I started reading this and after a few pages realised there’s a good reason I’ve never read Georgette Heyer before…..it’s just not for me!

Georgette Heyer's Arabella is a delightful Regency romance that will charm readers with its witty banter and engaging characters. The story follows the spirited Arabella, a young woman from the countryside who dreams of finding a husband in London's high society. But when she meets the dashing and slightly jaded Beaumaris, her plans take an unexpected turn.

What makes this novel stand out is the chemistry between the hero and heroine. Beaumaris is a complex character who is both charming and world-weary, and his dry sense of humor adds a delightful touch to the story.

Arabella, on the other hand, is naive but not silly, and her caring nature and determination make her a compelling character. The way they bring out the better elements in each other's character is believable, and readers will root for their happy ending.

Overall, Georgette Heyer's Arabella is a delightful and engaging Regency romance that is sure to charm readers with its witty dialogue, engaging characters, and authentic setting. Fans of Jane Austen and other classic romance authors will find much to enjoy in this charming novel

I only got a few pages into this one before DNFing. I was not immediately hooked and did not find myself caring about any of the characters or dialogue right away. The language was really dense and not modified for the modern reader in my opinion. It was originally published in the 1940s, and is being re-published again, but still reads as 1940s to me.

This is a reissue with a new cover. The original was published in 1949. Heyer wrote recency romance and detective novels. This is a wonderful book and its interesting to see how the genre has developed. Heyer was inspired by Austen, but she's still considered one of the original.recency romance writers.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital review copy.

Wow. That was hard. This is my first time trying to read a Georgette Heyer book. My sister has been a fan of hers for years, so I have heard many glowing remarks about her books. When I saw this available on Netgalley, I decided to give it a shot.

Let me start by saying that I have never really been a reader. I basically started reading I have earnest less than a year ago. I mostly enjoy audiobooks. All those things combined to make this a very difficult read for me.

It was originally published in the 1940s, so the style of writing is different than today's books. Plus, it is a Regency period book. There were so many words and phrases that I didn't understand. I just kept going and did my best to get the gist of the story. Some nights it was all I could do to struggle through 1 chapter.

Do not read the guest introduction to this book of you do not want to be spoiled. I started to read it and then skipped it when I saw that it would contain spoilers. I had no idea what thr plot for the story was going in to my reading. I did come back and read it afterwards.

After saying all of that, let me say that I did enjoy the story. I think I would have really enjoyed listening to it. I was in fact tempted to get a copy of the audiobook after muddling through 20 percent. But I didn't think that would allow me to give a fair review for my advanced copy through Netgalley.

I kept picturing my grandmother reading this when first published and that helped me push through. So if you are a seasoned reader, I think you'll enjoy this one. If you aren't but still wish to know the story, find the audiobook.

I enjoyed this author and I remember reading this book years ago. I hope others of her books are rereleased.


Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Arabella by Georgette Heyer (04042023)
Arabella journey to London meet obstacle, her carriage broke down in front of Beaumarise hunting lodge. Beaumarise think Arabella is one of the women his mother send and that make him little bit arogant. Arabella get annoyed and pretend to be an heirs, Beaumarise know that not true but give the white lie more fuel and somehow make Arabella become talk in the Ton.

I strugle to engge with this book, Arabella pov and Beaumarise mixed together in one long paragraph. Why there are so many exclamation in conversation? Anyhow Arabelle know how to use the chance to get rich husband and Beaumarise cant help fall for her fresh innocent kindness and smart.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#Arabella #GeorgetteHeyer #Sourcebooks #SourcebookCasablanca #NetGalley #ARC

So pleased to see these classic Georgette Heyer books remarketed. They should definitely be embraced by the current generation of romance and historical fiction lovers. I hadn’t read this since my teens and rereading it felt so fresh and easy. I can recommend this without reservation to so many readers! Heyer needs rediscovery!

When I saw this beautiful new edition of Arabella was available on Netgalley, I knew I had to have it. I hadn't had the privilege of reading the incomparable Georgette Heyer before and couldn't pass up this chance.

First of all, the introduction written by Eloisa James was lovely and quite put me in the mood to delve further into this book.

