Georgette Heyer: Frederica

Frederica is the self-appointed guardian of her three younger siblings.  Their true guardian, her brother Harry, is still at college and a bit too busy kicking up larks to be managing the nursery.

Frederica comes to London, three siblings in tow, to launch her beautiful sister into the marriage mart.  Because they have no available relations, she seeks out a distant cousin to help lend his countenance.

Unfortunately, Lord Alverstoke is a classic Brummel set rake and bachelor who is frequently bored by anything but his own pleasure.

So when Frederica knocks on his door with her request, it is a surprise she is not dealt one of Alverstoke’s famous set downs.

Its a little slow to start, but once it hits the kindling is a burner.  Frederica is funny, filled with hilarious episodes courtesy of her percocious brothers Felix and Jessamy.  Alverstoke quickly finds himself the self-appointed guardian of their many scrapes…and the funny thing is he realizes that none of it bores him.

I love these characters.  They are very similar to the archaetypal hero and heroine usually in Heyer novels; brassy, self confident older maiden and hardened (but not to the heart) old gentleman.  But the devilish humor is all in the details.

Definitely some laugh out loud moments.  The two brothers are charming and its very hard to resist loving them by the end of the book.  Charis, Frederica’s devastingly beautiful but unaffected sister, is a bit of waterpot but a nice foil to her older sister.  There are also a raft of other supporting characters who tickled my funny bones and stood well to helping the scenes come to life.

I love that Heyer’s books are about real dramas, but also have enough of the smart historical details to really transport the reader.

Frederica is a fan favorite and often recommended as her funniest Regency.  While I am still partial to Sylvester, I can easily see how readers adore Frederica and give it top accolades for its humor and romance.

 (4.7 out of 5.  A little slow in the beginning, but utterly addicting by the end!)

 (Not recommended for teens under 16.  Some mentions of mistresses and adult subject matter/perspective make it a more difficult read for younger teens.)