Which was your first Heyer?

[Sophie]

Thanks!! I can't wait :) I have just ordered Arabella :)

[Cindy]

Soph wrote: "Thank you!! All now on my Heyer list!! Is the Talisman ring more funny or more romantic?"

Both! Lots of adventure, but very, very funny! The romance is typical GH. Satisfying in a good way.

[Sophie]

Ohhhh thank you!! :D I found the romance In Cotillion very satisfying!!

[Louise Sparrow]

Can I add Sylvester and Devil's Cub to your list? They're up there on my list of favourites along with the ones already mentioned.

[Sophie]

You can!! Thank you very much!! Any suggestions are welcome!! My list is growing!! :D

[Leslie]

I just discovered Heyer a few weeks ago my first book was Black Sheep and I absolutely loved it. Abigail was a perfect mix of Elinore Dashwood & Elizabeth Bennet the sage wisdom of being an old maid of 28 and the spunk and wit of Lizzy :) I've just started the Talisman Ring and am very entertained by Eustacie's melodrama though in her defense I could see how she would find the prospect of an arranged marriage in this era being on par with a rendezvous with Madame Guillotine :P luckily for her neither potential match will prove to be so horrible.

[Diana]

My first was Envious Casca. I was more of a Detective
reader when I picked it up at the library. I enjoyed it so much I just grabbed another Heyer of the shelf on my next trip. I had stumbled on to Fredrica. I was in love. At last, a romance Where the couple have brains and personalities. I quickly worked my way through all the library had and went to look for the rest.

[Cindy]

Mike wrote: "My favorite Heyer mystery would be They Found Him Dead, though that one is the third in Hannasyde series. My favorite stand-alone mystery by Heyer would be Footsteps in the Dark.

They Found Him D..."

Mike - I don't know if you're still with us, but I finished "Footsteps In The Dark". I'd have to say, Agatha Christie wrote a similar story called "The Pale Horse". It had a similar supernatural theme, although witches were involved. GH & AC are similar in style, although AC tends to use "the red herrings". For example,all the characters would be suspicious, except the guilty party. If Footsteps in the Dark were an AC book, then Charles would be playing a deep game & be the guilty one! I actually thought his was the best character in the book :)

[Mike Briggs]

Agatha Christie always seemed like someone I'd like to read. Oddly, and bewilderingly, the only book by her I really enjoyed is one I had to read for school (that's the bewildering part, liking something that I was forced to read; that one being And Then There Were None). The few other things I've attempted by Christie haven't really held my interest the way they should. Though I did like that play of hers I saw.

[Karlyne]

Mike, how funny that Agatha Christie would be required reading! Where did you go to school?

[Mike Briggs]

Virginia. It was for a middle school class. If I recall correctly, I would have been around 13-14 years old.

[Mandy]

I read These Old Shades when I was about 12 and I was instantly hooked.

[Victoria]

My first was the reluctant widow. It sucked me into a whole new world and is still one of my absolute favourites! I loved the whole spy element but I won't say anything more as I don't want to spoil the rest

[Ceecee]

was my first. I read and there were passages from Heyer novels there, and I was very much intrigued. I resolved to read a Georgette Heyer if I ever come across one, and Cotillion was it.

I absolutely loved Freddy and how different a hero he was. I never thought a dandy would be so loveable. :)

[Sophie]

I completely agree! He was a different but still great hero! :)

[Ceecee]

Soph wrote: "I completely agree! He was a different but still great hero! :)"

That ending...a strike through my heart..wouldn't you agree? :D

[Sophie]

Yes!! I completely agree!!

[Tracy]

I resisted reading Georgette Heyer for ages. At some point in my 20s I had seen some Harlequin editions, with the typical cover art, and got a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. After I read several of Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series, I saw GH listed as one of her favorite authors and thought I'd give her a try. Lo and behold, the Sourcebooks reissues had so improved on the cover art work, I wasn't even embarrassed to be seen reading them! Sprig Muslin, was my first Heyer.

[Donna]

Concerning cover art, my overall favorites are the Arrow editions that are classified as imported from the UK. Not the plain-looking ones, but the ones that rival Sourcebooks in richness, but in an understated way. I also like the old covers published during Heyer's lifetime published by Bodley Head with the artist being Barbosa, I believe. Some of the other covers are hideous. There is one cover that depicts Frederica looking like some bored socialite being courted by two gentlemen, one kissing her hand, if I remember correctly. Ugh! But another old Frederica cover is pretty cool with Alverstoke and Frederica standing in silhouette against the backdrop of the balloon. The characters look fairly close to how I imagined them.

[HJ]

This nonsense with covers is why so many prefer e-readers! But I agree that the Sourcebooks (or in the UK, Arrow new edition) covers are lovely, even if they don't have much connection with the books.

