Pistols for Two (Regency Romances)

More for completists than someone just starting out reading Heyer. Every story had a familiar ring and was enjoyable but not up there with her best work. Still, to come across any of her Regency writing that I hadn't seen before was a real treat.

The idea of reissuing Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances has been long in coming and is most welcome. I had read just about all of them in the 70's, and still have a few that I reread every few months, brittle brown pages, broken bindings and all. I had forgotten that Heyer was not always on top of her form (A Civil Contract, Venetia, Arabella, Sylvester, for example) when I ordered Lady of Quality. This story of a beautiful independent 29-year-old, who is not interested in marriage, is short on plot, long on Heyer's stock characters. If you want to brush up on early nineteenth-century fashions, manners and colloquialisms, you will really enjoy Lady of Quality. The dialog--and there is lots and lots of conversation in this one--is often witty. Not much happens--and what does occur is predictable (unlike, for example, Venetia with its surprise twist near the end). Lady of Quality is for you people who can't get enough Heyer. After all these years, she is still the best of her genre.

This book, like most books written by Heyer is entertaining and enjoyable, however, I found the two main characters lacking. It is the last Regency novel Heyer wrote, and it kind of shows a decline in quality when compared when the Regencies she wrote at the top of her form. This is especially evident when read immediately after "Black Sheep" which has a similar story, but it's highly superior to this one in almost every aspect. This is not to say that it is a bad book, just not one of her best.

I thought I had read all of Heyers Regency romances, then I came upon this unknown title. It is short stories, some of them very short indeed. Most of the stories are as delightful as her full length books, a few are not very good...........still, if you are a Heyer fan, any new discovery is a big treat.

I was delighted to add Georgette Heyer's April Lady to
my collection of her Regency novels - I have now have
the complete set - thirty-four - many of which have been supplied by the store. For some quaint reason April Lady
has been out of print far longer than Heyer's other Regencies which have been steadily reissued in trade size
over the last ten years. It's nice to have it and to
again enjoy the store's efficient service.

I always enjoy Georgette Heyer's books as they tell in detail the mores and culture of Regency England. She has a wonderful sense of humor to go along with the historical information. I read her books over and over.

I have always like this book (having read this book many, many times over the years, enjoying all the short stories by Georgette Heyer. The download to my iPad was done using the computer to order...it showed up as soon as I opened the Kindle App, there was the book ready to read, no problems. Again, great read, lots of fun, very enjoyable!

April Lady is a frustrating book. Instead of worrying about extravagence Lord Cardross should be worrying that his children will be half-witted like his wife and brother-in-law or willfull and selfish like his sister. Nell is not only naive, she's also stupid, and her brother Dysart is just an idiot. At least Dysart's friend Corny is a lovable idiot. And Cardross's sister is a piece of work. I feel very sorry for Mr. Allandale. I was cringing through much of the narrative. Only the last few scenes sparkled with Heyer's usual wittiness and saved the book from 2 stars. I'll add this to Regency Buck and Sprig Muslin as Heyer books that just aren't up to her usual standard.

I love Geogette Heyer - she's the absolute best in Regency Romance. The witty dialogue is what gets to me and there wasn't much of that in these short stories. They do leave you wanting more. These are good short stories, but that's just what they are: SHORT STORIES. They will leave you a little flat because they don't have the expansive dialogue, funny scenes, etc. of her full-length novels. However, they are Georgette Heyer, who's heads and shoulders above the other authors of this genre.

This wasn't one of my favorite Georgette Heyer novels; the plot felt recycled (like A Convenient Marriage) and the characters not as well developed. But she is still a great author, so even this book will stay on my shelves and be re-read for years.

I just finished re-reading April Lady. Probably for the third or fourth time. I never tire of Georgette Books. I'll read one, wait two or three years and re-read it. They're just as good each time.