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    Devil's Cub
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    Devil's Cub
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    Devil's Cub
    Ebook351 pages5 hours

    Devil's Cub

    By Georgette Heyer

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Devil's Cub is one of Georgette Heyer's most famous and memorable novels, featuring a dashing and wild young nobleman and the gently bred young lady in whom he finally meets his match.

    Like father, like son

    Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal and fiery son of the notorious Duke of Avon, has established a rakish reputation that rivals his father's, living a life of excess and indulgence. Banished to the Continent after wounding his opponent in a duel, Vidal schemes to abduct the silly aristocrat bent on seducing him into marriage and make her his mistress instead. In his rush, however, he seems to have taken the wrong woman.

    A young lady of remarkable fortitude

    Determined to save her sister from ruin, virtuous Mary Challoner intercepts the Marquis's advances and throws herself into his path, hoping Vidal will release her upon realizing his error. But as the two become irrevocably entangled, Mary's reputation and future lie in the hands of a devilish rake, who finds her more fascinating every day .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateNov 1, 2009
    ISBN9781402228148
    Unavailable
    Devil's Cub
    Author

    Georgette Heyer

    Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer’s father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father’s death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.

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    Reviews for Devil's Cub

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      “The Devil’s Cub” didn’t appeal to me as much as the first book in the Alistair series though I liked it nonetheless. The new male and female leads are worthy of their roles in this sequel but they are not up to the same high standard as the hero and heroine from “These Old Shades”, who feature only briefly in this volume, yet for me they are still the best characters.The plot isn’t as varied or interesting as the first novel. This one is easy to follow but lacks sparkle. The humour is not as frequent as in Book 1, though flashes of brilliance emerge every so often.As with other works by Ms Heyer, the amount of untranslated French got on my nerves. I understood about one word or phrase in every ten. Any reader with limited or no knowledge of the French language will have to either guess what the words/phrases mean, ignore them, or have Google Translate at hand.Overall, this was worth reading, if for no other reason than the scenes featuring the Duke and/or Duchess of Avon.
    • 2/5
      First a caveat...I read the Kindle E-Book Version via Amazon. So many of my complaints may well be associated with this version, which had quite a few typos or digitization errors. My first clue? A character, who we are told is an Englishman and cannot speak a word of French, is reported to not be able to speak a word of English in a sentence. These errors in word syntax were so frequent that they jarred me out of the story. Another example..."she discovered herself to his lordship by removing her cloak". "Uncovered" is the correct word. Discovered makes no sense.

      This version makes 50 Shades of Grey syntax issues pale by comparison. If they are in the original version of the text, then I'm thinking Georgette Heyer is grossly overrated.

      Heyer wrote witty romance novels in between mysteries. And allegedly defined the Regency Romance. Although I think witty is an exaggeration, silly is a better description. The characters are satirical caricatures of romantic tropes. It's hard to care about any of them. They come across as merely ridiculous and over the top. In some respects, Heyer's novel reminds me a great deal of Oscar Wilde's far superior satiric work such as the play - The Importance of Being Earnest or Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility - both were masters of the satiric romance. Heyer is not a master. Her satire is obvious and lacks finesse. I'm admittedly picky when it comes to satire - if it is not subtle, I'm bored. (Not a fan of Jonathan Swift, but adore Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen). It also lacks the subtlety and charm of Eloisa James, not to mention the active tense and clear style. While James words flow across the page, Heyer's stumble over each other, and clumsily fall into ditches.

      The action is constantly being talked about but rarely seen. And when it is seen, it is then discussed endlessly. Turned over and over. As if the writer is uncertain that we figured out the joke the first time around. She does not appear to trust her reader. There's an insecurity to her writing...you feel as if she is running away from the text, instead of embracing it. Fearful of revealing too much in some places where more is needed and too little in places where far less is required. For example she spends far too much time on sub-plots that go nowhere and ridiculous characters that lack depth and are uninteresting to the reader and unnecessary to the plot - I did a lot of skimming.

