These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer

I read this one second because I had never read it before and because it is the sequel to The Black Moth. Of course all the character names have been changed, but voila! They are the same characters.

This is what I mean about Heyer's character development. We can see that Devil Andover is the same person as Satanas the Duke of Avon. Andover sails away to Paris at the end of the Black Moth, and the Duke of Avon is residing in gay Paris in the opening of These Old Shades. It doesn't take long to settle into the story.

The reader says, "Good riddance" with hardly a hope for The Devil, but then as the reader is drawn into the plot of of These Old Shades the Duke of Avon thinks himself beyond hope. But for the ever optimistic reader, a soft spot grows and blossoms into hope for the soul of Satanas in the small form of Leon. (This is not a spoiler) When we find out that Leon is really Leonie a woman who steals the Duke's heart, we start cheering for our unlikely hero and hissing the most vile character Henri Saint Vire.

This novel receives a five of five stars.

Also available in ebook form.