Abigail Wendover, "on the shelf" at 28, is determined to prevent Fanny, her pretty and high-spirited niece, from becoming attached to Stacy Calverleigh, a good-looking town-beau and an acknowledged fortune-hunter of shocking reputation. Miles Calverleigh, the black sheep of his family, enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, has a scandalous past, and is not at all inclined toward good manners. Could he be Abby's most important ally in keeping her niece from a most unfortunate match? But Miles turns out to be the most provoking creature Abigail has ever met--with a disconcerting ability to throw her into giggles at quite the wrong moment....
Normally I find Georgette Heyer's Regency romances very soothing at the very least and exceptional historical writing at the very most. While Black Sheep was soothing to a certain extent, I didn't find myself quite so caught up in the world of the Regency era as I have in the past. I'm not sure if that says more about me and my restlessness in the recovery room or the book. Heyer's story was a fine one--of course, it followed the well-worn trend of these romances to have the apparent black sheep wind up being the hero in disguise. But I just felt a little jaded while reading it. Usually, there are at least one or two characters in Heyer's work that really grab my attention and make the book for me. I can't say that this happened this time. Having a fondness for Heyer's writing, and knowing that I may be a little out of sorts because of the surgery, I am giving this one a solid three stars. I may have to come back to this one another time and see if it's better than what I think at the moment.
Hmm, maybe the genre is becoming a little predictable for you? Or yes, maybe you're just ready to be well again. Hope that happens soon!
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