14 Rapid and Riveting Romantic Stories from the Regency Era
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
OVERVIEW:
This anthology is a collection of fourteen short stories written by Georgette Heyer. These are stories previously appeared in various magazines and in an anthology Georgette Heyer published in 1960 – Pistols for Two. If you are familiar with Pistols for Two, this collection has three additional short stories recently rediscovered by Jennifer Kloester.
These short stories all take place during the Regency era and range from 18-30 pages in length. They all could be classified as romantic adventures. The most frequently used settings for these stories are: Bath, London, coaching inns, and carriages.
Avid Georgette Heyer fans may recognize some similarities between a few of these short stories and later Georgette Heyer novels which can give a unique look at her writing process.
MY ASSESSMENT:
Each story was sparkling, sharp, and full of classic Georgette Heyer scrapes and schemes.
To give you an idea of what this collection holds I thought it would be fun to look at some numbers.
In this collection there are:
7 – sets of strangers falling in love quickly
3 – duels
6 – elopement schemes
3 – mature romances
6 – cynical, confirmed bachelors falling for artless young heroines
3 – friends/childhood playmates becoming lovers
1 – gothic suspense tale
With so many stories containing similar themes and situations, some of them do blend together, but there are still a bunch that are distinctive. Some of my favorites include:
- A Clandestine Affair: A second chance romance at its finest as two young lovers run off together, forcing their older cousin and aunt (who share a romantic past with each other) to give them the chase…
- A Husband for Fanny: An unsuspecting young widow believes a most estimable marquis is interested in courting her daughter, only to discover that her daughter has her heart set on marrying someone else…
- To Have the Honour: A classic Heyer caper – a son returns from war to learn that he has inherited his father’s shockingly high mountain of debt, and that they only way out is to marry his rich cousin…
- The Duel: Such a clever escapade – a desperate sister strives to save her brother from fighting in a duel with a well-known crack shot and runs into what she believes to be the dueling opponent’s home to beg his mercy…
FINAL THOUGHTS:
With heroines in distress, swoony heroes taking action, impetuous decisions, spontaneous declarations, and no shortage of elopement schemes this collection is perfect for readers who are in the mood for high romance and adventure. These fast-paced romantic stories are sure to make you sigh, smile, and maybe even swoon…
I do have Pistols For Two but haven’t read it for ages (possibly due to the lack of Darcy and Elizabeth?) I know I like it though so I may upgrade to this version with its extra three stories! Thank you.
Haha! Yeah, there is a lack of that in these short stories!
I read Pistols for Two last year and A Husband for Fanny was one of my favorites from that collection. I’ll have to check out the three new short stories.
That’s great! Wasn’t it so sweet?
Sounds delightful. I’ve just read 3 Georgette Heyer full-length novels to help with my own writing and found them great reads. I’ll look up the short stories as they sound as though they’d be great to dip into and out of.
That would be the perfect way to enjoy these stories. 🙂
I agree that she’s as gifted with the short story as with her novels.
Yes! I’m so glad all these works exists.
Hi Meredith,
Thank you so much for giving notice of this anthology because it’s promising of having fun 🙂
I like to read short stories from time to time: it’s refreshing!
A big hug,
Teresa
I’m so glad you appreciate the review! I know it may not be typical Austenesque. But I think a lot of readers who love Jane Austen may also love Georgette Heyer.
I have this book, an upgrade from Pistols for Two. My favourites are the same as yours, except my number one is A Husband for Fanny 🙂
Excellent when you’d like a bit of Heyer but are pressed for time!
loved the review.
I’ve never read any from this author but I’ve been meaning to. Which one do you ladies recommend for my first?
And just how “mature” are they? I tend to prefer the “clean” ones.
I have read a few of Heyer’s stories but she has so many! Great review, Meredith.
I counted 12 books of hers that I have read.
I was looking forward to your review of this book when I saw it in your agenda. I own it but haven’t read it yet. Thank you for your review, i just knew I’d enjoy it and I did! I need to go read it soon. However, when I think about reading Heyer it’s usually because something sparks a memory of one of my faves and then I have to go read that one right away.