Venetia

Audio ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Audio review: Gemma Whelan is a great audio narrator and brought the combination of humour and propriety to this light regency romance.


I'm not much of a romance reader and regency romances often annoy me because a) the authors seem to not realise that Jane Austen, whom they are aping, was writing scathing political satire disguised as light romance (so basically the knock offs are somewhat shallow IMO) and b) authors often don't bother with much historical research. HOWEVER, I love Georgette Heyer. Her romances are funny, sparkling with wit and present the best combination of traits in her heroines. She always shows a deep understanding of human nature and her historical research is on point. Plus she clearly understands Austen! Georgette Heyer has always been my go to for something to read that's just an indulgence. While Venetia is perhaps not her best or best known novel, I found myself really enjoying it. A combination of circumstances has kept Venetia at home instead of having a London season at seventeen. Now twenty-five, she is approaching spinsterhood and her responsibilities are dwindling. However, she has lost any interest in being out in society, finding pleasure in being mistress of the family home in Yorkshire and keeping an eye on her disabled, scholarly seventeen year old brother, while their selfish older brother is abroad with the army. Enter worn out rake, Lord Damerol, returning to the neighbouring estate to disturb her peace. Lots of fun with a sweet, headstrong and witty heroine Austen would have approved of.

One of my favourite Heyer titles, skilfully narrated by Gemma Whelan. Just the kind of thing we all need at the moment!

A fabulous audio of one of my favourite Heyers! I'm never a fan of Heyer's cutesy lovers and in Venetia who is practically an 'old maid' at 25 and the rakish Damerel who is 38 we have a couple who are slightly more mature, certainly emotionally. The other great thing about this story is that it subverts all the old romantic tropes of enemies-to-lovers: Venetia and Damerel just 'get' each other from the start and their friendship, however heightened by a covert eroticism, takes centre stage. With wonderful side-characters, a genuinely surprising plot and lots of literary flirting, this is the ultimate feel-good romance. (It would be nice though if the cover was less drippy and indicated the witty, lively, unstuffy world that is Heyer). Wonderfully read, the audio really brings all the characters to life.

Without a doubt, this is one of my all time favourites of Georgette Heyer’s books! Witty, understated, yet gloriously romantic, this book started my love of regency romances almost 30 years ago. What a joy to now have a audio version with such a perfect narrator who really brings the book to life. I love the attention to detail and the clever flirting through literary allusions, that is reminiscent of Jane Austen’s works. This book really is an utter delight!

Fabulous read and the audiobook was an added bonus ! this is one of my all time favourites of Georgette Heyer’s books and I’ve enjoyed them all! Romance galore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved everything about this audiobook - the story, the reader, the period details, the characters...the list is endless!

Only my second ever Georgette Heyer; my first one was also an audiobook from Penguin ('April Lady') so I was delighted to be approved for 'Venetia'.

Gemma Whelan was an absolute joy to listen to - just what I needed at the moment. I couldn't wait to pop my earbuds in and slip into Heyer's regency world. Venetia is a wonderful protagonist, charismatic, funny, smart, witty and modestly modest - if you know what I mean! Though I loved all the characters, (even the annoying ones - they were so well portrayed!) I did have a soft spot for Aubrey who really made me chuckle!

This book has secured it's place as one of my all time favourite reads, and as an audiobook, I think I could have it on permanent repeat and never tire of it.

Comfort reading at it's best - after all, what is more comforting than being read to?

