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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
slow-paced
One of Heyer's earliest novels, and it appears that she attempted to write in Austen's style, with an awkward result that is almost painful at times. After this, she began developing her own distinctive style, mixing Regency-era slang with twenties Bright Young Thing cadences.
The hero in this one is one of her Brutal Guys. I loathed him in this book, though I like him much better in An Infamous Army. But this one had a lot of details about Regency life that were enjoyable, at least when I first read it as a teen. I have to admit I haven't reread it for decades as I don't like the hero, and I don't like the heroine being humiliated by the hero as he asserts his dominance.
The hero in this one is one of her Brutal Guys. I loathed him in this book, though I like him much better in An Infamous Army. But this one had a lot of details about Regency life that were enjoyable, at least when I first read it as a teen. I have to admit I haven't reread it for decades as I don't like the hero, and I don't like the heroine being humiliated by the hero as he asserts his dominance.
Reread Nov 2nd-Nov 3rd 2015
Another favourite of mine! Really, Heyer always has the most interesting characters in her historicals! And I always find myself thinking how droll they are.
I remember the first time I read this, I picked it up simply because I was in a Georgette Heyer reading craze, so it didn't matter which book it was, as long as it was Regency Era, and written by Georgette Heyer, then sure, I'll definitely read it!
Regency Buck is actually one of a sequence of three books that could actually be said to series. Characters from Regency Buck can also be seen in [b:An Infamous Army|311226|An Infamous Army (Alastair, #4)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320463470s/311226.jpg|1913091], where the brother of the Hero in Regency Buck, becomes the hero in An Infamous Army. The Heroine in An Infamous Army, is also related to the main characters in [b:Devil's Cub|311308|Devil's Cub (Alastair, #2)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386920835s/311308.jpg|1964370] and [b:These Old Shades|311182|These Old Shades (Alastair, #1)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386920834s/311182.jpg|2682162]. ALl of these books, are fun and hilarious and full miscommunication.
An Infamous Army is actually the more serious of the four novels, and one I didn't love all too much but still liked a lot by the end. These Old Shades features a couple with a VERY big age gap, but I worked around this by pretending that one or the other was actually younger/older than written in the book. Devil's Cub features a couple with one of the smallest age gaps (of all Heyer Regency couples), and the Regency Buck pair have a 14 year-ish age gap, which is significantly large, but really, when you read the story, you'd forgive the age gap! Specially if you're not bothered by such things/can accept that back in history there were couples like this all the time/are very good at pretending that one or the other was actually older or younger than writ.
I am in the category of all three mainly, and mostly, I love Heyer's regencies so I don't mind!
In this book, it has classic Heyer written all over it. But this one also has a bit of the mystery flair like [b:The Reluctant Widow|311096|The Reluctant Widow|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327943029s/311096.jpg|1435688], [b:The Talisman Ring|32108|The Talisman Ring|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388203991s/32108.jpg|1232335], and any other Regency Romance by Heyer that I can't think of at the top of my head. You have:
The H E I R E S S, Judith Taverner, who is a beauty despite being a bit tall with blonde hair. H E R B R O T H E R, whom also has a considerable inheritance, which, were he to die for some reason would pass to Judith. And then you have T H E G U A R D I A N, Julian St. John Audley, Fifth Earl of Worth, who had actually been made their guardian by a mistake.
Judith began unfavourably for me, because she sounded so pretentious, but then again, when she first meets Julian, he acted so atrociously, it was no wonder she constantly kept telling him to go away (she didn't know just like he didn't know that he was her guardian). But of course, the man is unbelievable, and despite being a Gentleman, he treats her like a commoner, rather than a Lady of Quality, insisting on driving her back to town, and even, kissing her just to provoke her. So yeah, pretty much, Judith hates him from the beginning, and she's even more furious when she learns (or rather her and Peregrine are shocked to find) that Worth is her guardian.
R O M A N C E
The romance in this occurs over a period of time, a little longer than what the adventures of the other Regency Romances. With Lord Worth's help, with his connections, Judith becomes the rage of the London season, which isn't at all hard to do with her fortune and beauty. Judith and Worth have some of the most funniest interactions I've seen in Heyer's posts, he's always provoking her, predicting how she would act before hand, and always managing to make her do what he had actually intended her to do. He tries to control her (unfortunately this is a negative trait of Heyer's works, specially if you're feminist) but she always tries to defy him. And she does manage to succeed sometimes. But other times she regrets what she does. And sometimes he regrets it too. But mostly, over the course of the book, Judith learns to appreciate and like the Earl of Worth, and also, realise who she should trust.
Funny scenes:
- The way they send messages to each other (since it's regency England, and in the midst of the London Season, footmen/another servant are sent from one house to the other) about insisting a meeting as Ward and Guardian so that Judith can ask him why he was refusing any and all requests from potential suitors to propose to her (she actually couldn't care less, but just gets infuriated that he made the executive decision).
