Gosh!

This was not a romance novel where I really loved any of the characters, they're all ridiculous (and pretty terrible people). It was very entertaining, however. How come Heyer does so much better at the crossdressing tropes than almost anyone in the hundred years since she wrote this? We have both forced masc AND forced fem (your brother sells you as a servant to a powerful man, he takes you back to his own country where you don't know anyone, and then tells you that he's decided you have to be a girl now, you scream cry and beg and he won't relent, you have to submit, but you can please your Dom employer by learning to be good at being a girl.... someone introduce this woman to fetlife.) Also, Leon's pronouns don't change smoothly - people still mess them up - and s/he refuses to give up pants, fencing, cussing (such as it is), and running around in the woods.

The gay subtext is bursting out of every jot and tittle. Hugh and Justin flirt, Justin's fashion is so far out that everyone else makes fun of him for it, and Rupert declares that he's not at all interested in women. That's of course leaving aside the outrageous flirting and D/s text between Justin and Leon. There's a massive power imbalance on top of the age difference, which Heyer is clearly enjoying too much to moderate.

The bad: Fanny has a slave who's mentioned in YIKES terms for all of two lines and then never appears again (small mercies....). The hero is an attempted rapist, but in a genteel kind of way where he "just" wanted to force the lady to marry him. Everyone is stratospheric levels of classist, including the author, who thinks that Blood Will Out and it's just genetics that some people are fascinated by farming and others are so smart and important and beautiful that they are able to take on the difficult but vital work of going to parties, gambling, wearing insane clothes, and torturing each other socially.

Anyway, I'm off to read some outrageous fanfic!

*

Wow, I nearly forgot about how mad I was about the "glossary of regency slang" at the back of my edition. a) it's arranged in ten(!) different sections by subject and then loosely by alphabet, so that you have to look at all ten to ensure you didn't miss the word you're looking for. b) YOU DIDN'T MISS THE WORD YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, not a single! solitary!! word!!! in the glossary!! is actually!!! in the text!!!!!!!

I noticed when I actually hit the end of the book that this was just a "sneak peek" at a glossary of regency slang someone else is publishing, and I think I might have to go rate that one star out of spite.

Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France.

Lord Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon, known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Society believes the worst of Justin, who is clearly proud of his sobriquet, 'Satanas'. In a dark Parisian back alley, he is accosted by Leon, a young person dressed in ragged clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys Leon, a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks... ( )

Scrittura sempre molto bella e interessante, personaggi ben delineati che si disvelano man mano e che riservano anche molte sorprese.
Una storia ben costruita, avvincente, movimentata e ricca di colpi scena. Una lettura molto piacevole e di gran gusto. ( )

I have hesitated to add a review of this because I'm pretty sure I can't do it justice. Brilliantly written, witty, fun and spot on historically. The Duke of Avon is one of the best heroes ever written. I love him and I can't see that anyone other than Leonie could have broken through his shell. Even though the romance is not torrid, you can see that absolute love he has for her. Sigh... ( )

One of my favorite books! I have read it umpteen times and love Leonie and Justin. This is my favorite Georgette Heyer. ( )