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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a find.
I feel as though I've just discovered buried treasure. Only I wish I'd made this discovery when Heyers' novels were on KU. Bummer. Gonna try to run the gamut of her Regency romances. The writing takes a bit to get used to, but awesome all the same.
I feel as though I've just discovered buried treasure. Only I wish I'd made this discovery when Heyers' novels were on KU. Bummer. Gonna try to run the gamut of her Regency romances. The writing takes a bit to get used to, but awesome all the same.
Vernon Alverstroke knows exactly what he dislikes and he has no patience for boredom. Having lived his life in the most genteel fashion, he has managed, thus far, to live a completely pleasant life with all his experiences more or less in his control. Well, until he meets Frederica Merriville, that is. Frederica has arrived in London with her three siblings in order to introduce her sister into London society - but she needs some assistance and appeals to Lord Alverstroke without knowing him or his character. With one hasty decision, Vernon's life will go from orderly and prescribed to frolicking chaos.
Yes, it's a regency romance and I did enjoy it very much. I liked the arc of Lord Alverstroke's character and Frederica is a strong and charismatic woman. From coming-out balls to hot air balloons escapades, the plot moves along quickly even if it felt a bit long to me. I do love her style of writing and all the funny adjectives and pet names her characters call each other make reading the story so much fun. My only complaint is one that I have for nearly every Heyer I've read: that while you know they are in love the entire book, the moments when they are finally admitting it and being together are so few. Her endings are quite abrupt and I always want a bit more. But the journey is always such a delightful romp that I just keep picking her books up.
Yes, it's a regency romance and I did enjoy it very much. I liked the arc of Lord Alverstroke's character and Frederica is a strong and charismatic woman. From coming-out balls to hot air balloons escapades, the plot moves along quickly even if it felt a bit long to me. I do love her style of writing and all the funny adjectives and pet names her characters call each other make reading the story so much fun. My only complaint is one that I have for nearly every Heyer I've read: that while you know they are in love the entire book, the moments when they are finally admitting it and being together are so few. Her endings are quite abrupt and I always want a bit more. But the journey is always such a delightful romp that I just keep picking her books up.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was cute, didn't quite live up to the ravings I'd heard about it. Felt like a remix of Sense and Sensibility with a dash of Pride and Prejudice. Some funny moments, many overwrought moments, and felt overall longer than it needed to be.
Lord Alverstock is wealthy, elegant, and not known for his warmth. His two London-based sisters, Mrs. Dauntry and Lady Buxted, are frequently annoyed that he pays no mind to them, gives them no extra money when they ask, and has no desire to support their children in Society, beyond appointing Endymion Dauntrey his heir.
Vernon Alverstock is bored easily, and has never had his heart moved by any of his pmistresses, and moves on from his relatiobships as soon as he finds them tedious. His super competent Secretary Charles Trevor manages his life for him, including sending his mistresses away, and acting as a buffer between Alverstock and those who bore him, like his sisters, who he feels bother him with financial demands.
Then, the Merriville siblings, nominally headed by Harry but really by eldest sister Frederica has been managing the estate and her siblings from a young age. Twenty-four-year-old Frederica petitions Alverstock to help her launch her beautiful younger sister Charis into Society. Though resistant at first, he goes along with her scheme because she’s the first interesting person he’s met in a while. And though they aren’t related, Frederica concocts a fiction that allows the Merrivilles to move in his and others’ orbit: her father married an unsuitable woman (this is true, if you’re snobby), had kids and lost a lot of money because he liked to gamble. Alverstock knew the man (also true), and was placed under an obligation by the man to help his kids enter into Society (the fictional part of the story).
Alverstock is not only intrigued by Frederica, whose manners and address are forthright, her understanding of life realistic and humourous, and her view of him clear-eyed, as she sees his boredom and general unwillingness to engage because he doesn’t care for others. She wants his help, but doesn’t badger him, and even presents him with a plan to do it. He accedes, partly because no one has spoken to him like this before, and the younger brothers amuse and interest him. And because it would aggravate his London sisters.
