The Reader's Shelf: The “Beau Monde” of Regency Romance

Edited by Neil Wyatt -- Library Journal, 2/15/2007

If you’ve ever found yourself in a heated discussion on the relative merits of the various film portrayals of Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy, chances are that you may already enjoy reading romance novels set in England’s Regency period (approximately 1811–20). However, even if you don’t know a farthing from a sixpence, Regency romances provide enormously enjoyable frolics and are well worth exploring.

The Grande Dame of the Regency is Georgette Heyer, who over a 50-year period beginning in 1921 wrote 29 titles regarded by many as the foundation of the romance subgenre. The Grand Sophy (Harlequin. 2003. ISBN 0-373-83548-5 [ISBN 978-0-373-83548-5]. pap. $6.50) makes a good introduction to her work. Sophy Stanton-Lacy arrives at her aunt’s London house to find it, and her cousins’ lives, in chaos. With her indomitable will, unique approach to life, and the best of intentions, Sophy proceeds to set things to rights, with sometimes hilarious and, ultimately, wonderfully romantic consequences.

Marion Chesney writes romances in a similar vein and is known for her multitude of series titles. The Banishment (o.p.) begins “The Daughters of Mannerling” series and showcases Chesney’s style. Isabella, the eldest daughter of the rich and titled Beverley family, is vain and prideful. When her family’s finances take a turn for the worse, and her beloved home, Mannerling, is lost, she faces the choice of marrying the loathsome new owner or an unsuitable Irish peer she has grown to love. Readers, especially mystery fans, might be more familiar with Chesney’s work under her pseudonym, M.C. Beaton.

While Mary Balogh’s earlier work followed in the footsteps of Heyer, her newer titles nicely bridge the gap between the more mannerly style of writers such as Chesney and the newer, more modern interpretations of the Regency romance by such blockbuster authors as Julia Quinn, Amanda Quick, and Stephanie Laurens.

Balogh’s beloved “Slightly” series begins with A Summer to Remember (Dell. 2003. ISBN 0-440-23663-0 [ISBN 978-0-440-23663-4]. pap. $699) and follows the Bedwyn family through seven novels. In the fourth book, Slightly Scandalous (Dell. 2003. ISBN 0-440-24111-1 [ISBN 978-0-440-24111-9]. pap. $5.99), Balogh’s fine talents are on display. Freyja Bedwyn, with unconventional looks and even more unconventional attitudes, is not one to gainsay. Still deeply wounded by a love affair (part of the subplot of A Summer To Remember), she has little time for Joshua Moore, the Marquess of Hallmere, with his laughing eyes and devil-may-care manner. Yet, oddly enough, she finds him to be the most fascinating and lively man in the dull city of Bath.

Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I (Avon. 2000. ISBN 0-380-80082-9 [ISBN 978-0-380-80082-7]. pap. $7.99) introduces the witty and loving Bridgerton family. Both Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter, and Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, need relief from the frenzied marriage market and crave the peace a betrothal will give them. The two concoct a mock engagement to escape the pressures but soon find themselves enmeshed in genuine love.

In A Paid Companion (Jove. 2005. ISBN 0-515-13864-9 [ISBN 0-515-13864-1]. pap. $7.99) by Amanda Quick (a pseudonym for the highly popular Jayne Ann Krentz), Arthur, the methodical Earl of St. Merryn, is on the hunt for the madman who killed his uncle. Unfortunately, the social whirl is interfering with his efforts, so he hires Elenora Lodge to serve as a stand-in fiancée. No meek miss, Elenora is soon engaged in sleuthing herself, and Arthur realizes that, paid or not, he has finally met his match.

Devil's Bride (Avon. 1999. ISBN 0-380-79456-X [ISBN 978-0-380-79456-0]. pap. $7.99) by Stephanie Laurens starts the Australian author’s long-running Cynster series. The domineering and rakish head of the family, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster, surprises everyone by proposing to governess Honoria Wetherby after they spend an unchaperoned night together with the corpse of Devil’s cousin Tolly. Honoria, however, has plans for her life that don’t include marriage and is more interested in solving the mystery of Tolly’s murder than in Devil’s wooing. With disconcerting deliberation, Devil lays siege. Can he draw Honoria’s wandering attentions to himself? [For more romance reviews, see the Romance column on page 107.]