- Lord Worth has organised for the Taverner's to go to Brighton after Christmas. He gives Judith two choices of house, and convinces her (by using reverse psychology) to select one of two houses he had arranged for them. Later, Judith learns from Worth's brother that he had intended for Judith to take the one on Meridian (crap forgot how it's spelt) Parade, even though to Judith, Worth had suggested the other one. This scene is adorable because Judith realises she's been tricked (and even though she does like the house she ended up selecting, and also the same one that Worth wanted her to pick) and she tries to change her mind, but Worth tells her it's too late--that the other house is already taken (and we learn who takes the house later in the book!)
- Other funny scenes I won't repeat now because that's where you should go and read the book ;) and enjoy it first hand! the funny, slow developing, sweet, adorable relationship between an unintentional Guardian and his feisty, witty Ward. This is one of those romances where the male is good looking, smart, and mellow, and he finds amusement in a female for her feisty nature, and also, it doesn't hurt that she's beautiful to boot.
C H A R A C T E R S
Worth is one of my favourite heros, only because he works so well with the heroine. I suppose I also like him because he so deliberately provoking all the time!
Judith I liked in the end, especially when she didn't seem as airheaded as she began. I mean really, she was so determined to go against Worth all the time, yet as she developed, and I got to see the side of her that really did think about the things she did, I liked her more!
Peregrine. He should be comedy relief of the story, though not really. He was a fun character, but he's the least developed character and doesn't really change through the course of the book. In saying that though he's also a very well carved character, with a distinct flair and personality. He's mostly selfish, yet he genuinely cares about those he loves, and is easily won over by the Earl whenever the Earl says yes to his request, and dislikes the Earl if the Earl declines his request. But at the same time, Perry knew who should be trusted better than Judith.
Side characters, love them all! All purposeful, all adding some humour or atmosphere to the story!
O V E R A L L
One of my favourite historicals!
Another favourite of mine! Really, Heyer always has the most interesting characters in her historicals! And I always find myself thinking how droll they are.
I remember the first time I read this, I picked it up simply because I was in a Georgette Heyer reading craze, so it didn't matter which book it was, as long as it was Regency Era, and written by Georgette Heyer, then sure, I'll definitely read it!
Regency Buck is actually one of a sequence of three books that could actually be said to series. Characters from Regency Buck can also be seen in [b:An Infamous Army|311226|An Infamous Army (Alastair, #4)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320463470s/311226.jpg|1913091], where the brother of the Hero in Regency Buck, becomes the hero in An Infamous Army. The Heroine in An Infamous Army, is also related to the main characters in [b:Devil's Cub|311308|Devil's Cub (Alastair, #2)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386920835s/311308.jpg|1964370] and [b:These Old Shades|311182|These Old Shades (Alastair, #1)|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386920834s/311182.jpg|2682162]. ALl of these books, are fun and hilarious and full miscommunication.
An Infamous Army is actually the more serious of the four novels, and one I didn't love all too much but still liked a lot by the end. These Old Shades features a couple with a VERY big age gap, but I worked around this by pretending that one or the other was actually younger/older than written in the book. Devil's Cub features a couple with one of the smallest age gaps (of all Heyer Regency couples), and the Regency Buck pair have a 14 year-ish age gap, which is significantly large, but really, when you read the story, you'd forgive the age gap! Specially if you're not bothered by such things/can accept that back in history there were couples like this all the time/are very good at pretending that one or the other was actually older or younger than writ.
I am in the category of all three mainly, and mostly, I love Heyer's regencies so I don't mind!
In this book, it has classic Heyer written all over it. But this one also has a bit of the mystery flair like [b:The Reluctant Widow|311096|The Reluctant Widow|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327943029s/311096.jpg|1435688], [b:The Talisman Ring|32108|The Talisman Ring|Georgette Heyer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388203991s/32108.jpg|1232335], and any other Regency Romance by Heyer that I can't think of at the top of my head. You have:
The H E I R E S S, Judith Taverner, who is a beauty despite being a bit tall with blonde hair. H E R B R O T H E R, whom also has a considerable inheritance, which, were he to die for some reason would pass to Judith. And then you have T H E G U A R D I A N, Julian St. John Audley, Fifth Earl of Worth, who had actually been made their guardian by a mistake.
Judith began unfavourably for me, because she sounded so pretentious, but then again, when she first meets Julian, he acted so atrociously, it was no wonder she constantly kept telling him to go away (she didn't know just like he didn't know that he was her guardian). But of course, the man is unbelievable, and despite being a Gentleman, he treats her like a commoner, rather than a Lady of Quality, insisting on driving her back to town, and even, kissing her just to provoke her. So yeah, pretty much, Judith hates him from the beginning, and she's even more furious when she learns (or rather her and Peregrine are shocked to find) that Worth is her guardian.
R O M A N C E
The romance in this occurs over a period of time, a little longer than what the adventures of the other Regency Romances. With Lord Worth's help, with his connections, Judith becomes the rage of the London season, which isn't at all hard to do with her fortune and beauty. Judith and Worth have some of the most funniest interactions I've seen in Heyer's posts, he's always provoking her, predicting how she would act before hand, and always managing to make her do what he had actually intended her to do. He tries to control her (unfortunately this is a negative trait of Heyer's works, specially if you're feminist) but she always tries to defy him. And she does manage to succeed sometimes. But other times she regrets what she does. And sometimes he regrets it too. But mostly, over the course of the book, Judith learns to appreciate and like the Earl of Worth, and also, realise who she should trust.
