I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Venetia
by
Georgette Heyer
historical romance in a paperback edition that was published by Harlequin on October 24, 2006 and has 364 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include These Old Shades, Bath Tangle, Lady of Quality, The Black Moth, The Spanish Bride, Simon the Coldheart, Beauvallet, A Civil Contract, Regency Buck, An Infamous Army, Frederica, The Unknown Ajax, Black Sheep, Sprig Muslin, Sylvester or the Wicked Uncle, The Grand Sophy, These Old Shades, Arabella, Powder and Patch, The Reluctant Widow, The Nonesuch, False Colours, The Corinthian, April Lady
A standalone Regency historical romance set in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
My Take
One of my absolute favorites in the Regency romances. Due to the tragic death of his wife, Sir Francis Lanyon becomes a recluse on his Yorkshire estate with his three children growing up with no exposure to the outside world. The middle child, Conway, goes off to school and then into the Army while the youngest, Aubrey, intellectually gifted but suffering from a diseased hip joint, takes the scholarly road. While the lovely and intelligent Venetia, the eldest, continues to mark time: running the estate when their father dies, caring for Aubrey, and holding off two ineligible (in her eyes) suitors.
Into this holding pattern, rides Lord Jasper Damerel, or, as the young Lanyons have christened him, the Wicked Baron, who promptly upsets everything in Venetia’s ordered and very dull life.
It’s almost a comedy of errors as everyone (but Aubrey) tries to “save” Venetia from her rakish neighbor and finally Venetia discovers the shaming family secret which she shamefully uses to get her way.
A lovely romance which will have you laughing and groaning and envying Damerel and Venetia’s ability to quote literature as they upset everyone’s idea of proper love.
