A review by daphne2000
The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

4.0

This was a delightful romp. I literally never use that word, but I can't think of a better descriptor. This honestly, truly was not a high quality book, but it was so much fun! Nothing about the story made any sense, but it was a fun ride. Even though this is categorized as a romance book, I wouldn't go into this expecting a ton of romance. Yes, there are romantic subplots, but they're fairly minor compared to actual romance books in my opinion.

This book gave me extreme Twelfth Night vibes except with a more intelligent version of Duke Orsino. Much like the play, the characters were a tiny bit underdeveloped, but I don't think that detracts from the novel. Yes, there could have been some more character development, but I got enough to understand the motivations of all the characters and the enjoy them. Also, considering the time that this was published, I really enjoyed how the female characters were presented. The two female leads were very different from one another, but neither of them were demonized for being too masculine or too feminine, something that even modern authors can't get right.

I'm really glad that I've discovered Georgette Heyer! Her books are trash, but exactly the type of trash I love.