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A review by onthesamepage
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes:slow build, clean romance, age gap
Steam level: none
I'm glad I finally got to read a Georgette Heyer book, and I understand why her historical romances are so popular. This was definitely very distinct and different from my experience within that subgenre.
There are some things that take getting used to. The first time Alverstoke meets Frederica felt like a very long scene to me, and it consisted mostly of dialogue. Then there's the slang the author used. I've never read most of these phrases before, but it's easy enough to guess at the meaning, and I thought the phrases she used were both amusing and clever. There's also an age gap between Alverstoke and Frederica. He refers to her as "my child" more than once, which feels weird considering there's supposed to be a romance developing between them. I found it easy enough to overlook, but if that is something that bothers you, it might be best to skip this book.
The characters and their interactions make up the brilliant core of this story, and it's not limited to Alverstoke and Frederica. I did love their discussions, and the way he consistently supported her in different ways, both big and small. The feelings he ends up developing for her are a slow build, and not really shown in big gestures or anything of the sort. Instead, it's the small things he does for her, like taking care of her brothers, or coming to her rescue when she is in need, even if she refuses to ask for his help. I really loved seeing him steadily come to terms with his regard for her.
Tropes:
Steam level: none
I'm glad I finally got to read a Georgette Heyer book, and I understand why her historical romances are so popular. This was definitely very distinct and different from my experience within that subgenre.
There are some things that take getting used to. The first time Alverstoke meets Frederica felt like a very long scene to me, and it consisted mostly of dialogue. Then there's the slang the author used. I've never read most of these phrases before, but it's easy enough to guess at the meaning, and I thought the phrases she used were both amusing and clever. There's also an age gap between Alverstoke and Frederica. He refers to her as "my child" more than once, which feels weird considering there's supposed to be a romance developing between them. I found it easy enough to overlook, but if that is something that bothers you, it might be best to skip this book.
The characters and their interactions make up the brilliant core of this story, and it's not limited to Alverstoke and Frederica. I did love their discussions, and the way he consistently supported her in different ways, both big and small. The feelings he ends up developing for her are a slow build, and not really shown in big gestures or anything of the sort. Instead, it's the small things he does for her, like taking care of her brothers, or coming to her rescue when she is in need, even if she refuses to ask for his help. I really loved seeing him steadily come to terms with his regard for her.
He liked her composure, her frankness, the smile in her eyes, her ready appreciation of the ridiculous, the gay courage with which she shouldered burdens too heavy for a girl to bear, the way she caught herself up guiltily on a cant phrase culled from her brothers’ vocabularies, the intent look which came into her face when she was pondering a ticklish question, the unexpected things she said, and– but what was there in all this to disrupt his present life, and to place his untrammelled future in jeopardy?
But I also loved Frederica's family in general. Her brothers and the way they handled Alverstoke were hilarious, and never failed to make me smile. Even as Alverstoke begins to fall for Frederica, I could also see how much he cared for her younger brothers, and it was so sweet. I felt a real investment in all of them, with the exception of maybe Charis. She reminded me a bit too much of Lydia from Pride & Prejudice, albeit a nicer version, if just as silly.
The one thing I would've wanted to see differently is to focus a bit more on the romance towards the last 25% of the book. I thought the love confession came too late—it was practically the very end of the story, so we didn't really get to see them being a couple, especially since this is a slow build and it takes them a long time to even admit to themselves that they're in love.