Alverstock thinks he’ll just introduce them to the ton and then sit back, but the Merrivilles challenge him and push him into engaging with them through several, small calamities caused by their big, exuberant dog, or by the younger siblings getting into scrapes that require either a small infusion of cash, or him to flex his statu. Each time, he engages willingly, surprising the heck out of his family and Society.
By three quarters into the novel, we know Alverstock has fallen for Frederica, and loves her younger brothers. He has little interest in the beautiful sister whom Frederica wants a good marriage for as she’s nice but totally empty-headed, and correctly assesses that the Harry Merriville family is lazy and uninterested in doing the work to care for his siblings or the estate.
Though this book was much longer than I was expected, it was delightful. Frederica is charming and level headed, and has no use for marriage at the book’s outset, but finds herself greatly enjoying her time spent with Alverstock, and missing him when he’s not around. And though surprised by his growing involvement in their lives, Frederica's believable reliance on and respect for on Alverstock was a pleasure to see evolve, as well as his mystification at his desire to aid them. We know he's falling in love before he does.
There is much conversation and humour in the book, and the transition of Alverstock from uncaring rake to considerate and loving man was handled masterfully by the author. I highly recommend this if you like somewhat densely written historical romances.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Vernon Alverstock is bored easily, and has never had his heart moved by any of his pmistresses, and moves on from his relatiobships as soon as he finds them tedious. His super competent Secretary Charles Trevor manages his life for him, including sending his mistresses away, and acting as a buffer between Alverstock and those who bore him, like his sisters, who he feels bother him with financial demands.
Then, the Merriville siblings, nominally headed by Harry but really by eldest sister Frederica has been managing the estate and her siblings from a young age. Twenty-four-year-old Frederica petitions Alverstock to help her launch her beautiful younger sister Charis into Society. Though resistant at first, he goes along with her scheme because she’s the first interesting person he’s met in a while. And though they aren’t related, Frederica concocts a fiction that allows the Merrivilles to move in his and others’ orbit: her father married an unsuitable woman (this is true, if you’re snobby), had kids and lost a lot of money because he liked to gamble. Alverstock knew the man (also true), and was placed under an obligation by the man to help his kids enter into Society (the fictional part of the story).
Alverstock is not only intrigued by Frederica, whose manners and address are forthright, her understanding of life realistic and humourous, and her view of him clear-eyed, as she sees his boredom and general unwillingness to engage because he doesn’t care for others. She wants his help, but doesn’t badger him, and even presents him with a plan to do it. He accedes, partly because no one has spoken to him like this before, and the younger brothers amuse and interest him. And because it would aggravate his London sisters.
Alverstock thinks he’ll just introduce them to the ton and then sit back, but the Merrivilles challenge him and push him into engaging with them through several, small calamities caused by their big, exuberant dog, or by the younger siblings getting into scrapes that require either a small infusion of cash, or him to flex his statu. Each time, he engages willingly, surprising the heck out of his family and Society.
By three quarters into the novel, we know Alverstock has fallen for Frederica, and loves her younger brothers. He has little interest in the beautiful sister whom Frederica wants a good marriage for as she’s nice but totally empty-headed, and correctly assesses that the Harry Merriville family is lazy and uninterested in doing the work to care for his siblings or the estate.
Though this book was much longer than I was expected, it was delightful. Frederica is charming and level headed, and has no use for marriage at the book’s outset, but finds herself greatly enjoying her time spent with Alverstock, and missing him when he’s not around. And though surprised by his growing involvement in their lives, Frederica's believable reliance on and respect for on Alverstock was a pleasure to see evolve, as well as his mystification at his desire to aid them. We know he's falling in love before he does.
There is much conversation and humour in the book, and the transition of Alverstock from uncaring rake to considerate and loving man was handled masterfully by the author. I highly recommend this if you like somewhat densely written historical romances.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for my review.