Bath Tangle

Aug 12, 2008 Abigail rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Georgette Heyer Fans / Regency Romance Readers

Shelves: georgette-heyer, romance

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Jul 06, 2012 Clare Cannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, adults

This Heyer builds more slowly, and since it is not a highly sentimental novel those looking for feel-good romance might tire of it early on. However, there is plenty of wit and humour, as well as some very wise thoughts about love, and the absence of sentiment leaves the reader free to enjoy these other aspects and perceive the wisdom more clearly.

The spirited heroine is by no means the angelic creature her childhood sweetheart believes her to be. She has a feisty temper and impulsive nature, e...more

This Heyer builds more slowly, and since it is not a highly sentimental novel those looking for feel-good romance might tire of it early on. However, there is plenty of wit and humour, as well as some very wise thoughts about love, and the absence of sentiment leaves the reader free to enjoy these other aspects and perceive the wisdom more clearly.

The spirited heroine is by no means the angelic creature her childhood sweetheart believes her to be. She has a feisty temper and impulsive nature, even though she usually acts in what she understands to be the best interest of her friends. Both she and her moody counterpart show that people with such temperaments do need to try to control them, even though it would be unrealistic to expect them to change their personality completely.

When her banished childhood sweetheart comes into her life once more, the swooning love they demonstrate - having been separated for so long and hardly knowing each other - is quite comical. And yet many young lovers are caught in this phase and are unable to see beyond it. He has quite idolised her memory, making her into a mythical goddess that couldn't be further from the truth. By contrast, the one who truly loves her takes in all of her personality, he does not worship her but loves her for who she is.

Several of the secondary characters show how necessary it is to stand up to unwanted pressure from parents, relatives, or 'society' if they are pushing you to act against your will. They also show that one should not be deceived into believing that titles and wealth can make one happier than love. These characters look rather ridiculous, though their folly too is not uncommon.

So while this is not a sentimental novel and does not allow you to 'feel' the romance until almost the very end, it does help you to notice all of the other considerations that are important in a relationship. Though it is a little slower to build, as you progress it becomes imperative to find out how it will resolve - as you know it must - so that you cannot put it down. www.GoodReadingGuide.com (less)

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Mar 05, 2009 _inbetween_ added it

Heyer's novels are the only ones I'd initially given five stars, but daren't now (all re-reads). Bath Tangle is one of the more obvious romances, and it's still not obvious at all, he and she still seem apart more than together and there is never a word of "love" spoken - just ingeniusly shown whenever either of them meets others how they fit, and how they care for each other, and what makes them special and likable.

But i_f's comments about Charise made me dislike Serena for the first time, wher...more Heyer's novels are the only ones I'd initially given five stars, but daren't now (all re-reads). Bath Tangle is one of the more obvious romances, and it's still not obvious at all, he and she still seem apart more than together and there is never a word of "love" spoken - just ingeniusly shown whenever either of them meets others how they fit, and how they care for each other, and what makes them special and likable.

But i_f's comments about Charise made me dislike Serena for the first time, where previously I thought the only Heyer heroine I didn't like was Judith - and I had actually thought only Judith was a diamond of the first water, but like Charise, Serena is also considered genuinely beautiful. Only it's just mentioned from time to time without going into her perfect body and soft skin and all that crap, and never ever by him, who calls her a magpie when others flatter (just like Charise or the other "older" heroine Abigail, called a candle rather than a diamond).

So it was rather hard for me to feel ok with Serena who was a politicial hostess, someone needing space and influence and money - but how well done that is most readers today won't appreciate, because just like her step mother Fanny tries to tell others, we have to see how good natured Serena is, how genuinely she cares for Fanny and others. Her attitude to Mrs. F is in no way faked or powered by curiosity, and Ivo's secret wish to appeal to Mrs. F in the end is one of the nicest little paragraphs (I try to think of something to pick out these days, but too often forget Heyer's unique dialogues, sadly, while visuals stay with me).

They appear hard and harsh, her more so these days (perhaps aggravated by my Emb. situation, but even in the past I had started to fear Heyer's heroes wouldn't like me) than him, who I remembered more dashing but with so few words and such economy and lack of repetition is appealing; whom we see to be maligned when really he likes to secretly pay for people who openly abuse him. Ivo sounded less attractive in English with his deep chest and massive thighs, but his eyes and hands are still there.
And the second most memorable moment to pick out was the (forgotten, unlike other details) drama of Serena with the thorny flowers, frozen in the living room upon hearing of Ivo's betrothal, her "What have I done" multipurpose yet telling. This scene, just like her long and real grief about the loss of her father, needs to be carefully read to be fully appreciated.

