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Faro's Daughter
An insult not to be borne
When Max Ravenscar offers her a fortune to refuse the marriage proposal from his young nephew, the beautiful Deborah Grantham is outraged.
A passionate reprisal
She may be the mistress of her aunt’s elegant gambling house, but Miss Grantham will show the insufferable Mr. Ravenscar that she can’t be bribed, even if she has to marry his puppyish nephew to prove it.
When Max Ravenscar offers her a fortune to refuse the marriage proposal from his young nephew, the beautiful Deborah Grantham is outraged.
A passionate reprisal
She may be the mistress of her aunt’s elegant gambling house, but Miss Grantham will show the insufferable Mr. Ravenscar that she can’t be bribed, even if she has to marry his puppyish nephew to prove it.
285 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
About the author
Georgette Heyer
263 books5,100 followersGeorgette Heyer was a prolific historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,152 reviews
October 27, 2019
Flushed with success from my recent reread of Venetia, I cast caution to the wind and decided to take on another Georgette Heyer Regency novel. I should have known I wasn't mentally up for another contrived plot yet. Even Heyer's witty writing didn't save this one for me.
Deborah Grantham is a 25 year old with decent parentage, but gambling runs in the family and between one thing and another, she's ended up as a faro dealer at a London gambling house run by her aunt. She's beautiful enough that she's attracted some attention from gentlemen who frequent the gambling house. Mostly it's the wrong sort of attention, but there's Lord Adrian, the 20 year old heir to the Mablethorpe title who has fallen head over heels for her and wants to marry her. His mother and uncle want to squash this inappropriate romance, and they have two months to do it before he turns 21 and gets control of his fortune.
So Adrian's uncle, Max Ravenscar, tracks Deborah down and decides the best way to handle her is to offer to pay her money - a lot of money - to send Adrian packing. Deb and her aunt are in desperate need of money, but Deb finds Max's offer so vastly insulting (WHY) that she not only turns down the money, she declares that she'll wed Adrian just to spite Max, even though she actually has absolutely no intention of marrying young Adrian. And so begins a battle royale between this obstinate couple, and of course we all know where it's going from there, but the fun is in the journey. Except it just wasn't that much fun for me.
Look, I get that Regencies aren't exactly the poster child for plausibility. When you look up the word "contrived," there's a picture of a Regency romance there, or should be anyway. And I'll confess that when I like the main couple and the plotline, I'll do contrived plots with the best of them (like Loretta Chase's Knave's Wager, one of my guilty pleasures).
So what it comes down to is that I didn't like or care for the characters or their choices enough to really make this book a winner for me. Deb is basically an intelligent, kindhearted, cultured person, but being around Max brings out the worst in her. Her decision-making process around him is knee-jerk and irrational, and I just don't do irrational. Max ... well, he's kind of a jerk even at the best of times, though he does care about his family. And they both have a sense of humor, which saves the story from going completely off the rails.
The secondary characters didn't help me out a lot here: Deb's aunt is one of those extravagant spendthrift creatures that I dislike so much in fiction (you see her counterpart in False Colours, where she annoyed me even more). Adrian, though he has potential, is young and foolish; Deb's brother mostly grovels; and so on.
But mostly this story revolves around the Big Feud between Max and Deb. So if you love this kind of battle of the sexes plotline, complete with farcical events like a kidnapping, a cultured woman dressing up like a tart and acting low class to embarrass the guy and his family, gambling away of fortunes, etc., this might be a really great read for you.
Deborah Grantham is a 25 year old with decent parentage, but gambling runs in the family and between one thing and another, she's ended up as a faro dealer at a London gambling house run by her aunt. She's beautiful enough that she's attracted some attention from gentlemen who frequent the gambling house. Mostly it's the wrong sort of attention, but there's Lord Adrian, the 20 year old heir to the Mablethorpe title who has fallen head over heels for her and wants to marry her. His mother and uncle want to squash this inappropriate romance, and they have two months to do it before he turns 21 and gets control of his fortune.
So Adrian's uncle, Max Ravenscar, tracks Deborah down and decides the best way to handle her is to offer to pay her money - a lot of money - to send Adrian packing. Deb and her aunt are in desperate need of money, but Deb finds Max's offer so vastly insulting (WHY) that she not only turns down the money, she declares that she'll wed Adrian just to spite Max, even though she actually has absolutely no intention of marrying young Adrian. And so begins a battle royale between this obstinate couple, and of course we all know where it's going from there, but the fun is in the journey. Except it just wasn't that much fun for me.
Look, I get that Regencies aren't exactly the poster child for plausibility. When you look up the word "contrived," there's a picture of a Regency romance there, or should be anyway. And I'll confess that when I like the main couple and the plotline, I'll do contrived plots with the best of them (like Loretta Chase's Knave's Wager, one of my guilty pleasures).
So what it comes down to is that I didn't like or care for the characters or their choices enough to really make this book a winner for me. Deb is basically an intelligent, kindhearted, cultured person, but being around Max brings out the worst in her. Her decision-making process around him is knee-jerk and irrational, and I just don't do irrational. Max ... well, he's kind of a jerk even at the best of times, though he does care about his family. And they both have a sense of humor, which saves the story from going completely off the rails.
The secondary characters didn't help me out a lot here: Deb's aunt is one of those extravagant spendthrift creatures that I dislike so much in fiction (you see her counterpart in False Colours, where she annoyed me even more). Adrian, though he has potential, is young and foolish; Deb's brother mostly grovels; and so on.
But mostly this story revolves around the Big Feud between Max and Deb. So if you love this kind of battle of the sexes plotline, complete with farcical events like a kidnapping, a cultured woman dressing up like a tart and acting low class to embarrass the guy and his family, gambling away of fortunes, etc., this might be a really great read for you.
May 3, 2021
I've read this book (like most Heyers) countless times & if I had been rating books then, this one would have been around 3.5*. But now I'm a lot more fond of assertive heroines & while both leading characters are (very) prone to irrational actions, I'm looking at the original publication date. 1941. If I was a reader in WW2 I certainly would have wanted frothy, fast paced fun, rather than grim reality!
But just to get an idea of the fantastic sums of money being thrown around in this book, check out this currency converter (& note it stopped being updated in 2017)
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...
& the pace on this one never lets up! Deb may be quick tempered, but she is also loyal, kind, inventive (!) & when her aunt needs help with her gambling house, she doesn't hesitate to step in, even though she must have realised that she was putting paid to any chance of an eligible marriage & leaving herself open to far less savoury offers. But she doesn't waste time in regrets. While Max is never given much in personality other than he is autocratic & skilled in gambling, the romance is allowed to gradually unfold. This is skillfully done.
& special mention to some of the minor characters. Deb's aunt Lady Bellingham is one of my favourites - scatty yet kind, GH gives her some the book's best lines.
& I think Kit is the most horrible of all the unsatisfactory brothers in GH's stories. It made me wonder if either of GH's own brothers had done anything to upset her at the time of writing! Shallow, disloyal & self absorbed
& it is nice seeing a young woman enjoying her adolescence so much. I love the naughty Arabella.
Because I was curious I looked up an E.O. wheel.
& does anyone think the young Regency lass(sigh, Arrow shows their usual lack of interest in getting the picture to match the book) looks like she is gazing at a cell phone? Just me? OK.
The final Georgian novel written by GH. More's the pity.
Reread May 2021 with the Georgette Heyer fans Group
Still love this title - just have to accept that it has no connection with reality! :)
But just to get an idea of the fantastic sums of money being thrown around in this book, check out this currency converter (& note it stopped being updated in 2017)
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...
& the pace on this one never lets up! Deb may be quick tempered, but she is also loyal, kind, inventive (!) & when her aunt needs help with her gambling house, she doesn't hesitate to step in, even though she must have realised that she was putting paid to any chance of an eligible marriage & leaving herself open to far less savoury offers. But she doesn't waste time in regrets. While Max is never given much in personality other than he is autocratic & skilled in gambling, the romance is allowed to gradually unfold. This is skillfully done.
& special mention to some of the minor characters. Deb's aunt Lady Bellingham is one of my favourites - scatty yet kind, GH gives her some the book's best lines.
& I think Kit is the most horrible of all the unsatisfactory brothers in GH's stories. It made me wonder if either of GH's own brothers had done anything to upset her at the time of writing! Shallow, disloyal & self absorbed
& it is nice seeing a young woman enjoying her adolescence so much. I love the naughty Arabella.
Because I was curious I looked up an E.O. wheel.
& does anyone think the young Regency lass(sigh, Arrow shows their usual lack of interest in getting the picture to match the book) looks like she is gazing at a cell phone? Just me? OK.
The final Georgian novel written by GH. More's the pity.
