by Georgette HeyerPublisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: April 1, 2011
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com (from an older edition):
Sylvester, the Duke
of Salford, is a polished bachelor who has stringent requirements for
his future wife—she must be wellborn, intelligent, elegant and
attractive. And of course she must be able to present herself well in
high society. But when he is encouraged to consider Phoebe Marlow as a
bride, Sylvester is taken aback by the coltish woman who seems to resent
him….
When Phoebe runs away, circumstances find the two striking
up an unusual friendship. Phoebe discovers that the duke isn't the
villain she first thought. And Sylvester stumbles upon something he
never dared hope for.…
My Review:
This book is hilarious! After my initial experience reading Heyer was a flop (The Quiet Gentleman), I finally see why she has legions of fans. "Sylvester" is a sweet regency romance, with truly funny, witty dialogue.
I can see how there are comparisons to "Pride and Prejudice" with this book, but it's very different and fresh also. Sylvester is so hilariously arrogant. But he's still absolutely adorable because he's so clueless about it. And how can you blame him, he's a duke, so he's never been told no about anything.
Phoebe isn't perfect herself, and their back and forth banter is really so funny. I almost can't believe how snarky they are to each other! I'm curious if this was common the Regency era to Heyer's time. I think it would be considered rude to banter like they do in today's world, but in this context it is so darn funny!
The only thing that I didn't love about the couple was their difference in maturity levels. It seemed like Phoebe was perfectly happy running around being silly with her best friend, Tom, who is her own age. It's too bad that she wasn't able to stay a 'kid' a little longer.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 3/5 (too serious for the story!)
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I recommend this book to fans of sweet, funny regency romance I can't wait to read more of her romance titles.