Cover Image: Frederica

Frederica

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Quick Summary: A period piece of considerable worth

My Review: Frederica by Georgette Heyer is a Regency era novel. It was originally published in 1965. I became aware of it in 2022. Thinking this story would be interesting to delve into, I endeavored to read it. I wanted to see how it translated as a romance in today's time.

About the Book: A notably independent, young woman and a very responsible Marquis grow to love each other. Family, friends, expectations, and plans influence the course of their relationship.

My Final Say: To my knowledge, this book has quite the reputation. It is considered to be a classic by many a reader. My experience was not as enthusiastic as others, perhaps. In my humble opinion, this book was somewhat stilted and dry. The language was unwaveringly reserved, and as such, it made the reading laborious. The characters were varied and yet oddly familiar. With that said, I genuinely wanted to love this book, but I did not. I liked it well enough, however, I can honestly say that it was a ho hum reading experience overall.

Other: I believe that some readers will like this story, while other readers may not like it at all. It is definitely an acquired taste. Those readers who enjoy Regency romances and other such period pieces should enjoy this book.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Genre: Historical fiction/romance (19th century)
Status/Level: ⏳

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and to NetGalley for making this book available for review. I am most appreciative for the opportunity. The words I have shared are my own thoughts and opinions.

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My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my honest review.

I so enjoyed Frederica by Georgette Heyer! The characters are so engaging and the story line riveting, the dialogue fun and witty, the romance swoony, with three dimensional main characters and very well delineated side characters as well.

This is a wonderful Regency story, with a very capable and determined heroine and a grumpy lead man who grows on you along the way. The story arcs held my interest and the characters were approachable and interesting.

Quite an enjoyable read.

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Frederica is a story about a headstrong woman attempting to care for her family in her own way, not exactly considering the wants of her family. She is so sincere though, so you can't help but love her. Like in all Heyer novels, the minor characters are incredibly well written, none are superfluous. The Regency setting is believable and detailed, the perfect continuation of a Regency-centered binge read after you finish all of Jane Austen's works.
"A man need not be dull merely because he is respectable!.... "No, he need not be, but he often is."
The love interest embodies my favorite trope- a grumpy man who is secretly a cinnamon-roll. When going into Frederica, it's best to start off knowing as little as possible so you can be carried away with this delightful story.

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I’ve often heard of this amazing author but never actually read her work. This was my first of what will be many. I totally got the hype!!! Well written characters and a beautiful storyline!

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I knew I would like this book, it just has that cover that made me read the description, and the description that made me immediately need to read it. The characters are fully realized, it has playful and witty dialogue, and the romance is exactly what I want in a regency romance. I felt completely fulfilled finishing this book and and happy with pretty much every aspect of it.

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Lord Alverstock is wealthy, elegant, and not known for his warmth. His two London-based sisters, Mrs. Dauntry and Lady Buxted, are frequently annoyed that he pays no mind to them, gives them no extra money when they ask, and has no desire to support their children in Society, beyond appointing Endymion Dauntrey his heir.

Vernon Alverstock is bored easily, and has never had his heart moved by any of his pmistresses, and moves on from his relatiobships as soon as he finds them tedious. His super competent Secretary Charles Trevor manages his life for him, including sending his mistresses away, and acting as a buffer between Alverstock and those who bore him, like his sisters, who he feels bother him with financial demands.

Then, the Merriville siblings, nominally headed by Harry but really by eldest sister Frederica has been managing the estate and her siblings from a young age. Twenty-four-year-old Frederica petitions Alverstock to help her launch her beautiful younger sister Charis into Society. Though resistant at first, he goes along with her scheme because she’s the first interesting person he’s met in a while. And though they aren’t related, Frederica concocts a fiction that allows the Merrivilles to move in his and others’ orbit: her father married an unsuitable woman (this is true, if you’re snobby), had kids and lost a lot of money because he liked to gamble. Alverstock knew the man (also true), and was placed under an obligation by the man to help his kids enter into Society (the fictional part of the story).

Alverstock is not only intrigued by Frederica, whose manners and address are forthright, her understanding of life realistic and humourous, and her view of him clear-eyed, as she sees his boredom and general unwillingness to engage because he doesn’t care for others. She wants his help, but doesn’t badger him, and even presents him with a plan to do it. He accedes, partly because no one has spoken to him like this before, and the younger brothers amuse and interest him. And because it would aggravate his London sisters.