There are no superfluous words, and there is nothing boring. Even if the tiny moments of intimacy feel unreal now because I try to slow down to savour them but then they seem even less substantial, all that pleasure gone with childhood, the rest now shows itself all the more brilliantly crafted.

And while Emily is more stupid and annyoing than any of her ilk from the last novels I reread, Mr. Goring is such a great character in the background there, and now I notice that nobody ever mentions he'll marry her even though I even remembered that would happen.

Once again the humour is also gone for me; I know how I smiled for chapters in the past, while now I can only watch Major Kirkby bond with Rotherham about how Ivo had dealt with his silly ward.

The most memorably things always seem the most disappointing. It's so much easier to remember the bad, so when good memories are thus demolished, everything seems even worse - for that reason I can't post my new notes on Heyer because it would be too much like all the modern readers calling her boring or cliche, when she remains the only one that is not.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency, historical-fiction

3.5 stars. More predictable than most, yet Heyer always always gets at least one tricky surprise in on me! This was slower-moving than my most favorite Heyer novels. I love to see the various, well-defined main characters and fascinating secondary characters in each of Heyer's stories.

On of my favorite exchanges:
"Serena!" Fanny protested, quite scandalized.
"Don't distress yourself! I fancy that is why he has not come to Bath to see Emily. No doubt Lady Laleham hinted him away; she at least is v...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Linda Banche rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Regency Bath is in a tangle--a tangle of mismatched couples in Georgette Heyer's rollicking farce of a regency romance, BATH TANGLE.

The Earl of Spenborough has died, leaving his twenty-five year old unwed daughter, Serena, and a wife younger than her. And to make matters worse, the earl has left Ivo, the Marquis of Rotherham, the man Serena jilted years ago, as trustee to her fortune.

Serena finds her plight unendurable, but what can she do? With a year of mourning to endure and nowhere to go, th...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

The red-haired, fiery beauty Lady Serena Carlow has just lost her father to pneumonia. Her mother died when she was just twelve years old and she is an only child.
Serena's fifty-something year old father left behind a widow, the young Lady Fanny, who is twenty three years old, which makes her a few years younger than Serena. Milverly house, Serena's home, is left to her male cousin.

To Serena's horror, at the reading of her fathers will, Ivo Barrasford who is the marquis of Rotherham, is named t...more The red-haired, fiery beauty Lady Serena Carlow has just lost her father to pneumonia. Her mother died when she was just twelve years old and she is an only child.
Serena's fifty-something year old father left behind a widow, the young Lady Fanny, who is twenty three years old, which makes her a few years younger than Serena. Milverly house, Serena's home, is left to her male cousin.

To Serena's horror, at the reading of her fathers will, Ivo Barrasford who is the marquis of Rotherham, is named trustee of Serena's wealth.
Rotherham, who is not even a blood relative, is also Serena's ex-beau, whom she broke it off with years ago because he was 'unendurable'. Serena's father however, trusted and liked Rotherham.

Added to all of this, Serena was once in love with a soldier named Hector Kirkby. This was six years ago and Serena's father made her break off the match since Hector was not wealthy.
Serena and the fair and dainty Fanny get along very well and they decide to temporarily move to Bath. Once at Bath, the two ladies make new acquaintances and find some entertainment with this new change of scenery. Serena even runs into her old flame, Major Hector Kirkby and sparks reignite.

If I had to describe Bath Tangle with just one word, it would be charming.

Oh, what a tangled web Miss Georgette Heyer weaves in this novel.
This book had me laughing from the start with all the goings on within the storyline and sighing at the sweet romance throughout.

I always enjoy visiting Regency England through Heyer's stories. She describes the time, place and customs so well that I feel as though I am really there.
This was a fun romance and I found myself being unable to put this one down. Heyer made me laugh until the very end.
The author has a knack for putting her characters into place, then letting the story take twists and turns until the final page.
This was also a story about class and social standings. Heyer weaves this aspect of class into the storyline very well.