I had had Venetia on my to-read list since listening to its virtues being extolled on an early episode of Backlisted, so I was delighted when a new audiobook version popped up for request on NetGalley. I’m happy to add Georgette Heyer to the list of somewhat overlooked female mid-twentieth century writers I’ve started to enjoy. Writing her Regency Romances in the 1950s, Heyer did meticulous research to create an early nineteenth century feel.
It’s only in recent years that I’ve come to understand the interest in this type of fiction, how rather than being dull tales of baffling social proprieties they offer a ready supply of amusing situations, each providing an opportunity to poke fun. What I did not expect here was a really interesting – and sometimes surprising – plot. Right to the end, I wasn’t sure of the final outcome.
A measure of how effectively Heyer writes is how infuriating I found Venetia’s treatment by pretty much everyone. She is forever being told she wouldn’t understand this or shouldn’t do that, being told what to do or even to think, so concerned is everyone about her lack of experience with the world and her precious reputation. Double standards abound.
There are a host of interesting characters. Lady Denny’s gossiping is a treat, full of observations that stay just the right side of propriety. And Mrs Scorrier is one of the great literary harridans. The men range from insufferable to kind to surprisingly enlightened.
Given how many TV and film versions there have been of other Regency stories such as those of Jane Austen which inspired Heyer, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a prominent adaptation of Venetia, especially so given the vivid characters and great plot and pacing. I had Toby Stephens in mind for Damerel.
My enjoyment of the book was enhanced by this top-notch reading. I’ve liked Gemma Whelan’s work for TV and radio and she is excellent here, really capturing the different characters and the humour. A delight.

I love Georgette Heyer's heroines and Venetia is amongst my favorite.
It's a great and compelling story and the narrator add layers to this great story.
I was happy to listen to it and I can confirm this is an excellent story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A great historical romance, one to immediately immerse yourself into as you go back in time and relive the drama of the day. Finding husbands, navigating around polite society and being a lady with the weight of expectation on your shoulders, Venetia was a fantastic period piece to loose yourself in. I absolutely loved it!

I loved the writing and I loved how the author set the reader into this period with ease. The characters were fab, Venetia was a great central main character and I really liked how the story developed! It was so enjoyable and from start to finish, it was great!

The audiobook was fab too and narrated really well. This was one of those audiobooks that really brought the book to life and it was so effortless to listen to. I’d definitely recommend this if you’re a Jane Austen fan or love a regency feel read; you’re bound to love it too!

My first Georgette Heyer experience, let alone on audio, this has completely given me the bug for her vast backlist. Listening to this, I can see why she is described as having “created a genre”. With its swoon-worthy characters and engaging plot, this is clever even with the constraints of Regency romance. This really sets the bar for fantastic and saucy male leads as well as relatable, likeable female protagonists. Gemma Whelan does a fantastic job as a narrator, as she perfectly encapsulates Venetia and the other characters, with a clipped English accent. This really sets the tone and period as she uses just enough inflection to differentiate between characters. Listening is a relaxing experience, so it’s easy to get swept up into the story. Great for Austen and Bridgerton fans alike, this is well worth the listen!

Venetia has lived her whole life on her fathers estate with no real experience of the outside world. She cares little for her dull suitors and longs to escape. When a notorious rake moves in next door she discovers an entertaining friend, the likes of which she has never met before. Any association with him would be scandalous and might ruin Venetia in the eyes of society, But then, Venetia doesn't care much about society.
I did not warm to the characters immediately. Venetia seemed silly and childlike, she was infuriatingly accepting of her confined life when with a bit of initiative she could have broken free. Damerall (the rake) was just awful, rude, sneering and badly behaved. I would not have given him the time of day, but Veneita did, and just as well, for there is real magic when they are together. The dialogue is sharp and sparky, they are clever, rude and very very witty. Venetia is unshockable and Damerall is far too honest with her. It is very entertaining.

I really loved this, I loved it so much that, as I neared the end, I started rationing it so I would not finish too soon. I began each day looking forward to my daily portion. This is classic Heyer, bright and sharp, with none of the nastiness that she sometimes brings. They audio book was excellent, the narrator did a fantastic job of adding nuance to the story. She managed all the voices very well – no mean feat when there is so much dialogue in this book.

This is a real gem of a story, true romantic fiction escapism with a couple of great twists and turns. I highly recommend it

I′ve read and re-read all the Heyer Regency books over the years, and I have now started listening to them on audiobooks.
Obviously the key thing for an audiobook is whether the narrator works for you. I found Gemma Whelan to be an excellent reader. I only knew her from her previous work as a stand-up comedian and as Yara in Game of Thrones, and did wonder how she would handle a Regency romance.
But she has an excellent range of voices in the reading and handles the nuances of humour and other emotions very well.

Perhaps, on this occasion, she is helped by Venetia being a very robust heroine, who copes with all the men in her life with wit and determination, but I would be happy to hear other Heyer books read by her.

