April is “Classics Month” on Historical Romance
Review… the great ones from the past that remain worthy reads today. I’m
starting with one first published in 1929, proving that a good historical romance
can be a good story no matter when it was written.
Set in 1586 in England, France and (mostly)
Spain and the waters off their coasts, this is an early work of the classic
author, Georgette Heyer, a swashbuckler with an English aristocrat, Sir
Nicholas Beauvallet. “Mad Nicholas” prefers sailing his ship and troubling the
Spanish galleons to enjoying the wealth he had gained and the family estate in
England.
On one of his excursions, Nick captures a Spanish
galleon carrying Doña Dominica de Rada y Sylvan, a young maiden returning to
Spain with her ailing father. Instantly he is in love with Dominica, who is
quite a brat at first, and vows to return her and her father to Spain. But Nick
tells Dominica he will reclaim her within a year. She protests but is secretly thrilled.
The man to whom her aunt would wed Dominica is loathsome to her.
Nick was well loved in England. Queen Elizabeth
adored him and his friends included many notables, such as Sir Francis Drake. But
to his enemies, he was the "Scourge of Spain".
This story is all about the hero and his noble
(and quite funny) valet, Joshua. Though Nick is quite full of himself, he is charming
in his conceit, and apparently, his conceit is justified.
Enjoyable romp with Heyer’s unusual witty
banter.
Buy on Amazon.
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