      That said...what she excels at is poking fun at established romantic tropes in Regency Romance novels, such as the rake who runs off with and seduces the maiden. In some respects the Devil's Cub felt like a satiric reaction to Richardson's classic epistolary novel Clarissa, except it ends well and Lovelace is a nice guy. Here, the rake, Marquis of Vidal (also our hero) whom I kept wanting to call Vidal Sassoon, brutally takes our heroine across the sea to France. She shoots him in the arm, which brings him to his senses. But as she thinks to herself much later..."Vidal, a character out of romantic fiction, lacked any romance whatesoever, while Mr. Comyn, who was not one, on the contrary, was quite romantic." The play on words is a bit over-the-top and I think unnecessary. Mrs. Simms (Simple), or Mr. Comyn (Comyn) or Vidal (Vital). Clearly subtlety is not one of Miss Heyer's strong suits.

      Heyer allegedly defined the Regency romance (even though several of her romances take place in other periods), and appears like most Regency romance writers during the 1940's to 1960's to have been a bit afraid of sex scenes. She avoids them like the plague, merely suggesting them with a few subtle words. It's odd, she has no problem showing the reader graphic gun-play or sword-fights, or discussing them ad nauseam. Indeed, twenty percent of the book is taken up with a lengthy discussion of Lord Vidal killing a highwaymen, which is described various ways by a multitude of characters. But love? Or making love? Barely mentioned. "Betrand made intoxicating love to her in the a clove." So what happened exactly? Did they have sex? Merely make out? Did he just compliment her and kiss her? This being Heyer, it's most likely the latter. Later, it is alluded that the Marquis and Miss Challoner, our erstwhile heroine, made love the night before by the heated blush on Miss Challoner's cheeks the next morning at breakfast when she glances at the Marquise.

      It's odd. Romance novels are about making love. They are about "love". Not describing sex or making love or even dwelling on it in a romance novel is a bit like not describing a murder in a murder mystery or refusing to describe a sword fight in a swashbuckling adventure. Imagine The Three Musketeers without sword fights, with the sword fights only being faintly alluded to? Heyer does show the hero and heroine kissing but it lasts for two sentences and is barely there.

      Instead Heyer dwells on the violence and there is quite a lot of it - the Marquis is shot in the shoulder by the heroine in a rather funny and graphic scene, and the heroine gets a slight abrasion or cut attempting to prevent a lengthy sword-fight between the hero and her well-meaning but somewhat insipid protector. This is also, not coincidentally, in the shoulder. And we have the brutal and somewhat violent abduction of the heroine by the hero (he chokes her so she can't scream), as well as two shootings - the hero shoots and kills a highwayman and brutally shoots a man in a duel. It's a rather violent novel for a light fluffy Regency romance. The sex scenes, kissing scenes, or love-play are almost non-existent.

      I don't believe Heyer promotes violence, the moral characters certainly oppose it. But it is not clear. It does make one wonder however...why the lax attitude towards depicting violence in detail, but the veering away from sex scenes? Was the writer just uncomfortable or squeamish writing them? Sex scenes are like action scenes - same writing principle applies.

      Austen to be fair also veered away from depicting sex scenes. As did Richardson. So it may well be the time period (the English were anything if not puritanical when it comes to sex - going so far as to ban it, the Americans were even worse.) Yet violence was never a problem. What does this say about human beings? Literature is after all a reflection of our culture, is it not?

      At any rate...I found Heyer to be a bit prudish and disappointing. The book didn't become funny until the very last twenty or so pages. You have to wade through a bunch of silly and at times grating nonsense to get there.

      If you want witty banter, and subtle satire - go read the far superior Eloisa James' A Kiss At Midnight. Plus more sex, no violence.