I had a copy of this audiobook early through Netgalley

Venetia is classic Georgette Heyer and one of my all time favourites.

Venetia is 25 making her practically ‘on the shelf’, but having those few extra years gives her a maturity that some of Heyer’s heroines lack, even though I love them all, if I had to pick, Venetia is definitely my favourite, she, of all of them transfers perfectly to the modern age. Penned in 1958, Venetia, as a character could have been written today, showing tolerance of views but no acceptance of bigotry, she knows her own mind and is not afraid to speak her truth. She is strong but unerringly feminine - what’s not to love?

With Damarel, we see distance travelled, his flaws are paraded by himself and whispered about in polite society. Although branded a ‘Rake’, he stands apart as his honesty and efforts to make good draw you in. You just can’t help but root for Damarel right from the start.

If I was to sum it up I would have to say Venetia is a story of acceptance, triumph over adversity and fresh starts. Oh, and romance of course, lots and lots of romance.

It’s just fantastic that Georgette Heyer’s opulent prose is being enjoyed by a whole new generation of readers, and some, like me get to revisit it and fall in love all over again.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of the audiobook (the narration of which was just perfect) in exchange for an honest review.

A Georgette Heyer book, the most brilliant author there ever was in her historical novels, so I need hardly say that this novel is fantastic, and if you have not yet read a Georgette Heyer novel, I would not hesitate to recommend this one. I have not read her detective novels yet, but I may well do so. She is truly the Queen of historical novels.
Also a bonus it being on audiobook.

Many years ago when at University I discovered Georgette Heyer. Her novels were the perfect distraction, funny, romantic and beautifully plotted and I read them all. Years later finding them on audiobook was a lovely opportunity to revisit them and love them all over again. 
Venetia is one of my particular favourites, having the trademark humour, fizzing romantic comedy and regency romance that Heyer excels at.
It is the story of Venetia who, with her parents deceased, has been left to run the house for her her two brothers. The younger of her brothers, Aubrey, has health issues which restrict his mobility. At the beginning of the story, Venetia is out picking blackberries when she meets the local ‘libertine’, Damerel. Damerel has a terrible reputation and carries a number of ‘health warnings’. After their ‘fizzy’ encounter, Aubrey has an accident and is rescued by Damerel and Venetia and Aubrey are forced into a prolonged encounter with Damerel…
The narrator is perfect for this story, drawing out Heyer’s particular comedy which often derives from conversations. I particularly liked the way she voiced characters, adding enough variation in tone to create an individual voice for the character without it sounding overly eccentric.
If you are already a fan of Georgette Heyer you will absolutely love this, if you are not yet a fan, after listening to this you will be.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for a digital copy of this delightful audiobook.

A nice historical romance with great characters. Venezia is a lovely lady never launched into society because of staying home and looking after her younger brother. A rake moves into the neighbourhood and everyone fears for her virtue. However she is not as green as everyone thinks. Some very unusual metaphors and turns of phrase can make getting to the point take some time, but otherwise a charming read

Venetia by Georgette Heyer in audible form was an enjoyable listen and beautifully narrated by
GEMMA WHELAN. and one of my best listening experiences in a while. I would recommend this audible book.

The main characters are Venetia Lanyon and Jasper Damerel, who personally, is typical of ''Mr Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett'' storyline but not to take anything away from Georgette's writing, this is a pleasant listening experience. The narrator's diction is crystal clear and makes for a wonderful listening experience.

I give a 4 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO THIS AUDIBLE BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Oh this was such a blast to read! I absolutely loved Venetia's character! She was such a charmingly hilarious character and I loved her interactions with absolutely everyone but particularly Lord Damerel. From the instant they met to the end, I was enjoying their relationship and banter.

What really sets Ventia apart for me is how she knows Lord Damerel's a rake and literally doesn't care. There were so many moments that were so funny that I was rewinding the audiobook to relisten to them again and again! There's one moment in the last or second last chapter, concerned with rose petals (that's vague enough not to be marked as a spoiler right?!) and I must have listened to it at least five times because it was so funny!

The narrator did a great job with this and I'm so glad I listened to this one! Would definitely recommend, even if you don't particularly care for regency romances!

