“A treasure beyond price. The Masqueraders is a wicked delight, worth more than its weight in gold.”
Anne Stuart
Such a daring escape
Their infamous adventurer father has taught Prudence Tremaine and her brother Robin to be masters of disguise. Ending up on the wrong side of the Jacobite rebellion, brother and sister flee to London, Prudence pretending to be a dashing young buck, and Robin a … buck, and Robin a lovely young lady.
Could cost them both their hearts
Then Prudence meets the elegant Sir Anthony Fanshawe, and Robin becomes the mysterious hero of the charming Letitia Grayson, and in order to have what they truly want, the two masqueraders must find a way to unmask themselves without losing their lives
“What with elopements, rescues, duels, and cards, the story goes excitingly; and finally the magnificent but dubious father proves himself a Viscount. It is a picturesque and engaging story.”
THE SPECTATOR PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER: “Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit.”
Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC “Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen.”
Publishers Weekly “Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to.”
Katie Fforde WHAT READERS SAY: “Heyer manages to make us believe in this entertaining masquerade of the siblings posing each as a member of the opposite sex. Very true to the period indeed. Strongly recommended.” “Such a great book-the ultimate romantic, swashbuckling, identity-swapping fantasy.” “A must-read for Heyer fans.” “Anyone who loves Shakespeare’s Viola (and who thinks Shakespeare didn’t give her enough to do in Twelfth Night) will enjoy Georgette Heyer’s heroine Prudence.” “I wore the cover out on this one almost forty years ago. Believe me, Ms Heyer stands the test of time “”
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One of my favorite Heyer books! I do so love the ones with some humor.
I’ve been rereading my favorite Georgette Heyer romances set in Georgian times. I started with THE MASQUERADERS, a novel that takes place shortly after the Jacobite rebellion.
First, let me say how much I love this book! Not only is there a young woman pretending to be a man, but a young man pretending to be a woman. And Heyer pulls it off!
Prudence makes a wonderful young gentleman navigating the shark-filled waters of the Ton. Her height, plus the fashions of the time, make her masquerade quite believable. A ‘large gentleman with sleepy eyes’ (Sir Anthony) takes her under his wing. I adore Sir Anthony! Everyone underestimates him because of his aforementioned largeness and sleepy eyes, but he’s the only one to see through the charade. He’s intelligent and quick-witted and honorable and everything a hero needs to be.
Prudence’s brother Robin, an escaped Jacobite, makes as wonderful a lady as his sister makes a man. Which is one hell of a feat when you think about it. He’s shorter than his sister and spends most of the book dressed in women’s clothes, yet manages to be a daring and masculine hero—and to win the heart of the girl he loves. Brilliantly executed piece of characterization on Heyer’s part.
The ‘old gentleman’ (i.e. Prudence and Robin’s father) gets pretty annoying, but I ignore him because the rest of the book is such a delight.
THE MASQUERADERS is rightfully a classic. If you haven’t read it, do!
Georgette Heyer is my favorite author and this is one of her best. Just finished rereading it and was reminded once again of why she is the godmother of Regency Romance 🙂
This holds up amazingly well for a book published in 1928. It has a cross-dressing brother and sister, action and melodrama, and plenty of humor.
THE MASQUERADERS by Georgette Heyer turned out to be the most unexpected delight. I cannot remember now why I put it on my reading list, but as I opened it to read I hoped it would give me a little pleasure as I am very fond of historical novels. Part of the joy in reading this novel is that the characters have such fun, even while the stakes are so high:
“The door opened, and the page let in fat Marthe, a tray in her hands. It was a very colossus of a woman, of startling girth, and with a smile that seemed to spread all over the full moon of her face. Like her mistress, from one to the other she looked, and was of a sudden smitten with laughter that shook all her frame like a jelly. The tray was set down; she clasped her hands and gasped: “Oh, la-la! To see the little monsieur habillé en dame!”