Reread May 2021 with the Georgette Heyer fans Group
Still love this title - just have to accept that it has no connection with reality! :)
June 10, 2019
Scrumptious.
I can't type it here, the Spoiler Stasi would waterboard me, but Z.O.M.G. this entire ending is the outside of enough! I pity the fool who doesn't indulge in the occasional Heyer. A diet of them would be akin to steamed pudding for breakfast, Queen of Puddings for lunch, and a Pavlova for dinner, but damme how they are like vintage champagne served with an exquisite entremet.
I can't type it here, the Spoiler Stasi would waterboard me, but Z.O.M.G. this entire ending is the outside of enough! I pity the fool who doesn't indulge in the occasional Heyer. A diet of them would be akin to steamed pudding for breakfast, Queen of Puddings for lunch, and a Pavlova for dinner, but damme how they are like vintage champagne served with an exquisite entremet.
April 14, 2015
Update: I just reread this April 13-14th 2015 and it is every bit at good as the first time. Far fetched and comical, it was just the sort of book I needed. It had me laughing several times. :)
Georgette Heyer has written silly, spoilt and ridiculous heroines, she has made witty, wize and winsome heroines.
Deborah Grantham is the best minx of all. She is on/almost on the shelf and has little chance of making a match. Her aunt has a gaming house with a E.O table and faro which adds up against her. She also has an abominable temper, thankfully not like the heroin in Bath Tangle, but one singularly her own.
Max Ravenscar, the Hero, is appalled when he learns that his young nephew plans to marry a gaming house wench, and he lets her know in no uncertain words what he thinks of such a union.
Ohh! What fights they had! Max normally had good control of himself, but Deborah was out to get him. To think that it all started because Max thought she was going to marry his nephew! Adding to the amusement is the fact that she had no intention of doing so. This has become one of my favorites by Georgette Heyer.
There is not as much language as one would exspect from a book where much time is spent in a gambling house. I was also surprised by how little drinking was mentioned. The is talk of a man who wants Deborah to be his mistress, but he never acts on it. And Max calls Deborah many, many rude names. I personally found it funny, as she did sort of bring it on herself. I will reread it just for the priceless moment in the cellar…
This book began by reminding me of Vanity Fair, because of Deborah being in tight straits. It ended reminding me of Pride and Prejudice. This was a classic hero and heroine story were they start of with a great dislike of each other, (they each viewed the other vulgar!), and came to see that as much as they threatened to do away with the other, they could not live one without the other. I feel that of all the stories by Heyer that I have read, this was the most thought out of them all. Those of you wondering, it doesn't end abruptly.
Georgette Heyer has written silly, spoilt and ridiculous heroines, she has made witty, wize and winsome heroines.
Deborah Grantham is the best minx of all. She is on/almost on the shelf and has little chance of making a match. Her aunt has a gaming house with a E.O table and faro which adds up against her. She also has an abominable temper, thankfully not like the heroin in Bath Tangle, but one singularly her own.
Max Ravenscar, the Hero, is appalled when he learns that his young nephew plans to marry a gaming house wench, and he lets her know in no uncertain words what he thinks of such a union.
Ohh! What fights they had! Max normally had good control of himself, but Deborah was out to get him. To think that it all started because Max thought she was going to marry his nephew! Adding to the amusement is the fact that she had no intention of doing so. This has become one of my favorites by Georgette Heyer.
There is not as much language as one would exspect from a book where much time is spent in a gambling house. I was also surprised by how little drinking was mentioned. The is talk of a man who wants Deborah to be his mistress, but he never acts on it. And Max calls Deborah many, many rude names. I personally found it funny, as she did sort of bring it on herself. I will reread it just for the priceless moment in the cellar…
This book began by reminding me of Vanity Fair, because of Deborah being in tight straits. It ended reminding me of Pride and Prejudice. This was a classic hero and heroine story were they start of with a great dislike of each other, (they each viewed the other vulgar!), and came to see that as much as they threatened to do away with the other, they could not live one without the other. I feel that of all the stories by Heyer that I have read, this was the most thought out of them all. Those of you wondering, it doesn't end abruptly.
June 27, 2022
HANDS DOWN THE FUNNIEST HEYER I'VE READ YET
Deborah Grantham is a well(-enough) born miss who, due to her father's impoverished circumstances, ended up being raised by her aunt, Lady Bellingham, who runs an exclusive gaming house in London. In any case a little lord with a bad case of puppy love gets into his head that he wants to marry her, and even though she never had any intention of accepting, his older, scowly cousin Mr Ravenscar, decides to save little Adrian from the alleged fortune-hunter/gaming wench.
I repeat, Deb at no point even considered accepting Adrien's proposal. But Deb and Mr Ravenscar are two of the BIGGEST DRAMA QUEENS to ever exist and that's why this novel is so amazing/hilarious. She is so offended that he thought she was a hussy, and he is so thoroughly annoyed by not getting his way for once, that they both come up with increasingly absurd ways to piss each other off, leaving everyone else around them to reach for their smelling salts.
This is like Pride & Prejudice on crack - indeed you may pick up on certain turns of phrase that are straight from that book.
I have to say I haven't laughed out loud this many times reading a book in ages, in fact I read the last 15% or so while on a treadmill at my gym just now and people thought I was going mental (no one is supposed to look that happy on a treadmill).
5 of the easiest stars I've ever given
October 23, 2020
2020 Review
Deb reminds me of Sophy. I've never really put my finger on it the same way but I'm reading the books side-by-side and Deb's meddling definitely resembles how I imagine an early Sophy's meddling...though I think Deb is older.
2019 Review
Max Ravenscar's kidnapping is truly one of my favorite scenes in all of Heyer's works. I love the banter between him an Deb; the dismissal of her brother; the moment he walks back into the house when everyone thinks he is tied up in the basement.
It is all gold, pure gold.
2018 Review
So much witty banter!
Deb certainly represents an "older" Heyer heroine but she comes across more...emotional maybe? Or perhaps impulsive is a better word, like a younger heroine.
2017 Review
Once again breaking my rule about not interfering with past ratings to bump this one up a star. I really do love Faro's Daughter. It would make a hilarious movie.
Also, Deb. <3 Girl has guts!
In all my previous readings, though, it never occurred to me how quickly everyone falls in love! Everything takes place in less than two weeks!
2011 Review
Faro's Daughter isn't one of Heyer's more popular books, and I picked it up half expecting it to be a disappointment. I was pleasantly surprised.
When Max Ravenscar discovers his young nephew has fallen in love with a girl from gambling house, he is quite determined to do everything in his power to stop the marriage. Surely a bribe ought to work...
What he does not expect is Deborah Grantham. Outraged and offended that he would try and bribe her off, Deborah is determined to get revenge, even if that means marrying his youngster of a nephew!
A very cute, very humorous novel, full of romp and Heyer humor, I quite enjoyed this book. It even beats out These Old Shades in the three star section. Deborah is a great deal like Sophy from The Grand Sophy and as that is my favorite Heyer book, it stands to reason I'd enjoy this one too.
It is a highly imporobable story, filled with kidnapping and falling in and out love and rather unsavory characters, but overall completely fun!
The ending is a little rushed and the hero’s' falling in love might be a bit fast, but the witty dialogue and ridiculous circumstances the characters find themselves in quite makes up for it.
A very enjoyable novel!!
My Heyer reccomendations go like this order then:
The Grand Sophy
Frederica
Cotillion
Faro's Daughter
Arabella
These Old Shades
and the Nonesuch!
Deb reminds me of Sophy. I've never really put my finger on it the same way but I'm reading the books side-by-side and Deb's meddling definitely resembles how I imagine an early Sophy's meddling...though I think Deb is older.
2019 Review
Max Ravenscar's kidnapping is truly one of my favorite scenes in all of Heyer's works. I love the banter between him an Deb; the dismissal of her brother; the moment he walks back into the house when everyone thinks he is tied up in the basement.
It is all gold, pure gold.
2018 Review
So much witty banter!
Deb certainly represents an "older" Heyer heroine but she comes across more...emotional maybe? Or perhaps impulsive is a better word, like a younger heroine.
2017 Review
Once again breaking my rule about not interfering with past ratings to bump this one up a star. I really do love Faro's Daughter. It would make a hilarious movie.
Also, Deb. <3 Girl has guts!
In all my previous readings, though, it never occurred to me how quickly everyone falls in love! Everything takes place in less than two weeks!
2011 Review
Faro's Daughter isn't one of Heyer's more popular books, and I picked it up half expecting it to be a disappointment. I was pleasantly surprised.
When Max Ravenscar discovers his young nephew has fallen in love with a girl from gambling house, he is quite determined to do everything in his power to stop the marriage. Surely a bribe ought to work...
