When I began The Reluctant Widow I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was delighted to find that this was such a fun read. Elinor Rochdale gets on the wrong coach (she is supposed to begin a new governess position) and finds herself caught up in a whirlwind adventure. She meets Mr. Carlyon, is convinced to marry his dying cousin, and becomes a widow all in the course of one night. Unfortunately, after becoming a widow she finds that she is caught up in a mystery that she cannot get out of along with a bit of danger. The best part though is that there is so much more to this book and before I knew it I was caught up in the novel.
I was instantly entranced when I began reading this novel and drawn into the time period. Elinor is a strong female main character which was surprising considering the time period that the book was set in along with the fact that she isn't wealthy. She has a dry sense of humor and wit that she used on Lord Carlyon constantly throughout the story. There were a few times that she had me laughing out loud and I really enjoyed her character. Georgette Heyer's characters all came alive for me in this novel and I enjoyed reading about their interactions with one another. I also enjoyed the character of Cousin Nicky and how Elinor dealt with him and his youthful exploits. The writing was easy to get into and helped me to feel that I was in that time period.
All in all, this book pleasantly surprised me and I will be looking for more by this author. Filled with dry humor, mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance, The Reluctant Widow was a great read that I will definitely be recommending. For all of you who have read Georgette Heyer, what do you recommend that I try from her next? And a huge thanks to Danielle from Sourcebooks for sending me this wonderful novel. I loved it!
My rating/Recommendations: 4.5 out of 5; Recommended to anyone who enjoys romance and/or historical fiction
Challenges: New Author Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("R" Title), 100+ Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge, Historical Fiction Challenge
That was a great review...and now I want to read this book! From your description, it kind of reminded me of the storytelling of 'The 13th Tale', which I recently read. I'm putting this on my library list. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteLisa- I hope you end up enjoying this book as much as I did. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHeyer is one of those authors I had never heard of before blogging. I just haven't read one yet because my library doesn't have any. I keep checking the used books, but maybe I'll just buy one one of these days!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't tried any of Heyer's books but I am tempted!
ReplyDeleteShelley- I had heard a lot about this author on blogs is well which is why I jumped at the chance to read this. I enjoyed it and will be reading more by her in the future.
ReplyDeleteLadytink- You'll have to let me know if you do as I enjoyed this.
I like this one too, great review!
ReplyDeleteI liked that there was a mystery involved.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Naida- I liked they mystery aspect as well. And the fact that it the ending turned out the way it did :)
ReplyDeleteOh this sounds like a lot of fun. I'm pretty new to the world of Heyer and have really enjoyed the few books of hers I've read. I'll be adding this one to my long list!
ReplyDeleteIf you are wanting to try another I highly recommend Lady of Quality.
Thanks Iliana! I've been trying to figure out what to read next by her and this will be it!
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