Alverstock thinks he’ll just introduce them to the ton and then sit back, but the Merrivilles challenge him and push him into engaging with them through several, small calamities caused by their big, exuberant dog, or by the younger siblings getting into scrapes that require either a small infusion of cash, or him to flex his statu. Each time, he engages willingly, surprising the heck out of his family and Society.

By three quarters into the novel, we know Alverstock has fallen for Frederica, and loves her younger brothers. He has little interest in the beautiful sister whom Frederica wants a good marriage for as she’s nice but totally empty-headed, and correctly assesses that the Harry Merriville family is lazy and uninterested in doing the work to care for his siblings or the estate.

Though this book was much longer than I was expected, it was delightful. Frederica is charming and level headed, and has no use for marriage at the book’s outset, but finds herself greatly enjoying her time spent with Alverstock, and missing him when he’s not around. And though surprised by his growing involvement in their lives, Frederica's believable reliance on and respect for on Alverstock was a pleasure to see evolve, as well as his mystification at his desire to aid them. We know he's falling in love before he does.

There is much conversation and humour in the book, and the transition of Alverstock from uncaring rake to considerate and loving man was handled masterfully by the author. I highly recommend this if you like somewhat densely written historical romances.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for my review.

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This is exactly the kind of book that is absolutely comfortable for me and calms me down when I'm nervous so it was a great read. There were many different moments and anxiety, excitement, and enjoyment, it was just beautiful. I was just blown away by Frederica's spirit, her strength, the way she talked, the way she carried herself. the author has many more books of this kind, so I plan to read them all!

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My apologies, I found this one terribly boring and could not finish. dnf @ 25%. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

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I had always heard that this was a book for people who loved Jane Austen, and after having read it, I agree. While it didn't exactly hit all of the notes that I love in an Austen novel, it was still an agreeable regency era historical novel with a healthy dose of romance. I appreciated the look at all of the characters good and not so good qualities, which made the interactions between all of the characters more enjoyable. Definitely a novel for people who enjoy regency era fiction.

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This is my first time reading something by this author, and it definitely won't be my last. I had heard a lot about Ms Heyer's work and was excited to give it a try and I was not disappointed. The author has an elegant way of writing, encompassing comedy, charm, and romance, and I was immediately pulled into the story and remained engaged till the end. Frederica is a spirited and intelligent lady, and has accepted her position as being firmly on the shelf and has no aspirations of making a match for herself. She has instead devoted her time to finding the perfect match for her sister.
Vernon is the Marquis of Alverstoke and is an eligible, but confirmed bachelor. He is known to be a selfish rake, and not much love is lost between him and his siblings. Frederica is his distant cousin and she appeals to him for help in finding and securing a match for her sister. He agrees and is captivated by her sister, but as time goes on becomes more interested in Frederica.
The story was simply charming and very well written, with great attention to the period details, which really made the story and characters come alive. This was a lovely introduction for me to this author's work and you can be sure I will be looking for more.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

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Thoroughly entertaining Regency romance. At age 37, Marquis Alverstoke is selfish, easily bored, and typically wants nothing to do with his overbearing sisters and their families. It is quite a surprise, therefore, when he agrees to introduce a very distant cousin to the ton. Frederica Merriville is a headstrong and formidable young woman of 24, determined to find an appropriate husband for her younger sister Charis, who is the prettiest girl most have ever seen. Despite being quite young herself, Frederica has no plans to ever marry, and is fully concerned with helping her siblings. With one brief meeting, Frederica is able to convince "cousin" Alverstoke to help sponsor Charis' coming out. What starts as a way to antagonize his sisters, ends up as much more, as Alverstoke becomes entangled in the lives of Frederica and her younger brothers, Felix and Jessamy. They may just be what this lifelong bachelor needs to finally settle down.

While light in romance, this novel is adorable and surprisingly entertaining. The Merriville family get into so many scrapes, and it is enjoyable to watch cousin Alverstoke come to the rescue, growing as a character throughout. Several scenes made me laugh out loud. The romance is sweet and innocent, neither character expects to fall for the other. The Merriville family feels true to life. I loved each member in their own way. Very fun read.

