In my last post I mentioned a falling down bookshop which I will be most reluctant to visit again as I was petrified everything was going to fall on top of me. I found a shelf in a corner labelled “historical romance” and had a look. Packed with the Angelique series by Serge Golon which I read when a teenager but had to abandon as they got so bad, some Plaidy and then several books by Dorothy Eden which I fell upon with cries of joy. I used to read every single one of her titles as they came out and adored them.
One of those I bought, The Millionaire’s Daughter, I had not read so settled down one afternoon when I came back and I loved it. Self made millionaire in New York comes to England with his wife and daughter determined to find her a husband in the aristocracy (shades of Burnett’s Shuttle here) and yes, she does find her husband but not the one her father approves of. Totally absorbing and written with great style.
Speak to me of Love I remembered well. Impoverished upper class family in New York arrange a marriage between their fairly lazy son and daughter of the owner of Bonningtons (think Maceys, think Blooomingdales) in order to restore the family fortunes. She loves him, he does not love her. Smashing story and, once again, absorbing and written with great style.
Since reading these I have tracked some more of Dorothy Eden’s titles and they are on their way.
Sheila Walsh. Loads of her books now available on Kindle. Such a joy to find that these books are available now as ebooks so they can be rediscovered and enjoyed.
All I will say about this one, however, is that the author had clearly read Frederica by Georgette Heyer as the characters, particularly the young boy interested in aeronautics, are practically identical and this made me very cross indeed. Heyer was plagued by plagiarists all her life and this is clearly one of them. I have spotted another as well but will keep stumm on that one as she is still writing...
Constance Heaven - she wrote several novels set in Russia and featuring the House of Kuragin and they were full of dashing blades and love in St Petersburg. Read them all in my teens and loved them and now enjoyed all over again.
And a D E Stevenson title I had not read. So please that many of her books are now being reprinted.
Fond memories of my youth came back while reading these which I devoured in two days on my return from Norfolk. These are the pleasures of rummaging around in second hand bookshops - you just never know what you are going to find.
