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Mar 31, 2010

Kelly rated it:

One of the better realized Heyers. A mature romance, Frederica follows the trials and tribulations of the slightly older (mid twenties, oh no, over the hill!) long suffering title character as she tries to give her beautiful (and silly, of course) sister a London season and keep the rest of her siblings under control- with the help of her "cousin", the Marquis of Alverstoke. Let the hijinx appropriate to a tale full of young, enterprising boys, an emotional, silly sister, and a Marquis More...

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Jan 26, 2012

Abigail rated it:

The Marquis of Alverstoke was a man of fashion, wealth, and indifferent morals. Impatient of the constant demands made upon him by his various relatives, he was not in the habit of putting himself out for anyone. Until, that is, the redoubtable Frederica Merriville and her younger siblings entered his life, bringing with them all the chaos attendant upon a large family of children. Whether he was sponsoring the radiantly beautiful Charis Merriville in society, rescuing the family dog from the co More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2011

Niq rated it:

4 - 4.5 stars

No, we do not have the perfect hero, the rake who is good to his elders, loving to his siblings, gallant to the distressed, and saves puppies or kitties. Instead, we have the Marquis who does his best to dodge his responsibilities to his family, has little to no affection for his siblings, and is quite selfish. What a refreshing change this was from historical romances written by modern-day authors!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Marquis find himself in a situ More...

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Jun 03, 2009

Amy rated it:

Lord Alverstoke is bored. Bored with mother's parading their daughters in front of him, hoping he'll bite and bored with the constant demands of his sisters to assist with his neice's coming out ball. Being a wealthy bachelor is not only a blessing, it can be a curse.

Enter Frederica. Frederica and her siblings travel to London with the hopes of applying to Lord Alverstoke, their father's cousin, for help to introduce her sister to the ton. Charis, is a natural beauty and Fr More...

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Mar 03, 2009

Nicole rated it:

Frederica has been my favourite novel of the four I have read now and I think Frederica Merriville is the strongest female character created by Heyer so far. Frederica is determined to give her beautiful younger sister Charis a season in London to make a comfortable marriage. She asks very distant relation Marquis of Alverstoke to hold a ball at his London home to present her sister to the Ton and the Marquis agrees, but only to gain revenge upon his sister and relieve his persistent boredom. More...

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Oct 09, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

I normally reserve five stars for books that are objectively good, like Middlemarch, but I love Frederica so much that I can't give it a paltry four. This is one of my favorite Heyer books, because I love the heroine, and the dialogue really sparkles in this particular novel.

Georgette Heyer is the acknowledged queen of Regency romance; there isn’t anyone who can even touch her facility in this genre. For the uninitiated, the Regency in question was when George III was unfit to rule, More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Laura rated it:

Frederica is my favorite Georgette Heyer book so far - and I love Georgette Heyer's novels! If you are a Jane Austen fan searching for unique regency romance novels to read in the vain of Austen, Georgette Heyer is your woman. While nothing truely compares to Austen, they are very entertaining and much better than run of the mill regency novels.

Frederica is the story of the Merriville family. The oldest of the clan, Frederica, considers herself at 24 as quite on the shelf. She is in More...

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Aug 22, 2011

Ori rated it:

The chief draw for me, the moment in this book when I decided that this was to be a favorite, was when Felix first began winding Alverstoke around his grubby little finger. There's just something so charming and funny about a little twelve-year old boy backing a thirty-seven-year old man into a corner with devilish innocence. Felix knew exactly what he was doing all the time, that brilliant little scamp. He just may have outshone all the other characters in sheer gumption.

This is not t More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Katie rated it:

Whoever told me I'd love Frederica? *waits an ominous pause*

WAS RIGHT. It was so my kind of book - competent heroines who don't need the heroes AT ALL, but the heroes JUST WANT TO HELP.

OH GOD. When Alverstoke is all, "Oh my god, I don't love her, but I want to do everything I can to make her life easier. I JUST DON'T WANT HER TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING EVER, BUT I DON'T LOVE HER, OKAY?"

I love it so much. I was explaining it all to my family and they were a More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2011

Darla rated it:

(Genre:Historical fiction/romance) Another fun Heyer book. My only complaint was about 2/3 of the way into the story, it hit a really boring patch and it was hard for me to get through it. I kept wanting to skip to the end and wish that Heyer had shortened the book by cutting most of that section out. Here is the gist of the story: Lord Alverstroke is a selfish man who is used to people trying to use him and his wealth for their own purposes. When some distant relatives arrive in London and seek More...

