The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer ISBN-13: 9780373836062 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Harlequin Released: 1928; April 2004

Source: Borrowed from the library.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Their infamous adventurer father has taught Prudence and her brother Robin to be masters of disguise. Ending up on the wrong side of the Jacobite rebellion, brother and sister flee to London on their father's orders, with Prudence pretending to be a dashing young buck and Robin a lovely young lady.

Then Prudence meets the elegant Sir Anthony Fanshawe, and Robin becomes the mysterious hero of the charming Letitia Grayson. In order to have what they truly want, the two masqueraders must find a way to unmask themselves without losing their lives. Their father arrives with a scheme to make them all respectable, but their disguises (and his plans) could fail at any moment.


My Review:
The Masqueraders is a historical adventure with some romance. I wasn't expecting to like this story due to the deception involved. Yet I ended up feeling like this was one of Heyer's better stories in terms of pacing and how one event set up the next and that led to the next.

The brother and sister think quickly and manage to successfully fool society with their disguises. It wasn't clear--even to them--why they needed to be in London (which was why they required the disguise). The reason finally given was in perfect line with their father's personality, though, and he was the one who ordered them there.

Since each sibling spent most of the book in disguise, there were few traditional "romance scenes" though Anthony and Robin each got to play the hero. I loved Sir Anthony Fanshawe. He had the most awesome "start a fight without anyone realizing it was on purpose" scene. The main characters were full of personality and played off each other well so that this somewhat-serious story was still full of humorous moments.

There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written, humorous adventure novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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