My love for Heyer hasn't diminished (very much) even though there are some areas where she's really problematic. In the last week or so I read two new-to-me Heyer books. A Civil Contract--which I did not like! And The (very oddly named, I thought) Cotillion, which I did.
A Civil Contract is a typical marriage of convenience story--handsome, kind, titled but broke heir to a tumble-down estate and brother to a large number of unmarried sisters is forced to marry the socially awkward, not a beauty, daughter of a vulgar, wealthy cit. instead of the very beautiful, very tonnish, childishly dramatic (but not nearly wealthy enough to pull the family's bacon off the fire) ex-fiance to whom he'd been promised and with whom he's still desperately in love.
It happens.
The PROBLEM is that the hero NEVER stops repining over his fate, his mother and sisters NEVER stop bemoaning the loss of the daughter/sister of their heart. The ex-fiance NEVER stops crying over her lost love and jealousy insists (far too repeatedly, IMO) that he repine EVEN MORE.
I swear it's the WEEPIEST Heyer EVER!
The heroine is okay, except it quickly becomes clear that she sold herself into this loveless marriage because she was hopelessly in love with the hero and couldn't think of any other way to save him from ruin than to sacrifice herself--and her self-esteem, and any chance of a happy union with someone who was equally madly in love with her.
And, no, in case you're wondering. Although he eventually comes to see that he and the heroine are much better suited to each other than his first love, and finally stops pining, and kinda, sorta, comes to recognize that she's a good wife and a nice person, he doesn't EVER fall in love with her the way I wanted him to. And he never finds out that she's hopelessly in love with him, so he's completely content in his belief that they're both equally content.
Yuck.
If you want to read this trope DONE RIGHT I'd suggest Caroline Linden's An Earl Like You, which is fabulous.
Cotillion is a Betrothal of Convenience gone wrong (or right, depending on your point of view). The heroine manipulates the hero into offering for her with the understanding that she'll cry off before they have to wed. She's trying to force the hand of the rake that SHE is in love with. It doesn't work (because:RAKE) until the very end when he tries to marry her in order to get his hands on her guardian's fortune.
But the hero is adorbs. He's a total Cinnamon Roll. The dialogue is frequently hilarious. And the heroine eventually comes to her senses and falls in love with him--thank God!
Oh, and only at the end do we find out that said hero has actually been in love with the heroine forever but never made an approach because he knew she was in love with someone else (his cousin, the Rake)and figured he never stood a chance.
I won't get into the various sub-plots, friends and relatives because most of them did not appeal to me. The Unknown Ajax does dysfunctional family much, much better.
I also read two Heyer books that were NOT new to me, but I'll save my thoughts on those for another time.
Meanwhile...buy the Linden book. Buy The Unknown Ajax. Then buy KJ Charles' Doomsday books because after that you'll be desperate for more fens, smugglers and well-meaning-but-deceitful, lying heroes.
And if you have any thoughts on any of these books, PLEASE comment below.
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