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Mar 18, 2011

Kathy rated it:

Another one of my Heyer Regency romance favorites. The Marquis of Alverstoke never knew what hit him when he encountered the Merrivilles when they requested his sponsorship into the Ton. One of the sisters, Charis, is an incomparable Beauty causing quizzing glasses and jaws alike to drop while the other sister, Frederica, considers herself past a marriageable age. The two brothers with them are too young to be bothered about going into Society and just young enough to engage in all sorts of misc More...

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Feb 12, 2011

Susan rated it:

A Heyer glossary, taken from Frederica, which also more or less captures the essence of Heyer novels:

ambergris: A waxy grayish substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales and found floating at sea or washed ashore. It is added to perfumes to slow down the rate of evaporation.
cicisbeo: (Italian) the escort or lover of a married woman, esp in 18th-century Italy
dovecots: A compartmental structure, often raised on a pole, for housing domesticated pigeons.
éclat: Brill More...

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Jan 16, 2011

Jane rated it:

3 ½ stars. Not my favorite Heyer but enjoyable, a little above average.

STORY BRIEF:
Parents are dead, leaving five siblings in the care of an aunt who is frequently absent. The oldest Harry handles the finances and is elsewhere during most of the book. The second oldest is Frederica, 24 years old, who is raising and caring for the younger three. She wants Charis to have a proper London season to find a husband. Charis is a devastating beauty who is not smart, has very few s More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2010

Alana rated it:

First off, let me say that this four-star rating is for the story of Frederica itself as written by Georgette Heyer... not the ebook publication -- if I were just rating the ebook edition, I'd be forced to give it two stars for the simple fact that chapters nine and ten were not formatted correctly, requiring the long and rather laborious persistence on the part of the reader as one is forced to translate every ",Äò" or "Äô,"into quotation marks... not to mention every dash, More...

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Jun 22, 2009

cecilia rated it:

Frederica was a pretty charming read, though I sometimes got bogged down by all the historical details that Georgette Heyer throws in. Not only are there balls and gowns, but she includes tidbits on foundries, hot air balloon exhibitions, and rheumatic fever. All very interesting, don't get me wrong, but covered in great detail that I found myself impatiently waiting for things to keep going.

The characters were fun, especially Frederica's younger brothers who wormed their way into th More...

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May 17, 2009

Debbie rated it:

This novel is a Regency romance. There is a playful, light-hearted feel to this book that, along with the engaging characters, totally charmed me.

At the beginning, the hero was a cynic, and the heroine was a bit too controlling of her family (though always with the best of intentions). When together, though, they brought out the best in each other. As they spent time together, they fell in love almost without realizing it.

A large number of characters were introduced at th More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Estara rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 26, 2011

Sharanya rated it:

Excellently crafted, as always! But what I particularly enjoyed with this book, which I always found slightly lacking in others by Ms. Heyer, was the way in which we as readers could enjoy the leisurely progress and growth of the relationship between the two main characters. In most other Heyer novels, there is some sort of sudden realization of love (as in Sylvester, or Faro's Daughter, for example), which is enjoyable in its own way, but in this novel it is carefully placed and fully develope More...

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Jan 20, 2010

Jenny rated it:

This is the fifth (perhaps sixth?) Heyer book I've picked up, and I'm begining to see a pattern emerging. When small children are involved in some peripheral way to the main plot (or are somehow responsible for bringing together the hero and heroine), I am utterly absorbed in the book, highly entertained, and find myself singing its praises and foisting the book upon unsuspecting friends and relatives. If children don't have a place in the narrative, I have trouble even finishing it. Whether thi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 25, 2009

Wealhtheow rated it:

I've seen this described as one of Heyer's better books, which confuses me. There is nothing new or wonderful about anything in this book. As usual, the heroine is a sensible pretty woman of good breeding with laudable loyalty and family feeling. The hero is sophisticated, physically powerful, fashionable, rich, and very respected in Society. They are brought together by the heroine's funny family (in this case, her rambunctious brothers and beautiful but silly sister--another Heyer trope). More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2012

Mrsgaskell rated it:

The Marquis of Alverstoke doesn't put himself out for anyone, and suffers from frequent boredom. His sister wishes him to host a ball for the coming out of her daughter but he refuses.... Until, a distant relation, Frederica Merrivale, herself on the shelf at the advanced age of twenty-four, arrives with her stunningly beautiful sister, Charis, not to mention a few spirited younger brothers in tow. The Marquis tells his sister that he has reconsidered and will host the ball, looking forward to h More...

