Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer (Book Review)

Title: Cousin Kate
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

First sentence: At no time during the twenty-four hours was the Bull and Mouth Inn a place of quiet or repose, and by ten o'clock in the morning, when the stage-coach from Wisbech, turning top-heavyily out of Aldersgate, lumbered into its yard, it seemed, to one weary and downcast passenger at least, to be crowded with vehicles of every description, from a yellow-bodied post-chaise to a wagon, with its shafts cocked up and the various packages and bundles it carried strewn over the yard. (Whew - long sentence!)

About the book: Kate is a young girl in her mid-twenties. Young by our standards, but in the Regency period she was bordering on being an old maid. What is worse is that both of her parents have died, and she has just lost her job as a nanny. So she has no home, no job, and nothing for a dowry.

She has traveled to her childhood nurse, Sarah's home until she can find another placement. She doesn't feel like she can stay with Sarah as she has her own husband and family to care for - so when her Aunt Minerva shows up (her deceased father's estranged half-sister) - Kate views her as her salvation.

Aunt Minerva, however, is not taking Kate home to Staplewood out of the goodness of her heart. She definitely has ulterior motives. She is looking for a wife for her son Torquil - and Torquil isn't exactly a "catch". Can Kate discover what her Aunt Minerva is up to before it is too late? And will her cousin Phillip be her ally?

My thoughts: Where this wasn't necessarily a romance like the previous two Heyer books (A Convenient Marriage, Frederica) that I enjoyed - it wasn't really a mystery either like Why Shoot a Butler? which I didn't really care for at all. But no matter, I still liked this one. It contained all the humor and wit that I have come to expect when reading one of her novels.

Cousin Kate
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, 1968/2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1768-5
373 pages

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Frederica by Georgette Heyer (Book Review)

Title: Frederica
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Sourcebooks

I read this book as an ARC from Sourcebooks. Thanks Danielle!

First sentence: Not more than five days after she had despatched an urgent missive to her brother, the Most Honourable the Marquis of Alverstoke, requesting him to visit her at his earliest convenience, the widowed Lady Buxted was relieved to learn from her youngest daughter that Uncle Vernon had just driven up to the house, wearing a coat with dozens of capes, and looking as fine as fivepence.

About the book: When Frederica brings her younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, she seeks out their distant cousin the Marquis of Alverstoke. Lovely, competent, and refreshingly straightforward, Frederica makes such a strong impression that to his own amazement, the Marquis agrees to help launch them all into society.

Lord Alverstoke can't resist wanting to help her.

Normally wary of his family, which includes two overbearing sisters and innumerable favor-seekers, Lord Alverstoke does his best to keep his distance. But with his enterprising - and altogether entertaining - country cousins getting into one scrape after another right on his doorstep, before he knows it the Marquis finds himself dangerously embroiled. . . (from the back cover)

My thoughts: I am slowly becoming a Georgette Heyer fan. I was a little concerned after I read Why Shoot a Butler? that this was not going to be the author for me. But then I read The Convenient Marriage and quickly changed my mind. This book, Frederica, was more in line with The Convenient Marriage. It was full of family, humor, society do's and don'ts and of course, romance.

The heroine, Frederica, though just in her 20's, is caring for her younger sister Charis and three younger brothers, Harry, Jessamy and Felix. She has decided that Charis' chance to meet a suitable husband would be better in the city than in the country. This is where Lord Alverstoke comes in. He is their father's cousin, but Frederica thinks he would be Charis' best chance at being introduced into society. She is very honest with him about her request, and after Lord Alverstoke finds out her sister is beautiful, he decides to help her. You see, Lord Alverstoke is pretty selfish and used to getting what he wants - he is also tired of everyone asking him for favors. But he thinks this would be a good "game" to play with his sister who has been asking him to help introduce HER daughters into society - and her daughters are no where near as beautiful as Charis. So, in offering to help Frederica, he forces his sister to take Charis under her wing and introduce her also. Confused?

This book does take awhile to get into and to get invested into the characters - but once you do it flows. Please be sure to give it a chance as I think you will be happy you did!

