The Masqueraders, by Georgette Heyer

[kadharonon]

I've been reading myself some Heyer recently, and I love this one the most of those I've read. Why? I SHALL TELL YOU.

Enter a beautiful young woman and her brother.YOUNG WOMAN: La, I am Robin, a short young man dressed up as a woman

Comments

[astaraelweeper]

That one is fun. You may also particularly enjoy Arabella, though I must admit that Frederica is my personal favorite, followed closely by The Grand Sophy. I'm also a big fan of Toll Gate, Bath Tangle, and The Corinthian. (Um, I spend way too much of my time reading regency?)

[kadharonon]

Frederica was all right; I was alternately annoyed and amused by the younger brothers. It could just be that Frederica was the first Heyer novel I've read these past weeks, and the first I've read to completion, and therefore I was too busy getting used to the writing style to actually enjoy the book as much as I might have.

I do find Alverstoke's "GUYS LET ME PROPOSE MYSELF, HONESTLY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, CAN'T A FELLOW TENDER A PROPOSAL WITHOUT RELATIONS INTERFERING AND PROPOSING FOR HIM" at the end of Frederica pretty amusing.

I'll try The Grand Sophy next!

[astaraelweeper]

It occurs to me that you would probably really, really enjoy the ending to Friday's Child, as well as that of The Corinthian. Though, The Grand Sophy also has a fabulous ending. Frederica and Sophy are probably my two favorite Heyer heroines, along with Annis from [I think it's Lady Of Quality?]. Frederica is the most mature and responsible, along with Annis, while Sophy is deliciously outrageous. But, I really like Frederica's brothers. It's Charis who irritates the hell out of me (though I'm quite fond of Chloe and Charles Trevor).

There are some short Heyer-related stories on AO3, and a bunch of them relate to either The Grand Sophy or Frederica, so I don't think my rankings are unusual.

Oh, and Masqueraders is NOT the only book that involves a woman pretending to be a man. So you have more of that to look forward to in future. In that vein, I also recommend a far more recent regency novel: Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix. Read it after you've read at least 6-10 Heyer novels, so that you'll know just how many conventions he's

[sea_of_tethys]

The Grand Sophy was the first Heyer I read, and I loved it, except for one really racist chapter in the middle :-/