Reviews

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

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ellingtonfeint's review against another edition

5.0

A swashbuckling merry hero and a heroine of stature and gentle defiance. A tale of escape with an interesting historical background, set in the time of the Spanish inquisition. The clothing is beautiful and a hero who never fails is a captivating read. The language of the time is beautiful too. Especially that of Joshua Dimmock, Beauvallet's manservant, when he gets started on a tall tale! The scenes set on the ship out to sea are very enjoyable to read. The type of mapcap adventure that is needed in any library. Beauvallet laughs they say and his lady, Dominica, too.

ccgwalt's review against another edition

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5.0

8/27/20 relisten- still a wonderful story and lots of fun!

In a word, wonderful! The tale of a daring (and dashing) privateer determined to seek out his lady-love in the heart of enemy Spain is superbly written and expertly narrated. Georgette Heyer may be a master at Regency romances, but this one set in Elizabethan times may be one of my all time favorites. The book is full of wonderful characters, wry humor, witty scenes and clever dialog. While the romance is sweet, and a driving force behind the action, this book is different from many of Heyer's other works. The first part of the book unfolds the romance, and the second half follows Beauvallet as he attempts to keeps his word to find Dominica and bring her to England. The story is action-packed and often very humorous. Joshua, Beauvallet's "man," is a great character and we get to see part of the story from his point-of-view. Cornelius Garrett does the voices superbly, especially Joshua's, and his timing is perfect. I'm sure I'd have enjoyed this book no matter what, but listening to it with such a great narrator was a real treat.

vae's review against another edition

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3.0

Swash and buckle and buckle and swash indeed.

majkia's review against another edition

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4.0

Not my favorite Heyer, but amusing nonetheless. Pirates!

guiltlesspleasures's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a lot of fun. Rather than being set in Georgian or Regency times like most Heyers, Beauvallet takes us back to Elizabethan England and Inquisition-era Spain, with the Shakespearean dialogue to go with it. We meet Nick Beauvallet, a swashbuckling rogue with a pearly grin, and Dominica, a true Heyer heroine with a fiery temper that is all too willing to be cooled by a strong man. Lots of horse chases, secret identities, a couple of run-ins with creepy King Philip of Spain, and plenty of fun anti-Catholicism. It felt campy and cinematic, like Errol Flynn should play Beauvallet.

a_chickletz's review against another edition

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3.0

Have you ever seen the movie The Sea Hawk? Did Georgette Heyer ever see that movie? I feel she must have because the book reminds me of this. But seeing that the film was based heavily on Sir Francis Drake, and the main character (of Beauvallet) is friends with Sir Francis, I think that I found where the similarities come together.

Both feature a captain who works for the Queen capturing ships; both capture a ship with a Don and Dona ; both feature the main character falling in love with the Don's daughter ; both feature disguises, rescues, and The Spanish Inquisition.

It's not as strong as her previous romances, and the story is pretty weak at times, but I loved Sir Nicholas and his love for the strong willed beauty that he laid his eyes on.

So, what I'm saying is: if you love Errol Flynn/The Sea Hawk, then you'll enjoy this book but don't think you're getting a meaty plot, just a fun adventure romance.