The Vintage Romance Reader

When the incomparable Miss Milbourne spurns the impetuous Lord Sherington's marriage proposal (she laughs at him-laughs!) he vows to marry the next female he encounters, who happens to be the young, penniless Miss Hero Wantage, who has adored him all her life.

Whisking her off to London, Sherry discovers there is no end to the scrapes his young, green bride can get into, and she discovers the excitement and glamorous social scene of the ton. Not until a deep misunderstanding erupts and Sherry almost loses his bride, does he plumb the depths of his own heart, and surprises himself with the love he finds there.

Original Publisher: Heinemann
Original Year of Publication: 1944 [2008 reprint]
Page Count: 423

Exactly what it says on the tin: Anthony, Lord Sheringham (nicknamed Sherry), aged 23, is desperate to get his hands on his inheritance. His father left it in trust until he reached age 25 or until he married, whichever comes first. After finding his suit rejected by Isabella, the Season's Incomparable, Sherry vows to marry the first female he sees!

What luck it happens to be Hero Wantage, a girl six years his junior, who hails him as he rushes back to town. Hero is a very sweet girl, orphaned as a child, who has been living with her odious Cousin Jane. Jane is ready to wash her hands of Hero and has told her that she's to become a governess at a seminary in Bath. Hero hates the idea, but feels she has no other choice. Sherry has known both Isabella and Hero since they were all kids, and he feels a brotherly sort of pity when he hears her sad story. Then it occurs to him that marriage would solve both of their problems: it would rescue Hero from this abominable fate, and it would release his funds directly into his hands.

Sherry proposes to Hero, who promptly accepts (she's been in love with him for about as long as she's known him), and they dash off to London, procure a special license, and set about setting up a household together. Hero has absolutely no notion of Society (and Sherry's mother, the now-dowager Lady Sheringham, hates her guts) so it falls to Sherry to guide her through the thorns of the ton - until misunderstandings mount to the nth degree, causing Hero to run away because she fears she has made Sherry interminably angry with her foibles and scrapes. (He did tell her he was sending her to his mother, whom he has no idea hates his wife, so its understandable that Hero would be so upset.) Suddenly Sherry realizes what he's lost and he vows to win her back, with comedic results.

This story is absolutely adorable ♥ Sherry and Hero are both young and stupid, but they are well-meaning and good-natured. They both mature over the course of the story, and realize what it means to be married, even in name only. They are surrounded by a hilarious cast of secondary characters: Isabella, the Incomparable, has wonderful shades of grey; Sherry's BFFs Gil, George, and Ferdy, who adore Hero (whom they nickname Kitten) almost as much as Sherry himself does; the odious Cousin Jane and her plain-faced daughters; and the wretched villain Sir Montagu, who has it out for everybody in this entire circle, because he is the one callous asshole in the entire story.

This book appealed to me more than I anticipated; it has that sweet sense of puppy love that I personally adore; it is a gentle narrative, and wonderful bit of escapism. I love the little details, too, like how everyone calls Hero "Lady Sherry," immediately adopting Sheringham's nickname for her. Ferdy is absolutely hilarious with his obliviousness; George and Isabella are in love with each other but refuse to admit it, causing their own scrapes; and damn if Gil doesn't deserve to be the hero of his own novel! He was truly the most mature and thoughtful of the lot.

The ending is a bit much, but otherwise this was the perfect, sweet, innocent little Romance. It's replaced The Corinthian at the top of my favorite Heyers list, and I will definitely be searching out a copy to keep!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A daring escape

Penelope Creed will do anything to avoid marrying her repulsive cousin. Dressed in boy's clothing, she's fleeing from London when she's discovered by Sir Richard Wyndham, himself on the verge of the most momentous decision of his life.

And a heroic rescue

When Sir Richard encounters the lovely young fugitive, he knows he can't allow her to travel to the countryside all alone, so he offers himself as her protector. As it happens, at that very moment Sir Richard could use an escape of his own...

Original Publisher: Heinemann
Original Year of Publication: 1940 [2009 reprint]
Page Count: 261

This is my favorite Heyer novel yet! I tend to prefer my romances on the light and airy side, and this one definitely fits the bill. It's a farce, and it's incredibly funny! So many outrageous tropes abound: chick-in-pants, mistaken identity, comedy of errors, and a road trip, just to name a few. There are appearances by jewel thieves, dastardly (stupid) dandies, a roughneck Bow Street Runner on a wild goose-chase, a dead man, an imminently silly secondary couple (both of whom the heroine rightly gets plenty of digs in), as well as the titular Corinthian and the cheeky young heroine who brings him to heel.

I adored both Richard and Pen, and was rooting for them all the way. Pen got herself into plenty of scrapes (not entirely of her own making, mind!) and Richard was her amused savior at every turn. It's absolutely delightful, and well worth a read if you're looking for something fun and frothy!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