Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride. Then he meets Phoebe Marlow, a young lady with literary aspirations, and suddenly life becomes very complicated. She meets none of his criteria, and even worse, she has written a novel that is sweeping through the ton and causing all kinds of gossip... and he's the main character!
Sylvester is a great marriage catch and he has avoided it until now. He has decided it is an appropriate time to marry and gives his mother a few names of girls he is considering. She is horrified that he doesn't want to marry for love. Sylvester is then talked into meeting his godmother's granddaughter, Phoebe.
Phoebe is a smart young woman who has no ambitions to marry. She wants to be a writer and has written a book. She hopes to be able to set herself up, along with her governess in her own small home. When she hears from her not so nice stepmother that the Duke of Salford is coming for a visit and plans to make an offer for her, Phoebe is desperate. She tells her father that she does not wish this but he ignores her. And when she meets the Duke, he is cold and distant. She met him previously in London society and he was rude to her. So she made him the villain in the book she has written.
In desperation, she convinces her friend Tom to take her to London, where Phoebe can live and be under the protection of her grandmother. But the weather intervenes, stranding Phoebe and Tom as their carriage is overturned. Meanwhile, the Duke, who never intended to offer for Phoebe takes advantage of the household chaos that ensues to leave for London. He finds the overturned carriage and finds Phoebe and Tom at a nearby farmhouse. When he discovers why Phoebe fled, he is miffed but helps her to get to London. They then find themselves in frequent company and Phoebe discovers he is not so bad. But now her book is to be published and she is terrified he will find out.
I love Heyer novels. They are like more adventurous Austen novels with heroines that are strong and not traditionally beautiful. The heroes are flawed and arrogant but of course we love them anyway. The dialogue is witty and amusing and these make great beach reads.
This wasn't my favorite Heyer but I did enjoy it a lot and recommend it.
my rating: 3.5/5
I received this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my honest review
3 comments:
I definitely need to read more Heyer! This one also sounds like fun, and I wish I was reading it right now...
Sorry it wasn't the best of her books, but glad you still enjoyed it. :) Sounds like a nice read. Thank you!
Can you believe that I have not yet read anything by Georgette Heyer? In fact, before book blogging, I'd never even heard of her. Now I see her mentioned in loving tones all the time!
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