      Far better book, not to mention cheaper. Heyer is not worth $8.99 on Kindle. If you must read her - go check it out at your local library.
    • 4/5
      A sequel of sorts to These Old Shades, written with Heyer's customary aplomb and allowing her to return to some of her best characters. Great fun. The plot is deeply predictable, but frankly, does that really matter?!
    • 4/5
      Fun and funny. Heyer knows her way around a sensible, competent heroine.
    • 5/5
      A good historical romance that started out strong and kept on going. At first I didn't care for hero but all the exciting action just highlighted his transformation. I enjoyed the secondary romance and all the fun characters. Marquis of Vidal making a quick escape to France thinks he is taking his latest flirt and ends up with her sister Mary.
    • 4/5
      This book is the sequel to "These Old Shades," but is perfectly readable as a stand-alone as well. Dominic, the Marquis of Vidal, is the son of Justin and Leonie Alastair. Perhaps lacking in morals even more than his father, he is forced to flee after almost killing someone in a duel. He schemes to take a girl with him - an innocent (yet stupid) girl he wants to make his mistress - and to save her reputation, her older sister goes in her place, impersonating her. He finds out quickly and furiously takes her with him anyway, and the romance between them begins from there. This is a sweet and fun story, and it is fun to see Justin and Leonie again - Dominic is very much like his mother!
    • 4/5
      A total farce--and I mean that in the best way possible. Young Mary Challoner intervenes to prevent her younger sister Sophia from being ruined by absconding with the Marquis of Avon in her place. The Marquis (the son of the Duke of Avon, featured in the first book in this sub-series of Georgette Heyer's, _These Old Shades_) doesn't discover the switch until he's carried Mary all the way to France, at which point his chivalry kicks in and he realizes he must marry her. She's having none of it, and the rest of the book follows their merry chase throughout France, as they are pursued by a host of other friends, famiy members, and spurned lovers. It's silly and predictable and well written and wonderful. Just what I needed in the middle of the semester!
    • 5/5
      I like. Dominic is more sympathetic than Justin was - possibly because he's younger and less invested in his image. And I much prefer Mary to Leonie; hopefully she'll be able to manage that madcap family. The whole story is also considerably more convincing than These Old Shades - I can see how each one would take those actions and say those things, given how they feel, what they know, and their various personalities. The characters are vividly drawn, the situations are wild but not impossible, the choices made fit - I really enjoyed this book (I do like her romances better than her mysteries).
    • 4/5
      'Devil's Cub' is one of Georgette Heyer's earlier novels, set in the early 19th century. The hero of the book is the violent, cold-hearted and promiscuous Lord Vidal. He falls for the innocent (but rather grasping) Sophia, and plans to carry her off to be his mistress, only to have his scheme foiled by her straight-laced elder sister Mary. The bulk of the story follows Vidal and Mary - two highly unlikely chacaracters for hero and heroine - as they get to know each other.

      With this author the characterisations are what matter. She was so clever at creating people who seem to jump out of the pages - and showing that even the worst of people can have a pleasant side buried beneath the veneer.