With Georgette Heyer's signature witty dialogue, sweet romance, interesting characters and a fun storyline, I thoroughly enjoyed Bath Tangle.

read my full review here
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/201...(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-romance

I didn’t enjoy it enough. The main characters were more unlikeable than interesting. Also, the narrator was a problem.

OPINION ABOUT THE NARRATOR:
The author frequently uses the word “amused.” When the narrator, Sian Phillips, reads these lines, she adds too much “amused” energy to her voice, as if she is holding back laughter while trying to talk. The effect is like an adult laughing at a toddler’s unstable attempts to walk. It felt insensitive. The narrator does this for several characters, but...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-erotic, historical

Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

Imagine breaking your engagement with a man you thought was too stubborn and then finding him as your “trustee” after your father’s death. What could be worse? How about your cousin getting your home?

Georgette Heyer first wrote this story in 1955 and Sourcebooks is republishing it. I’ve read her work before in the mystery genre, but this was my first romance I've read by her. She does an wonderful job with romances, also.

Ms. Heyer is...more Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

Imagine breaking your engagement with a man you thought was too stubborn and then finding him as your “trustee” after your father’s death. What could be worse? How about your cousin getting your home?

Georgette Heyer first wrote this story in 1955 and Sourcebooks is republishing it. I’ve read her work before in the mystery genre, but this was my first romance I've read by her. She does an wonderful job with romances, also.

Ms. Heyer is excellent at creating well thought out plots and capturing your attention right at the beginning of her stories. Her main character, Serene, is a head-strong, independent woman, who doesn’t care what people think of her riding hunters or taking walks unchaperoned. Her stepmother is much more meek and mild and is scandalized by her behavior. These two dissimilar women are forced to live together in the era of the early 1800’s. Ms. Heyer does an excellent job of showing how they drove each other nuts because they dealt with things differently.

This author always makes her characters' relationships complex and full of moral conundrums. No one simply falls in love and marries. They have to overcome hardships, work their way through social customs, and sometimes admit they have made a mistake.

This story was great fun to read because everyone got engaged to the wrong person. This would really make a good play. It’s a comedy of errors, full of proud characters that are determined to live life their own way, and it turns out to be a house of cards.

The cards really start falling about three quarters through the story and I couldn’t wait to see just how she ended this. I felt like I knew her characters well enough to know who should be matched with whom, but I had no idea how she was going to make it work. Ms. Heyer was astute enough to add one more twist in at the end that made me smile.

The author uses a lot of words in her stories and they bog me down a bit in my reading. However, her stories are always attractive enough I keep reading and really enjoy what she does. After all, in the time of the Regency era, things didn’t move very swiftly…

The best part is that Sourcebooks is reprinting all her books, so you have even more opportunities to read her tales. They are well worth the read.

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Jun 02, 2010 Sbuchler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sbuchler by: Mama

Shelves: audio-books, romance, read-in-2010

Genre: Regency Romance

This is not one of Heyer’s best romances. The concept is good – 10 years ago the heroine (Serena) jilted the hero (Ivo) after the wedding invitations had already been sent out. Fast forward to the current day: Serena’s father has just died. He leaves Serena’s very considerable fortune in Ivo’s hands, stipulating that Serena should receive the same allowance that she had hitherto received, until she is married. If she marries with Ivo’s permission, her husband gets her full...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-era-clean-romance-novels

I have read about half a dozen of Georgette's novels and this is my favorite!! I was intrigued from the very beginning and as always the main character Serena is a strong outspoken woman who cares not for the opinion of the gossiping crowds of Bath or anywhere else for that matter. After her father dies Serena's wealth and even her choice of marriage mate must be approved by the trustee appointed by her father. Her trustee Ivo Rotherham is known as a harsh man and to make matters worse he is Ser...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Serena, the willful and beautiful daughter of the late Earl of Spenborough, sorely misses her beloved father and expects to live quietly with her father's young widow, Fanny. Her father, however, seems to want to exert control from beyond the grave and leaves Serena's inheritance in a trust to be managed by the Marquis of Rotherham, the very man to whom Serena had been engaged several years before, but whom she had broken off with a month before the wedding. Serena claimed he was too arrogant an...more

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May 29, 2010 Malin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those who may not have heard of her, Georgette Heyer was a British novelist who in her long career wrote 30 historical romance novels and 12 crime thrillers. She was greatly inspired by Jane Austen, and is probably the reason why Regency romance is now a genre onto itself. Heyer's romances, unlike today's modern, quite often very raunchy stories, are more in the vein of Austen, in that the characters are created with wit and charm, and the dialogue sparkles. The hero and heroine may kiss at...more For those who may not have heard of her, Georgette Heyer was a British novelist who in her long career wrote 30 historical romance novels and 12 crime thrillers. She was greatly inspired by Jane Austen, and is probably the reason why Regency romance is now a genre onto itself. Heyer's romances, unlike today's modern, quite often very raunchy stories, are more in the vein of Austen, in that the characters are created with wit and charm, and the dialogue sparkles. The hero and heroine may kiss at the end, but there is nothing even vaguely like sex scenes in them.

