Rating: 
Summary: Simply the best ever.
Review: This is a wonderful, plot- and character-driven book; indeed, it is the Tom Jones of romance fiction. Like Tom Jones, it is densely written and it is intricate. The plot is not merely a structure for explaining how and why the characters fall in love. Instead, the love story is a natural element of the overall plot. The story is subtly developed, like a good mystery; clues are dropped throughout and the big climax scene is stunning. When I read that scene as a teenager, I was so amazed, I re-read it and then re-read the entire book to that point to figure out why I hadn't picked up on what was going to happen. Unpredictability is such a relief. The relationship between the hero and the much-younger heroine is developed slowly. He is urbane and dry, she charming and playful. Despite their age difference, it becomes clear that they are well-suited. She balances him, and makes him human rather than the cold and arrogant man he is at first. Another important element is that the dialogue often resembles the dialogue in a Jane Austen book; the formalities and conventions of rank and address are respected. Finally, the supporting characters are well-drawn and entertaining, and the villian is truly disturbing. Since I read this book many years ago, I do not think I have ever read a better romance novel.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST read novel!
Review: This is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST romance novel I've ever read (as all Heyer's novels are). It isn't just about 2 people meeting & falling in love. As the story gradually unfolds, the reader feels himself drawn into a net of romance, suspicion & mystery. There's more to Leonie that meets the eye. There's a sprinking of humour, a dash of satire & a whole helping of intrigue. It's unbelievable, the way the plot unfolds. And though one might guess the ending, before reading it, it is still surprising. The conversations between Leon, the page, & His Grace, The Duke of Avon, are extremely humourous. I loved every bit of it! I'm sure nobody will be able to resist the charms of the boyish Leonie, nor the 'wickedness' of The Duke of Avon. And last, but absolutely NOT the least, is the unmistakable Heyer style. It shows everywhere-in her descriptions of Leonie & Justin and in the witty & cynical conversations of Justin. All in all, it is an unforgettable read & heartily recommended to ALL!
Rating:
Summary: These Old Shades is a keeper
Review: This is Dame Heyer's earliest Regency Romance - the prototype from which all others were composed. It is also her best!I read this at the perfect age of 14 & have revisited my copy many times over the decades & it continues to enchant. It is full of wit, action & honor. There is nothing like the love of an ingenue for the old corrupted aristocrat to turn a tale into an adventure of bad blood, old feuds, burning desire & brotherly love. All the fashion, fancy & foibles of the Regency Period - a fabulous era that can be glimpsed still in many parts of England - I am still exclaiming with Zounds! & Egads!
Rating:
Summary: Read this first!
Review: This is one of my favorites - if not for Leonie then for the supporting cast of characters. If you read this one then Devil's Cub is a must. Heyer picks up the story 20 some odd years later following the adventures of Justin and Leonie's son.
Rating:
Summary: A masque of lace and steel
Review: This is one of the landmarks in the Heyer canon: the most extravagant and adventurous of her romances. Set forty years before the Regency novels for which Heyer is most famous, 'These Old Shades' forms a series with 'Devil's Cub' and 'An Infamous Army', which relate the adventures of later generations of the Alastair family. (A Heyer afficionado may also detect a connection with the inferior 'The Black Moth', set yet earlier.) In 'These Old Shades' the Duke of Avon (the most ruthless and sinister of Heyer's heroes) pursues a passion for vengeance and Titian hair, and ends up catching the most flamboyant and daring of her heroines. Read 'A Civil Contract' for a lyrical love-story, 'The Convenient Marriage' for clever dialogue: and 'These Old Shades' for adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best, but still above average
Review: This was the first Heyer I did not like whole-heartedly. The great age gap between hero and heroine bothered me a lot(he's over forty, she's only nineteen) though this might be historical correct (yet they are a lot of old books which deal with the unhappiness that results from exactly such mismatches). Perhaps I would have like it better if Léonie hadn't been so childish. I couldn't find anything facinating in her. The whole relationship was annoyingly father/daughter like, there was no romance at all. Julian Alastair was a little darker and more jaded than her usual more light-hearted heroes but I didn't mind that. I can recommend it only to fans of Heyer
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Unlike many of Ms. Heyer's novels, 'These Old Shades' declines to be a regency. It suffers not from this circumstance. Set in Georgian times, and hopping the Channel back and forth between France and England, it is the story of the most sophisticated, and English, of Dukes. . .and his young, French, FEMALE page.
Milord Avon rescues Leonie (then Leon) from abuse and penury, seeing in her face the likeness of his greatest enemy, and recognizing the possibilities for sweet revenge.
What happens next is classic Heyerian mayhem, with Leonie in the lead and Avon following in her wake with great enjoyment. For those who wish to discover how Leonie wins both her birthright, and the heart of her Monseigneur. . .well, you must read the book. Thankfully, this wonderful classic is now available in stores, since it has just been reprinted. Grab it while you can, for you may be sure this issuing will go out as quickly as it came in.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Unlike many of Ms. Heyer's novels, 'These Old Shades' declines to be a regency. It suffers not from this circumstance. Set in Georgian times, and hopping the Channel back and forth between France and England, it is the story of the most sophisticated, and English, of Dukes. . .and his young, French, FEMALE page.
Milord Avon rescues Leonie (then Leon) from abuse and penury, seeing in her face the likeness of his greatest enemy, and recognizing the possibilities for sweet revenge.
What happens next is classic Heyerian mayhem, with Leonie in the lead and Avon following in her wake with great enjoyment. For those who wish to discover how Leonie wins both her birthright, and the heart of her Monseigneur. . .well, you must read the book. Thankfully, this wonderful classic is now available in stores, since it has just been reprinted. Grab it while you can, for you may be sure this issuing will go out as quickly as it came in.
Rating:
Summary: WOULD LIKE TO GIVE IT 10 STARS
Review: WOW!!! Ms. Heyer is the MASTER of regency/historical romances and, of course, most of the present day writers would agree with me. This is one of her best. The plot, the language, the characterizations are simply superb. Ms. Heyer paints a vivid and true to life portrait of the times. You will be hooked from the first page. All this and she does it without graphic sex (not that I have anything against that!). I have almost all of her books and will treasure them until I'm too old to read or comprehend. Two others that are a must are BLACK SHEEP and THE MASQUERADERS. What am I saying! 99.9% of her regency romances are a must. This lady was an unbelievable talent! A no-doubt-about-it KEEPER. Enjoy!
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