      Very enjoyable and difficult to put down, once started. Admittedly the cast-list was a bit over-big and I got slightly muddled earlier in the book; it might have helped if I had previously read 'These Old Shades' since 'Devil's Cub' is a sort of sequel - albeit occurring over twenty years later.
    • 5/5
      My all-time favorite Heyer romance. Swoon-worthy hero, sensible heroine, so many great scenes. Have read this many times, will reread many more!
    • 4/5
      Duke of Avon's son, Vidal [Alastair], is an arrogant cynic. I didn't care much for him but he was an excellent villain. His eventual love interest was somewhat contrived but also an interesting characterization. The Duke was very amusing as an omniscient parent. I enjoyed reading more of Léonie. Despite the implausible kidnapping plot, the story was enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      This one had so much potential, and I loved the way it played out in the end, but Mary and Vidal didn't have nearly enough time together for it to really be satisfactory. I have said it before and I'll say it again: any romance in which the main couple spend more time apart than together is MISSING ITS MARK.
    • 3/5
      When her flighty younger sister, having more beauty than brains, decides to elope with a notorious nobleman who has no thought of marriage - assuring her own social ruin, as well as that of her family - what's a girl to do? If she's Mary Challoner, she disguises herself as her sister, and tricks the nobleman into believing that he has been made the butt of a vulgar joke...If the notorious nobleman in question - one Dominic Alastair, Marquis of Vidal - refuses to believe that she is a virtuous woman - abducting her by force, threatening to strangle her, and forcing his attentions upon her - what's a girl to do? If she's Mary, she shoots him with one of his own pistols...And if her erstwhile abductor, now cognizant of her "quality," repents and demands that she marry him - a state of affairs she devoutly desires, but which seems socially untenable - what's a girl to do? Run away, of course! Not once, but many times...Whether the object lesson here is that men crave violence, that they need to be shot before they will accept the truth, or that they love to pursue, Mary Challoner has what it takes to "deliver the goods." I was surprised to discover myself enjoying Devil's Cub, the second of Heyer's books devoted to the noble Alastair family, and the sequel to These Old Shades, a book which never fails to stir a violent feeling of loathing in my heart, but enjoy it I did.Perhaps this is owing to the fact that Dominic Vidal, unlike his father, does repent his mistreatment of the heroine, making this the tale of redemption that so many have seen in These Old Shades. Or perhaps I've simply been waiting for one of Heyer's heroines to respond appropriately to her "hero:" by shooting him down...
    • 5/5
      I loved it! The Alastairs came back with a bang. It was nice to see them as a family unit. Leonie and Rupert had a greater role in this book than Justin. However, in the end, The Duke of Avon played the best role/ hoax. Fanny was her ridiculous self and you learn that she has the most ridiculous and boring son. Her daughter Juliania has the Alastair countenance but is prone to the vapours. She plays a horrible game with her beloved Frederick and almost loses him. I dare not say more to not give too much away of this delicious tale. Reading this one by Mrs Heyer showed me why she is considered one of the greatest writers of historical romance.

