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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Discover Georgette Heyer

Linda Banche here. What are your Georgette Heyer moments? What’s your fondest memory of her books? And if you haven’t read her, why not? To help you out, Sourcebooks has offered a three book set (one romance, one historical fiction and one mystery) of Georgette Heyer’s works to one of the people who comment on this blog (US and Canada addresses only). And this time, I’m the one who will select the winner. So, leave your Heyer moments with your email address in the comment section.

And the winner is Laura Hartness! Congratulations, Laura, and thanks to all for coming over. Laura, I haven't heard from you yet. Please send me an email at linda@lindabanche.com. If I do not hear from you by August 26, I will reward the books to an alternate.

Now for my Heyer moments.

If you know Regency romance, you know Georgette Heyer.

I read my first Georgette Heyer book when I was in high school. The book was Powder and Patch. I didn’t understand anything the author described: men wearing silk stockings and shoes with high red heels, and white powder and patches on their faces. Did they really? But I persisted, and I liked the book. I also read The Nonesuch, and I started, but never finished, The Tollgate.

Fast forward to the present. The next time I read Georgette Heyer was last year. I loved The Quiet Gentleman. The hero’s blond, and I love blond heroes, but he’s also what Ms. Heyer called her Mark 2 hero, what we would call Type B. (I hate alpha males.) The Quiet Gentleman also contains a mystery, and I like a romance that contains something else besides the love story. My review of The Quiet Gentleman is here.

I also read Sylvester or The Wicked Uncle, which I didn’t like as much because the hero is a Mark 1, or Type A. But it’s still a fun story. My review of Sylvester or The Wicked Uncle is here.

I also read Bath Tangle, which also is great fun, but again, I didn’t like the Mark 1 hero. My review of Bath Tangle is here.

I also read The Talisman Ring, which I enjoyed both because of the Mark 2 hero, the no-nonsense heroine and the embedded mystery.

Georgette Heyer also wrote mysteries and historical fiction. I’ve read her mystery They Found Him Dead. I like mysteries set in the 1930’s and this one is wonderful for those of you who share my enthusiasm for this type of story. Here’s my review of They Found Him Dead.

If you would like some information of Georgette Heyer's life, here’s my review of The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Joan Aiken Hodge.

Those are my Georgette Heyer moments. What are yours? Again, leave your comment and email address for a chance to win a grab bag of three Georgette Heyer books. And even if you don’t win, Sourcebooks offers some great deals on her books this month:

All Available Georgette Heyer eBooks on sale for $2.99 from Tuesday August 14th – Monday August 20th!  http://www.sourcebooks.com/readers/browse-our-lists/ebook-specials/1776-happy-birthday-ms-heyer-ebooks-for-299.html

Get 30% off any Heyer print book during the whole month of August at the Sourcebooks store by using the coupon code HEYER at checkout! http://www.sourcebooks.com/store/fiction/georgette-heyer/


Also, check out our Georgette Heyer Facebook page where we will be having discussions, parties and giveaways! http://www.facebook.com/thecompletegeorgetteheyer


Now, where are those comments?

Thank you all,
Linda

26 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't even remember what book it was, but my first experience with Georgette Heyer was finding her books on the shelf at my local library. After that first book, I had to find as many as my library system had and I devoured them.Unfortunately, I only own a copy of 1 of her books. I need to remedy that, and fast!

kissyjensen at gmail dot com

Maria Grazia said...

My first experience with Heyer was only a couple of years ago with three audiobooks read by Richard Armitage: Sylvester,Venetia and A Convenient Marriage. They were abridged versions so I both read the novels and listened to the audiobook. After that, I read These Old Shades and Devil's Cub last summer. Now I have Grand Sophy on my TBRsoon shelf.

Great giveaway! So sad I can't take part, I live in Italy :-(

Literary Chanteuse said...

I first discovered her books via goodreads. I am surprised that I had not heard of her before actually. I was looking on a friends shelf and saw she was a fan. At a local used book store I found one of her books and have only read that one thus far but I have to say I am a fan now also.

Margaret
singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

Maddy said...

I discovered them when I was a teenager at my convent boarding school and they were consider illicit! I like your other commenters idea about getting them on audio - that would certainly main the laundry loads disappear quicker.

Meljprincess said...

I haven't read anything by Georgette Heyer. Scandal! Right?
I guess I haven't read anything by her because I have so many books to read. I'd love to win! Have a great day, Linda!

Mel K.
Meljprincess AT aol DOT com

Margaret Porter said...

My first was Arabella, which my grandmother shared with me. I went through all the titles on the shelf at the local library. When I was at university in England I bought every Pan paperback edition I could find, and will always treasure them.

@MargaretAuthor

Kate Pearce said...

I've read and re-read all the Georgette Heyer's many many times over the years since first being introduced to her at about the age of 12. The hero of 'These Old Shades', the Duke of Avon sent a shiver down my spine then and I've loved him ever since and think that all the heroes I ever write have a little bit of him in them. My other favorites are Arabella, A Civil Contract and Venetia.

Colleen Connally said...

I adore Georgette Heyer. My mother had them all. One of the reason's I write historical.

Vonnie said...

I was 12, in bed with pneumonia, when my older brother brought me Powder & Patch. I didn't know anything about that time in history, but I loved the repartee, so went on to read (literally) all of her novels. I still see her as the yardstick for Regencies and find it odd when people say "I've never read her - must get to it" and they've had a couple of Regencies published.

