Misfit’s Reviews > Rebel Heiress > Status Update

ha! we use more than you do...

Seriously? There were just so many of them, and all most sentences needed was to lose a word and the comment wouldn't have been needed. I think she tried to hard to make the dialogue sound *authentic*. Drove me batty, but I will read more of her books. Seems the library has a ton of them.

Yes really we do. First time I worked for an American Corporation, back in the eighties, it was a real shock to the system having to fight for every comma. British style, as taught when I was at school, used buckets of the things (when in doubt add another pair). Not sure it's quite so true now. A less formal more American style is creeping in - and I'm not saying that's a bad thing.
I like JAH. She was not the writer her sister was, but you could always rely on her for well-crafted entertainment. And although she wrote in the shadow of Heyer she's more to my taste on the whole with a more egalitarian instinct and a more rounded interest in the historical background.
Six commas were removed from the above in deference to your sensibilities ;O))

Lol, I had no idea. I've always heard when in doubt, leave it out. I've read quite a few UK authors (including every Chadwick in print) and never noticed it before.

I didn't hate this one, but it was a bit predictable. True confession - Regencies are a tough sell for me.

I think style has changed but you may see a difference in British books published pre 1990ish. And of course it's still true that different authors/editors embrace commas to a differing extent.
Re Regencies, I can understand that. I read my first Heyer aged 10 and adored her as a teenager, so I think they got into my reading bloodstream. I'm fond of them but very picky. A perfectly executed Regency Romance (like The Celebrated Miss Neville ) is like a beautiful elegant dessert. They can deliver a lot of pleasure but you'll make yourself sick if you read too many.
I'm fascinated by the era but these days tend to read more mystery than romance with that setting. I suppose one of the reasons I liked JAH was that her stories always combined some adventure in with the romance.

I'm rather late to the Regency party, and there's such a glut of it now, much of which is terribly fluffy. Still haven't read Heyer. I find the period itself fascinating and just gobbled up that book I finished off about Prinny, and I'd love to read more like that.

I own Savannah Purchase and the staircase one (the name escapes me). Are there any from my library list you'd recommend as the best start? http://catalog.kcls.org/eg/opac/resul...

I don't like 'fluffy' to describe books. My husband uses it for anything that looks alarmingly girly to him. Which is not to say that most Regencies aren't rubbish. But that is true of everything. Onto JAH who is not remotely fluffy. Died in the wool regency lovers tend to find her 'dry' and too historical.

Savannah Purchase is the third in a trilogy. If, like me, you're nerdy about such things you probably want to read Judas Flowering and Wide Is the Water first. The books are about a family with British and American members and set at times in both countries

As to what I'd recommend, it's like choosing between your children...

Shadow of a Lady is a good one and has a good portrait of Emma Hamilton. Mostly set in Naples. Be warned, there is a rape early on - but handled I think as well as such a thing can be - and we are not expected to admire the man later.

I see you've already marked Polonaise to read, which is another of my favourites. This one's set in Poland

For a beginner First Night and .
Leading Lady (they form a small series) might be a good choice. I don't think they're her best work but I've seen Regency Lovers complain about the modern language so they might be more approachable. It will help if you're into Opera (suspect Hodge was but I'm not) they're about opera singers in a small Ruritanian kingdom.

Her early novels were in with the gothic vogue at the time Maulever Hall is probably my favourite of these. Here Comes a Candle goes into the war of 1812.

I do hope you enjoy them but don't expect too much sophistication in the mystery/adventure plot. They'll be on a par with a good gothic and can't really be compared to today's thrillers.

What you won't find in JAH is a great deal of Prinny and his crew. Most of her books are primarily set overseas. If you want more of them, you'll need to look elsewhere. If so also let me know and I'll have a think.

Hope this helps - I've enjoyed revisiting some old friends anyway.

Thanks for that list. I'll be checking back with it.

Which is not to say that most Regencies aren't rubbish. But that is true of everything.

Gah, don't get me started. I would think every genre has it's lighter and heavier sides. Drives me nuts when people write off romance as beneath them and/or judge them by their covers. I like a healthy dose of history in a romance, but that is my personal preference. Others don't want that much history. Neither choice is right or wrong.