In the second month of our Romance Throughout the Year Challenge, our prompt was ‘regency romance’. Regency is a very specific time in European history, set in England between 1811 and 1820, but for our purposes, somewhere around this time also works for this prompt. Let’s take a look at the books we considered and read.
February Prompt: Regency Romance
Discussion of the Prompt:
I grew up reading a lot of regency romance. My grandma and aunt are avid readers and collectors of Georgette Heyer’s books, who is sometimes referred to as the one who reinvented regency. With numerous books, Heyer belongs to a time before Julia Quinn and Bridgerton and this article by Penguin Random House gave background on the evolution of the genre. Coming back to Heyer’s books after almost a decade of break, I noticed how much the covers have evolved in the time. More on that, in my review.
I chose The Perks of Loving a Wallflower, a sequel to another regency book I have heard about. I saw a lot of publicity for the sequel, so I was excited about reading it! I don’t really read much in the regency era, so I didn’t really have a lot to choose from this month.
Some other books we considered for this prompt (see all potentials on Storygraph February Prompt page):
| Kriti | Ariel |
| Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer – This would have been a reread for me! | I only found one option for me this month, it was an easy choice! |
Ariel’s February Romance Pick
The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
Fans of Bridgerton will love this “delightful” Regency romp (Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) in which a proper Society miss recruits a very improper lady investigator in a quest for vengeance, only to find love instead.
As a master of disguise, Thomasina Wynchester can be a polite young lady—or a bawdy old man. She’ll do whatever it takes to solve the cases her family takes on. But when Tommy’s beautiful new client turns out to be the highborn lady she’s secretly smitten with, more than her mission is at stake . . .
Bluestocking Miss Philippa York doesn’t believe in love. Her heart didn’t pitter-patter when she was betrothed to a duke, nor did it break when he married someone else. All Philippa desires is to decode a centuries-old manuscript to keep a modern-day villain from claiming credit for work that wasn’t his. She hates that she needs a man’s help to do it—so she’s delighted to discover the clever, charming baron at her side is in fact a woman. But as she and Tommy grow closer and the stakes of their discovery higher, more than just their hearts are at risk.
General Thoughts of Book
This was overall, a delightful read. I thought the Regency setting was very fun, and there were a lot of other elements to the plot beyond the romance that I found engaging, like the mystery and the secret adventures Tommy and Philippa get up to. It was a quick read and when I saw that the next book in the series is available on Netgalley, I went and requested it right away! This prompt has made me a fan of this series!
Kriti’s February Romance Read
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
(Find it on Storygraph and Goodreads)
Synopsis:
Rich and handsome, darling of the ton, the hope of ambitious mothers and despair of his sisters, the Marquis of Alverstoke at seven-and-thirty sees no reason to put himself out for anyone. Until a distant connection, ignorant of his selfishness, applies to him for help.
When Frederica Merriville brings her three younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, Charis, 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 he finally finds himself far from bored.
General Thoughts of Book
I have not lived in Georgette Heyer’s regency world for some years now. Her book, Friday’s Child, is one of my favourites and for many years, it was an annual read for me. Heyer’s books have humour, familial bonds, gossip, strict societal expectations and such a vibrant cast of characters that I love being immersed in them. Frederica was written in 1965 and is one of the most popular books that Heyer wrote. With a strong level-headed heroine who follows society’s rules and wishes the best for her siblings, Frederica is secondary in her own needs and wants. She comes to Lord Alverstoke to help her launch her younger sister, Charis. Lord Alverstoke, as a rich aristocrat, with many of his own sisters bugging him to launch their daughters, on meeting Charis decides to throw the big party. He is intrigued by Frederica but also, his boyish personality demands that he cause a ruckus amongst his sisters with his choices.
There are many players in this story. Lord Alverstoke and his relationship with Frederica’s younger brothers is a lot of fun to read about as the young boys themselves admire and worship him. They get into trouble and then bringing them out of the trouble somehow falls on Alverstoke. Through the multiple perspectives in this book, Heyer shapes a society where women have a lot of say in who will be a success, who will be able to make a good match and what a ‘good match’ means. There are some names like Lady Sefton that are key figures in all of Heyer’s books without taking the centre stage themselves. I am partial to the world and really enjoy the time.
One of my favorite characters in Frederica is Lord Alverstoke’s secretary. Heyer excelled at writing memorable characters from all ages and statues in society. There are grey characters everywhere, but they are all fun and make a bit of a mess which makes the story enjoyable. Frederica is the main character, as is to be expected from the title of the book. She represents women who put their family first but also plan to live their lives in the way they want, not how society would think appropriate. Overall though, it all works out at the end, like in all Heyer books and I felt that Frederica is one that a lot of women in these modern times would enjoy and relate to.
What’s a regency romance that you love or would like to read?
March prompt is to discover a new culture. Will you be joining us for that? Check out the challenge page here or follow along on Storygraph!
Cover image: Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash
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