Black Sheep

Black Sheep. Georgette Heyer. 1966/2008. Sourcebooks. 280 pages.

A little before eight o'clock, at the close of a damp autumn day, a post-chaise entered Bath, on the London Road, and presently drew up outside a house in Sydney Place.

Abigail (Abby) Wendover and Selena Wendover are the two aunts responsible for raising their young niece, Fanny, a young lady who is just getting ready to come out in society. When the novel opens, Abby has just returned to Bath from visiting some of her brothers and sisters. So she has missed the early stages of Fanny's young love. Fanny has fallen in forever-and-ever love with Stacy Calverleigh, a man with a bit of a reputation.

While no one can deny that he comes from a good family, it's also undeniable that since Stacy has come of age, the family's financial standing has continued to fall. He desperately needs to marry money if he's going to "save" the family home and keep up appearances--living a certain lifestyle.

Fanny may be young, but she'll inherit a great deal of money when she comes of age. Enough to tempt young Calverleigh. That's how Abby and her brother, James, see it anyway. Selena, well, she's easily charmed. And Stacy has a way of making her think the best of him. Abby fears that Stacy may convince Fanny to elope with him.

Soon after Abby returns home, Miles Calverleigh arrives. He's the "black sheep" of the Calverleigh family. (He's been in India for years.) He has come to Bath quite unaware that his nephew, Stacy, has been there.

Can Abby convince Miles to intervene? Will Miles see his young nephew's affair as being any of his concern? After all, he has never met the boy.

What starts out as "concern" for Fanny and Stacy, develops into something more--much much more. Has Abby found love at last? Will her sister, Selena, let Abby go?

I loved this one. I did. I loved Abby. I loved Miles. I loved the way these two clicked right from the start. I loved the banter the two share. I loved the way that neither really denies the attraction. How Abby doesn't necessarily fight the attraction she feels for Miles. She likes spending time with him. She likes his company. And she isn't one of those to say, well, what will the neighbors think. (Now, Abby, does care a little about what her family thinks.) Miles is unlike so many of the other men that Abby has known. But she likes him just the way he is. I loved how these two accept one another as is. These two are oh-so-compatible.

I would definitely recommend Black Sheep.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews