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When I was first thinking of putting out a series set in the Regency period, I asked around for good reference sources and the name Georgette Heyer came up multiple times as the definitive author inspiration. I was a little disappointed at first, because I was actually looking for reference works that would tell me more about the period, it’s clothing, main events, etc., but since the name came up so many times, I decided I had better look into it.

As it turns out, Ms. Heyer wrote and published during the early part of the 2oth century, specifically the 20’s. She became known for her meticulous research of the era and excellent depiction of it in her works. What impressed me the most is that she became a best selling author without actively marketing her books! This lady obviously had something going for her, so I decided to find out what it was.

I picked up “Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle” and can honestly say I was very impressed. The story centers around a hero, who doesn’t realize he’s become an arrogant, snobbish aristocrat, who decides it’s time to find a wife to ensure the lineage and security of his estate and a heroine, a plain spinster who’s secretly written a book with Sylvester as the villain. The two come to care for each other through a series of unforeseen events, but their budding love is threatened when that secret book becomes a best-seller!

True to all the hype, it is definitely clear that the author did her research and had all the details down. She wove in details of the period, clothing, food, and jargon seamlessly and made it look effortless. The tone of the entire work reminded me of the Austen and Bronte books I used to read and love, with the added perk that the language was slightly modernized, making it even easier to read and understand.

The only thing I disliked slightly was the vernacular speech. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely set the mood and made the story very authentic, but given that we’re now 200 years removed from that time, and I’m an American to boot, there were several terms that I just couldn’t infer meaning for from the text, which was slightly distracting.

This was a true classic romance. Steam level by modern standards was sweet, the best we get is the fairy tale kiss at the end, but it’s saying something that I didn’t mind at all. I’m a steamy romance fan, I like my details, but the emotional progression for our main characters in this story was absolutely perfect and displayed the inner turmoil of both very well. I especially appreciated that because it’s so difficult to find books that delve into the inner workings of the hero’s heart, and I honestly didn’t expect that from an older book like this one.

All in all, this was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Have you read any of Heyer’s works? What did you think? Do you have a favorite I should add to my reading list?

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