I love Heyer's writing, and getting lost in her books. She writes period romance in such an enchanting way. I really love them. If you're into historical romance, you need to read it.
Thanks a lot for this copy. Loved the audio book too, very good narration.

Spinsterhood is rapidly approaching for 25 year old Venetia Lanyon, not that she minds this too much. The suitors she does have are more of a bore than anything else, and she would be perfectly content to live independently with her younger brother Aubrey and carry on the way she has been for the past few years. That is, until she meets notorious rake Jasper Damerel and finds herself quite drawn to him, to the displeasure of her family and friends.

Georgette Heyer's characters in this novel are, as always, wonderful. The story is witty and engaging, and perfectly captures the time period. I really enjoyed it. The narration was very good and I would thoroughly recommend the audiobook.

I am an avid reader of historical romance but this was my first Georgette Heyer! I know that’s late but better than never, right?!

Venetia was a light, interesting read with an intelligent, quick witted heroine. Although I felt the chemistry between Jasper and Venetia wasn’t very strong, it was still a nice relationship.

I just really had to look past the use of the word “ejaculated”…way too many uses and not at all in the context one would think.

One of my favourite Georgette Heyer novels with a fabulous, witty and intelligent heroine. Gemma Whelan's narration is excellent, just the right accent to give the perfect impression of Venetia. I've been reading and re-reading Heyer's books since my teens and I never tire of them, this audiobook is perfection!

This was the first Georgette Heyer I'd read for a long while and to begin with I struggled with the amount of Regency slang which seemed to be shoe horned into the text. I don't know if this was the difference between reading and listening or if this book has more than the others. It just seemed clunky. BUT Venitia is a delight - my favourite heroine for ages. I loved her story

The beautiful Venetia Lanyon, thanks to a reclusive and over-protective father, grew up in the country, away from the world with only her younger brother Aubrey, bookish and lame, for company. Her peace and quiet is one day disturbed by the rakish Lord Damerel, who arrives to spend time at his ancestral home next to the Lanyons' house.

I loved this book! It is a superb tale full of wit and charm. Georgette Heyer provides a masterclass in characterisation. In Venetia she has created her usual strong female who, through her intelligence and charm, strives to outwit others who attempt to influence her choice of suitor.

Listening to the story was fabulous. I am fairly new to Audio books and have been completely won over. I became totally absorbed in each and every character and the Regency world was brought to life in this superb audio version.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 swoony stars

I absolutely loved this. It took me a little while to settle into the writing style and the dialogue seemed to feel long winded compared with contemporary stories, especially in an audiobook but this had the double distinction of being set in Regency times and written in the 1950s so it was quaintly old fashioned but no less gripping for that once I attuned to the language.

Hark at me with ‘attuned’. That what immersing yourself in this world does to your vocabulary.

I loved Venetia’s pluck and sparkle and the close attention to social conventions and period detail but aside from that, plot wise, there was so much going on with this, it really kept me interested.

The romance is swoony and it’s an age gap story which I love but I’m sorry to say dear Georgette doesn’t do smut, or even hint at it (you have to read Julia Quinn for that) but even that didn’t lessen my enjoyment.

I feel like I’ve spent the last few days holed up in my Yorkshire stately pile and I shall truly miss being there. This really is the perfect antidote to modern strife, I loved escaping into this place. Highly recommended.

My thanks to publisher via netgalley for the arc.

Georgette Heyer is one of those writers that I loved when I was really young and have returned to periodically over the years. Some of the novels bear repeated reading better than others and I am not entirely sure that Venetia is one that I would especially recommend.

Having said that, as soon as I saw that there were new audiobook versions of Venetia and The Black Moth coming out, I was desperate to get my hands on them. So, here is a review of the former and the latter will follow soon.

For those unfamiliar with Heyer’s writing, the joy of it is not just in the Regency setting or in the romance but in the mischievousness which peppers them. She is not Jane Austen but you can see why those who love her work would naturally gravitate to these.

Venetia has 2 brothers, each odiously selfish in their own way, though the younger, Aubrey, is a fonder sibling. Being motherless from a young age and her father a recluse, Venetia finds herself obliged to take up both the management of the household, estates and her younger brother. Her father’s death and her elder brother fighting abroad in the Napoleonic wars leaves her stranded.