What he does not expect is Deborah Grantham. Outraged and offended that he would try and bribe her off, Deborah is determined to get revenge, even if that means marrying his youngster of a nephew!
A very cute, very humorous novel, full of romp and Heyer humor, I quite enjoyed this book. It even beats out These Old Shades in the three star section. Deborah is a great deal like Sophy from The Grand Sophy and as that is my favorite Heyer book, it stands to reason I'd enjoy this one too.
It is a highly imporobable story, filled with kidnapping and falling in and out love and rather unsavory characters, but overall completely fun!
The ending is a little rushed and the hero’s' falling in love might be a bit fast, but the witty dialogue and ridiculous circumstances the characters find themselves in quite makes up for it.
A very enjoyable novel!!
My Heyer reccomendations go like this order then:
The Grand Sophy
Frederica
Cotillion
Faro's Daughter
Arabella
These Old Shades
and the Nonesuch!
May 10, 2021
I enjoyed it more the first time (I remember I simply couldn't sit calmly from excitement and I read it in one day). Nonetheless, the second time it was also splendid fun.
I loved how skillfully Heyer entwined the story around wonderful characters: Deb, Max, Arabella, Adrian, Pheobe, Lady Bellingham, Lucius, Silas.
=== My review after the first reading: ===
I love it! One of the best Heyer books. I couldn't stop reading. Fortunately, I could spare time for that. So I have read it in one day (all day).
There wasn't a scene that I don't like. You have many situations and brilliant dialogues between characters. Both heroes have a spirit, strong personality. No ninny. And they play together - or I should say against each other - famously. There isn't (so typical for Heyer) a hero who must rescue a defenceless heroine.
What was shocking to me the most - that I was surprised two times how the story turned out. Because, I love Heyer romances, but they are very predictable. Not this book, at least for me.
I want more such stories!
I loved how skillfully Heyer entwined the story around wonderful characters: Deb, Max, Arabella, Adrian, Pheobe, Lady Bellingham, Lucius, Silas.
=== My review after the first reading: ===
I love it! One of the best Heyer books. I couldn't stop reading. Fortunately, I could spare time for that. So I have read it in one day (all day).
There wasn't a scene that I don't like. You have many situations and brilliant dialogues between characters. Both heroes have a spirit, strong personality. No ninny. And they play together - or I should say against each other - famously. There isn't (so typical for Heyer) a hero who must rescue a defenceless heroine.
What was shocking to me the most - that I was surprised two times how the story turned out. Because, I love Heyer romances, but they are very predictable. Not this book, at least for me.
I want more such stories!
June 15, 2019
Read a long, long, loooong time ago - review also long overdue, because people tend to ask when I scoff.
Georgette Heyer wrote a pretentious, anachronistic, pseudo-scientific retcon version of the regency era, concentrated her allegedly so realistic writing on less than 300 people and those few they interacted with within a world-spanning empire, obliterated in a fell stroke everything else happening during a time which was one of the most important of industrialisation and science, not to speak of featuring the major political upheaval of an entire continent.
And she all but killed - doing all the above - any serious engagement of female writers with said era. Not just that, her books and how they reduce everything to a mere play of manners for more or less silly goals, are cause and reason for the continued contempt people direct at female romantic writing about that era. Or even just female writing. I can't even scorn those who do so, because they are absolutely, completely right.
Where Jane Austen wrote acerbic, brilliantly sarcastic and often even cynical accounts of what it meant to be female and constrained by the rules and laws of that era, and how women were reduced to hunt and grovel for male support, and left not the slightest doubt about how she despised this, Georgette Heyer erects some fantasy Disney world in which she feasted The Empire, sexism, misogyny and classism. Which is morbid.
Indeed, there are enough scholars who have proven that Heyer looked at the Regency from the point of view of a negatively thinking, sexist, racist, classist and terminally reactionary 20th century conservative, who not only was worse than any and all of her contemporaries, she also is much, much worse than any of her ilk of the Regency era. And she traded these negative properties to the majority of the contemporary authors trying hard to emulate and repeat her writing style, because... well, because she "invented" it. Looked at without the rose-coloured glasses this is toxic.
I wish she had stayed with her crime novels, and never unleashed her dolls' house version of Regency. Gah.
Georgette Heyer wrote a pretentious, anachronistic, pseudo-scientific retcon version of the regency era, concentrated her allegedly so realistic writing on less than 300 people and those few they interacted with within a world-spanning empire, obliterated in a fell stroke everything else happening during a time which was one of the most important of industrialisation and science, not to speak of featuring the major political upheaval of an entire continent.
And she all but killed - doing all the above - any serious engagement of female writers with said era. Not just that, her books and how they reduce everything to a mere play of manners for more or less silly goals, are cause and reason for the continued contempt people direct at female romantic writing about that era. Or even just female writing. I can't even scorn those who do so, because they are absolutely, completely right.
Where Jane Austen wrote acerbic, brilliantly sarcastic and often even cynical accounts of what it meant to be female and constrained by the rules and laws of that era, and how women were reduced to hunt and grovel for male support, and left not the slightest doubt about how she despised this, Georgette Heyer erects some fantasy Disney world in which she feasted The Empire, sexism, misogyny and classism. Which is morbid.
Indeed, there are enough scholars who have proven that Heyer looked at the Regency from the point of view of a negatively thinking, sexist, racist, classist and terminally reactionary 20th century conservative, who not only was worse than any and all of her contemporaries, she also is much, much worse than any of her ilk of the Regency era. And she traded these negative properties to the majority of the contemporary authors trying hard to emulate and repeat her writing style, because... well, because she "invented" it. Looked at without the rose-coloured glasses this is toxic.
I wish she had stayed with her crime novels, and never unleashed her dolls' house version of Regency. Gah.
March 25, 2020
Scrumptious.
I can't type it here, the Spoiler Stasi would waterboard me, but Z.O.M.G. this entire ending is the outside of enough! I pity the fool who doesn't indulge in the occasional Heyer. A diet of them would be akin to steamed pudding for breakfast, Queen of Puddings for lunch, and a Pavlova for dinner, but damme how they are like vintage champagne served with an exquisite entremet.
I can't type it here, the Spoiler Stasi would waterboard me, but Z.O.M.G. this entire ending is the outside of enough! I pity the fool who doesn't indulge in the occasional Heyer. A diet of them would be akin to steamed pudding for breakfast, Queen of Puddings for lunch, and a Pavlova for dinner, but damme how they are like vintage champagne served with an exquisite entremet.
October 31, 2021
I can't justify my liking for Faro's Daughter: the hero is 100% an asshole, the heroine makes all kinds of questionable decisions, and there would be no plot if our leading couple could have had even ONE civil and honest conversation. And yet. I keep reaching for this one every couple years, and I enjoy it every time, so I'm leaning in and bumping up to 4 stars.
Unique among Heyer heroines, Deb Grantham is just on the wrong side of respectable society. She helps her impoverished but titled aunt run a gaming house and steers a narrow course between two undesirable suitors. Unfortunately, her calf-love suitor is the cousin of Max Ravenscar, one of the wealthiest and rudest men in London, and he is convinced Deb is a shameless hussy who must be bought off. And so there is an Interesting Proposal: twenty thousand pounds to leave his cousin alone.
Deb's response to this insulting reading of her character is...volcanic. (And irrational: £20,000 = about $2 million in today's money to not do something you weren't going to do anyway? Yeah, okay.) But the ensuing flame war between Deb and her worthy adversary Ravenscar is thoroughly entertaining even when it veers into absurdity.
It's like Pride and Prejudice turned into a soap, but with characters who are ten times more pigheaded and respond exceedingly badly (but entertainingly) to misunderstandings. I think it works, but I like adversarial relationships, and the very small hints of softening on both sides are enough to satisfy my modest inner romantic.
On to my next Heyer reread!
Unique among Heyer heroines, Deb Grantham is just on the wrong side of respectable society. She helps her impoverished but titled aunt run a gaming house and steers a narrow course between two undesirable suitors. Unfortunately, her calf-love suitor is the cousin of Max Ravenscar, one of the wealthiest and rudest men in London, and he is convinced Deb is a shameless hussy who must be bought off. And so there is an Interesting Proposal: twenty thousand pounds to leave his cousin alone.
Deb's response to this insulting reading of her character is...volcanic. (And irrational: £20,000 = about $2 million in today's money to not do something you weren't going to do anyway? Yeah, okay.) But the ensuing flame war between Deb and her worthy adversary Ravenscar is thoroughly entertaining even when it veers into absurdity.
It's like Pride and Prejudice turned into a soap, but with characters who are ten times more pigheaded and respond exceedingly badly (but entertainingly) to misunderstandings. I think it works, but I like adversarial relationships, and the very small hints of softening on both sides are enough to satisfy my modest inner romantic.
On to my next Heyer reread!
June 15, 2023
Witty, hilarious and a pleasure to read. Max Ravenscar aside from a brilliant surname crosses swords with Deb Granthan. Who he thinks is trying to ensnare his nephew Mabelthoroe in marriage. Deb lives with her Aunt Bellingham at her gaming house.
The kidnap and scene in the cellar are very funny. I particularly liked it when Debs brother Will tried to free Max. If you need a good laugh then look no further. You couldn’t take it last time.
The kidnap and scene in the cellar are very funny. I particularly liked it when Debs brother Will tried to free Max. If you need a good laugh then look no further. You couldn’t take it last time.
March 27, 2015
4.5 stars
Charming! I smiled the entire time it took me to read this novel, the battle of the sexes of the first order set in Regency England.
Max is a rich, powerful, and arrogant aristocrat. When he learns that his younger cousin, twenty-year-old Adrian, is in love with a girl from a gaming house, a painted harpy (in his opinion), and contemplates matrimony, Max is aghast. He would stop at nothing to cut the connection. His first step is to buy off the greedy female.
In Deb, he meets his match. She is not painted, nor greedy, nor a harpy, and she doesn’t contemplate matrimony, at least not to Adrian, who is five years her junior. She is as proud as Max, but unfortunately, her family hit the hard times, and she has no choice but to help her aunt in her gaming establishment.
When Max offers Deb 10,000 pounds to break off her non-existing engagement to Adrian, she flies into indignation. Of course, such a sum would help her aunt pay off all her debts, but how dares that insufferable man insult her so! How dares he presume she is for sale! She wouldn’t take a farthing of his money. She would teach him a lesson.
And so the battle commences, tit for tat. After Deb delivers a shocking blow to Max’s inflated ego, he retaliates, forcing her to exercise her creativity to the utmost for her next move. While they strive to best each other, the readers smile and chuckle and enjoy every page of this funny and inventive tale.
Delightful.
Bookish musing: The previous book I read was a modern paranormal romance, a good book by all accounts, but the comparison was inevitable. With the exception of magic, the male protagonists in both stories could be described by exactly the same words: arrogant, wealthy, powerful, autocratic, absolutely unaccustomed to any resistance. The female protagonists are also similar: spirited, compassionate, fiercely independent, would go to bat for their families. But unlike the hero in the modern story, Max would never resort to cruelty towards Deb or any other woman, no matter how much he dreams of wringing her neck. He is an alpha male, yes, but his politeness and manners are too ingrained – he is a British aristocrat after all – to do anything so base as apply deliberate pain to a female. He is ruthless, biased, sometimes even hateful, but his solutions are smart, not brutal, and he wants to win by his wits, not his fists, either literal or metaphorical. And of course, no lust is involved in Heyer’s story. Everyone knows it’s there, in the background, but it’s resistible. It doesn’t influence neither Deb’s nor Max’s decisions or actions. Both have too much class to submit to their bodily urges.
Perhaps the comparison is unfair: after all Heyer is a classic. Her novels have been popular since 1921 and are still in print. I’m just saying: I definitely prefer Georgette Heyer’s approach. Maybe I’m too old-fashioned.
Charming! I smiled the entire time it took me to read this novel, the battle of the sexes of the first order set in Regency England.
Max is a rich, powerful, and arrogant aristocrat. When he learns that his younger cousin, twenty-year-old Adrian, is in love with a girl from a gaming house, a painted harpy (in his opinion), and contemplates matrimony, Max is aghast. He would stop at nothing to cut the connection. His first step is to buy off the greedy female.
In Deb, he meets his match. She is not painted, nor greedy, nor a harpy, and she doesn’t contemplate matrimony, at least not to Adrian, who is five years her junior. She is as proud as Max, but unfortunately, her family hit the hard times, and she has no choice but to help her aunt in her gaming establishment.
When Max offers Deb 10,000 pounds to break off her non-existing engagement to Adrian, she flies into indignation. Of course, such a sum would help her aunt pay off all her debts, but how dares that insufferable man insult her so! How dares he presume she is for sale! She wouldn’t take a farthing of his money. She would teach him a lesson.
And so the battle commences, tit for tat. After Deb delivers a shocking blow to Max’s inflated ego, he retaliates, forcing her to exercise her creativity to the utmost for her next move. While they strive to best each other, the readers smile and chuckle and enjoy every page of this funny and inventive tale.
Delightful.
Bookish musing: The previous book I read was a modern paranormal romance, a good book by all accounts, but the comparison was inevitable. With the exception of magic, the male protagonists in both stories could be described by exactly the same words: arrogant, wealthy, powerful, autocratic, absolutely unaccustomed to any resistance. The female protagonists are also similar: spirited, compassionate, fiercely independent, would go to bat for their families. But unlike the hero in the modern story, Max would never resort to cruelty towards Deb or any other woman, no matter how much he dreams of wringing her neck. He is an alpha male, yes, but his politeness and manners are too ingrained – he is a British aristocrat after all – to do anything so base as apply deliberate pain to a female. He is ruthless, biased, sometimes even hateful, but his solutions are smart, not brutal, and he wants to win by his wits, not his fists, either literal or metaphorical. And of course, no lust is involved in Heyer’s story. Everyone knows it’s there, in the background, but it’s resistible. It doesn’t influence neither Deb’s nor Max’s decisions or actions. Both have too much class to submit to their bodily urges.
Perhaps the comparison is unfair: after all Heyer is a classic. Her novels have been popular since 1921 and are still in print. I’m just saying: I definitely prefer Georgette Heyer’s approach. Maybe I’m too old-fashioned.
August 19, 2024
Review from 2014
B+ for narration / B for content.
It’s been quite some time since I read Faro’s Daughter, and given my memories of it are rather hazy, listening to this was almost like listening to something completely new. It’s a little different to many of the author’s other romances in that the heroine, while certainly well-born, is not “respectable” because she runs the genteel gaming establishment that is owned by her aunt, Lady Bellingham. It also contains one of the most highly antagonistic central relationships that I can remember reading in her books – the hero and heroine’s barbed banter is often cutting to the point of unpleasantness and in fact, some of the epithets the hero flings at the heroine’s head are downright offensive.
Deborah Grantham and her younger brother were taken in by their aunt upon the death of their father, a man with a large appetite for gaming and very little luck. Lady Bellingham opens her home to “select gaming parties” as a way of making ends meet; preserving the illusion that people attend by invitation only allows her to maintain a façade of respectability.
Deborah is quick-witted, intelligent and practical, although at twenty-six years of age, she is pretty much on the shelf, and the fact that she presides over her aunt’s gaming salon renders her ineligible as a wife for any man of good breeding. Yet the young Viscount Maplethorpe professes himself in love with her and makes clear his desire to marry her – which throws his mother into a panic. She cannot possibly countenance Adrian’s marrying a common hussy – and while he is not yet of age, his birthday in two months’ time will see him finally independent and able to bestow his person and his considerable fortune anywhere he pleases.
In her desperation to prevent such an imprudent marriage, Lady Maplethorpe turns to her nephew, Max Ravenscar for help. Ravenscar is Adrian’s other guardian and is very shrewd, incredibly wealthy, doesn’t care much for society and cares even less for society’s opinion of him. He’s used to getting his own way, and is sure that he can avert disaster by offering the wench money to leave Adrian alone. He attends Lady Bellingham’s that evening to see “this cyprian of Adrian’s” – and is surprised to discover that she is not at all what he had expected. Far from looking, sounding or behaving like a trollop, Miss Grantham is rather lovely
and he finds himself able to completely understand the reasons for his young cousin’s infatuation.
What Max has no way of knowing is that Deborah has not the slightest intention of marrying Adrian. She is well aware that the young man is merely suffering from a severe case of calf-love and has never given him the slightest encouragement or occasion to believe that she will accept his suit. She is sure he will soon grow out of his attachment to her and is quite happy to let things run their course, in spite of the fact that her aunt keeps dropping massive hints to the effect that Adrian’s fortune would obliterate their financial worries.
But when Max offers to buy her off, Deb’s hackles rise at his insolence and insulting manner and not only does she refuse his money, but tells him, in no uncertain terms, that she plans to do everything in her power to increase the depth of his cousin’s regard for her. Which she doesn’t, of course – the threat is just the simplest way of delivering a metaphorical slap in the face.
Max’s high-handedness at this point makes him a less-than-attractive hero, and he proceeds to make things worse at practically every turn. Their seemingly irreconcilable differences make for a battle royal between them, with each of them determined to gain the upper hand.
