Friday, January 4, 2013

Book Review: The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

Title:  The Talisman Ring
Author:  Georgette Heyer
Genre:  Regency romance
Pages:  303

Rating:  A+

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):  When spirited Eustacie stumbles into a band of smugglers, she is delighted to be having an adventure at last. Their leader, young heir Ludovic Lavenham, is in hiding, falsely accused of murder. Pursued by the law, Eustacie and Ludovic find refuge at an unassuming country inn. The resourceful Miss Sarah Thane and the clear-thinking Sir Tristram Shield gamely endeavor to prevent Ludovic's arrest and Eustacie's ruin as the four conspire to recover the missing talisman ring that will clear Ludovic's name.

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When I started reading The Talisman Ring, I came really close to putting it down and not bothering with it.  The book started off introducing two of the four main characters, and at first, I couldn't stand Eustacie.  In the beginning, she seems so spoiled and melodramatic, and I just wanted to slap her.  I didn't think I could possibly bear reading an entire book about her.  I'm so glad I decided to stick with it, because this book is hilarious.  It's a romance, an adventure, and a comedy all rolled into one. 

The four main characters are Eustacie, Ludovic, Tristram, and Sarah.  When I saw that two of the character's names were Eustacie and Ludovic, I was a little worried that Heyer had lost her mind, but their names turned out to be very fitting.  Eustacie is a headstrong girl with an overactive imagination; Ludovic is the handsome heir who's resorted to smuggling to keep himself busy.  They're both funny and impatient and headstrong.  But my favorite characters were their friends Tristram and Sarah.  Tristram is Ludovic's serious, no-nonsense cousin with a dry, and sometimes wicked, sense of humor.  Sarah is their new friend who treats everything serious with a mocking tone and everything humorous in a grave, serious tone.  Together, this ensemble of personalities have incredibly funny conversations that made me literally laugh out loud while reading.

Besides all the hilarious dialogue (which is the best part of the whole book), the story was exciting and adventurous, and the romance was sweet.  I'm so incredibly happy I gave this book a chance past chapter one, because if I hadn't, I would have missed out on what is now one of my favorite Heyer books ever.  A+

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