[Donna]

Yes, but even e books have virtual covers. And those covers change over time. Personally, I believe a nice cover can add to the reading experience, e book or not, though the cover does not affect my opinion of the book itself for obvious reasons.

[Jeffrey]

A Lady Of Quality was my very first Georgette Heyer read. I've since read 20 of her romances and enjoyed them all. Her formula leads all of her books to ultimately the same conclusion...BUT...it is her character development, plot twists, and exquisite dialogue that make each story unique and entertaining.
My current favorites:
A Lady Of Quality
The Grand Sophy
Venetia
Friday's Child
Sprig Muslin
The Nonesuch

Want to read:
Cotillion
A Civil Contract
The Quiet Gentleman

[Mti Librarian]

False Colours - I stumbled across it on the library shelves while I was look for something Regency-ish. I love the dialog and manners. I've read through everything the library owns and now I'm working to acquire her books through other methods.

[HJ]

False Colours doesn't get mentioned much in these Heyer discussions, but I'm very fond of it. I especially like the scene where the woman tries to blackmail Kit (avoiding spoilers) and Cressy takes charge and resolves the situation, thus revealing that she knows about him (more spoiler avoiding).

[Donna]

That was a wonderful scene in the story. Kit is such an understated hero--a reluctant one, in a way. So he doesn't get as much notice as many other Heyer heroes. And we get to see a side of Cressy in that scene that reveals her strength and intelligence. Speaking of revelation scenes, one of my favorites is in The Masqueraders when The Mountain spills what he knows.

[HJ]

I'm very fond of the Mountain - another understated hero. I like Heyer's big men (she had a bit of a thing for them, didn't she?) - the Unknown Ajax and Captain John Staple of The Toll-Gate.

[Nicole D.]

I am a huge fan of the Mountain.I just read The Masqueraders and loved it.Donna I too loved that scene it was one of my favorites of the book.

[Mti Librarian]

Yes! The Masqueraders was the second book by Georgette Heyer that I read and, of course, I loved it! The Mountain is such a great non-traditional hero and Prudence is so sensible and level-headed.
I read False Colours in 2008 and I really liked the debt theme, very appropriate for the beginning of the recession.

[Donna]

Hj wrote: "I'm very fond of the Mountain - another understated hero. I like Heyer's big men (she had a bit of a thing for them, didn't he?) - the Unknown Ajax and Captain John Staple of The Toll-Gate."

Yes, and all of them "gentle giants" unless provoked. Now on the other end of the scale, there is Gilly from The Foundling. To quote the book: "He was slightly built and of rather less than medium height." Gilly has his own special appeal and grows by the end of the book--no pun intended. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another Heyer hero who is small. Am I missing anyone? I can't remember how tall Robin was in The Masqueraders to carry off the masquerade. It seems unusual to find a hero of slight stature in this genre.

[Margaret]

Robin was rather small, IIRC. Gervase St. Erth in The Quiet Gentleman isn't notably large, either. I think most of the other heroes are average-to-tall men, though.

[Donna]

Thanks. It's all coming back to me now. I read a number of these books years ago. It's time for some re-reads. So Heyer actually did have a decent percentage of smaller heroes considering the amount of books she wrote. Some authors shy away from them, as well as avoiding beta males.

[Aarti]

Having just recently finished rereading Sylvester, I am fairy certain that he is described as being an average height. Though I always picture him as towering over Phoebe, so I need to adjust my mental image of him!

[Kim]

Aarti wrote: "Having just recently finished rereading Sylvester, I am fairy certain that he is described as being an average height. Though I always picture him as towering over Phoebe, so I need to adjust my me..."

Yes, Sylvester isn't one of the tall heroes. The book is up there with my favourite Heyers. I'm not sure how many times I've read it.

[Nicole D.]

Margaret wrote: "Robin was rather small, IIRC. Gervase St. Erth in The Quiet Gentleman isn't notably large, either. I think most of the other heroes are average-to-tall men, though."

Yes Robin was small.Prudence was bigger then him I remember it being say that he was too small to be mistaken for Prudence.

[HJ]

Nicole D. wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Robin was rather small, IIRC. Gervase St. Erth in The Quiet Gentleman isn't notably large, either. I think most of the other heroes are average-to-tall men, though."

Yes Robin was small..."

It's a while since I read it, but doesn't Prudence call him "my little man"?

[Ann-Marie]

Arabella! I thought it was hilarious :) Especially about Beaumaris and the dog Ulysses! The humor definitely won me over and made me eager to read more :)

[Ann-Marie]

Arabella! I thought it was hilarious :) Especially about Beaumaris and the dog Ulysses! The humor definitely won me over and made me eager to read more :)

[Sophie]

I agree!! I loved Arabella!! The dog was one of the best characters! He and Beaumaris were so funny together! And I love how Arabella got Beaumaris to have the dog in the first place!

