"When Frederica brings her younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, she seeks out their distant cousin, the Marquis of Alverstoke. Lovely, competent, and refreshingly straightforward, Frederica makes such a strong impression that to his own amazement, the Marquis agrees to help launch them all into society.
Lord Alverstoke can't resist wanting to help her.....Normally wary of his family, which includes two overbearing sisters and innumerable favor-seekers, Lord Alverstoke does his best to keep his distance. But with his enterprising -- and altogether entertaining -- country cousins getting into one scrape after another right on his doorstep, before he knows it the Marquis finds himself dangerously embroiled." (from the publisher)
my thoughts:
I love the world of Georgette Heyer's books -- even though Fredrica isn't at the top of my list of favorites, it certainly was enlightening about the Regency period and the glorious details of Regency society. From the elegant members of the ton, the parties and seasons they celebrate, and a gathering in Hyde Park to watch the spectacle of a manned balloon ride, Fredrica is the tale of an ordinary young woman who, along with her entire family, captures the interest and heart of the confirmed bachelor, Lord Alverstoke.
As usual, Heyer's wit is sharp and charming right from the start. Lord Alverstoke is perturbed when his two sisters approach him to help launch his nieces into society at a ball at his estate. Alverstoke is completely bored by it all and sees no reason to help his plain-jane nieces...that is, until a very distant relation, Fredrica, requests his help to introduce her exquisitely beautiful sister, Charis, to the London ton. The Marquis views this opportunity as extremely humorous -- he knows his sisters will be absolutely furious when their daughters must attend their coming-out ball along with the stunning Charis!
What I liked about this story was that Fredrica was charmingly ordinary...smart, confident, concerned about her family, and secure in the knowledge that marriage was not something she desired or needed. It was exactly this attitude that intrigued Lord Alverstoke....accustomed as he was to women going out of their way to impress him, he was blind-sided by Fredrica's disinterest in him! With a little help from Fredrica's precocious younger brothers and a runaway balloon, Fredrica and Lord Alverstoke discover what real love is all about.
3.5/5 stars
Title: Frederica
Author: Georgette Heyer
original copyright: 1965/Sourcebooks 2008
437 pages
genre: historical romance
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