This involves a lot of wickedly witty banter filled with veiled insults (and sometimes not-so veiled ones), with the merry war between Deb and Max continually escalating as each tries to out-do the other. The book is filled with wonderful dialogue and the brilliantly observed social interactions so typical of Ms Heyer’s work, but the comic highlight is undoubtedly the scene in which Deb accompanies Adrian to a ridotto at Vauxhall Gardens. Knowing that Adrian intends to introduce her to his mother, and knowing that Max will also be present, Deb dresses in the most garish outfit she can find, slaps on the make-up with a trowel and acts like the trollop she knows they believe her to be. It’s at this point that Max begins to suspect that Deb is up to something, and also to realise that she isn’t at all romantically inclined towards his cousin.
Although this is one of Ms Heyer’s shorter books, there are no less than two secondary romances running through it, as well as a plot to blackmail Deb into bed by the smarmy Lord Ormskirk, who is rendered brilliantly by Ms Paton – each time I heard his dialogue the picture of a weasel came into my mind!
Laura Paton narrated Naxos’s abridged recording of Faro’s Daughter (released in March of 2013) and she has now recorded this new, unabridged version. It’s a very satisfying performance all round, although I do think that some of her male voices (Adrian and Kit Grantham, for example) could have been pitched a little lower. Ms Paton has a voice I’d classify as being in the contralto range, with a natural huskiness to it that is very pleasing to the ear; and her performance of the two principals is very good indeed. I particularly like the way she portrays Max, who is bluff and no-nonsense until Deborah gets under his skin and he can’t hold on to his temper! She’s especially good in the “cellar” scenes (in order to revenge herself upon Max, Deborah has him kidnapped and bundled into the cellar!) when her acting choices are perfect; I could feel the seething rage behind Max’s words. Of the secondary characters, her performance of Lady Bellingham is my favourite; she injects a kind of dreamy quality into her tone which tells the listener so much about the kind of woman she is – not stupid but not especially bright either, who seems to drifts through life by fixating on small issues so she doesn’t have to face the big ones.
Ms Paton’s narration is well-paced and expertly nuanced, and other than the minor issue I’ve mentioned above, it’s a thoroughly accomplished performance all round and one which I am sure I will revisit time and again.
B+ for narration / B for content.
It’s been quite some time since I read Faro’s Daughter, and given my memories of it are rather hazy, listening to this was almost like listening to something completely new. It’s a little different to many of the author’s other romances in that the heroine, while certainly well-born, is not “respectable” because she runs the genteel gaming establishment that is owned by her aunt, Lady Bellingham. It also contains one of the most highly antagonistic central relationships that I can remember reading in her books – the hero and heroine’s barbed banter is often cutting to the point of unpleasantness and in fact, some of the epithets the hero flings at the heroine’s head are downright offensive.
Deborah Grantham and her younger brother were taken in by their aunt upon the death of their father, a man with a large appetite for gaming and very little luck. Lady Bellingham opens her home to “select gaming parties” as a way of making ends meet; preserving the illusion that people attend by invitation only allows her to maintain a façade of respectability.
Deborah is quick-witted, intelligent and practical, although at twenty-six years of age, she is pretty much on the shelf, and the fact that she presides over her aunt’s gaming salon renders her ineligible as a wife for any man of good breeding. Yet the young Viscount Maplethorpe professes himself in love with her and makes clear his desire to marry her – which throws his mother into a panic. She cannot possibly countenance Adrian’s marrying a common hussy – and while he is not yet of age, his birthday in two months’ time will see him finally independent and able to bestow his person and his considerable fortune anywhere he pleases.
In her desperation to prevent such an imprudent marriage, Lady Maplethorpe turns to her nephew, Max Ravenscar for help. Ravenscar is Adrian’s other guardian and is very shrewd, incredibly wealthy, doesn’t care much for society and cares even less for society’s opinion of him. He’s used to getting his own way, and is sure that he can avert disaster by offering the wench money to leave Adrian alone. He attends Lady Bellingham’s that evening to see “this cyprian of Adrian’s” – and is surprised to discover that she is not at all what he had expected. Far from looking, sounding or behaving like a trollop, Miss Grantham is rather lovely
“built on queenly lines, [she] carried her head well, and possessed a pretty wrist, and a neatly turned ankle. She looked to have a good deal of humour, and her voice, when she spoke, was low-pitched and pleasing.”
and he finds himself able to completely understand the reasons for his young cousin’s infatuation.
What Max has no way of knowing is that Deborah has not the slightest intention of marrying Adrian. She is well aware that the young man is merely suffering from a severe case of calf-love and has never given him the slightest encouragement or occasion to believe that she will accept his suit. She is sure he will soon grow out of his attachment to her and is quite happy to let things run their course, in spite of the fact that her aunt keeps dropping massive hints to the effect that Adrian’s fortune would obliterate their financial worries.
But when Max offers to buy her off, Deb’s hackles rise at his insolence and insulting manner and not only does she refuse his money, but tells him, in no uncertain terms, that she plans to do everything in her power to increase the depth of his cousin’s regard for her. Which she doesn’t, of course – the threat is just the simplest way of delivering a metaphorical slap in the face.
Max’s high-handedness at this point makes him a less-than-attractive hero, and he proceeds to make things worse at practically every turn. Their seemingly irreconcilable differences make for a battle royal between them, with each of them determined to gain the upper hand.
This involves a lot of wickedly witty banter filled with veiled insults (and sometimes not-so veiled ones), with the merry war between Deb and Max continually escalating as each tries to out-do the other. The book is filled with wonderful dialogue and the brilliantly observed social interactions so typical of Ms Heyer’s work, but the comic highlight is undoubtedly the scene in which Deb accompanies Adrian to a ridotto at Vauxhall Gardens. Knowing that Adrian intends to introduce her to his mother, and knowing that Max will also be present, Deb dresses in the most garish outfit she can find, slaps on the make-up with a trowel and acts like the trollop she knows they believe her to be. It’s at this point that Max begins to suspect that Deb is up to something, and also to realise that she isn’t at all romantically inclined towards his cousin.
Although this is one of Ms Heyer’s shorter books, there are no less than two secondary romances running through it, as well as a plot to blackmail Deb into bed by the smarmy Lord Ormskirk, who is rendered brilliantly by Ms Paton – each time I heard his dialogue the picture of a weasel came into my mind!
Laura Paton narrated Naxos’s abridged recording of Faro’s Daughter (released in March of 2013) and she has now recorded this new, unabridged version. It’s a very satisfying performance all round, although I do think that some of her male voices (Adrian and Kit Grantham, for example) could have been pitched a little lower. Ms Paton has a voice I’d classify as being in the contralto range, with a natural huskiness to it that is very pleasing to the ear; and her performance of the two principals is very good indeed. I particularly like the way she portrays Max, who is bluff and no-nonsense until Deborah gets under his skin and he can’t hold on to his temper! She’s especially good in the “cellar” scenes (in order to revenge herself upon Max, Deborah has him kidnapped and bundled into the cellar!) when her acting choices are perfect; I could feel the seething rage behind Max’s words. Of the secondary characters, her performance of Lady Bellingham is my favourite; she injects a kind of dreamy quality into her tone which tells the listener so much about the kind of woman she is – not stupid but not especially bright either, who seems to drifts through life by fixating on small issues so she doesn’t have to face the big ones.
Ms Paton’s narration is well-paced and expertly nuanced, and other than the minor issue I’ve mentioned above, it’s a thoroughly accomplished performance all round and one which I am sure I will revisit time and again.
Read
February 7, 2017I loved this one as a teen reader, because fiction in those days was full of brutal two-fisted he-men, penned by both men and women. One learned to just sort of skim past that.
Reading it now, I find the hero such a jerk that his only saving grace is a sense of fairness and a sense of humor--and the conviction that despite a totally disgusting phrase near the end, the heroine will give him beans, as Wodehouse says.
Outside of that, it's a Taming of the Shrew sort of battle of the sexes. The best scenes are when the heroine strikes back.
Reading it now, I find the hero such a jerk that his only saving grace is a sense of fairness and a sense of humor--and the conviction that despite a totally disgusting phrase near the end, the heroine will give him beans, as Wodehouse says.
Outside of that, it's a Taming of the Shrew sort of battle of the sexes. The best scenes are when the heroine strikes back.
October 30, 2019
3.5 to 4 stars. 4 stars are for Heyer's seamless writing and the fabulous way she quickly establishes her characters.
3 stars for the plotting. In this reread, it felt a little too far-fetched and clunky. Still, Max Ravenscar is great, and ultimately Deb is a perfect match for him.
I did like the way young Adrian developed and matured. The way he was manipulated by Deb was a bit much though - as if Adrian would fall in love with any sweet, dependent, empty-headed young lady Deb pointed at him (which he did, with Phoebe).
Still, it's an easy and entertaining read.