Bath Tangle was written in the latter half of her career, and features, not at all unusual for a romance novel, a redheaded, fiery-tempered heroine, and a dark, swarthy, rich and arrogant hero. 25-year-old Lady Serena Carlow has just lost her father, the Earl of Spenborough. Her cousin inherits the estate, as her father left no sons, just a widow younger than his fiesty and strong-willed daughter. Lady Serena is shocked to realize, that her father has placed all her inheritance in trust, and her former fiancée Ivo Barrasford, the Marquis of Rotherham, is to be her guardian. She will only gain control of her fortune once she is married, and Rotherham has to consent to the union before such an event can occur.

Serena was engaged to Rotherham years previously, but broke it off with him a month before the wedding, because all they did was quarrel. She has known him all her life, and has great affection for him, but every time they are in the same room, sparks fly. This is partly due to the fact that Rotherham does not let Serena boss him around, as she is wont to do everyone else. He is greatly amused by the Earl's will and testament, but promises Serena he will be a sensible guardian to her.

After living with her young and lovely step-mother Fanny in the dower-house on the estate, the two young women realize that they are both bored to death, and decide to move to Bath, where there is more of a varied society, and Serena does not need to annoy herself over every change her cousin, the new Earl, is making to her former home. In Bath, Serena soon meets up with the only man she claims to have ever loved, a young army officer who after seven years has become a Major. Major Kirkby is stunned to have met his former love again, and seems just as much in love with her as before, only now their stations are not quite as far removed from each other as they once were. He becomes secretly engaged to Serena, who is quite happy with the idea of becoming his wife, until she discovers that Rotherham is engaged to a 17-year-old debutante.

Unusually in a romance, the hero does not feature all that prominently in the story at all. As in most romances, it is obvious from the start that Rotherham and Serena are meant to be, no two people argue that vehemently and passionately in romance without getting together at the end. Bath Tangle also explores a common fate of many women in Regency society - having to marry a much older man because family and society expects you to make a good match, no matter how big the age difference. Fanny keeps assuring Serena and everyone else that Spenborough was a most considerate husband, but she is clearly very distressed at the thought of an innocent 17-year-old marrying the much older Rotherham, obviously not out of love, but because of her ambitious mama's wishes. Serena's grief at her father's passing, and having to move out of the home she grew up in, simply because she is unmarried and her father did not provide male heirs, is also well written.

Bath Tangle will not go down as one of my favourite Heyer novels, but it was a quick and enjoyable read, as always. (less)

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Apr 29, 2013 Urszula rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

I didn't finish this book... I just could not waste any more of my time on it.

I was very disappointed in this book. It was a long book about nothing. I was 2/3 way through and I had very hard time remembering not only the main characters names, but also anything about the story line. I was waiting for the "tangle" to take place, but so far nothing.

The book starts interesting enough with a death, followed by a country stay with long & detailed descriptions about nothing, then the ladies move...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Becky Moe rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Heyer and Austen, Regency romanace readers who don't require racy scenes

Shelves: historical

The characters in Heyer's Bath Tangle aren't always loveable. They make mistakes, and do some things that are less than considerate where the emotions of others are concerned. However, this is much of the book's charm. Serena Carlow, the main character, is anything BUT serene. Ivo Barrasford, the man she jilted just before their wedding years before,has a reputation for being a difficult man, and scares virtually everyone else in the book except for Serena. In fact, whenever the two are in the s...more

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May 05, 2013 Fiona Marsden rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is really not much I can say that hasn't already been said by other reviewers. This is a reunion romance between two family friends who nearly made it to the altar five years ago but hasty tempers meant Serena jilted Ivo a month before the wedding.

In a true tangle we find engagements between people who are clearly unmatched and all the main protagonists seemingly destined to marry the wrong person or have to watch their loved one marry another.