      As I said while reading this gem, I enjoyed the duels, chasing about, running away, catching of the vapours, and frank, albeit funny dialogue between the characters. "The Devil's Cub" didn't disappoint in the least. This is a book I will read over and over again. It reminds me of why I love to read...for the discovery of a great story.
    • 3/5
      Another jolly road chase. Heyer aged her characters from [book:These Old Shades] very well.
    • 3/5
      Devil's cub is no other than Marquis Vidal - son of Satana (Duke of Avon) and Leonie (Leon the page). Well, he eventually falls in love with 'respectable', plain but virtuous Mary Challoner. It seems Heyer always has Priyadarshan type ending with all character full of chaos. Hmm.
    • 4/5
      Since Alistair #1 (These Old Shades) creeped me out just a bit with the whole relationship between the duke and his "page" (seriously, he's still calling her his "enfant" in this one, and their son is in his twenties), I was relieved to see that the two of them had supporting roles in this book. They're there in the beginning and the end, with the duchess having a small solo part toward the middle and the duke with his own at the end. Most of the story focuses on the next generation--Dominic, the marquis; his cousins, Fanny's children; and Sophia and Mary Challoner, the pretty but rather vapid girl whom Dominic hopes to make his mistress and her older sister who is determined to prevent him. In true Heyer style, the plot is a comedy of errors, with disguises and duels, elopements and escapes, and misunderstandings galore. It was a slow start, as I've found many of her books to be, but once the plot gets going, hold on for a wild ride!
    • 4/5
      Heyer aets a beautiful scene and takes the reader back in time. Then she gives each character a voice and they come alive. This is one of her besy. She does have a thing for shoes with red heels, they show up in all her early books.
    • 4/5
      You know, the actual romantic couples are not at all to my taste, but the dialogue and absurdity are what make me love it. Listened to BBC Audiobooks edition narrated by Michael Drew. Previously read a lot of times. I will never get enough of Heyer.
    • 3/5
      The Devil's Cub was a natural choice as a follow up to These Old Shades since it is the sequel to that story. Unlike the previous book, it is a true Regency and shows the next generation of the family. I think it could stand on its own, but I would definitely recommend reading the prequel first to fully appreciate the story.
    • 5/5
      The sequel to These Old Shades, my favorite sequence of Heyer novels. The hero is the son of the couple from These Old Shades. The heroine of TOS is now a respectable duchess and mother but still delightfully spirited, as is her son's unexpected love.
    • 5/5
      I am running out of superlatives to use when describing Georgette Heyer’s work. In The Devil’s Cub we are treated to another exquisite work of historical romantic fiction. All her usual ingredients are here; a smart heroine, a dashing hero, amusing and interesting secondary characters and clever dialogue that enthrals while tickling the funny bone.This classic plot has been reworked many times, most recently Lauren Willig paid homage in her book, The Deception of the Emerald Ring, an elopement that goes awry with the wrong sister being spirited away. In Heyer’s deft hands we are provided with the Marquis Vidal and with his rakish good looks, strong temper and masculine yet boyish ways, he is the perfect foil to Mary, the quiet, gentle yet practical elder sister who wishes to protect her younger sister’s reputation. This along with the secondary plot about Vidal’s cousin, Julianna’s involvement with an unsuitable man gives us lots of family upheaval and excitement. Of course, even better is that this is the Alastair family that starred in another of my favorite Heyer books, These Old Shades.The Devil’s Cub plastered a smile on my face during the whole read. Finally, a deserving heroine with just the right amount of spunk gets her “bad boy” and he turns out to be worth the trouble. A playful, joyful read.
    • 3/5
      Even though I enjoyed reading it, I felt a bit lost in some parts.I mean, I think it was supposed to be funny, but I didn't find it funny at all.Especially the part with the Valet and the clothing and habits descriptions.I was also a bit put off by all the Wigs and Powders and Rouge description, it took away from taking the men seriously and liking them.I found our herione interesting in some parts, but she just did stupid things, one after the other, and she kepts running away!!??Overall, the story was interesting and I might read another Heyer sometimes.
    • 4/5
      This is only the second Heyer book that I've read so far, and I had a lot of fun with it. According This is only the second Heyer book that I've read so far, and I had a lot of fun with it. According to reviews and comments, this is one of her more popular tales, and I can see why. Dominic Alistair is the Marquis of Vidal, a rake who likes to drink and gamble and duel, but is a good guy despite all that. The quintessential bad boy. Mary, on the other hand, is straight laced. She is also the sister of Sophia, a flirty girl who is letting herself be seduced by the Marquis. In an effort to save her sister, Mary compromises herself with Dominic, who decides that he has to marry her to save her reputation.The romance is appealing, but more important to the success of the story is the wit and the characterization. The characters' escapades are silly and far-fetched, but so amusing to read. I love the repartee between just about everyone, and all of the side characters are quirky and add a lot to the story. Especially Dominic's mom, who was feisty and adorable. I laughed out loud several times while reading this. I agree with comments of others that I have read, that Heyer's language can