Into this boring world bursts her neighbour, the wicked and notorious Lord Dameral, casting the most boring and ridiculous suitor ever created after Austen’s Mr Collins, rightfully into shade. What happens next is both obvious and inevitable but Heyer leavens it with humour and adds in enough surprising twists to keep us engaged. This is not up to the standard of my favourite Heyer, Cotillion but it is still engagingly escapist.

Read by Gemma Whelan, the delivery is clear and for the most part, accents and voices are well-handled. The only thing which did drive me slightly bonkers was her unaccountable insistence of saying ‘shapper-on” instead of “shapper-own” when pronouncing ‘chaperone’ but maybe other people won’t find it as irritating as I did.

With grateful thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Random House UK audio for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I am a great fan of Georgette Heyer novels and this is a newly recorded audiobook. I’m wondering if there are new recordings in light of the popularity of regency romances due to the Bridgerton series. This is well read and a great story. Damerel is older than Venetia and has bad habits that make him unsuitable to be courting her. Despite this, they fall in love. Will they be allowed to marry or will other people interfere with their happiness? If you haven’t read anything by this author, give it a go: she is the Queen of this genre! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

This audiobook is narrated by Gemma Whelan of Game of Thrones fame, and I feel she brings new life to the story, I really enjoyed her narration.

Venetia is the heroine of the story. Twenty five years old, unmarried but stunningly beautiful, there are several competitors for her hand in marriage, although she takes none of them seriously, choosing to spend her time with her friends and her younger brother Aubrey. However, the winds of change begin to stir when Venetia unexpectedly encounters Jasper Damerel, their rakish, devil-may-care neighbour. He is going to shake up everyone’s world, but where will the pieces land?

This is a great story, and the first I’ve ever read by Georgette Heyer. I first read it about eight years ago, but had forgotten quite a lot of it! It was a real treat to get the opportunity to listen to the story, as it was read very well by the narrator. I can sometimes struggle to focus on fiction audiobooks but I actually didn’t have this issue with this book - I found the characters really engaging and the story moves along at a good pace.


I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Georgette Heyer Regency novels are classic and full of such wit that few of the very many who set their novels in the Regency period come close to writing with such flair and evoke the time period so well. Venetia is one of her best novels and capturing the style and charm of this novel with perfect intonation and understanding is exactly what the narrator, Gemma Whelan did. The dry humour, the poignancy, the very delicious awfulness of some of the characters is well captured as is Venetia’s charm and Damerel’s mocking manner that softens with only a few people.. Conway's outrageous mother in law as well as Edward Yardley's worthy but insufferable manner are well captured too, all of which make a delightful listen and one that will certainly be repeated many times.

I received a free copy of Penguin Random House UK Audio’s new audiobook recording of ‘Venetia’ by Georgette Heyer from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you NetGalley and Penguin! 

I read ‘Venetia’ years ago and liked it. As I'd never tried a Heyer audiobook, I thought I'd give this one a go. That it's read by Gemma Whelan didn't hurt either! My memories from my first reading were vague, but I remembered it being funny and that the main couple stood out as I binge read Heyer’s Regency Romances (there are about 50!). I stand by that as I think Damerel may be Heyer’s only out-and-out rake and I live for Venetia’s Take Charge attitude. It was as witty as I remembered and Venetia and Damerel have some great banter. I like that they seem to get each other; they’re both misjudged in opposite ways, which is something they bond over. They also have a similar sense of humour (I love a romance built on humour!) and are well-matched in intelligence and wit. Also, Damerel is genuinely helpful to Venetia (cheering up her brother Aubrey, letting her vent, finessing socially awkward situations etc.), unlike her other well-meaning but useless suitors. So the friends-to-lovers progression of their relationship feels natural and believable. Another unusual but positive feature of ‘Venetia’ is the disability rep in Aubrey. There’s some commentary on how secondary characters treat Aubrey badly and he’s one of the funnier, more likeable characters in the novel (in a Jerk With a Heart of Gold sense). But I’m not disabled, so potential readers should probably check Own Voices reviews for their take on his character and representation. Also, watch out for ableist language and attitudes (not condoned by the leads).