3 stars for the plotting. In this reread, it felt a little too far-fetched and clunky. Still, Max Ravenscar is great, and ultimately Deb is a perfect match for him.
I did like the way young Adrian developed and matured. The way he was manipulated by Deb was a bit much though - as if Adrian would fall in love with any sweet, dependent, empty-headed young lady Deb pointed at him (which he did, with Phoebe).
Still, it's an easy and entertaining read.
February 2, 2023
Such a delight! The characters. The action. The dialogue. Man, can Heyer write. And her writing makes me laugh out loud every time, which is a very rare quality in my reading. The second half gets even better. I was pulled in and couldn't stop reading. So much happens in the latter half, right up through the last few pages of the last chapter. I don't understand how Heyer did it, but she did it. Max and Deb are so stubborn. So good for each other. I'll say it again: Such a delight.
Thank you, Amy, for gifting this book to me.
I also enjoyed Frederica and The Grand Sophy.
I want to read Arabella and These Old Shades.
Thank you, Amy, for gifting this book to me.
I also enjoyed Frederica and The Grand Sophy.
I want to read Arabella and These Old Shades.
April 10, 2014
UGH THIS BOOK. Deb helps with her Aunt's gaming parlor! Max wants to keep her away from his cousin! A match of wits ensues AND THEY FALL IN LOVE and UGH MY FEELINGS.
I adored Deborah's stubborn refusal to be cowed by Max, and his begrudging respect as he begins to realize that he has woefully underestimated Deb's mettle. His stomp-y rage when he thinks she's married Adrian! Her melancholy after sending him away! Even the foibles of the younger set didn't bother me!
I feel like I should try and capture MORE about what I loved about this book, but I don't know what to say because it was just the feeling I got when I hit the last pages and Deb attempts to convince Max that he can't marry her because she'll ruin him, and just FEELINGS. ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE.
I adored Deborah's stubborn refusal to be cowed by Max, and his begrudging respect as he begins to realize that he has woefully underestimated Deb's mettle. His stomp-y rage when he thinks she's married Adrian! Her melancholy after sending him away! Even the foibles of the younger set didn't bother me!
I feel like I should try and capture MORE about what I loved about this book, but I don't know what to say because it was just the feeling I got when I hit the last pages and Deb attempts to convince Max that he can't marry her because she'll ruin him, and just FEELINGS. ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE.
March 5, 2021
Far-fetched, witty, absolutely ridiculous. If you're ever in the mood for a hilarous hate-to-love story set in Regency London, look no further.
I love the hero and the heroine in this, their back and forth is endlessly entertaining as they are prepared to go to any lengths to revenge themselves upon the other. As with most Georgette Heyer books I wish the ending would just last a little longer, but this book does not shy away from scenes of emotional outburst and declarations of love, which is always a must-have in a good historical romance.
Overall SO MUCH FUN and I highly recommend it, even if you'll have to suspend your disbelief a little for this one ;)
I love the hero and the heroine in this, their back and forth is endlessly entertaining as they are prepared to go to any lengths to revenge themselves upon the other. As with most Georgette Heyer books I wish the ending would just last a little longer, but this book does not shy away from scenes of emotional outburst and declarations of love, which is always a must-have in a good historical romance.
Overall SO MUCH FUN and I highly recommend it, even if you'll have to suspend your disbelief a little for this one ;)
September 17, 2008
The heroine needed a good smack upside the head. You are not a martyr headed to the stake, GOOD LORD. The hero, likewise, though more so in the latter part of the book. There's waaay more misogyny than is at all necessary. Heyer seems to deliberately have neither of them get it/say it for the purposes of drawing out the book another hundred pages. Could've been over in fifty, done this way. Could have been more interesting, done another. But I do like seeing a woman who works for her living, manages finances, and generally takes care of herself, and I have re-read it several times, so I'll give it the extra star.
November 28, 2017
Challenge completed! This was book #250 for the year and also the perfect way to complete my GR reading challenge. There's just something about Georgette Heyer novels that makes my heart happy and leaves me smiling. It also made up for that crappy holiday book I read earlier today. A palate cleanser, if you will. But I digress. I really loved the hero's capacity for jumping to conclusions -- well, after he was basically goaded to it -- and the rampant miscommunication and constant scheming on the heroine's part. I think that last aspect is what makes Heyer's novels so fun. Completely unselfish plotting that makes me laugh. Just what I needed today.
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
April 14, 2022
I wanted to like this one, but I honestly don't feel like Max and Deborah actually interacted all that much. I saw way more of Adrian than I wanted to.
When Max and Deb were together it was awesome, and the last 10% was superb. That's not enough to rescue the comparative flatness of the first 80ish% though.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
When Max and Deb were together it was awesome, and the last 10% was superb. That's not enough to rescue the comparative flatness of the first 80ish% though.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
September 7, 2020
What can I say? I do enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers story, and this one delivers fabulously.
This was a re-read.
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
This was a re-read.
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
December 7, 2019
The Gamesters Have Met Their Match
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
What happens when a twenty-year-old young buck falls in love with and proposes marriage to Deborah Grantham, a beautiful faro dealer?
What happens when the outrageously wealthy, yet “abominably close” Max Ravenscar, who is determined to protect his cousin from an untenable match to a “harpy,” pays a visit to the lovely Miss Grantham and offers her a bribe to relinquish “all pretensions to [his] cousin’s hand and heart?” and gravely insults the lady?
What can Deborah do when she wants to marry for love and is not inclined to take advantage of the young puppy who has proposed to her but is burdened by her aunt’s financial troubles while being pursued by a lord with dishonorable intentions???
Deborah plays the game…and her opponent is the notable gamester – Max Ravenscar. Can Deborah succeed in outsmarting this proud and meticulous gentleman and achieve her ends? Or does Mr. Ravenscar’s cunning thwart her plans…
Another vastly entertaining and madcap comedy by Georgette Heyer! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this game-set-match contest of wills between Deborah and Max. Their relationship has a very Darcy and Elizabeth feel to it! They both dislike each other instantly, and even though they do privately acknowledge that the other has some positive attributes, they are both too stubborn to change their first impression. I adored seeing Max and Deborah in their scenes together – how they both upped the ante continuously…and outrageously, how volatile (read: passionate) their exchanges were, and how both showed signs of caring for or missing the other (those moments were really sweet!). However, I did often wish we saw more of Deborah and Max together, though.
Aside from our clever and competitive couple, I enjoyed the colorful and comical supporting cast in this story – with Lady Bellingham and Silas Wantage being my favorites! I love Lady Bellingham’s Mrs. Bennet-like tendencies! Her repeated lamentations about the price of peas, her moaning for her hartshorn, and her vexation with Deborah and all her unfathomable schemes, and to top it all off the moment where she exclaims “I shall go distracted!” all had me laughing out loud! And I adored Mr. Wantage a fighter-turned-butler who is raring to have a sportsman like brawl, but very conscientious about proper sportsman etiquette! His speeches always made me smile. The other family members and acquaintances of this small circle were delightful to encounter drawn with Georgette Heyer’s characteristic wit and charm.
Even though I found Faro’s Daughter to be diverting and a dashing adventure, it isn’t one I’d list as my most favorites at the moment. I’m not sure if it was because the plot was a little predictable or slow moving in some parts, but I guess I overall felt something was a little lacking (or maybe I just wanted more interactions between Max and Deborah!). Nonetheless, it was a splendidly fun read with so many of the Georgette Heyer trademarks I’ve grown to love and cherish. A smashing match indeed!
Austenesque Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
What happens when a twenty-year-old young buck falls in love with and proposes marriage to Deborah Grantham, a beautiful faro dealer?
What happens when the outrageously wealthy, yet “abominably close” Max Ravenscar, who is determined to protect his cousin from an untenable match to a “harpy,” pays a visit to the lovely Miss Grantham and offers her a bribe to relinquish “all pretensions to [his] cousin’s hand and heart?” and gravely insults the lady?
What can Deborah do when she wants to marry for love and is not inclined to take advantage of the young puppy who has proposed to her but is burdened by her aunt’s financial troubles while being pursued by a lord with dishonorable intentions???
Deborah plays the game…and her opponent is the notable gamester – Max Ravenscar. Can Deborah succeed in outsmarting this proud and meticulous gentleman and achieve her ends? Or does Mr. Ravenscar’s cunning thwart her plans…
Another vastly entertaining and madcap comedy by Georgette Heyer! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this game-set-match contest of wills between Deborah and Max. Their relationship has a very Darcy and Elizabeth feel to it! They both dislike each other instantly, and even though they do privately acknowledge that the other has some positive attributes, they are both too stubborn to change their first impression. I adored seeing Max and Deborah in their scenes together – how they both upped the ante continuously…and outrageously, how volatile (read: passionate) their exchanges were, and how both showed signs of caring for or missing the other (those moments were really sweet!). However, I did often wish we saw more of Deborah and Max together, though.