Funny scenes:
- The way they send messages to each other (since it's regency England, and in the midst of the London Season, footmen/another servant are sent from one house to the other) about insisting a meeting as Ward and Guardian so that Judith can ask him why he was refusing any and all requests from potential suitors to propose to her (she actually couldn't care less, but just gets infuriated that he made the executive decision).
- Lord Worth has organised for the Taverner's to go to Brighton after Christmas. He gives Judith two choices of house, and convinces her (by using reverse psychology) to select one of two houses he had arranged for them. Later, Judith learns from Worth's brother that he had intended for Judith to take the one on Meridian (crap forgot how it's spelt) Parade, even though to Judith, Worth had suggested the other one. This scene is adorable because Judith realises she's been tricked (and even though she does like the house she ended up selecting, and also the same one that Worth wanted her to pick) and she tries to change her mind, but Worth tells her it's too late--that the other house is already taken (and we learn who takes the house later in the book!)
- Other funny scenes I won't repeat now because that's where you should go and read the book ;) and enjoy it first hand! the funny, slow developing, sweet, adorable relationship between an unintentional Guardian and his feisty, witty Ward. This is one of those romances where the male is good looking, smart, and mellow, and he finds amusement in a female for her feisty nature, and also, it doesn't hurt that she's beautiful to boot.
C H A R A C T E R S
Worth is one of my favourite heros, only because he works so well with the heroine. I suppose I also like him because he so deliberately provoking all the time!
Judith I liked in the end, especially when she didn't seem as airheaded as she began. I mean really, she was so determined to go against Worth all the time, yet as she developed, and I got to see the side of her that really did think about the things she did, I liked her more!
Peregrine. He should be comedy relief of the story, though not really. He was a fun character, but he's the least developed character and doesn't really change through the course of the book. In saying that though he's also a very well carved character, with a distinct flair and personality. He's mostly selfish, yet he genuinely cares about those he loves, and is easily won over by the Earl whenever the Earl says yes to his request, and dislikes the Earl if the Earl declines his request. But at the same time, Perry knew who should be trusted better than Judith.
Side characters, love them all! All purposeful, all adding some humour or atmosphere to the story!
O V E R A L L
One of my favourite historicals!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
The characters in this novel may praise Jane Austen and disdain Ann Radcliffe, but Heyer borrows from both to fuel her Regency drama, which is as much a tale of murder and intrigue among the Georgian elites as it is a comedy of manners and marriages.
To a point, it's all perfectly good fun. It may not be as psychologically penetrating or wittily observed as even the weakest Austen, but Heyer offers other charms to make up for her deficiencies. Regency Buck is set amidst the highest echelon of English society, bringing us into contact with not just dukes and earls, but the Prince Regent himself as well as the infamous dandy Beau Brummel. We go beyond drawing rooms and countryside walks to cockfights and gentlemen's clubs. This is a world adjacent but separate from Austen's, with plenty of fresh perspectives to offer on Regency England. So far, so good.
BUT (SPOILER AHEAD)
To a point, it's all perfectly good fun. It may not be as psychologically penetrating or wittily observed as even the weakest Austen, but Heyer offers other charms to make up for her deficiencies. Regency Buck is set amidst the highest echelon of English society, bringing us into contact with not just dukes and earls, but the Prince Regent himself as well as the infamous dandy Beau Brummel. We go beyond drawing rooms and countryside walks to cockfights and gentlemen's clubs. This is a world adjacent but separate from Austen's, with plenty of fresh perspectives to offer on Regency England. So far, so good.
BUT (SPOILER AHEAD)
Spoiler
I have an enormous issue with the overarching plot, which involves the attempted murder of the young heir, Peregrine Taverner. Heyer, perhaps in aid of throwing false suspicion on Lord Worth, has made that character so much a misogynist - at one point he threatens to beat the heroine because she answers back pertly to his own rudeness - that for him to ultimately become the saviour (and husband) of Miss Taverner is to say that readers should excuse sexism and a complacent jokiness about wife beating because, hey, he's a good guy really. Miss Taverner is made by her creator to fall for a man who thinks nothing of forcing her into a corner with his bulk and touching her face at his pleasure, regardless of whether these attentions are desired. Perhaps when Heyer wrote Regency Buck it all seemed romantic, a show of masculine prowess, but it sits very uncomfortably with our modern-day views on male chauvinism.
So offensive.
I kept on reading bc a lot of Georgette's books are masterpieces. Given her time period, etc., I'm always prepared for some amount of offensiveness and uncomfortable age differences. This was another level. Racism; name-calling; the hero happily talking about beating the heroine, both mid-book and sweetly at the end during their cozy HEA.
I kept on reading bc a lot of Georgette's books are masterpieces. Given her time period, etc., I'm always prepared for some amount of offensiveness and uncomfortable age differences. This was another level. Racism; name-calling; the hero happily talking about beating the heroine, both mid-book and sweetly at the end during their cozy HEA.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated