Badass Regency Romance Heroine

Arabella by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm a lover of all things Austen, and if you are friends with Austen people long enough, you will eventually hear about Georgette Heyer. She wrote popular Regency romances that had enough overlap with Jane Austen that many readers are fans of both.

Put me in that category.

This is the second of hers that I have read, the first being Venetia, and as much as I liked that I probably enjoyed this one a little more. If you had asked me before if I was a reader of romance novels I would have said no; now I would have to say I am, actually. Wasn't expecting that.

I admire Arabella the character. She's about 90% awesome (tough and confident), 9% frivolous (you know, hair and clothes and dancing), and 1% screwup. The screwup was when, on her first visit to London, she lied (with a little provocation) about being an heiress, which established her as someone of interest among the rich men for the rest of the season. But pretty much all of the rest of the time, she shows herself to be a woman of firm, almost unconscious, convictions. She is willing to express herself openly, is fearless in the stern face of a VERY judgmental society, and is an ally and defender of the downtrodden, all of which endear her to the right sort of people. (Her "money" endears her to the rest.) Seeing her wade into a group of mean kids who are hurting a dog or facing down an abusive chimney-sweep boss or telling her relatives that she was going to do the right thing regardless of their opinion establishes her as a badass heroine (not the author's preferred term, alas) and someone I admire. The fact that she also wants to fit in and be liked and noticed and asked to dance just makes her human and adorable. The author does a wonderful job evoking the different aspects of her personality.

Lord Beaumaris is also interesting--less so to me, but still--and you root for them, as you are supposed to, to figure each other out and overcome the inevitable obstacles. The only false note was that the confession and apology Arabella needed to make came too quickly and too easily, IMO. It was to Lord Beaumaris's credit that he didn't need any more than that, but I was a little disappointed in her.

Aside from that unfortunate business, I enjoyed this very much. I pass on the recommendation that led me here to any who suspect they would like this novel or author. The plotting is excellent, the pace quick, the fun scenes plentiful, and the language lively.

Take a look. :)

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