Beauvallet: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

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Wildly improbable, action-packed and exciting, this book will surprise anybody who has only read Heyer's regency novels. She had heard that those who fell into the clutch of the Inquisition were sometimes never heard of again. In fact, Georgette Heyer almost died in Kratovo when the gas line became blocked and she turned blue before the anaesthetist noticed the problem and fixed it. In 1929, with Beauvallet, he brokered terms which gave Georgette 15% on the first 3,000 copies sold, 20% on the next 7,000 copies and 25% on all copies sold above 10,000.

Of all of her books, this is the one that most relies on action (rather than witty dialogue) to propel the story. It would be quite fun to have a modern movie made of this book - someone like Benedict Cumberbatch could carry Beauvallet's part very well. Sir Nicholas Beauvallet (Nick) practices piracy upon the Spanish as a form of unofficial warfare – at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I.

There's some great sea battles, sword fights, prison breaks, and chases both in carriage and by horse.

Having won a sea battle with a Spanish galleon, Sir Nicholas Beauvallet finds that Don Manuel de Rada y Sylva, the late governor of Santiago, is aboard with his daughter Dona Dominica. Some of the characters are interesting, especially the evil aunt Beatrice who moves like a snail, but leaves a trail of slime behind her (I can’t remember the exact words). Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.A perfectly serviceable historical adventure, but without the humor and panache of her Regency novels. I should acknowledge that things did pick up once Beauvallet got his ass to Spain, but it wasn't a true take off? Though usually it is the bad guy (often played by Basil Rathbone) who shows off like that, not the hero. Seizing the chance, she tried to kill the hateful pirate -- but as he took her arm and held it she found herself strangely captured by his boyish smile.