Alas, Heyer was a product of her era and upbringing, which means classism, sexism and racism all crop up in her novels. Her internalised misogyny is particularly evident in ‘Venetia’, unfortunately. For starters, Venetia and Damerel’s ‘meet cute’ is a sexual assault (he grabs and “ruthlessly” kisses her against her will). On finding out that she’s Quality, he immediately blames his behaviour on her shabby clothes, since, of course, he would <em>never </em>treat a social equal in such a fashion. This adds victim blaming, classism and an implied history of dubious consent into the mix (can consent ever truly be given between people of different classes, considering these kinds of power dynamics?). It’s extremely uncomfortable to read, especially as the whole scene is played for laughs. The victim blaming continues with Damerel’s Tragic Backstory (he ruined his own reputation by running off with a married woman). Granted, he was young at the time, and it's implied that his older lover may have manipulated him, but his self-pity is a bit rich, given how he apparently treats women. It’s also notable that, on hearing the story, Venetia spares no sympathy for his paramour, whose reputation must have been affected even more deeply than his, given the biases of the time. Besides the sexist double standards and slut shaming, the whole thing reeks of himpathy, which is not a good look. 

Venetia herself also disappointed me at times. For a supposedly free-thinking, ‘unconventional’ heroine, Venetia certainly loves to disparage actual real life trail blazers, like Lady Hester Stanhope (an archaeologist, traveler and adventurer). Her reaction to the Ladies of Llangollen (a pair of upper class 'gal pals' who set up house together in Wales) also seems particularly hypocritical, given her plans to stay single and live with her brother. Why does Heyer (through Venetia) feel the need to tear down women whose lives didn’t revolve around men? I appreciated the references though, as I got to learn about them and they all sound awesome!

To be fair to Venetia, it’s not all bad. She knows her own mind and she goes after what she wants, which redeems her as a heroine, in my eyes. She also stands up to the patronising men in her life, including Damerel and her other suitors. Edward Yardley, Mansplainer Extraordinaire, is rightly mocked for his high-handed, overbearing attitude towards Venetia and Aubrey. And Oswald, Venetia’s Byron-wannabe swain, essentially turns into an incel post-rejection. His swift transformation into an “incurable misogynist” is treated light-heartedly, since it doesn’t really stick, but it does lay out the misogynistic steps in Oswald’s thought processes quite handily. It’s chilling, when you think about it, both in itself and as an illustration of how easily misogyny is dismissed as trivial, even in a book written by and (primarily) for women. 

So it’s been interesting, revisiting ‘Venetia’ as an older, more socially-conscious reader. There’s still a lot to enjoy, not least Gemma Whelan’s fantastic narration! I was sold as soon as I saw her name and she does a superb job. Her character voices are consistent and recognisable and her general narration is lively. I particularly liked her Posh Older Lady and Old Boy voices! I’d definitely recommend this audiobook for first time Heyer-listeners, or anyone who wants to rediscover an old favourite. Just be aware of its failings and enjoy it for what it is: an easy-listening, well-written but flawed romance.

I listened to this book via audiobook. I really enjoyed the narrator and I found her easy to listen to. I've read a few books now by Georgette Heyer and I always enjoy them. They are written in the style of their time but once you get used to the style it flows really well. Heyer is well known as the Queen of historical fiction books.

Set in Yorkshire Venetia has barely left home due to her father's tight reign on her so when he dies there is talk from her remaining relatives to get married but none of her suitors are suitable. Whilst out walking her dog, who was given to her for a companion to go out walking with, she quite literally bumps into Lord Dameral and he mistakes her for a maid and kisses her. I really enjoyed this story. It was a great escape to a bygone age.

After listening to Heyer's first novel, 'The Black Moth' and not being able to get on with it, I have come to the conclusion that I don't like regency romances, or even books written in the language of the time.
I have to seriously concentrate on reading Heyer, and this is even more demanding when listening to the audiobook of her novels. I have to literally do no other tasking when listening, or I lose the thread of the story.
I appreciate she is loved by most historical fiction fans and I'm sad I don't feel the same.
I liked the characters, and the plot on the whole, although I do find it slow to get going, which doesn't help me follow the story if nothing happens for a while.
I'd recommend Heyer (my sister adores her) but she's sadly not for me.