[Hannah]

Arabella has been my favorite Heyer I've read so far! Beaumaris and Ulysses' "chats" are so funny.

[Caity]

Cotillion

[Leslie]

To be honest, I have no idea! I can't really remember not reading them :)

If I had to guess, I think it may have been Friday's Child, which I can remember reading during middle school. But I grew up in a household which had the majority of Heyer's books on its shelves...

[Anne]

My first Heyer was "The Black Moth" and I picked it out because it was her first book. I discovered Georgette Heyer last year, as I was browsing through Chapters' online store, and Heyer popped into my recommendations...I googled her to find out who she was and decided to give her books a try. WOW!!! I am so glad I did! I loved "The Black Moth", even though it's not as good as the ones I have lately had the pleasure to read.

[HJ]

Anne wrote: "My first Heyer was "The Black Moth" and I picked it out because it was her first book. I discovered Georgette Heyer last year, as I was browsing through Chapters' online store, and Heyer popped int..."

I think I'm right in saying that she was only about 17 when she wrote Black Moth. She liked the characters and they reappear in These Old Shades and Devil's Cub under different names.

[Anne]

Hj wrote: "Anne wrote: "My first Heyer was "The Black Moth" and I picked it out because it was her first book. I discovered Georgette Heyer last year, as I was browsing through Chapters' online store, and Hey..."

Yes, I think you're right, she was 17 when she wrote it and it was to amuse her sick brother, I think... I can understand why she liked the characters! They were even more awesome in These Old Shades and Devil's Cub!

[Janhavi]

The first Heyer I remember reading was Faro's daughter, borrowed from my high school library. I enjoyed this, borrowed it 2-3 times, but didn't follow up on the rest.

Then, for my 20th birthday, my mother gave me a box of the new Arrow paperback Heyers. (I would like to think there were 20 of them, but pretty sure it was 12!)

One of the best birthday gifts of my life! I devoured them, quickly found most the others and have never looked back. Ever since, I re-read them frequently!!

[HJ]

Faro's Daughter is a little different to Heyer's normal book, I think, so it's good that you liked it and wanted to read more. I've lost count of how often I re-read the books; I enjoy them every time.

[Maria]

Hello. I am new to this group. I have recently discovered Heyer's world and I love it! I have only read "The Convenient Marriage" and I really enjoyed it! I am planning to make up for lost time so I am open to any suggestions :)

[HJ]

Maria wrote: "Hello. I am new to this group. I have recently discovered Heyer's world and I love it! I have only read "The Convenient Marriage" and I really enjoyed it! I am planning to make up for lost time so ..."

Welcome! I do envy you, with all the wonderful Heyer books unread and ahead of you. My suggestions would be:

- avoid the more historical Heyers (e.g. An Infamous Army, The Spanish Bride) until you've read a few Regencies by her. You may like them, but even her most ardent fans do find them more difficult to read.

- Powder And Patch is also not typical of her work and again perhaps best left until you know her better

- a few of her books are linked, almost like a series, so probably best not to read them out of this order: The Black Moth (her fist book, written at 17, and not her best!), These Old Shades (which has some of the same characters but with different names, and the timing doesn't work); Devil's Cub (this and These Old Shades are favourites among Heyer-lovers). Regency Buck includes some of the characters, although it can really be read as a stand-alone. An Infamous Army has some of the characters and later generations from Devil's Cub. It also has some characters from Regency Buck.

- Cotillion is generally very well-liked. As well, I love Frederica, The Grand Sophy, The Talisman Ring, The Reluctant Widow, etc. etc.!

- if you're not constrained by availability e.g. by what your library has, subject to the caveats I mention above you can read them in almost any order - they're all good! But you could read them in the order in which she wrote them, if you like, and see how she develops as an author.

Heyer also wrote detective stories, which are best read in order (I think), and on the basis that they're unlike her Regencies - they were contemporary when written. If you look up Georgetter Heyer's author page you'll see them listed as a series.

Enjoy!

[Maria]

Wow thank you Hj! I will definitely follow your advices :) I was just thinking about "Frederica" or "Arabella". I agree about the historical novels, I think I will read them after I have read other books. "Cotillion" seems very beautiful and I have read a lot of good reviews too. I cannot wait to start!

[Anne]

I am glad that you discovered and like Georgette Heyer, Maria!
Hj pretty much said all there is to say about what you should read first, so I'll just give you a few more suggestions as to my favourite Heyers! I would also recommend "The Masqueraders" and "The Quiet Gentleman" (maybe not to start with, but it's a good one!). The Alastair serie mentioned above by Hj are so far my favourites!
I hope you will enjoy the rest of her books!