Aside from our clever and competitive couple, I enjoyed the colorful and comical supporting cast in this story – with Lady Bellingham and Silas Wantage being my favorites! I love Lady Bellingham’s Mrs. Bennet-like tendencies! Her repeated lamentations about the price of peas, her moaning for her hartshorn, and her vexation with Deborah and all her unfathomable schemes, and to top it all off the moment where she exclaims “I shall go distracted!” all had me laughing out loud! And I adored Mr. Wantage a fighter-turned-butler who is raring to have a sportsman like brawl, but very conscientious about proper sportsman etiquette! His speeches always made me smile. The other family members and acquaintances of this small circle were delightful to encounter drawn with Georgette Heyer’s characteristic wit and charm.
Even though I found Faro’s Daughter to be diverting and a dashing adventure, it isn’t one I’d list as my most favorites at the moment. I’m not sure if it was because the plot was a little predictable or slow moving in some parts, but I guess I overall felt something was a little lacking (or maybe I just wanted more interactions between Max and Deborah!). Nonetheless, it was a splendidly fun read with so many of the Georgette Heyer trademarks I’ve grown to love and cherish. A smashing match indeed!
Austenesque Reviews
May 6, 2024
A re-read on 11.04.2024
An excellent audiobook. Narrated by Daphne Kouma.
An excellent audiobook. Narrated by Daphne Kouma.
June 24, 2020
I have to say, Miss Deborah Grantham is my favorite Heyer heroine (so far), and not just because she and I share the same first name. Our hero, Max Ravenscar, is a formidable gentleman, and I just love how she goes toe-to-toe with him. He's a confirmed bachelor, one of the ton's wealthiest, as well as a fine whip, a feared pugilist, and a clear-headed gamester who wins more than he loses.
Miss Grantham's aunt, Lady Bellingham, runs a gaming house from her home on fashionable St. James Square, and the charming Miss Graham herself is one of the primary attractions. In fact, Mr. Ravenscar's young cousin, Lord Adrian Mablethorpe, who hasn't even reached his majority yet, is in love with the lady. He's determined to marry her, totally disregarding the fact that she's far from an acceptable match in Society's eyes.
Ravenscar approaches Miss Graham on behalf of Adrian's mother, offering her a large sum of money to discourage Adrian's suit. He throws in a number of insults based on his personal assumptions about her. The lady - who never had any intention of marrying Adrian - is incensed at Ravenscar's presumption and decides she must revenge herself. This is despite the fact that her aunt is in a staggering amount of debt; accepting the bribe Ravenscar offered or going ahead and marrying his nephew would solve all their money woes.
What results is an escalating grudge match between two strong-willed individuals, with neither of these gamesters willing to back down to the other. They remind me of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy more than any other Heyer characters I've encountered. My favorite scene has Deb wearing the most garish outfit she can find and behaving like Lydia Bennet at her most vulgar during an outing at Vauxhall Gardens where she makes sure she'll be observed by Ravenscar. The plot, of course, is far more outrageous than Miss Austen's comparatively tame classic, Pride and Prejudice.
Love this!
Miss Grantham's aunt, Lady Bellingham, runs a gaming house from her home on fashionable St. James Square, and the charming Miss Graham herself is one of the primary attractions. In fact, Mr. Ravenscar's young cousin, Lord Adrian Mablethorpe, who hasn't even reached his majority yet, is in love with the lady. He's determined to marry her, totally disregarding the fact that she's far from an acceptable match in Society's eyes.
Ravenscar approaches Miss Graham on behalf of Adrian's mother, offering her a large sum of money to discourage Adrian's suit. He throws in a number of insults based on his personal assumptions about her. The lady - who never had any intention of marrying Adrian - is incensed at Ravenscar's presumption and decides she must revenge herself. This is despite the fact that her aunt is in a staggering amount of debt; accepting the bribe Ravenscar offered or going ahead and marrying his nephew would solve all their money woes.
What results is an escalating grudge match between two strong-willed individuals, with neither of these gamesters willing to back down to the other. They remind me of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy more than any other Heyer characters I've encountered. My favorite scene has Deb wearing the most garish outfit she can find and behaving like Lydia Bennet at her most vulgar during an outing at Vauxhall Gardens where she makes sure she'll be observed by Ravenscar. The plot, of course, is far more outrageous than Miss Austen's comparatively tame classic, Pride and Prejudice.
Love this!
December 14, 2016
I spent an unfortunate amount of this wincing with secondhand embarrassment about the misunderstandings between the two main characters. Their adversarial behaviour is pretty delightful, until you think seriously about how horribly Ravenscar is treating Deb, and without real evidence that she’s actually doing anything he suspects her of. I mean, she doesn’t do much to dissuade him after his first misapprehension, but still, the things he calls her — and then at the end to suddenly declare that they’re in love! It’s a bit too sudden to me; particularly as we don’t get much from Ravenscar’s point of view that explains his softening towards Deb.
The side plot with Adrian and Phoebe, though, is pretty adorable.
It’s fun, but more fun if you try not to think about it too much, perhaps. Especially on the subject of the fond aunt, who despite the fondness, keeps suggesting various odious things to Deb to pay off their debts — we’re told she’s doting, but she seems to have bad judgement and worse taste when it comes to how she should treat her niece.
The best thing about this book is Deb’s stubbornness, her sense of honour, and her insistence that she won’t be cowed.
Originally posted here.
The side plot with Adrian and Phoebe, though, is pretty adorable.
It’s fun, but more fun if you try not to think about it too much, perhaps. Especially on the subject of the fond aunt, who despite the fondness, keeps suggesting various odious things to Deb to pay off their debts — we’re told she’s doting, but she seems to have bad judgement and worse taste when it comes to how she should treat her niece.
The best thing about this book is Deb’s stubbornness, her sense of honour, and her insistence that she won’t be cowed.
Originally posted here.
September 11, 2014
2.5
This isn't the first book with this theme I've read so far. A mistaken opinion is hardly a boring theme. It works quite well in romances.
I didn't like the characters, but while I simply didn't like Deborah Grantham and Max Ravenscar or their cousins and friends, her aunt was the most despicable person in the whole book. Her one and only interest is money and what could or should Deb do to deal with it. It was disgusting. It might be just me but I felt sick while reading the scenes when she was talking about the debts and Deb's suitors.
The two main characters are good in almost every situation as long as they are not together. They are horrible then. The final scene is the only one that doesn't have them acting as they are crazy.
I liked it well enough. The theme is great. I haven't read Heyer before so I am certain that there are other books that I might like a bit more. I'll go with it was an ok book for now.
This isn't the first book with this theme I've read so far. A mistaken opinion is hardly a boring theme. It works quite well in romances.
I didn't like the characters, but while I simply didn't like Deborah Grantham and Max Ravenscar or their cousins and friends, her aunt was the most despicable person in the whole book. Her one and only interest is money and what could or should Deb do to deal with it. It was disgusting. It might be just me but I felt sick while reading the scenes when she was talking about the debts and Deb's suitors.
The two main characters are good in almost every situation as long as they are not together. They are horrible then. The final scene is the only one that doesn't have them acting as they are crazy.
I liked it well enough. The theme is great. I haven't read Heyer before so I am certain that there are other books that I might like a bit more. I'll go with it was an ok book for now.
March 29, 2018
I’m giving this book 4.5 stars for being a thoroughly enjoyable and easy read. I have always been a fan of the novels of Jane Austen and while I will not profess to do a comparison lest I be set upon by angry Austen aficionados, I will go so far as to say it is of the same ilk. The story line is easy to follow with many misunderstandings leading to the sorts of calamities that lend a bit of a comedic air to this lovely little romance. Yet another author I find that I am completely besotted with, and this first foray into her writing helped me to escape so completely from the mundane world I shall read another and maybe more!!!!
March 6, 2020
This was definitely the funniest book by Georgette Heyer that I've read.
August 10, 2017
This will be the one that ends up as my go to recommendation for people who are starting out with Heyer. It used to be The Grand Sophy, but there is that unpleasant anti-semitic streak that runs through it which has led me to be increasingly uncomfortable with recommending that as a first experience with Heyer.
Faro's Daughter, for me, is as close to a perfect Heyer as I think probably exists. It is as sparkling and effervescent as Sprig Muslin, Deb is as strong-willed and honorable as Sophy, Phoebe is as adorable as Arabella, although not so headstrong. The romance between Ravenscar and Deb is as satisfying as Sir Tristram and Sarah Thane in The Talisman Ring.
