Do you know, Georgette's book published during a general strike in 1926 and never received any newspaper reviews or advertising whatsoever sold 190,000 copies? She had no Twitter account, no Facebook account, no quad code (or whatever than thing is called). She didn't rely upon her family and friends for sale and there wasn't any serial printings in magazines for These Old Shades and yet it was a hit among hits.
In 1966 when Black Sheep was published, she had nixed interviews and photo shoots keeping her personal life within her family arena. I find that amazing. This particular Regency Romance sold for $1.25 and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. What an astounding wit she must have been. The dialogue absolutely sparkles.
Abigail Wendover (but, please call her Abby for she hates the name Abigail) meets such an interesting man in the sitting room of a hotel where friends on her's and her sister's were to reside while visiting Bath. While writing a note to them, a man of some considerable baggage enters and retires to the sitting room where she overhears his name is Miles Caverleigh. The very man she never thought to meet! This man's reprobate nephew was about to steal her young niece right from the school room which just would not do at all. Hearing his name, she appeals to him to try to do something to break up the romance, to shoo the man away from her vulnerable niece.
He flat refuses to because he'd never laid eyes upon his nephew and he didn't care a fig for sticking his nose in business that didn't concern him.
Then who does she meet in her best friend's parlor? Mr. Caverleigh for he had brought her friend's son home from India. He smiled with his eyes, and he said the most outrageous things that tickled her fancy. Thus begins a most satisfying romance and one of the best Heyer wrote... but, then, you'll see me write that about nearly all her books.
Five of Five Stars!
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