Rach's Reading Club

"The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

So I thought this was written in 1776. I guess I saw 1776 and assumed. It was *set* in 1776. Turns out it wasn't published until 1934. My apologies. I really only read this for this challenge so I hope it will still count. It's close to being 100 years old.

This was both a great and horrible book. I almost set it aside in favor of another book at several very boring parts. Yet, on the other hand, the last third or so was hilarious. I literally laughed out loud several times. The problems were that it could be very tedious in the descriptions and the heroine's youth (only 17!) and some odd family beliefs caused her to behave poorly, which made her less than likeable at times.

When the book started, she was very likeable, because she came up with a daring plan to save her eldest sister. And she was very brave.

Then she just turned outright foolish and totally outrageous. And her husband's reactions to this weren't quite believable to me, but I don't know that much about how the Ton behaved in 1776. Maybe it would have been the thing to do, to avoid further scandal.

Overall, I wish the first two thirds of the book were two thirds shorter. It was a silly but fun story. This is the first in a very long series. If it really were 100 years old, I might have read the second for this challenge too, but I doubt I'll read further in the series without some kind of challenge to motivate me. Though the laughs were worth the read. It took me a long time to get to that point.


PS: Here's my library's write up of it.. it was the modern author's quotes that made me pick it:


"Discover the Regency romance writer all your favorite authors adore:

"You're in for a treat." —NORA ROBERTS

"One of the great protagonists of the historical novel." —PHILIPPA GREGORY

"She's the original." —JULIA QUINN

"Georgette Heyer created a genre so rich that thousands of us have been mining it ever since."—LORETTA CHASE

"No one has ever matched Georgette Heyer for charm and wit."—LISA KLEYPAS

"Georgette Heyer's legacy is a gift to all of us who love the Regency period."—LORRAINE HEATH

"Georgette Heyer's Regency romances are my perennial favorites!"—LENORA BELL

Horatia Winwood is simply helping her family.

When the Earl of Rule proposes marriage to her sister Lizzie, Horatia offers herself instead. Her sister is already in love with someone else, and Horatia is willing to sacrifice herself and tell a few convenient lies for her family's happiness. Everyone knows she's no beauty, but she'll do her best to keep out of the Earl's way and make him a good wife. And then the Earl's archenemy, Sir Robert, sets out to ruin her reputation...

The Earl of Rule has found just the wife he wants.

Unbeknownst to Horatia, the Earl is enchanted by her. There's simply no way he's going to let her get into trouble. Overcoming some misguided help from Horatia's harebrained brother and a hired highwayman, the Earl routs his old enemy, and wins over his young wife—proving theirs was no accidental marriage and gifting her with a love that she never thought she could expect."