Like Sprig Muslin & Talisman Ring, Faro's Daughter is a double ring romance, with a pair of younger characters and a pair of older characters. And, like both of those books, I absolutely loved the romance between the more mature characters.
Deborah Grantham is the titular Faro's Daughter, a moderately impoverished woman of four and twenty, which makes her a bit older than the heroine of the average Regency romance. She and her aunt have opened up a card room in an effort to stave off bankruptcy, which is really not going very well because her aunt sort of sucks at money management, and Deb's brother is - as is so often the case in these Heyer romances - a drain on the family finances.
Adrian is the young Lord Mablethorpe, who fancies himself in love with the delectable Deb. There's also a lecherous older character, Lord Ormskirk, who has bought up all of Deb's aunt's bills in an effort to force Deborah into becoming his mistress. She is having none of that, of course, but she rather likes Adrian and doesn't want to hurt him.
The book begins when Lord Ravenscar decides that it is incumbent upon him to save the callow youth from the clutches of the fortune hunter. He badly underestimates Deb's integrity and kindness, and jumps to all kinds of conclusions. He is a huge conclusion jumper, which is the cause of the misunderstanding that leads to a delightful confusion at the end. Deb has no intention of marrying Adrian, she is much too honorable of a person and she isn't a bit in love with him, so when Ravenscar offers her twenty-thousand pounds to leave Adrian alone, she loses her shit.
"The palm of Miss Grantham’s hand itched again to hit him, and it was with an immense effort of will that she forced herself to refrain. She replied with scarcely a tremor to betray her indignation. ‘But even you must realise, sir, that Lord Ormskirk’s obliging offer is not to be thought of beside your cousin’s proposal. I declare, I have a great fancy to become Lady Mablethorpe."
Ravenscar has met his match with the indomitable Deb, but he has no idea. He is accustomed to getting his own way, and is just as pissed as Deb when she turns him down flat, leaving him with the distinct impression that she intends to marry Adrian as soon as Adrian reaches majority, in a bare 60 days. The pitched battle of wills and arms occurs, with Ravenscar buying the bills off Ormskirk, and Deb actually at one point kidnapping Ravenscar and locking him in her basement with the rats.
"‘You have had Ravenscar murdered, and hidden his body in my cellar!’ uttered her ladyship, sinking into a chair. ‘We shall all be ruined! I knew it!’
‘My dear ma’am, it is no such thing!’ Deborah said, amused. ‘He is not dead, I assure you!’
Lady Bellingham’s eyes seemed to be in imminent danger of starting from their sockets. ‘Deb!’ she said, in a strangled voice. ‘You don’t mean that you really have Ravenscar in my cellar?’
‘Yes, dearest, but indeed he is alive!’
‘We are ruined!’ said her ladyship, with a calm born of despair. ‘The best we can hope for is that they will put you in Bedlam."
These are the only two people in London who could handle each other without asbestos gloves and a welding hood.
The second romance involves Adrian and Phoebe Laxton, who is rescued - by Deb and Adrian - from Vauxhall, where her mercenary family is trying to sell her like a lamb to slaughter to a way, way, way too old creepy aristocrat because in that family, as well, the men are useless, profligate gambles and women are commodities. Phoebe is adorable and sweet, and Deb figures out within about twenty seconds that she is just the girl for Adrian. While Ravenscar is accusing her of being the worst kind of gold-digger, she is neatly solving his problem for him, finding a suitable match, and watching Adrian grow up just in time to take care of the fraught Phoebe.
And so, we come to the end, after Adrian has married Phoebe, he returns to town, runs into Ravenscar, and tells him to wish him happy because he has gone and gotten married. Ravenscar again jumps to the conclusion that Deb has married Adrian just to spite him. He shows up at her house to get into a big fight, and tell her that had she not been in such a hurry, she would have gained a much bigger prize - him.
She tosses him out, furious, saying, in Lizzie Bennett fashion, that he is the last man in the world that she could be prevailed upon to marry.
Ah, young love. If only they'd had some electronics to toss around, a DVD player would clearly have gone out the window. It does, of course, all get worked out in the end, and I am convinced that Ravenscar and Deborah are perfect for one another - honorable, fierce, passionate, and slightly nuts. Their marriage will never be boring, and regency London would have been a better place with them in it.
Faro's Daughter, for me, is as close to a perfect Heyer as I think probably exists. It is as sparkling and effervescent as Sprig Muslin, Deb is as strong-willed and honorable as Sophy, Phoebe is as adorable as Arabella, although not so headstrong. The romance between Ravenscar and Deb is as satisfying as Sir Tristram and Sarah Thane in The Talisman Ring.
Like Sprig Muslin & Talisman Ring, Faro's Daughter is a double ring romance, with a pair of younger characters and a pair of older characters. And, like both of those books, I absolutely loved the romance between the more mature characters.
Deborah Grantham is the titular Faro's Daughter, a moderately impoverished woman of four and twenty, which makes her a bit older than the heroine of the average Regency romance. She and her aunt have opened up a card room in an effort to stave off bankruptcy, which is really not going very well because her aunt sort of sucks at money management, and Deb's brother is - as is so often the case in these Heyer romances - a drain on the family finances.
Adrian is the young Lord Mablethorpe, who fancies himself in love with the delectable Deb. There's also a lecherous older character, Lord Ormskirk, who has bought up all of Deb's aunt's bills in an effort to force Deborah into becoming his mistress. She is having none of that, of course, but she rather likes Adrian and doesn't want to hurt him.
The book begins when Lord Ravenscar decides that it is incumbent upon him to save the callow youth from the clutches of the fortune hunter. He badly underestimates Deb's integrity and kindness, and jumps to all kinds of conclusions. He is a huge conclusion jumper, which is the cause of the misunderstanding that leads to a delightful confusion at the end. Deb has no intention of marrying Adrian, she is much too honorable of a person and she isn't a bit in love with him, so when Ravenscar offers her twenty-thousand pounds to leave Adrian alone, she loses her shit.
"The palm of Miss Grantham’s hand itched again to hit him, and it was with an immense effort of will that she forced herself to refrain. She replied with scarcely a tremor to betray her indignation. ‘But even you must realise, sir, that Lord Ormskirk’s obliging offer is not to be thought of beside your cousin’s proposal. I declare, I have a great fancy to become Lady Mablethorpe."
Ravenscar has met his match with the indomitable Deb, but he has no idea. He is accustomed to getting his own way, and is just as pissed as Deb when she turns him down flat, leaving him with the distinct impression that she intends to marry Adrian as soon as Adrian reaches majority, in a bare 60 days. The pitched battle of wills and arms occurs, with Ravenscar buying the bills off Ormskirk, and Deb actually at one point kidnapping Ravenscar and locking him in her basement with the rats.
"‘You have had Ravenscar murdered, and hidden his body in my cellar!’ uttered her ladyship, sinking into a chair. ‘We shall all be ruined! I knew it!’
‘My dear ma’am, it is no such thing!’ Deborah said, amused. ‘He is not dead, I assure you!’
Lady Bellingham’s eyes seemed to be in imminent danger of starting from their sockets. ‘Deb!’ she said, in a strangled voice. ‘You don’t mean that you really have Ravenscar in my cellar?’
‘Yes, dearest, but indeed he is alive!’
‘We are ruined!’ said her ladyship, with a calm born of despair. ‘The best we can hope for is that they will put you in Bedlam."
These are the only two people in London who could handle each other without asbestos gloves and a welding hood.
The second romance involves Adrian and Phoebe Laxton, who is rescued - by Deb and Adrian - from Vauxhall, where her mercenary family is trying to sell her like a lamb to slaughter to a way, way, way too old creepy aristocrat because in that family, as well, the men are useless, profligate gambles and women are commodities. Phoebe is adorable and sweet, and Deb figures out within about twenty seconds that she is just the girl for Adrian. While Ravenscar is accusing her of being the worst kind of gold-digger, she is neatly solving his problem for him, finding a suitable match, and watching Adrian grow up just in time to take care of the fraught Phoebe.
And so, we come to the end, after Adrian has married Phoebe, he returns to town, runs into Ravenscar, and tells him to wish him happy because he has gone and gotten married. Ravenscar again jumps to the conclusion that Deb has married Adrian just to spite him. He shows up at her house to get into a big fight, and tell her that had she not been in such a hurry, she would have gained a much bigger prize - him.
She tosses him out, furious, saying, in Lizzie Bennett fashion, that he is the last man in the world that she could be prevailed upon to marry.
Ah, young love. If only they'd had some electronics to toss around, a DVD player would clearly have gone out the window. It does, of course, all get worked out in the end, and I am convinced that Ravenscar and Deborah are perfect for one another - honorable, fierce, passionate, and slightly nuts. Their marriage will never be boring, and regency London would have been a better place with them in it.
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