become clunky at times, but the frothy fun in the story outweighs her awkward constructions and repetitions, and it is such a fast read that it's easy to just skim over those problems and focus on the characters and the story.My biggest problem wasn't the writing, but the attitude towards women that the Marquis, and other men and women, exhibit. Just because Mary acted in a brazen way when she was attempting to trick Dominic does not at all justify his decision to abduct her and later try to rape her. That made me crazy. Just as crazy as everyone implying that Sophia deserves to be ruined because she is flighty. She's definitely not a likable character but that does not mean she deserves what the Marquis is planning. The chauvinist attitude towards women is completely in accord with its setting and the time when Heyer was writing, but it still grates on my feelings. However, I just accepted it as a sign of the , and therefore, though it irritated me, it did not detract too much from my enjoyment in reading.
    • 4/5
      Another entertaining read and although it's not quite up to the standard of it's prequel, "These Old Shades", it's still one of Heyer's best. Mary Challoner is one of Heyer's no-nonsense heroines and is more than up to the challenge of dealing with the Marquis of Vidal, who is a "wild, passionate" character, prone to shooting his adversaries. Bliss.
    • 4/5
      This is the second part of a trilogy dealing with the Alastair family that began with These Old Shades and concludes with An Infamous Army. Some of the author's works can found in general fiction, and I know plenty who usually eschew romance novels who love Heyer--A.S. Byatt is a fan. Her Regency novels were published from 1921 to 1972 so I think we can put her into near-classic status--although Devil's Cub is actually set in the earlier Georgian Era. The book is a good example of the omniscient point of view--I hate the sloppy point of views you often seen in romance books that switch between characters thoughts within scenes, or even paragraphs, but a true omniscient point of view, done consistently from the beginning and with a strong voice is an exception to that rule--and Heyer does it well and with a lot of humor. Not that hers is a style I find completely graceful. The "she marvelled" and "he interjected" and the like in the speech tags accompanied by the most awkward adverb abuse--I felt as if bounced on a trampoline by them--and it's hard to read "he ejaculated" with a straight face. It's really great, witty dialogue--I wish Heyer would have got out of its way. (Though "chit" is used so often, I think I now know where hack romance novelists get it from.) There is a wealth of period detail--slang, fashions, etc.--I couldn't help but think of what I once read of Jane Austen though--that she eschewed a lot of details because she felt it would date her works, rather than making them universal, and early on all that description struck me as cluttered, but eventually I came to see it as part of Heyer's charm. This was my first Heyer, and I have to admit that besides the style issues, I initially had a problem with the titular character--I might have dropped the book a third way through if many I trust didn't tell me they love Heyer. The romantic hero, Dominic Alastair, Marquis of Vidal, is a rake, who in the first six chapters seems a cold stone killer and seducer. I detested him. About a hundred pages in he abducts the heroine, Mary Challoner, who obstructed his plans to make her sister his mistress. I thought, well, maybe I chose the wrong book. But then Mary endeared herself to me forever: Reader, she shot him. With his own pistol. After that, I started enjoying myself :-) Heyer's no Jane Austen, but she's heads above most romance writers and did charm me.
    • 3/5
      I love romances, and I love history. I particularly love when those two come together into one book. Knowing how many people love Georgette Heyer, I was absolutely convinced that any of her Regency romances would be exactly what I love. Alas, it was not meant to be. Before you draw and quarter me, let me explain.From a purely historical perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed Devil's Cub. The detail was phenomenal. The pomp and circumstance afforded Dominic, the morals of the society portrayed in the book were foreign to today's society but understandable given the historical context of the book. Ms. Heyer paints a tremendously vivid picture with her words, so that I knew exactly what each character was wearing, what it felt like to ride in a carriage, what it was like to attend social events in high society and what it was like to travel. From that aspect, I was highly impressed.My issue with this book was the familiarity of it. My opinion of the book may have been different had I not grown up reading as much historical romantic fiction as I possibly could. It has been said that as creator of the genre, modern authors have sought to copy Ms. Heyer's style. I believe this to be true because I found Devil's Cub to be predictable, formulaic and even eye-roll inducing. Another caveat is that I have always avoided Harlequin romances, and this smacked of the Harlequin style. Yes, it is important to remember that this was written before modern romances, including the Harlequin branch of books, but my distaste for that genre was something I really had difficulties overcoming.Another bone of contention that distracted me from the story was the grammatical errors scattered throughout the book. Much of the book is in dialogue, and I honestly thought that if I read "she don't" or "he don't" one more time, I was going to scream. I also found that Dominic's name was spelled about four different ways throughout the book, including the very feminine way of adding a -que to the end of his name. Again, it bothered me. Perhaps it should not have, but I found it distracting.Given the popularity of historical romance novels, it is completely understandable why Georgette Heyer ranks up there as one of the most popular romantic authors. I will admit that I did find Devil's Cub to be charming and witty at times. The characters are so over the top that one cannot help but laugh at their dramatics. I even suspect that because the whole novel is so exaggerated, Ms. Heyer may be slyly mocking the Regency era. However, I believe that this type of novel is just not for me. I prefer my historical romance to be a bit edgier, more suspenseful, saucier with the romance more a backdrop to the overarching story. I am glad I got to experience my first Heyer novel and look forward to reading what others have to say about her works as the tour progresses throughout the rest of March.
