Synopses & Reviews
A sparkling Regency romance with intrigue and excitement, from the queen of the genre
When Eleanor Rochdale boards the wrong coach, she ends up not at her prospective employer's home, but at the estate of Eustace Cheviot, a dissipated and ruined young man on the verge of death. His cousin, the overbearing Mr. Ned Carlyon, persuades Eleanor to marry Eustace, so that he himself will not have to inherit the Cheviot estate.
By morning, Eleanor is a rich widow, and she finds herself embroiled not in just a simple business arrangement, but an international spy ring and a mystery involving housebreakers, uninvited guests and murder. In the end, she and Carlyon must band together to avoid a devastating scandal...
My favourite historical novelist--stylish, romantic, sharp, and witty. Her sense of period is superb, her heroines are enterprising, and her heroes dashing. I owe her many happy hours. --Margaret Drabble
Georgette Heyer is unbeatable. Sunday Telegraph
Sparkling. Independent on Sunday
A writer of great wit and style...I've read her books to ragged shreds. --Kate Fenton, Daily Telegraph
Synopsis
By chance, Elinor Rochdale is swept up in a thrilling adventure. Overnight the would-be governess becomes mistress of a ruined estate and partner in a conspiracy to save a family's name. By midnight she is a bride, by dawn a widow.
Synopsis
"Lively, amusing...done to a turn "-Kirkus Reviews
A fateful mistake...
When Elinor Rochdale boards the wrong coach, she ends up not at her prospective employer's home but at the estate of Eustace Cheviot, a dissipated and ruined young man on the verge of death.
A momentous decision...
His cousin, Mr Ned Carlyon, persuades Elinor to marry Eustace as a simple business arrangement. By morning, Elinor is a rich widow, but finds herself embroiled with an international spy ring, housebreakers, uninvited guests, and murder. And Mr Carlyon won't let her leave ...
What readers are saying about The Reluctant Widow
"Delightful and purely entertaining. The plot involves comedy, intrigue, espionage, cloaks and daggers, and things going bump in the night - served with a sauce of witty repartee that is the Heyer hallmark. Unforgettable."
"One of my favorites "
"A delightfully funny and mysterious romp."
"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen." - Publisher's Weekly
Synopsis
Known as the Queen of Regency romance, Georgette Heyer also wrote a dozen acclaimed mysteries. In The Reluctant Widow, she intertwines a suspenseful plot with a sparkling romance.
When Elinor Rochdale boards the wrong coach, she ends up not at her prospective employer's home, but at the estate of Eustace Cheviot, a dissipated and ruined young man on the verge of death. His cousin, the overbearing Mr. Ned Carlyon, persuades Elinor to marry Eustace so that he himself will not have to inherit the Cheviot estate. By morning, Elinor is a rich widow, and she finds herself embroiled not in just a simple business arrangement but an international spy ring and a mystery involving housebreakers, uninvited guests, and murder.
Laced with ribands of mystery and intrigue...You must enter the spirit of the tale whole-heartedly to feel the proper pang for Elinor Rochdale.
-The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Lively, amusing ... done to a turn
- Kirkus Reviews
A fateful mistake...
When Elinor Rochdale boards the wrong coach, she ends up not at her prospective employer's home but at the estate of Eustace Cheviot, a dissipated and ruined young man on the verge of death.
A momentous decision...
His cousin, Mr Ned Carlyon, persuades Elinor to marry Eustace as a simple business arrangement. By morning, Elinor is a rich widow, but finds herself embroiled with an international spy ring, housebreakers, uninvited guests, and murder. And Mr Carlyon won't let her leave ...
WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THE RELUCTANT WIDOW:
Delightful and purely entertaining. The plot involves comedy, intrigue, espionage, cloaks and daggers, and things going bump in the night - served with a sauce of witty repartee that is the Heyer hallmark. Unforgettable.
One of my favorites
A delightfully funny and mysterious romp.
Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen.
- Publisher's Weekly
Synopsis
In "The Reluctant Widow," Heyer intertwines a suspenseful plot with a sparkling Regency romance. Eleanor Rochdale finds herself married and widowed within 24 hours, and embroiled in an international spy ring.