Another absolute favorite that I read over and over again. Sometimes I just pick it up and read the scene at the end where Mary meets the Duke of Avon unbeknownst to her. Vidal, the hero, is beautifully written as a totally spoiled and uncaring aristocrat. He is not a very nice man and he lacks the savoir faire and elegant manners of his father. For that reason he needs a very different heroine than his father did. Mary doesn't put up with any nonsense from him. She stands up to him, forces, shames and shoots him into becoming a better man. Vidal is used to getting his way and Mary doesn't let him get away with anything.

The writing here again is lovely and the history impeccable, but then this is Georgette Heyer. I love the dialog and pace of the story. I love seeing His Grace of Avon and Leonie again. ( )

Heyer once that she though her worst books were the most popular.

I agree. This is apparently one of her most popular books. I don't like it nearly as much as most of her others.

It's a sequel to "These Old Shades" and I wasn't madly impressed by that either.

I like the protagonist, Mary is a pretty sensible character (and not afraid to shoot someone), but that's about all.

This is probably a book for those with rape fantasies. A man who will stop at nothing, but fortunately has just enough honour left not to ravish a 'respectable' woman.

I didn't find the plot even a tiny bit convincing. I don't require much convincing where romance novels are concerned, but this one missed that low bar.

The only thing that redeems it at all is the section at the end where Avon and Mary meet up -from there to the end, there's a good dollop of humour that actually works for me. ( )

Alastair, the Marquis of Vidal has a reputation as a ladies’ man and a deadly opponent in duels. When his latest duel leaves a man on death’s door he determines to flee to France and take Sophia Challoner with him. She’s young, beautiful and assumes he’ll marry her. Marriage doesn’t figure into Alastair's plan.

Mary is Sohia’s older, plainer, and far more intelligent sister. She waylays the note and decides to insert herself, well disguised, into the plan in order to break up the pair forever and save her sister’s honor.

Naturally things go wrong. But Mary is resourceful,strong and not above shooting the Marquis a little bit.

The Marquis’s parents are appalled at their son’s latest scandal.

Sophia and their mother hope the original love elopement can be saved.

Mary plans her escape using her wits
.
Lovely, clever and funny – at times even laugh out loud funny.

This was my first Georgette Heyer – I’ll be looking forward to more. ( )

I'm not very far into this book yet. But Heyer fans, take note, this is a sequel of sorts to her book "These Old Shades," following the characters into the next generation. This is the first Heyer sequel I've encountered, and it's kind of cool to see the older versions of Leonie and Avon. ( )

This is both ridiculous and utterly enchanting, as only a good Heyer romance can be. The family at this centre is the Alastairs, the head of the family being the current Duke of Avon, who had his own disreputable past and romance told in an earlier book, These Old Shades. In this edition, Avon's son, Vidal, is a young man, much given to being reckless and with a reputation as a rake. Enroute, he gets involved in more than one inpromptu duel and is trying to run off with a very pretty (and very stupid) young lady who expects to be able to force him into marriage, he has no such plan. In order to protect the silly Sophia, Sensible Mary takes her place and so begins a riotous romp. Mary is not at all inclined to sucumb to a fit of the vapours and has few illusions about the position she finds herself in. There are some great set pieces between the two of them,, as they spar. It gets very silly and there is much trying to escape, and the wider Alastair family get involved and there is much misunderstanding and a whole comedy of errors ensues.
It all works out in the end, which is great fun, although I find myself somewhat uneasy at the willingness with which the aristocracy think they can just re-write what has happened. But I'm happy to set aside those qualms to follow on the somewhat unconventional courting contained herein. ( )