    • 4/5
      Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Within two pages of meeting Mary she makes fun of both her mother and her suitor and I knew right away I was going to like this girl. After telling her suitor that the color he is wearing, puce, does not become him, he continues nevertheless to flatter her with favorable comparisons to her sister:"In my eyes," declared Joshua, "you are the prettier."Miss Challoner seemed to consider this. "Yes?" she said interestedly. "But then, you chose puce." She shook her head, and it was apparent she set no store by the compliment.Mary's younger sister, Sophia, is a beautiful empty-headed girl who has caught the eye of Vidal, London's most notorious rake. (And he's not just a rake with the ladies; by page 54 he's already shot two men.) Mary knows Vidal has no intentions of making an honest woman of Sophia once he's had her, and when she stumbles across his plans to spirit her sister away, Mary takes action. Her plan works, but she never considered the repercussions of her actions and Vidal is not a man to be trifled with. He gets his revenge on Mary by forcing her to flee the country with him, thus ruining her reputation. Mary takes it all in stride until Vidal physically threatens her virtue and then she does what any sensible girl would do: she shoots him. Vidal in turn does what any sensible gentleman would do: he proposes.And thus begins the romance dance of two seemingly incompatible people, falling in love and denying it at every opportunity, until the moment when it seems they must confess or be lost to one another.This was my first Georgette Heyer romance and it is easy to see why her books have stood the test of time. The characters are engaging, the dialogue is smart and witty, and Ms. Heyer manages to create a very sensual feel throughout the story while remaining chaste and G-rated. I have only two complaints: In the beginning I was confused by all the name dropping and introductions to London society, but that didn't last long. I also felt too much time was spent with their relatives back in London when all I wanted was to get back to Mary and Vidal. But during the course of reading I realized this book was a sequel to These Old Shades, and Vidal's mother and aunt were characters in that book, so had I read that first, I may not have minded spending so much time with them in this book.All in all, a light-hearted, fun read!
    • 2/5
      I don't know if it's me, or what, but I didn't enjoy this. I simply adored These Old Shades, and perhaps I was looking for a These Old Shades Part Deux. Alas, no.I found Vidal to be utterly detestable, but not in an endearing way like so many heroes from historical romances are. In some scenes he disgusted me and in other scenes I just want him to shut the heck up. Mary I liked, up to a point, but I couldn't understand how she could fall for him.The return of characters from These Old Shades made this somewhat enjoyable. Leonie and Rupert made me giggle like in the predecessor. And Fanny was her usually flitty self.I don't know if it was just the character of Vidal that ruined this book for me, or what, but no scenes stood out to me and I didn't become attached to any of the brand new characters. Sad that I could dislike a Heyer book so much, but I can not tell a lie. I think I need to take a Heyer break.
    • 5/5
      Devil’s CubGeorgette HeyerSourcebooks Inc.Published 12/09, c. 1932978-1-4022-1953-5From the Cover....“Dominic Alistair, Marquis of Vidal and fiery son of the notorious Duke of Avon, has established a rakish reputation that rivals his father’s, living a life of excess and indulgence. Banished to the Continent after wounding his opponent in a duel, Vidal schemes to abduct the silly aristocrat bent on seducing him into marriage and makes her his mistress instead. In his rush, however, he seems to have taken the wrong woman....”Instead of Sophia Challoner, the Marquis is dumbfounded to find he has abducted her sister, less beautiful, but intricately more clever. The plan to deceive the Marquis in order to spare her sister’s ruin backfires on Mary. His temper is legend, and he is enraged by the pretense. Instead of letting her go as she expects, he takes her on board the Albatross as his captive. When he realizes that Mary is a woman of honor and rectitude, his compunction for licentious intentions abruptly end. The story continues with a surprising direction as the Marquis tries to rectify Mary’s ill conceived plan. The story centers around the family of the Duke and Duchess of Avon, and their son the Marquis of Vidal. He is a source of challenge and concern, and his exploits keep them on their nobel toes. The story contains a complicated family tree of characters who intersect to create an exciting, funny and romantic plot. I loved this Heyer novel. There is quick adroitly executed humor that flows easily in the dialogue. You can visualize this novel as if it were a play performed live. The personalities of the characters as so precise. I recently read No Wind of Blame, a Heyer mystery, and I much prefer her romantic novel genre. I highly recommend this deliciously engaging and fun read.