Beauvallet: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

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urn:oclc:870958981 Republisher_date 20120529184823 Republisher_operator [email protected] Scandate 20120528140822 Scanner scribe1.shenzhen.archive.org Scanningcenter shenzhen Worldcat (source edition) When I read Faro’s Daughter the other day, which she apparently wrote in a month, I enjoyed it so much that when I finished the book I read it again straight away with undiminished pleasure. Deb Grantham is a sensational female. Who could not fall in love with her. Take him away,' said Sir Nicholas, bored. ‘God speed you, señor.' Narvaez was led away, protesting. ‘Señora, be pleased to go aboard the Venture. Diccon, have their traps conveyed at once.'

I really admire Georgette Heyer's research and her incredible ability to give voice to her characters. This was actually the first Georgette Heyer novel placed in my hands. I have since started to read Arabella and more of her Regency type books...which I love completely!

I freely admit that Margot of Belrémy is very haughty and cool. Her motto says "Conquest or Death", and she intends to keep it though it brings her in opposition to Simon of Beavallet. Really, she's the perfect fit for Simon. Both are cold and stubborn. I can only imagine what their children would be like. First there's the writing style, which is rather stilted. In fact it reminds me of reading Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in style. There are chapter headings like "How he was Knighted, and How he had Speech with his Father". Sentences like "He came walking from Bedford into Cambridge one May morning when the sun was still young and the dew scarce gone from the grass." I fell in love with Pyle's Robin Hood as a girl, so I enjoy reading books in this style, but not everyone will feel that way. In the early 15th century, during the middle of the Hundred Years' War, England and France were fighting for sovereignty over France. It was a time of hand-to-hand combat, the invention of the longbow, and real knights in armor. Personally, I like to imagine that after five years and three kids, when the enchantment ends, she regains her spirit and determination and uses her unusual and creative genius to make sure her newly created goals reach fruition, frustrating and eventually humbling her previously unhumbled husband. Fulk comes to love Simon as much as he loves his son, the romantic poet Alan. Rather than being jealous, Alan also adores Simon (I swear I kept hearing that old meme

One of the very last books I came to was “A Civil Contract.” Many consider it downbeat, but I found it a realistic and thought-provoking alternative to Heyer’s more popular froth. Good people who successfully come to terms with a life that isn’t quite the fairy tale they hoped for, and the portrait of Jonathan Chawleigh is one of Heyer’s very best characterizations. The sweat was in Don Juan's eyes; he brushed it away, and could see the truth of this statement. All over the galleon his men were laying down their arms. The rage and anguish that convulsed him were wiped suddenly from his face. By a supreme effort he recovered his sosiego, and stood straight and looked impassively as should befit his breeding. He achieved a bow. ‘I am in your hands, señor.' I'd heard that Heyer's historicals weren't as good as her romances and since this was the next in my Heyer Author Read (I haven't actually got very far through it yet), the whole thing had kind of languished. The Toll Gate gives you a word picture of what life was like in that era and it was a delightful tale ,an orphan could be sent to the parish, there were live- in toll gates (with a modicum of comfort), highwaymen were a fact of life, and then there is the romance angle. Not sure I would give this book 5 stars if I had to do it over again, but still quite fun. It is certainly a more dramatic, Shakespearean story than you usually get from Heyer. I liked it. Didn't love it. The heroine is a little too useless for my taste. But it is hard not to fall in love with Beauvallet.

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Though I enjoyed the plot well enough, Margaret/Simon annoyed me excessively. I liked the secondary characters and plot, that is what made this book for me. Thank you all for loving her the way I did. I feel we’re part of a not-so-small secret society who ride ventre-a-terre for a good book, and are not afraid of making a cake of ourselves by admitting that we love and cherish Georgette. On one hand, it is written lightly, with many adventures and interesting (and of course a little funny) characters. On the other hand, Heyer made a great job as a historian. She used even old English (it could be a little difficult to read for some people but for me it was next level/side of the book). There are so good description of the people, how they probably lived and thought that you can feel that you are with them. Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.

