a most amiable post

I love Regency romances. I would call them my guilty pleasure, but in fact I am quite pleased with myself for reading them; they are my non-guilty, unabashed, enthusiastic pleasure to read and, for that matter, to force upon my friends.

I just read a LOT of them in a row, though – nine of them, in fact* – and even for me, that is a bit much. After a while, the plots, characters, and tormented pasts start to blend together.** You can sum them up pretty much like this:

First, there is The Hero: A rugged outdoorsman and whip (good with horses (?) ) with a dark past. Though he may seem stern or cruel to outsiders, he is kind to his many servants and a dab hand at running his estates.

The ladies love him but he isn't interested in commitment... until he meets...

The Heroine: A genteel lady with fine eyes and sparkling wit. Possibly from a poor or eccentric family. The hero is dazzled by her abundant... er... charms.

True love ensues. Well, the odd tryst or two in a pantry or wardrobe ensues, but they usually figure out true love in there somewhere.

HEROINE: "You show your kind heart only to me. To others you are as fierce and strong as a bear!"

HERO: "Your bosoms are magnificent. Like soft, warm cantaloupes."

Anyway, I now have an almost constant urge to say "La!" and "amiable" and "sprigged muslin." In short, I have to move onto something else. For at least a week. Something that never ventures towards melodrama, purple prose, or overblown characters.

Just kidding! I'm reading Faulkner. :D

Fondly,

Lady Napkin-Doodler

*One Dance with a Duke, Goddess of the Hunt, and Surrender of a Siren, all by Tessa Dare; The Grand Sophy, Cotillion, April Lady, and Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer; Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, and To Sir Philip with Love by Julia Quinn. I loved them all. You should read them, although maybe not all of them at once. Not unless you have a LOT of chocolate on hand, anyway.

** The exception to this rule is Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. The hero of Cotillion is Freddy, who doesn't get worked up about much... except fashion, which he loves. It's also the only thing he thinks he's any good at; he's the first to admit he's not that bright. Funny how he seems to end up solving everyone else's problems....