistic, and the story keeps pace. I just love Heyer's wry narrative voice. Near the end, she writes:He was silent. Well! now she knew how right she had been. He was not in the least in love with her, and very happy she was to know it. All she wanted was a suitable retreat, such as a lumber-room, or a coal-cellar, in which to enjoy her happiness to the full.It may not be illustrious literature, but Sylvester satisfies the fundamental reason why I read: for the sheer enjoyment of it. I recommend Heyer to anyone else who reads for the same reason; she's just too much fun to keep a secret.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful and fun main characters with several humorous and ridiculous friends and family.
    • 5/5
      I hesitated over giving this one 5 stars. It's good. Very good. There were no problems with it at all. But I guess I'm just not seeing what makes everyone drool over Heyer so much. Perhaps they just don't read much good Regency romance. That's the problem when something's over-praised. I was expecting to have an "OMG, this is so GOOD" reaction, but instead I just liked it very much. Maybe it's the historical context--because nobody was writing Regency romances when this was written. Anyway, we have a young independent woman, a matchmaking mama, a duke, a young nephew, a self-centered widowed sister-in-law. It's a very nice story.
    • 5/5
      Charming! Delightful characters with irresistible dialogues for laugh-out-loud amusements.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this. it has all of the usual Heyer hallmarks, with two equally if differently flawed protagonists. it was funny and absurd situations and failures to communicate effectively abound. By the end I felt like Heyer had compressed the entire Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane courtship into one novel. but that was the point of the one novel.