Arabella is a superbly crafted romance. The diologue is witty, and the characters, while not always precisely likable, are endearing.

I understand now why her novels have stood the test of time. I'm sure this will be only the first of many I will read.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is only my second Heyer, and I was unsurprisingly charmed and generally delighted. I came in ready to see about this lowly vicar’s daughter who purports to being an heiress when a jaded, bored, obscenely wealthy borderline dandy flirt assumes her to be a fortune hunter- like, that’ll show him, and not complicate matters at all. So fun.

Loved the foreword by Ms. James in this newest edition as it once again had me anticipating a heroine who is initially quite unimpressed by the hero and yet manages to set off a change in him and his inevitable comeuppance. Add to that Pride and Prejudice comparisons and rebuttals- rejected proposal and all, hence I was more than ready.

Much like in Frederica, it’s the hero that steals the show for me. Hi, hero-centric romance reader here. You won’t see me complaining about this rich and rakish Mr. Robert Beaumaris (doesn’t his name itself denote his commanding elegance?) with all the dry wit and appreciation for the ridiculous, launching Arabella into the ton under false pretenses for his amusemenf.

What I will complain about might stem from being spoiled by more current Regency romances where forced proximity scenarios and antics give us more on page moments firmly centered around our couple. My patience to see them together was often tried (and had me too easily pausing my reading). It’s a good thing Beaumaris is aloof yet highly perceptive because their interactions are superficial and far between. Why do we get told down to the buttons of her coming out wardrobe and a listing of every questionable London haunt of Regency times as part of a detailed descent into a life of vice, but only passing mention of their outings together on his phaeton? I perked up whenever we got more of his POV, and yet, though utterly charming, we literally get more banter and in-depth conversations between him and his,
also show-stealing, adopted mongrel than with his genuinely naive “tiresome love”.

But, all’s well, the unaffected virtues he observes in her are enough to cause shifts of uncharacteristic charity and compassion from him, our most fripperiest society leader. By halfway it gets so good as he’s resigned to his fate of wanting to please her above all things.

‘You’ve gone stark, staring mad!’

‘Very true: I have known it this half-hour and more.’

While determined to not fall for his flirtatious attentions, we have Arabella’s impetuous, bleeding heart with complete disregard to convention, as she sees it her duty to champion all God’s creatures. It piques and awakens the hunter and the self-sacrificing hero in Beaumaris, and he has everything at hand to tie up all very nicely and make her “an unexceptionable husband”. Can’t disagree with generations of Regency readers, just, if you’re a glutton for having that couple on page like me, put on your Patience Pants.

Content notes: kissing only, mention of previous mistresses.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this newest edition.

This is and will always be my absolute favorite Regency Romance! I'm so thrilled to read this and keep this story alive in my heart and head.
I just reviewed Arabella by Georgette Heyer. #NetGalley
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Sometime not too far past I read and reviewed the Black Moth by Georgette Heyer. That was my first experience of Heyer's writing and it was pretty good writing for a seventeen-year-old. I was pleasantly pleased to find Arabella now available and snapped it up. I think this is likely the title I most often hear associated with Heyer in literature circles...or whatever one might call them.

Arabella Tallant is the oldest daughter of a Yorkshire vicar who is sent to London to have a season sponsored by her godmother. Her mother has used much of her own money to prepare Bella for this season with expectations of this leading to good situations for her siblings. Robert Beaumaris is the Nonpareil of London society. A positive impression from him and all of London follow his lead. I guess you could call him the social influencer of his time. He often plays little games to see what society will copy from him, just because he can. These two characters meet up by accident as Arabella is travelling to London and the events that happen then influence both while she is in London.

This was a very entertaining read and I enjoyed both of the main characters immensely. Arabella is obviously not typical of young women of her rank in that she is prone to helping people and creatures in poor situations, no matter the position. Robert is also not quite typical, although, he tends towards laughing at the ton who see him as a god. At first he sees Arabella as an amusement but it's not long before he realises she is nothing like the society that surrounds him. Thus, he is constantly drawn into the schemes she has for making the lives of others better. The introduction of the book makes references to Pride and Prejudice as an influence of this work and I can see where prejudice is a major flaw in the characters aside from Arabella. She doesn't fall into this category but she is guilty of being prideful at times. In the end, Arabella and Robert improve each other immensely and they seems to be a good match in the end.