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This is the first book I've read by Georgette Heyer and I can see why she is a giant of the historical romance genre.

Frederica is a low stokes romance read focused on character and family. The writing itself is definitely a product of its time being quite dense and bogged down. That said, if you're a romance genre completist then you should definitely add this book to your list. I'm probably going to stick with the Julia Quinn's and the Lisa Kleypas's of the genre though.

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Frederica was a fun cozy Regency romance. I found it a bit slow at times but thoroughly enjoyed the story. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more.

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This is a reissue of a classic of the romance genre. This is well written and has some interesting characters but for a modern reader it seemed overly prosy and lacked any tension in the romance. The side characters and excessive dialogue just weighed this down.

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I'm glad I finally got to read a Georgette Heyer book, and I understand why her historical romances are so popular. This was definitely very distinct and different from my experience within that subgenre.

There are some things that take getting used to. The first time Alverstoke meets Frederica felt like a very long scene to me, and it consisted mostly of dialogue. Then there's the slang the author used. I've never read most of these phrases before, but it's easy enough to guess at the meaning, and I thought the phrases she used were both amusing and clever. There's also an age gap between Alverstoke and Frederica. He refers to her as "my child" more than once, which feels weird considering there's supposed to be a romance developing between them. I found it easy enough to overlook, but if that is something that bothers you, it might be best to skip this book.

The characters and their interactions make up the brilliant core of this story, and it's not limited to Alverstoke and Frederica. I did love their discussions, and the way he consistently supported her in different ways, both big and small. The feelings he ends up developing for her are a slow build, and not really shown in big gestures or anything of the sort. Instead, it's the small things he does for her, like taking care of her brothers, or coming to her rescue when she is in need, even if she refuses to ask for his help. I really loved seeing him steadily come to terms with his regard for her.

But I also loved Frederica's family in general. Her brothers and the way they handled Alverstoke were hilarious, and never failed to make me smile. Even as Alverstoke begins to fall for Frederica, I could also see how much he cared for her younger brothers, and it was so sweet. I felt a real investment in all of them, with the exception of maybe Charis. She reminded me a bit too much of Lydia from Pride & Prejudice, albeit a nicer version, if just as silly.

The one thing I would've wanted to see differently is to focus a bit more on the romance towards the last 25% of the book. I thought the love confession came too late—it was practically the very end of the story, so we didn't really get to see them being a couple, especially since this is a slow build and it takes them a long time to even admit to themselves that they're in love.

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I enjoyed this book even though it was a little predictable. Frederica and Lord Alverstoke became friends before they realised that they loved each other and I think I prefer that to insta love. I also liked that the main characters were a bit more mature so there was none of that silliness that often comes with young girls.
I also enjoy a book that has witty banter and this book has it in spades.
What I didn't like was the first few chapters, I was introduced to a lot of characters quickly and it was difficult to keep straight who was who, I was almost ready to give up as I felt bogged down with information that really wasn't important to the story.
I am glad I stuck it out as this was a lovely story.

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A charming and entertaining read. One of Georgette Heyer's best. I would recommend Frederica for those who are looking for a cozy regency romance read.

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I have read book by Georgett heyer before in my teens, the naive Young me loved the books, but the older me did not get invested in the book. The language felt too oldfashioned.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

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Frederica by Georgett Heyer

Revisiting a favorite author’s writing after over half a decade was to be a joy for me. Instead, while reading it on vacation, I found myself bogged down in words and conversations that did not seem to fit into my life in the same joyous way I remembered them from the past. This author is remembered fondly but having read her books during my naïve teens and now being in my seventies do wonder if it is an age issue I am facing with the story or if the many books I have since read along with the numerous life experiences that I have encountered have somehow left me less enamored of the story than my memories of the book once were. The story is fine but filled with terms that are not common now. The story is filled with more words than I felt were necessary. In ways it felt archaic and difficult to relate to. I can’t put my finger on the reason I am not as thrilled with the story as I was when first I read it but am glad that I read it again. The synopsis of the book gives a clear idea of what the book is about so won’t go into the details of the family, romances that take place or any other details.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

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I was unfortunately not able to complete this book. The writing was not for me. This is my first book by the author and really wanted to enjoy this book.

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