I am a Georgette Heyer fan. Georgette Heyer wrote Regency romances, many of them romantic comedies, that I devoured as a child and still re-read as an adult. I believe it is now a whole sub-genre in the romance world. I’ve read a few other Regency romances here and there, from time to time. Other writers capture the world well, some of them, but they don’t often capture Heyer’s humor and charm.
Margaret Ball does. Her book Salt Magic isn’t a true Regency in that it contains fantasy elements–the main character is a finwife (a mermaid in plain language)–but it has something I loved from the days of Heyer: a little mischievous humor. The two main characters must prepare for a visit from an out of town guest. The female lead, who is a fan of fantastical novels, proceeds to regale the male lead with descriptions recited verbatim from the books she has read of How Not to Entertain Guests. It’s very amusing, but even more so is Lord Iveroth’s response. I loved it.
The book has bad guys, good guys, kelpies, people in peril, and pushy family members. It felt very much an homage to Heyer, but also a truly enjoyable read on its own. If ever Margaret Ball writes a non-fantasy Regency I will read that, too. Highly recommended.
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