One of the most interesting things in this boo...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Jasmine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fiction

This book really brought to home for me how terrible it was to be a widow (or a daughter of a father who died) in Regency England. Much of the book is how miserable it is to be shut away in seclusion for a year after the death, when after that you can maybe start venturing out into society a little. There's also a lot about being forced into terrible marriages, especially young girls having to marry men more than twice their age with no choice in the matter, and how women have no control over th...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, romance, historical

Regency romance. The one where our willful red-haired Earl's daughter is outraged to discover upon her father's death that her inheritance is entrusted to the man she jilted, whose permission she needs to marry.

This is interesting to me because it's doing some really mature work on a craft level. The hero and heroine spend the vast majority of the book apart, and we get a lot of back-and-forth about a handful of secondary romantic entanglements, while the main romance is told almost entirely in...more

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Oct 11, 2009 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-or-so-romance

As good as Cotillion. Our heroine Serena is as hot-headed as her recently widowed, younger stepmother is serene. When, out of boredom and frustration with their lives in the Dower House, they visit Bath, Serena unexpectedly runs into the man who held her heart at 19 - and perhaps he still does. Trouble ensues, in the form of the Marquis whom Serena jilted several years ago, and who is responsible for Serena's love life under her father's will. The characters are not completely likeable, and that...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Laura de Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy, romance, historical-fiction

What fluffy fun this was!

I was never really in doubt that everything was going to turn out well for the main characters, and (once each situation was set up) I could pretty much see where it was going. This didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, but allowed me to sit back and enjoy the ride.

It was quite a ride, with tangle after tangle in the romance department, everyone with the wrong people, some of them realize it, some don't, no one wants to hurt anyone else-- how DO you undo such a knot?...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Danielle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Georgette Heyer's Bath Tangle is a story of mismatched lovers, very much along the lines of a comedy of manners with the most ill-suited characters getting together and then making a mess of things until the tangle gets sorted out at the end.

Upon his death the Earl of Spenborough leaves behind a daughter and second wife, both contemporaries of each other--Serena even being a tad older than her stepmother, Lady Fanny. Serena is still on the shelf at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, but being hig...more Georgette Heyer's Bath Tangle is a story of mismatched lovers, very much along the lines of a comedy of manners with the most ill-suited characters getting together and then making a mess of things until the tangle gets sorted out at the end.

Upon his death the Earl of Spenborough leaves behind a daughter and second wife, both contemporaries of each other--Serena even being a tad older than her stepmother, Lady Fanny. Serena is still on the shelf at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, but being high-spirited and independent she doesn't seem to mind particularly. A fiery red-haired goddess she is equally at home in the saddle as directing the servants of her father's vast estate. She has no qualms about giving her opinion no matter the delicacy of the subject, comfortable no doubt in her rank and status in ton society.

Fanny is quite her opposite. Shy and introspective, she was not born into high society. She can put order to the household's daily workings to make things run smoothly but is generally more reserved and cautious in her actions and acts befitting the role of a gentleman's wife as expected of a lady of her class. She doesn't share Serena's love the great outdoors and is more demure in the salon caring for propriety and popular opinion.

When Serena discovers that her father has left her fortune in the trusteeship of a man she was once betrothed to, but from whom in the end she 'cried off', she erupts in a passionate storm of anger and contempt. Ivo, the Marquis of Rotherham is the equal to Serena in not only rank but sensibilities and it's likely Serena's father is still trying to matchmake from the grave. Although similar in natures with their love of horses and strong personalities Serena felt they 'did not suit' and so called off the wedding, though in the years following the two have maintained a friendship, albeit a tempestuous one.

Life in the Dower house, to which Fanny and Serena have removed as the estate now falls into the hands of the next male heir, is not only boring but contemptible to the ladies. They decide instead to spend the summer season in Bath where they can at least take part in quiet society while they remain in mourning. Into their lives walks Major Hector Kirkby, one of Serena's old flames. They met when they were too young. Hector was only embarking on a military career and had neither wealth nor rank to ask for Serena's hand, but so many years later they find the spark is still there.

