Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer



The most daring, dashing hero of all....

"Mad Nicholas" to his friends, "Scourge of Spain" to his enemies, Sir Nicholas Beauvallet is one of Queen Elizabeth's most dashing buccaneers and has never been known to resist a challenge.

A Spanish lady all fire and heart....

When Beauvallet captures the galleon carrying Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylvan and her father, he vows to return them safely to the shores of Spain. But he has no sooner done so than he proposes a venture more reckless than any of his exploits on the high seas -- he will return to Spain, where there's a price on his head, and claim Dominica as his bride.

(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Beauvallet was such a refreshing change of pace in my Georgette Heyer reading! I have become accustomed to the sweet love stories of debutantes and handsome bachelors in Regency ballrooms, but Beauvallet was a complete surprise from the opening scene:

The deck was a shambles. Men lay dead and dying; there was split
woodwork, a welter of broken mizzen and sagging sail, dust and grime,
and the reek of gunpowder. A ball screamed through the rigging overhead;
another tore the sea into wild foam beneath the galleon's stern....


Sir Nicholas Beauvallet is a larger-than-life figure -- he's a devilishly handsome pirate with a lust for danger and adventure. With his mighty sword and almost superhuman ability to escape harm unscathed, he is feared by many and reviled by those who wish to see this notorious enemy of Spain captured. When a Spanish galleon, the Santa Maria, begins firing upon Beauvallet's ship, he cannot refuse the challenge and within a very short time has boarded the Santa Maria and taken down most of the crew. To the Beauvallet's delight, on board he finds the breathtakingly beautiful Dona Dominica and her ailing father. She is a spitfire, and the Beauvallet gets a little more than he bargained for when he attempts to introduce himself. She boldly meets this pirate head on and brazenly steals his dagger in an attempt to fight him off. Her courage and beauty intrigues and delights him, and from the moment he lays eyes on her, he knew he wanted nothing more than for her to be his. As the days pass on the voyage, Dominca finds it hard to resist the devilish charm of this notorious pirate.

After returning Dominica and her father back to Spain in a daring and dangerous maneuver, Beauvallet, the enemy of Spain, makes a promise to Dominica..."I will come for you before the year is out." What are the odds that he will succeed in this foolish promise?

An action-packed love story, filled with intrigue and plotting at the the Spanish court of King Philip during the Inquisition, in Heyer's signature dramatic and witty style. A keeper!

This completes the first book for the Georgette Heyer Reading Challenge at All Things Historical Fiction.

5/5 stars

Title: Beauvallet
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Sourcebooks 2010
(original copyright 1929)
301 pages
genre: historical romance

11 comments:

Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid Reader said...

I have a fair number of Georgette Heyer books on my shelf, but Beauvallet isn't one of them. Based on your review I just may have to add it to my collection :-)

Staci said...

I love Heyer too and will add this one to my must read soon list!!!

Unknown said...

Woo-hoo, I posted my first review for the Georgette Heyer Challenge today too! I haven't read Beauvallet yet, but it sounds fabulous! Great review!

Joanne said...

Hi, all! This is definitely my favorite Heyer! Hope you enjoy it!

Taylor said...

Thanks for the review! I may need to cram it in to my hectic reading schedule. We shall see!

Taylor~ http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blogspot.com/

Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid Reader said...

PS. I see you're reading Kearsley's Season of Storms, Joanne. I've not read that one yet (it is sitting on my shelves though) so I can't wait to find out what you think of it!

Joanne said...

Avid Reader --I love EVERYTHING she writes, so I'm looking forward to getting into it. I'm only about two chapters in so far. I hate that I'll soon be running out of Kearsley books to read! :)

~ames~ said...

Good review and I'm intrigued. I admit I only have Heyer's Regencies in my tbr pile. But I have this wishlisted as an e-book from my library. Thanks!

Joanne said...

Great, Ames! I hope you enjoy it!

Taylor said...

I'm going to be doing a Heyer challenge update sometime over at my blog and I was wondering if I can use your Heyer reviews for the update. Please let me know over at my blog. :)

Taylor~

Joanne said...

Hi, Taylor -- Yes, you may certainly use this review.

Favorite Period Dramas

Mount TBR

Joanne's to-read book montage

On a Highland Shore
A Light on the Veranda
Entwined
The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile
The Edwardians
Maisie Dobbs
Howards End
Lady's Maid
Instruments Of Darkness
When Maidens Mourn
Where Shadows Dance
What Remains of Heaven
Where Serpents Sleep
Why Mermaids Sing
When Gods Die
Shadowfever
Before Ever After
The Sugar Queen
Garden Spells
After the Night


Joanne's favorite books »
}