The Masqueraders

Another Georgette Heyer, what's not to love? But seriously, this book reminded me of a Comedy of Errors - gender swapping (for disguise purposes) and the misadventures that ensue, as well as a con-artist father, a giant of a man in love with our heroine-in-disguise, and duels! The witty conversations and hilarious situations make this book dangerous to read in public, but do read it! My 16 year old sister enjoyed as much as I did (I'm in my 30s), and we especially love how clean it is for a 'romance'. I guess we're proof that a Heyer book is timeless and good for anyone willing to laugh and sigh over a book.

Another one of my favourite Georgette Heyer romance novels -- though truth to tell I have so many favourite Georgette Heyer novels that I've begun to think that it may be actually more enlightening to list the ones that I believe only merit 3 1/2 stars! But, with a plot can (successfully) boast of possessing the elements of romance, adventure and intrigue, "The Masqueraders" definitely does merit a 5 star rating.Prudence Merriot and her brother, Robin, are back in England again because their father (affectionately dubbed by his children as "the old gentleman") has a plan to restore their fortunes. Used to a life on the run (the Merriots, or rather Robin, were involved in the most recent Jacobin uprising) and of adventure, both Prudence and Robin are beginning to find such a life chafing, esp now that they've met the elegant Sir Anthony Fanshawe and the enchanting Miss Letty Grayson. Both Sir Anthony and Letty are members of the ton, and would look for utter respectability from their potential spouses. Would either ever contemplate tying themselves to Prudence or Robin with their shady pasts and their rascally father? And on top of it all there is a further complication: Prudence is masquerading as a man, and Robin as a woman! How on earth can the Merriot siblings hope to woo and be wooed when they're both pretending to be something that they are not!What I rather liked about "The Masqueraders," aside from the cleverly done cross dressing subplot, was that Ms Heyer showed us that a hero and heroine could be sensible, quietish and pleasantly good looking and still be the kind of hero and heroine that most readers would thrill to -- heroes and heroines didn't always have to be devastatingly good looking or rakish. Prudence and Sir Anthony are (both) my type of hero and heroine, and are the perfect foils for Letty and Robin -- the better looking and more dramatic couple. And really liking both the hero and heroine, I've found, can go a long way to making a novel a lot more enjoyable. So that, even though the language was at times a bit dated, my whole hearted liking of Prudence, Sir Anthony, Robin and Letty, together with a very swiftly paced and exciting storyline, made "The Masqueraders" a thoroughly fun reread.

"~The Masqueraders was the first Heyer novel I ever read, and it hooked me right away. Georgette Heyer takes the most unlikely characters, situations, and dialogue, and turns them into an effervescent treat. Nothing that happens is believable, but she tells it with such conviction that you don't care! man-mountain with perspicacity, midnight swordfights, masquerades-within-masquerades, and the most high-handed foppish audacity possible embedded in one old gentleman, this book makes for extremely entertaining reading.

For over a decade now, my mother and I have shared a passion for Heyer and her magnificent works! Each of us has different titles and we each enjoy the marvellous stories. Not only does Heyer have an amazing grasp of the period; she also has smart, infectiously funny dialogue. I have been reading Geogette Heyer novels for years, and I have to say that The Masqueraders is her best. Set in the period immediately after the failed Jacobite rebellion, Prudence falls in love with a staid, sober Sir Anthony. However enchanting the central love tangle may be, like all of Heyer's other novels, the secondary characters steal the show! I keep having to replace my rather tattered copy, because I re-read this one every year or so!

Never as popular as Georgette Heyer's classics "Regency Buck" and "These Old Shades," "Masqueraders is nevertheless one of Heyer's best. Wrapped in a frothy tangle of gender-bending siblings, highway robbery and frivolous court intrigue, this Regency romp is a triumph in the high style fans of the genre prize most. The tender center of the farce is the romance of Prudence, who must hide her woman's form and heart to protect her family, and the one man who could be worthy of her love....if he only would stop calling her "boy."

This is my very favorite Georgette Heyer Novel... and I do not make that judgement lightly! I've read them ALL and I think Masqueraders is at the pinnacle of Ms. Heyers style and grace! I continually re-read my favorite books, and I re-read this one, at least, once a year