Review
A re-issue of a 1925 medieval romance (never before published in the U.S.) - in which Heyer runs with a welter of solemn "sooths" and "mayhaps" rather than her later, classier Regency jargon. He of the frigid ticker is neglected bastard Simon Beauvallet - tough, ruthlessly fair, proud, mighty in battle - who comes at age 14 to the Earl of Montlice (known as "Fulk the Lion") for employment. And under the Lion's hard regimen and increasingly affectionate discipline, Simon grows to manhood. At an early age he will nip in the bud a plot to overthrow Henry IV, distinguish himself in the field, set to rights the slovenly caretakers of a lordless estate which he has been given by the king; and finally he will march against the French enemy at the castle town of Belremy where dwells the Lady Margaret - proud, brave, and full of fight. Hitherto not interested in women, Simon sets out to conquer Belremy and Margaret; she attempts to escape from him; but then he rescues her from a cruel tyrant and before long there's a rapid thaw in frozen bosoms. Heyer herself did not wish to see this book reprinted, but though certainly far from her peak, there's that ever-popular appeal of clanking armor and trembling wimples. And, however elementary the tale, it's told without slack: perfectly acceptable goods for the castle-and-moat consumer. (Kirkus Reviews)
Review
"With a Georgette Heyer you don’t buy a book, you buy a world. If it suits you, you settle down forever." –
Time Magazine
