The Talisman Ring
by Georgette Heyer
Blurb:
The Talisman Ring is one of Heyer's funniest and fastest-paced romantic comedies, telling the story of a fugitive heir, a tempestuous Frenchwoman, and the two sensible people who try to keep them out of trouble.Neither Sir Tristram Shield nor Eustacie, his young French cousin, share the slightest inclination to marry one another. Yet it is Lord Lavenham's dying wish. For there is no one else to provide for the old man's granddaughter while Ludovic, his heir, remains a fugitive from justice.
My Reaction:
I always feel that I haven't read that much of Heyer's work, but I've just checked, and I've read at least fifteen of her novels... (?!?!?) I can't quite believe that! ...Anyway, while I enjoyed most of the others I read before The Talisman Ring, I don't remember any of those making nearly as strong of an impression as this one has. I loved it!
As the blurb promises, this novel is pleasingly fast-paced, once it gets going. The blurb is also correct in that it is indeed funny-- clever, amusing, and just plain fun to read. It's a wonderfully witty and pleasant book full of characters who feel like friends by the last page!
This was a five-star read for me.
(One thing I don't love is the cover art publishers choose for Georgette Heyer's Regency novels. They're always old-fashioned paintings of random women in Regency-period clothes. So boring! Something different would make a refreshing change, but maybe most readers like this style of cover...)