I, too, have Jane Aiken Hodge's Private World of Georgette Heyer and was amused to see her reputation of not suffering fools gladly held in her private as well as her public life.

Hard to pick a favourite - just re-reading The Quiet Gentleman for about the 30th time; just finished The Toll-Gate for about the 30th time...

Laura Hartness said...

I discovered Georgette Heyer through these great re-issues that Sourcebooks has been putting out recently. I read my first of her work last year, and I was hooked! Her style really reminds me of Jane Austen-- so classy. I haven't read any of her "modern" books yet, and I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

Laura
CalicoCritic at gmail dot com

Tarah Scott said...

I have many Georgette Heyer moments, but one of my most memorable is the first time I read Devil's Club. I was a teenager and had just discovered Georgette's novels and was devouring them. She really is the best.

Linda Banche said...

From Laurie Alice Eakes:

Reading Devil's Cub for the first time. I had read and loved other books of hers, but that one struck a chord inside me and probably compelled me to write romances.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading Georgette Heyer for so long, I don't remember when I started. I do know she was still alive. Devil's Cub is one of my favorite. I love her alpha heros, but like her beta's as well. It always pleases me to no end when my writing is compared to hers.

Elizabeth Bailey said...

I read Friday's Child at 11 and only read Heyer for the next four years. I was given her new book for Christmas each year until she died and when I eventually started writing, it was historical romance in her style, of course. I've read them all numerous times and can recite bits by heart. Top favourite is The Reluctant Widow because it's the only heroine who is witty and funny. That's the key for me with Heyer - not only great romances, but hilarious too.

Unfortunately I live in the UK, but I've got all the books already.

susan said...

I have read Georgette Heyer since I was a young girl and a neighbor lady gave me her books and she loved Georgette Heyer's books. I always had a dream as a little girl I would live that kind of romantic life. I got married and 49 years later still married to the same man but found out life isn't like books. ha ha I found that out first year of marriage when we had to pay for things we wanted. ha ha ha sue Leech, garysue@dejazzd.com

M. S. Spencer said...

I guess all authors love to reminisce! Thanks for the opportunity, Linda. I think my first & only Georgette Heyer was your first one, Powder & Patch. I read it because my mother loved and read all her books. I did love it, but at that age I was into angst-driven Thomas Hardy kind of romances & wasn't in the mood to be happy! As for now...an HEA is most welcome! M. S.

Robin Greene said...

Her books were the first historical romances that I ever read, from the library and collected from the used bookstores - umpteen years ago. I wouldn't mind rereading them.

Robin Greene

David W. Wilkin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David W. Wilkin said...

Frederica and the balloon ascension! I loved the boys in Frederica, little scamps that pulled you into the entire family, but when the balloon rises and gets carried away (as I remember it) I found it wonderful with the chase after it and being holed up in an Inn...

Donna K. Weaver said...

I love Heyer's books, especially her regencies. I like a variety of hero types, so I liked Bath Tangle. In fact, recently when I listened to it again I remembered how much I liked it. I have a powerful personality, and I would have walked over her fiance. I don't like a bully, but I'd need a man strong enough to hold his own against me. =D

Love the twins in False Colours and, like David above, the whole boys in Frederica. A couple of my favorites, though, are These Old Shades and Venetia (I'm an optimist that he won't cheat on her).

It was so nice some months back, in celebration (I think) of what would have been Georgette's 100th birthday, there was a $.99 sale on her ebooks. I got TONS.

catslady said...

I hate to admit that I haven't read her as yet. A while back I was lucky enough to win a copy of one of her stories and also an audiobook but my prize never came. Eventually I got a print book from an unknown author. I think someone decided to keep my prize (sigh).
catslady5(at)aol.com

David W. Wilkin said...

For Catslady, sorry that you didn't get your Heyer. I was just looking at the Amazon listings to see if Frederica, for instance was one of the $.01 books. Many used books I find can now be had for such a price. Unfortunately the cheapest seemed to be $3.99. Which means next week, should you have an eReader, the $2.99 copies may give you a good chance to add to your library. I know that I am going to add a few that I don't own, and maybe some that I do...

Sophia Rose said...

I only 'discovered' Georgette Heyer a few years ago when I saw the new Sourcebook 'A Convenient Marriage'. It was love right away and I started hunting down her books like mad.

Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
sophiarose1816@gmail.com

Karen Dailey said...

Where have I been? After reading all the wonderful comments above, I feel like I've been hiding in the cookie jar and have completely missed Georgette Heyer’s books. Well if I win these books, I pledge to read each one of them with one hand on the book and only one hand in the cookie jar! Thanks for the opportunity to win:-)

Tressa said...

I started reading Heyer after Amazon recommended her to me based on my purchases. My favorite so far has been The Grand Sophy where I literally wanted to reach through the pages and strangle Charles' fiance and where Sophy made me laugh out loud. All that grand scheming and just some great happenstance really worked in this one. Thanks for the giveaway! I'd love to add to my Heyer collection!
tressa dot sherman at hotmail dot com

Laura Hartness said...

My prize pack arrived today! They sent Penhallow, The Conqueror, and The Quiet Gentleman.

Thanks so much for hosting!

Laura