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May 26, 2009

Bookworm rated it:

Frederica Merrivale is guardian to her siblings since her parents have passed away. She travels to London to find her younger sister, Charis, a suitable husband. Frederica looks to her distant cousin, the Marquis of Alverstoke for help. The Marquis is rich and arrogant and tends to give a hard time to anyone who crosses his way. Frederica however, is not easily intimidated. She lets the Marquis know what she wants and he is amused by her straightforwardness. The Marquis agrees to host a coming o More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2009

Delaina rated it:

This is one of my absolute favorite Heyer novels. She reworks the pride-and-prejudice convention by bringing together a smart, vivacious young woman, and a too-proud man who finds himself tangled up on the overwhelming, humorous debacles she brings into his life. Heyer manages to imbue her historical characters with modern sensibility, but without creating a heroine who is essentially a modern transplant setting the historical world on end.
In fact, Frederica is dazzlingly normal--it's her More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Casey rated it:

One of Heyer's more well written romance. I will admit that a lot of Heyer's romances tend to have the same elements to their plots. Our very rich hero takes our penniless heroine under his wing,saves her from getting into several scrapes, and unconsciously falls madly in love with her in the process.

Even though this book has all that, there were several things that proved new and refreshing.
First, Frederica. Finally one of Heyer's heroines that actually has some sense!
Sec More...

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Mar 30, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

Frederica and her siblings have come to London for the season in the hopes that incomparably beautiful Charis, a none too bright nineteen-year-old, will make an eligible connection. Frederica is twenty-four and considers herself to be quite on the shelf, but when she turns to the Marquis of Alverstoke, a distant relation, for help in entering society he insists that both sisters be involved if he's to sponsor their comeout. Soon Heyer's typical hijinks start - helped along by the presence of two More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Bitsy rated it:

Frederica is a story about a woman who is the eldest daughter in her family, and has taken charge in the wake of her parents’ death. Her brother is off at university and this leaves her and her younger sister and brothers to fend for themselves more or less. Frederica takes the entire brood to London determined to give her sister a proper London Season, knowing that her sister’s extreme beauty will be more than enough to garner her proper suitors and have her situated happily soon enough. While More...

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Aug 17, 2010

Coffcat rated it:

A couple of weeks ago I found myself staring unhappily at my pile of "to read" books. Unfortunately I'd found myself in a rut of reading the same sort of books over and over again and was bored to tears. I told myself I wanted a real story, something you could sink your teeth into, and "gasp" maybe learn a new word or two.

Well, I got that with Frederica, and more. A fun little romp with ornery children, misbehaving dogs, flighty sisters and one handsome hero " More...

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Feb 21, 2009

Margaret rated it:

If you're looking for a romance that's clean and has great characters, plot, and dialogue, read a Georgette Heyer book.

To me this book isn't as good as some of her other works (i.e. Devil's Cub, The Talisman Ring, and Faro's Daughter), but I still love it. Sure, you might get bored of the hero complaining about being bored, but I think you might love following his character change as I did.

I think what I like most about Georgette Heyer is her dialogue. If you aren't too More...

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Aug 25, 2011

Michelle rated it:

A really enjoyable book, and quite different from today's regency romances. Written over half a century ago, the prose and writing style seems much more faithful to the era in which the book takes place than more modern versions. Yes, this is a romance, but in the most traditional sense of the word -- there is a lot of relationship building and comic interludes. I gobbled this book down in a day, on the heels of The Grand Sophy, which was my first introduction to Heyer and which was also exce More...

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Oct 19, 2010

Lisa rated it:

I enjoy historical romances and there's no doubt that Heyer was well able to recreate the past very vividly. However, there was a lot of colloquial expressions, very few of which were repeated by the speakers, which suggests that it was more important to find different ways of saying the same thing than it was to give each speaker identifying speech patterns.

In terms of the romance, there was very little evidence of any between Frederica and the Marquis. He kissed her hand somewhere ar More...

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