Always attracted by Serena's great beauty the Major tends to smooth over her impetuous behavior even while mentally chastising her. In reality his thinking of what is proper is far more in line with Lady Fanny's demeanor. And then word comes of a betrothal between Ivo Rotherham and a very young woman who is often of Serena and Fanny's social circle. Emily Laleham is starry eyed over Ivo's rank and fortune, but her youth and naivete means she was likely cowed into accepting his proposal by her gold-digging mama. Ivo's bearish ways often scare Emily, but she hasn't the courage to stand up to Ivo or her mother. With so many couplings there should be happy tidings but as Emily runs off with a more youthful suitor what follows is a romp through the countryside that will unravel the pairings.

I loved the idea of this story and Heyer is as usual witty in her prose, but for me the story (and particularly the characters) lacked the charm that is so notable in her other novels. For me this is one of her less successful undertakings. What began with so much promise just fizzled. I don't mind unlikable characters, but none of them quite worked for me and none of them changed over the course of the story. Serena was too volatile and insensitive. She had a hauteur that grated as she lacked an ounce of empathy for anyone else. Yet Fanny was too delicate and subservient. Major Kirkby was too proper and ready to criticize and Ivo too much of a bully. And poor Emily was called 'stupid' by her contemporaries and had no chance at all for redeeming herself it seemed. The characterization just went a step too far for me--crossing the line from amusing to annoying. I did, however, like reading about Bath society and some of the gossipy scenes that give a look into what might well have went on in Regency sitting rooms were wonderful.

I think Bath Tangle is a book that Heyer fans seem to either love or hate. It's one of the rare stories that I didn't find enjoyable, but with over fifty books to her name hopefully the next will be more to my taste.(less)

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Aug 28, 2011 M A rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, georgette-heyer, historical-fiction, regency, romance-historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I once had a reviewer DNF one of my books because "it read too much like Georgette Heyer." I was disappointed and flattered at the same time. Heyer's writing is sublime, although her style and voice appear to be either devotedly loved or rabidly disliked.

I found "Bath Tangle" exceedingly readable and pleasant with some caveats. Although Heyer is commonly styled the "Queen of Regency Romance," she is more accurately an amazingly gifted author skilled in portraying comedy of manners with a strong...more I once had a reviewer DNF one of my books because "it read too much like Georgette Heyer." I was disappointed and flattered at the same time. Heyer's writing is sublime, although her style and voice appear to be either devotedly loved or rabidly disliked.

I found "Bath Tangle" exceedingly readable and pleasant with some caveats. Although Heyer is commonly styled the "Queen of Regency Romance," she is more accurately an amazingly gifted author skilled in portraying comedy of manners with a strong romantic plot or subplot in the Georgian and Regency eras. Her stories are well-written, saturated in period cultural detail (dialect, slanguage, costume description, classism etc.) Characterization, setting/descripton, and dialogue take precedence over action.

A huge problem with "Bath Tangle" is the general unlikeability of the two main characters, Lady Serena Carlow and her former fiance and present-day guardian Ivo, Marquis Rotherham. Serena grated on me almost from Chapter One. Who named this chick Serena, anyway? She is temperemental, mercurial, prone to unneccessary, irrational rages, and is inclined to attack her friends and lovers with little provocation. Ivo has some admirable qualities, but he is abusive to several characters, particularly young people.

I don't mind imperfection in characters. The problem I had with "Bath Tangle" was I felt Heyer's strategies to draw reader sympathy and empathy for Serena and Ivo backfired. All the supporting characters are presented as overly sycophantic of the leads, cheerfully explaining and excusing their undesireable behaviors and abuses. Many of the secondary characters are also portrayed as unusually silly, incompetent, and hypersensitive. I think this was an effort on Heyer's part to vindicate Serena and Ivo's less stellar qualities -- surround them with people so annoying and over-the-top one can't blame the main characters for lashing out at them. It didn't work for me; I found myself more and more sympathetic to the minor characters and felt sorry for them for having to cheerfully tolerate the main characters since the MC's enjoyed higher rank and social status than they.

Another problem is that Serena and Ivo never resolved their former differences leading to their original broken engagement. I'm unsure if Serena just wasn't ready for marriage earlier in life but still loved Ivo, or if there were other more pressing reasons. Ivo is clearly still in love with Serena, albeit in an understated, gentlemanly way; that aspect of Ivo was quite touching. But their resolution to live HEA never has any basis. Did Serena "grow up" and mature into a woman better prepared for marriage only to realize Ivo was the man for her all along? This is never clarified and clarification would have gone a long way in improving the novel.