Overall, I give this 4 solid stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me an early reader copy. I have provided this review voluntarily.

THE Queen of historical romance. Always a sweeping romantic ride of a novel. This one comes with an updated cover.

The adventures and misadventures of the smart but penniless elder daughter of a stern reverend hailing from Yorkshire and her determined quest to find the perfect husband are at the center of this funny and highly entertaining fictional tapestry so brilliantly woven by Georgette Heyer.

A richly detailed slice of Regency life in London at the end of the Napoleonian Wars wittily plotted, charmingly choreographed and blessed with a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters, Arabella is a sparkling comedy of maners that really deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this fabulous ARC!

I have long heard of Georgette Heyer and her wonderful writing, but this is the first of her books that I have read. Arabella was a really good book! It had a great story, and wonderful dialogue. The chemistry between the hero and heroine was wonderful.
I also enjoyed Eloisa James' introduction! I did not realize Georgette Heyer's books have been published so long. Arabella is a timeless story, and it is a really good read!

Georgette Heyer resurfaces with her well-known classical charm, enticing and pulling you deep within the pages of this book. A sweet and delightful classic, packed with the usual frills and thrills, by the renowned classical author.

I have a hit and miss relationship with historical romance, and Arabella was a bit too flowery for my taste. Georgette Heyer is an enduring presence for a reason, but I might not be her audience.

This edition has a foreword by Eloisa James that points out some parallels between Arabella and Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Arabella is a vicar's daughter from modest circumstances and Mr. Beaumaris is a wealthy and well known person in the London society. He has more social skills than Darcy but often acts in a similarly aloof manner. Like Elizabeth Bennet, Arabella is annoyed by a stray remark of his that she happened to overhear as he was suggesting she might be setting her cap at him. Her pride leads her to pretend that she's a great heiress and it amuses Mr. Beaumaris to see if he could make her all the rage in London. Arabella has lots of suitors but can't accept any of them because she believes they only want her for the fortune that she doesn't have. When Mr. Beaumaris helps her rescue an abused child and a stray dog he is impressed by her kindness and courage to stand up for the less fortunate souls. Like Mr. Darcy, he is persistent after getting refused, and has a hand in helping one of her siblings escape a bad fate.

I love this story because Mr. Beaumaris is such a great character. Arabella is feisty and likable but Beaumaris makes the story for me. He is intelligent, helpful and I can't but admire the way he manoeuvres sticky social situations. All in all he's the sort of person you would love to be on your side in a crisis.

Heyer's style of writing is witty as always and the dialogue is a delight. The readability would be improved with a more liberal use of the paragraph break. Some paragraphs are huge walls of text that go on and on and on. The longest that I took note of spanned nine screens on my reading app. And I don't care if you're Heyer or not , that's just too long.

I didn't realize this wasn't a new book, but written back in the 1920s. A reprint.

The dialogue between Mr. Beaumaris and Arabella is the best - they have such a fun relationship. They're each trying to play each other and in the end, ended up playing themselves. There is a whole lot of other situations going on in this book, but a lot of it seems like unnecessary words.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.

Arabella Tallant, the daughter of an impoverished country parson, dreams of a new life in London. But her beauty and charm will only get her so far - and when Arabella embarks on her first London season armed with nothing but a benevolent godmother and her own notoriously short temper, she quickly runs afoul of Robert Beaumaris. He's the most eligible bachelor of the day, with a personality as strong and combative as hers - and Arabella cannot abide him thinking of her as just another pretty girl after his wealth. So she states that she’s a heiress to put Robert in his place but soon the whole ton believes she’s a heiress.
A delightful, witty & engrossing romance. The characters have lovely depth & I loved both Robert & Arabella. Arabella is charming & so innocent, Robert succumbs to her almost from the start. Add a chimney sweep, a mongrel to the mix & sit back for a very entertaining read
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read