A Civil Contract
Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance
-
-
4.4 • 51 Ratings
-
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
If you love Bridgerton, you'll love Georgette Heyer!
'The greatest writer who ever lived' Antonia Fraser
'[My] generation's Julia Quinn' Adjoa Andoh, star of Bridgerton
'One of my perennial comfort authors. Heyer's books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen's' Joanne Harris
_____________
Adam Deveril returns from the Peninsula War a hero, only to find his family on the brink of ruin and his much-loved ancestral home mortgaged to the hilt.
It is Lord Oversley, father of Adam's first love, who introduces him to Mr. Chaleigh, a City man of apparently unlimited wealth, with his eyes firmly fixed on a suitable match for his one and only beloved daughter.
Though this civil contract may work on paper, saving one from ruin and bringing the other desired social status, there is only one way to find out if it can really work . . .
_____________
Readers love A Civil Contract ...
***** 'A wonderful tale - recommended for those who want some variation in the romances they read.'
***** 'A Civil Contract is a departure from her usual formula, and it knocked my socks off.'
***** 'Very touching, with a dose of humour.'
***** 'One of my all-time favourites among her many brilliant and enduring books.'
***** 'Amazingly good characters, lots of interior dialogue and character development, lots of humour.'
_____________
'Elegant, witty and rapturously romantic' Katie Fforde
'Utterly delightful' Guardian
'Absolutely delicious tales of Regency heroes. . . Utter, immersive escapism' Sophie Kinsella
'Georgette Heyer's Regency romances brim with elegance, wit and historical accuracy, and this is one of her finest and most entertaining ... Escapism of the highest order' Daily Mail
'If you haven't read Georgette Heyer yet, what a treat you have in store!' Harriet Evans
Customer Reviews
This book surprised me
This Heyer romance is in my opinion one of her best as she shows via her main characters a way of recovering from a romantic love that can’t be fulfilled. There is such grief here and resilience as her characters work hard to bring a true loving connection to life between them and in doing so help heal their families and bring a greater purpose into their lives then they would have experienced if they had just lived out their young naive expectations of what romantic love is about. I was very touched !
60% through and his wife still repulses him
I’m struggling with this one and don’t understand the positive reviews. The word “repulsed” continues to be used by the male lead re the female lead. There’s zero warmth or romance and he continues to fat-shame his “plain” and “plump” wife. This is nothing like Bridgerton and the comparisons are misleading.
Not your average Heyer
This has always been one of my favourite Georgette Heyer novels (and I’ve read them all!) I love everything she wrote, but this is in a class of its own. The characters are very well drawn - absolutely believable - and the story entirely credible. It’s full of her typical impeccable attention to period detail, but not a fairytale romance by any stretch of the imagination. These characters, by virtue of being ‘ordinary’ really make one care. The plot has substance, and tension, though no cliffhanger suspense or intrigue. This doesn’t make it any less compelling. It’s a ‘grown-up’ read, that stands the test of time, and draws me in, time and time again.