About the author: Georgette Heyer wrote over 50 novels, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.

Frederica
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, January 2009 (original 1965)
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1476-9
446 pages

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (Book Review)

Title: The Convenient Marriage
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, February 2009 (original publication date 1934)
Genre: Regency Romance

First sentence: Lady Winwood being denied, the morning caller inquired with some anxiety for Miss Winwood, or, in fact, for any of the young ladies.

About the book: Horatia Winwood is simply helping her family. When the Earl of Rule proposes marriage to her sister Lizzie, Horatia offers herself instead. Her sister is already in love with someone else, and Horatia is willing to sacrifice herself for her family's happiness. Everyone knows she's no beauty, but she'll do her best to keep out of the Earl's way and make him a good wife. And then the Earl's archenemy, Sir Robert, sets out to ruin her reputation. . .

The Earl of Rule has found just the wife he wants. Unbeknownst to Horatia, the Earl is enchanted by her. There's simply no way he's going to let her get into trouble. Overcoming some misguided help from Horatia's harebrained brother and a hired highwayman, the Earl routs his old enemy, and wins over his young wife, gifting her with a love that she never thought she could expect.

My review: Ok, I am officially a Georgette Heyer fan. I admit that I did not like the mystery that I read, Why Shoot a Butler? - but I am not really a big fan of that genre as a whole. This one, on the other hand, was delightful. The characters were charming and at times a little outrageous - especially for the time period. Like in the very beginning when Horatia takes it upon herself to visit Lord Rule and ask him to marry her in place of her sister Lizzie. And of course, she does all this behind her family's back. Horry proceeds to become the Earl's wife and quickly becomes the toast of the town. She is burdened with a stammer and I got the impression that as the youngest Winwood she was not always taken seriously. Once she becomes a wife, and a wealthy one at that, she lets nothing stand in her way to do whatever she feels she wants to - including catching the eye of Lord Lethbridge. I believe she pursues him only because everyone warns her to stay away from him - and he uses her as a pawn because of his dislike of the Earl. If you are a fan of Jane Austen type romances - and haven't yet tried Georgette Heyer - pick this one up soon. Sourcebooks is reissuing a slew of Georgette Heyer books - mysteries, romances and historical fiction. A whole new generation will be able to appreciate these works!

The Convenient Marriage
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks, February 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1772-2
ISBN-10: 1-4022-1772-2
318 pages

Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer (Book Review)

Title: Why Shoot a Butler?
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher/Publication Date: Originally published in 1933 by Georgette Rougier - Reprinted in 2009 by Sourcebooks Landmark.

First sentence: The signpost was unhelpful.

From the back cover: Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly. . . On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her - at last until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up. . . In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth.

My thoughts: I am not a huge fan of this genre, having just read my first Agatha Christie novel last fall, but since I liked the Christie novel thought I would give it a shot. This one was just okay for me. It did start to pick up towards the end and I got more engaged in the story, but not sure that I would have stuck with it if I hadn't promised to read it! I am glad that I did though, as I have been wanting to try out some Heyer novels. By the end of the book I did have an idea of who the perpetrator was - but wasn't clear on why he was doing what he was doing. As Amberley began to lay out all the clues, it became clearer to me - and that is when you say -"Oh yeah, how could I have missed that?!" I do have some of her romance books to give a go next and am interested in seeing how they will differ from this mystery.

Read an excerpt of Why Shoot a Butler?

Why Shoot a Butler?
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks/April 2009
ISBN-10: 1-4022-1795-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1795-1
329 pages

Teaser Tuesday 5-19-2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

It has been troubling me a good deal, if Imay say so. The young gentleman attempted to shoot me, as you, sir' - he bowed to Amberley - 'will no doubt remember. (Why Shoot a Butler? p143)

The Friday 56 3-27-2009

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

She followed him, half angry, half amused. 'Look here, I admit I owe you a debt of gratitude for not making trouble the other night, but that doesn't give you the right to force your presence on me. Please go. (From Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer p56)