The character sketching and development are very well done and dialogue is great. I would have enjoyed a little more action in the dialogue in order to help break up the "talking head syndrome." The book also has an enjoyable, dry humorous bent which kept my attention. Some readers may find the work slow-paced, but I liked it. Not every good book is meant to be a page-turner. Like nibbling luxurious, gourmet chocolates, "Bath Tangle" is a novel the reader can enjoy two or three chapters at a time without losing momentum.

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Dec 08, 2008 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fraudio

Read by Siân Phillips. Unabridged.

Historical romance has never tempted me thus far in life but under the adage 'don't knock it until you've tried it', I have recently acquired a fair number of Heyer's works and they will do just fine whilst on duty here at the exhibition centre.

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Jun 29, 2012 Olgalijo rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thinks it's been years since last I read a romance, not out of finding romances contemptible, just because I had not seen anything that caught my attention. When a friend pointed out Georgette Heyer my curiosity came into play. I took Bath Tangle as I could have taken any other of her books. I will say that there are no surprises at all in the plot, so one is not breathlessly turning the pages to see what's gonna happen next.But I found the whole book surprisingly conforting. The storyline is...more

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May 31, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

2.5 stars

I liked the premise, but I found it sadly disappointing. Both the hero and heroine were pretty annoying but I liked their scenes together...Sadly, however, there were not nearly enough of them.

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Jan 12, 2011 snowwhite123 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: georgette, heyer, regency, romance, historical

I would have to say i enjoyed 'Bath Tangle' more than many of her other novels i have read so far. It is the story of Serena and Fanny, two ladies entirely different from each other but who are thrown together due to their relationship as step mother and daughter. After the death of the father, both the ladies end up having to move out of the neighborhood and chance to find their live and love at Bath. The story is very simple but well written and beautifully set plot. One does fall in love with...more

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Oct 25, 2012 steph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, books-with-earls-dukes-viscounts, books-with-ladies-duchesses-visco, enjoyable, fiction-historical, library-torrance, lots-of-characters, love-triangles, made-me-grin-like-a-lovesick-fool, made-me-laugh, romance, romance-regency

Ok. Yeah, I think this is my favorite Heyer of the three I've read so far of her. I loved both Serena and Ivo and the situation they are put in due to the terms of her father's Trust. I love that, in spite of EVERYTHING, they are such good friends and they just understand each other even when others (even others who love them dearly and want to understand them which was the case of Fanny), just can't. Because the only people who truly understand and see the flaws of Ivo and Serena are Ivo and Se...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, ebook, historical

I've been meaning to read Bath Tangle since I spent a semester in Bath during my junior year of college. It was gratifying to read about familiar places as the story unfolded (although it is not set entirely in Bath). Unlike some of Heyer's novels, I found this to be a bit slow to develop, with perhaps not enough attention paid to the primary relationship between the hotheaded, entitled Serena and her former fiance, the equally abrupt Marquis of Rotherham. Rotherham drifts in and out of the scen...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

A variety of people get engaged to a variety of other people, but through poor judgment, spite, or sheer innocence everyone ends up engaged to the wrong person. Heyer romps through Bath until all is untangled and the sweet, quiet homebodies are no longer engaged to the passionate spitfires (although the spitfires are clearly the protagonists, I really liked the quiet, sweet-tempered couple perhaps even more). This is a surprisingly sexy book--the male romantic lead scares the bejeezus out of his...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, regency, romance

It started out great - I loved the characterization and dynamics involved in the whole "tangle." However, by about two thirds of the way through the book, I had lost almost all respect for Rotherham, which kind of ruined everything. He was just petty, spiteful, and then - to get out of the jam he had created - he was deliberately insulting and threatening to the 17-year-old featherhead that HE himself had proposed to of his own accord, thank you very much.

I guess it is worth the read for the oth...more

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May 29, 2012 Rae M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-fiction, regency-romance, historical-romance, romance, adult-fiction, classics, british-lit, female-authors, modernist-literature, review-or-comment, 03-stars, to-reread, wishlist

I wish I could rate this higher, but for the first half of the book I was intolerably bored. I thought this might be the only Heyer I'd never get through, the only worthy moments were the arguments between Serena and Rotherham, but in the beginning there wasn't nearly enough of them. The second half of the book, starting with Fanny and Kirby's little... ahem, problem, the book went along wonderfully from there.

I hated the beginning, too. Bored to tears by the reading of the will and even the arg...more

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