Posts from — August 2008

I've been combing through my library's romances and they all seem to take place in the present, with very few historical romances, and as such, any suggestions with said genre would be wonderful! Also, I've just started reading Georgette Heyer, (Arabella and Frederica), and I would love some recommendations by that author as well. I have heard some of her later books were more on the serious side, however for now, I would love some that run along the same lines asthe two that I have already read. Is there any other authors that wrote/write as she did? Thank you very much, and any help is greatly appreciated!

I envy you just starting out on Georgette Heyer - I loved all her books, apart from her modern detective ones, and found her style elegant, witty, amusing (sometimes hilarious) and usually a wholly pleasurable history lesson. She researched meticulously, and by reading her Regency romances, you enter her world exclusively.

She began by writing the 18th century "The Black Moth" for her ailing brother, when she was only a teenager. Other books followed thick and fast, and the Regency ones are those for which she is most famous, being a mistress of the genre. I append a site devoted to her. Her later novels, like "Venetia" and "A Civil Contract" are more autumnal, and warmer in tone than the dizzy, delightful earlier confections. She also wrote "Simon the Coldheart", set in medieval times, and "Beauvallet" in Elizabethan times. There were a few 18th century romances, too, some set in the earlier part of the 1700s, some later. Her great love was what she called "armour", the medieval period, and she began writing "Lord John" about the Duke of Bedford. Sadly, it was never finished. And, where she was totally at home with Regency speech, it eluded her in medieval times.

Have a look here:
http://www.georgette-heyer.com/

Try Heyer's "The Grand Sophy", "Friday's Child", "Cotillion" for similarities to the ones you mention.

I'm not much of an historical romance reader, but recommend Kathleen Winsor's "Forever Amber" and Anya Seton's "Katherine".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_novel#Historical_romance