The Black Sheep - Georgette Heyer

We recently had a Georgette Heyer Season at Historical Tapestry and I really enjoyed reading some of her books. One of those was The Black Sheep.

Abigail Wendover, on the shelf at 28, is kept busy when her niece falls head over heels in love with a handsome fortune hunter and Abbie is forced into a confrontation with his scandalous uncle.

Miles Calverleigh is the black sheep of his family- enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, disconcertingly blunt and brash. But he turns out to be Abbie's most important ally in keeping her niece out of trouble.

But how can he possibly be considered eligible when she has worked so hard to rebuff his own nephew's suit for her niece? And how can she possibly detach from an ailing sister who needs her? This is a heroine who has to be, literally, swept off her feet . . .

I found it a very enjoyable and interesting read. The characters are all very well defined - Abby who is on the shelf but deep down wouldn't mind falling in love, her sister always complaining from this or that health problem to have everyone's attention, her niece who is suffering from a youthful infatuation for a gentleman she is the only one to believe is not after her money and the Miles Calverley, the black sheep of his family, newly returned from India and really not interested in following society's rules.

I think she made the characters come alive and Miles and Abby's dialogues are just funny, interesting and sometimes insightful on human bahaviour. Despite his schocking honesty and outrageous behaviour and style Abby is very attrated to Miles from the beginning. She does fight that attraction because she has to take care of her niece and be a companion to her sister, not to mention the past history between the two families. It goes to the point that Miles has to become a man of action and take matters in his own hands. Delightful reading really!

Grade: B+