by Georgette HeyerPublisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: April 1, 2011
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com (from an older edition):
Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, is a polished bachelor who has stringent requirements for his future wife—she must be wellborn, intelligent, elegant and attractive. And of course she must be able to present herself well in high society. But when he is encouraged to consider Phoebe Marlow as a bride, Sylvester is taken aback by the coltish woman who seems to resent him….
When Phoebe runs away, circumstances find the two striking up an unusual friendship. Phoebe discovers that the duke isn't the villain she first thought. And Sylvester stumbles upon something he never dared hope for.…
My Review:
This book is hilarious! After my initial experience reading Heyer was a flop (The Quiet Gentleman), I finally see why she has legions of fans. "Sylvester" is a sweet regency romance, with truly funny, witty dialogue.
I can see how there are comparisons to "Pride and Prejudice" with this book, but it's very different and fresh also. Sylvester is so hilariously arrogant. But he's still absolutely adorable because he's so clueless about it. And how can you blame him, he's a duke, so he's never been told no about anything.
Phoebe isn't perfect herself, and their back and forth banter is really so funny. I almost can't believe how snarky they are to each other! I'm curious if this was common the Regency era to Heyer's time. I think it would be considered rude to banter like they do in today's world, but in this context it is so darn funny!
The only thing that I didn't love about the couple was their difference in maturity levels. It seemed like Phoebe was perfectly happy running around being silly with her best friend, Tom, who is her own age. It's too bad that she wasn't able to stay a 'kid' a little longer.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 3/5 (too serious for the story!)
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I recommend this book to fans of sweet, funny regency romance I can't wait to read more of her romance titles.
This is one of my favourite Heyers ('Where's my Button?') and I always imagined Richard Armitage as Salford. The old Arrowbooks cover is much better than Sourcebooks, though the best is still the original from the 30s.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it and I can see that it is more like the ones I read, well for the exception of the Gentleman
ReplyDeleteOh! I like the sound of this!!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to read it.
I've only read one of Heyer's books before and I loved it so I hope I love this one too!
THis one sounds like so much fun! It's a definite change from my norm, which I love! :)
ReplyDelete