What is the best Georgette Heyer novel? Read on, read on.

In episode 78 of our Bookshelf show, we talked about how much time we both spend reading Georgette Heyer novels when we don't want anyone else to know. We thought it would be a good idea to make a list of our favorite things.

They are not for everyone. In the end, Laura's cousin told her that there were too many of them getting married to each other. OK. There are also some scenes that might not be good for people who read today. If you want to know which books to avoid, read on.

Georgette Heyer wrote her first book, The Black Moth, when she was 19 to keep her brother happy while he was getting better from a sickness. Afterwards, Heyer wrote more books about the same subject. She is thought to be the person who started the Regency Romance genre. Readers loved her meticulously planned novels, which are still sought out by readers who know what they're looking for. Historical romances might not be your thing, but a few hours spent with Heyer's sparkling heroines and dashing Regency princes might change your mind about them.

If you're thinking about getting in, here's our list of the best:

Our favourite Georgette Heyer novels

The Grand Sophy – Kate’s all-time favourite

I think The Grand Sophy is the best of all the Georgette Heyer books. To a friend who had never read her before, I would give this one. Sophy is one of the most memorable characters in the book. She is also a kind of feminst victory, but who knows how much of that Heyer had in mind. With her father in the army and the Duke of Wellington on the campaign trail, Sophy was raised by her father and lived with him and her cousins in London. Her cousins are expecting an ingénue. Instead, they find out that Sophy not only knows everyone and how to act in every way possible, but she also has a very good way of controlling the people around her, even her overbearing cousin Charles. Before long, she's putting the world back together, making sure the right people fall in love with each other, and persuading Charles that his carefully planned life might not be what he thought it was. With a multi-layered plot that moves along like clockwork, this book would be a great read from start to finish, except for the anti-Semitic parts when Sophy meets a Jewish money-lender. It's a shame that Heyer used some of the common themes of the time, because it makes the book less interesting.

The Nonesuch – Laura’s all-time favourite

My favorite Georgette Heyer book isn't set in the typical London setting of balls, Vauxhall gardens, and strolls in St. James's Park. Instead, it's set in a small country town. Rather, we go north to Yorkshire, where Sir Waldo Hawkridge has arrived to claim the inheritance of the crumbling Broom Hill. This is where we go instead. Not that he wants it. He doesn't need it A lot of people like Sir Waldo because he's good at athletics and riding horses. He's known as the "Nonesuch" because of this. Every mother in the county right away thinks of him as a possible son-in-law. Meanwhile, Tiffany Wield's governess, Ancilla Trent, is calm and cool-eyed. She is amused by Tiffany's spoiled but beautiful looks. The characters in The Nonesuch have a lot of depth and heart, and the romance is unusually real. It's not as complicated as some of her other books, but it has a lot of heart and depth to it. I have to say that I've read The Nonesuch at least three times now. As I flip through its pages, I can sense that the fourth time will be here soon.

Other Georgette Heyer novels we love

Venetia

Venetia Lanyon has lived her whole life in seclusion on her father's estate. After her father died, she kept the estate running while her older brother was away. She also took care of her younger brother, a teen with some health problems. People have told her stories about Lord Damerel. He hasn't been around for a long time. Because he was so nice to Venetia when she met him picking blackberries one day, the gossipers were right. As she gets to know him, though, she starts to see that his devil-may-care attitude hides a deeper feeling that she will fall in love with one day. A relationship between him and her would be bad for her, so he sends her away. Venetia is brokenhearted, so she goes to London. There, she makes a discovery that she thinks could solve her problems for good. Venetia is as beautiful, intelligent, and capable as Georgette Heyer could make. She will keep the reader happy until the end, when you find out how it all turns out. A note: This book has a few scenes where men make physical advances on Venetia that make it less than ideal. I don't think it's worth closing the book at this point because you won't be able to enjoy what comes after. What can I say? It's up to you.

Arabella

For her first Season, Arabella Wedgewood is going to London with her governess. This is something her family can't afford, so they are going. To ask for help, she goes into Mr. Robert Beaumarais's house next door. For a long time, he's been running from fortune-hunters. He thinks Arabella is the same. Angry when she hears this, Arabella vows to teach him a lesson. If Mr. Beaumarais doesn't believe her, he decides to back up her claims for the sake of having fun. With his blessing, Arabella soon becomes the talk of London society, with offers for her hand in marriage coming from all over the place. She soon learns to her dismay that the person she likes the most is the one who doesn't want her money. In the movie, Arabella has good manners, but her heart isn't hidden by them. Mr. Beaumarais soon finds that he has more than Arabella's well-being to look after when he agrees to look after the dog, the chimney sweep, and finally her wayward brother. He and Arabella will always be together, but what makes the story fun are the elaborate set-pieces that lead them to their happy ending.

 

False Colours

It's Christopher Fancot's job to keep an eye on his twin brother, Evelyn, who has gone off on her own while he was away. When he thinks something is wrong, Evelyn isn't there, so he knows something is not right. Kit does not want to get caught up in Evelyn's problems, but his mother, who is very charming and persuasive, wants him to. Kit goes so far as to impersonate Evelyn in order to save his engagement to Cressida Stavely. As time goes on and Evelyn doesn't come back, Kit has to use all of his wit to keep the ruse going. He is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer heroes. The character that keeps me coming back to this book is Kit's irrepressibly extravagant mother, whose clothes and decorating ideas are a huge drain on the family's money, but who is always fun to read about. There is no doubt that the right characters will find each other at the end of this farce.

Cotillion

People who read Georgette Heyer books will know her characters by the time they've read a few. Freddy, a kind of Bertie-Wooster, is the romantic hero in this story. He has good taste and good manners as his main traits. He is Freddy's father, Lord Legerwood, but he only has a small role in the story. Kitty Charing thinks she's in love with her rogue cousin, Jack. When her godfather wants her to marry one of his great-nephews, she thinks Jack will propose to her. He, on the other hand, doesn't like to be made to do something he doesn't want to do. So she comes up with a plan with another one of her possible suitors, Freddy Standen, to make a fake betrothal that gives her a season in London to think about her options. She gets into a lot of social trouble when she tries to figure out how to deal with her situation. More and more, Freddy is the one who comes to her rescue. Jack isn't what she wants in a husband after all.

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