“Robin sailed up to her, and swept a practiced curtsey. “Your memory fails you, Marthe. Behold me – Prudence!”
“She gave his arm a playful slap. “My memory, alors! No, no m’sieur, you are not yet large enough to be mademoiselle.”
“Oh, unkind!” Robin lamented, and kissed her roundly.
“Marthe, there is need of secrecy, you understand?” My lady spoke urgently.”
The need for secrecy is that brother and sister are both Jacobites, and have fled to London after the failure of the 1745 rising to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne. As Robin, the brother, is under attainder and could be hanged for his part in the rebellion, he is now dressed in petticoats and answers to the name of Kate Merriott, while his sister Prudence is dressed as a man and presents herself as Peter Merriott.
The plan is for the pair to lie low in London for a while, awaiting instructions from their father who has disappeared. But no member of this charming, highly intelligent and incorrigible family is good at actually disappearing, and they win hearts and a great deal of attention from the bon ton.
Apart from the spirited pranks and witty dialogue, what gives readers so much pleasure in reading this novel is three fascinating main characters who are so devilishly clever. The reader is going to be glued to the pages of this book as they see how this family saves itself from disaster and is accepted into London society. Highly recommended. Five stars. #georgetteheyer #themasqueraders
My favorite Georgette Heyer
What Jane Austen didn’t invent in the Regency Romances, Georgette Heyer, who came much, much later, did. She was the first writer I found after I finished all of Austen’s books, and think this era became so popular in Romance literature because of Ms Heyer. And, although I’ve since found many writers who works I’ve enjoyed, Austen and Heyer are the only ones I read over and over again. “The Masqueraders” is one of my favorites. I love the brother-sister siblings in this story, and their fun and loving relationship, not to mention their mysterious father who seems to be working behind the scenes to make everything turn out right.
But my favorite character in this book is Sir Anthony, because, in a sense, he is also a masquerader, as so many people underestimate him because he seems to be oblivious to what’s happening, and he lets them fall into that trap. His romance with Pru, IMHO, is the primary one in the book, and he makes a wonderful hero.
I love Georgette Heyer’s books. This is one of her best. The characters are intriguing. The story is fun with two romances.
I first read Georgette Heyer’s books when I was about 12, I STILL re-read them every couple of years, just because they’re so good. She was the originator of the smart, sassy heroine. You can’t go wrong with any of her books.
I have read all of her books, some of them more than once. If you like Regency romances, you will love hers.
Love all Georgette Heyers books.
This was a re-read for me, having read it the first time in my teenage years. The plotting is skilful and the characters, like all of Heyer’s, are original and engaging. I would imagine that modern readers may find the story a little obscure at first, Heyer makes her readers work hard to discover what is actually going on. but perseverance pays off; this is a lovely story with not one but two romance plots.
Not Heyer’s best. But her lesser Regency Romances are better than the vast majority of Regencies out there now. Especially good if you get bored with the obligatory sex scenes and repetitive descriptions of the Hero’s body parts. Try Venetia, The Grand Sophy, Cotillion, These Old Shades.
Another wonderful, smart book by Georgette Heyer
There’s no such things as a dull or poorly-written Georgette Heyer novel. Masquerade is one of my favorites!
Anything by georgette heyer is worth reading.
Georgette Heyer created the Regency Romance genre. If you are a RR fan you MUST read her books, they’re just the very best
Wonderful characters, good plot. The characters stay with you as though you have met them!
You cannot get better than Georgette! This book is one of my all-time favorites. I love the characters’ interactions (always) and the surprises along the way. Read it again and again.
Years ago my wife was reading a novel in the car. I was bored so suggested she read out loud. We actually sat in our friends driveway for about 15 minutes so we could finish the book. (Long trip, my wife is an excellent reader)
When I got home, I started reading Georgette, and discovered the queen of romance novels. Delightful, clever, great characters. If you can’t find this book, start with “The Grand Sophy.”