Will it please you to come below, señora?' Dangerfield said shyly, and bowed to them both. ‘Your chests will be here anon.' Lady Margaret is a strong character indeed. She does match Simon in many of her attributes, which is always the way in Georgette Heyer books, that the hero and the heroine have to share common values and tastes. But still she is not my favourite Georgette Heyer heroine. Nicholas Beauvallet is an English pirate. Dominica de Rada y Sylvan is his stubborn Spanish prisoner. He declares his love for her. She tries hard to spurn his advances but just can't seem to say no to the English Love Boat Technique. So then Beauvallet invades Spain with an army of 2 to steal away his love and thumb his nose at some arrogant Spanish papists.Not certain if Beauvallet succeeds at this, but thought it was worth a mention. Curious if her other historicals follow a similar trend, and am now interested in hunting down one of her thrillers to sample its prose! ETA: Just finished a long over-due re-read. I will confess to being a fan of Rafael Sabatini and Baroness Orczy--both best selling authors of the early 20th century--so I felt right at home in this book. Indeed, this books reads, to me, like an attempt at a Sabatini-style adventure. Beauvallet indicated Don Manuel and his daughter with a comprehensive sweep of his hand. ‘Convey Don Manuel de Rada y Sylva and his daughter aboard the Venture,' he said, in Spanish. Cinematographic with escapes, kidnapping, galloping sword play, and a breathless elopement."— The Times Literary Supplement I have by now read them all. I love them all even when I don’t like the heroine (Frederica – she’s just as self centered as her marquis, she really only cares about her siblings and shows no kindness towards anyone else) or the hero (Ivo Rotherham was a bit too much even for me – somewhere between Ivo and Max Ravenscar there’s a fine line, and Ivo, NOOOO). My favourites are books with splendid dogs (Bouncer!!!!) and houses with character (Fontley is a character in itself, so is Stanyon).

It was not to be borne. The lady's eyes fell, and encountered the hilt of a dagger in Beauvallet's belt. She raised them again, held his in a defiant stare, and stole her hand to the dagger's hilt. My Lord John (1975) covers much the same period (1393–1413). King's Henry IV and Henry V (Simon's friend) also appear in it. I have no desire to jest with you, señor,' Don Juan said coldly. ‘Don Manuel de Rada naturally sails with me.' Geoffrey Malvallet has a sweet side story with the Countess Margot's Lady-in-Waiting, Jeanne. They added a lot to the story, especially Jeanne since she knew Margot so well. Don Juan stood at the head of the companion, sword in hand, a tall figure in breastplate and tassets of fluted steel. He sought in the press for a leader amongst the boarders, but could see none in that hurly-burly.I thought I was the only remaining Heyer fan in the world … how wonderful to find a horde of them at the end of this wonderful post! Because this is actually well-written. Oh, so wonderfully, perfectly, refreshingly well-written! And well-researched. Excellent history that I just want to climb into. Sure, the old language takes a bit getting used to, and there’s some 1920s sexism that leaks through, but it is worth it for the powerful, refreshing, original characters. The characters are distinctly, wonderfully written. The period, characters, and action are beautifully drawn, and perfectly, masterfully so: pulling the reader in, but also to keep the action moving forward. There are no lengthy descriptions or overly done explanations; the writing is tight and forceful. The best part is the dialogue between the characters. The banter reminds me that of Jane Austen or Shakespeare. It was hilarious and brilliant, crisp and clever. Most of all, though, the book was fun. It was a time travel to high adventure and romance that was brilliantly done. Sir Nicholas looked rueful, ran a hand through his crisp hair. ‘You have me there, señor,' he confessed. ‘What a-plague are you doing aboard this vessel?' One of Heyer's best. Pleasantly different in style from her other books because of the historical difference. The style is hard to get into at first because of the use of Old English in dialogue, and general stiffness in narration, but that same stiffness becomes a subtle and powerful device to create historical ambiance by the end. It has to be said, they are not for everyone. Laura’s cousin, who she was sure would love them, said ‘Laura, there’s far too many cousins marrying cousins for me!’ Fair enough. There are also some problematic scenes for contemporary readers: consider yourself warned and skip to the bottom if you want to know which novels to avoid.