Lately I have been wanting to read Georgette Heyer - a lot of Georgette Heyer. Maybe it is because a lot of stuff is going on in my life at the moment and nothing is as soothing as losing myself in the Regency world of Heyer where the men are either rakes or gentlemen and the women are either frilly and silly or strong ladies with an opinion of their own. Nothing like a regency romance to make me feel that all is right in the world.
So last weekend I indulged myself by reading "The Devil's Cub" by aforementioned Heyer. The title refers to the scandalous Marquis of Vidal who lives in excess, gaming, dueling and seducing young ladies of dubious quality. One of these young ladies is Miss Sophia Challoner, a shallow 18-year-old who schemes with her mother to catch the rich heir in her net. When Vidal has to flee London due to an unfortunate episode involving dueling guns, he asks Sophia to come with him to Paris as his mistress. Unfortunately for Sophia and Vidal, the note he sends her is receive by her older and much more straitlaced and modest older sister Mary. Mary instantly realises that her sister will be a ruined woman if she allows herself to be set up as a kept woman and knowing that she will find no support in her mother, Mary takes it upon herself to save her sister by playing a devious trick on the haughty Marquis. However, Mary's plan go horribly wrong and suddenly she is the ruined sister...
It is a great Heyer novel this one. A bit different from the other ones that I have read because Vidal really is a bit of a crook and a scoundrel and Mary is not as impulsive and spirited as many of the other Heyer heroines.
As always though it was a pleasure to read and very soothing for a stressed mind. So if you need a bit of Regency romance, the Devil's Cub is a great choice.
I really need to read a novel written by this author. It sounds really nice. Great review.
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