Elinor Rochdale is a gentlewoman of reduced circumstances, forced to seek a position as governess following her father's scandalous death. Resigned to a life of drudgery caring for the children of others, she is quite put out of countenance when the chance mistake of entering the wrong carriage sets her life upon an entirely different - and most unorthodox - path. Lord Carlyon has advertised for a bride for his cousin, a dissolute youth, in order to publicly absolve him of possessing any desi...

Elinor Rochdale is a gentlewoman of reduced circumstances, forced to seek a position as governess following her father's scandalous death. Resigned to a life of drudgery caring for the children of others, she is quite put out of countenance when the chance mistake of entering the wrong carriage sets her life upon an entirely different - and most unorthodox - path. Lord Carlyon has advertised for a bride for his cousin, a dissolute youth, in order to publicly absolve him of possessing any designs on his feckless cousin's property. For if his cousin's bride in name only inherits, Carlyon stands to finally rid himself of the baseless rumors that swirl around him regarding his supposed designs on his worthless relative's assets. Elinor recoils at the thought of involving herself in such a ridiculous scheme, but when one of Carlyon's brothers arrives with the news that he was provoked into a brawl with the cousin in question and has, as a result, dealt him a death blow, Elinor finds herself quite at the mercy of Carlyon's extraordinary powers of persuasiveness. By the next morning she finds herself a propertied widow, having inherited her husband's estate, including debts, a dilapidated home, his questionable acquaintances, and involvement in an espionage plot, all factors that would send a lesser woman into spasms. But despite her abhorrence of her circumstances and new associations, Elinor is too feisty to be so easily cowed, and finds herself Carlyon's reluctant compatriot in untangling the wretched affairs of her husband of less than twelve hours.

It's been a couple of years since I've read a Heyer Regency (shockingly unforgivable, I know!), but happily time and The Reluctant Widow prove that Heyer has never yet failed to charm, entertain, and delight me. From the start of Elinor's misadventures with Lord Carlyon to their gloriously romantic finish, The Reluctant Widow is packed with the sharp, intelligent wit and laugh-out-loud humor that I've come to expect from Heyer's novels. Heyer never shies away from placing her characters in the most outlandish, ridiculous scrapes imaginable, to the point that accidental death among cousins is viewed as an almost commonplace occurrence! Elinor is perhaps my favorite type of Heyer heroine. At the age of 26 she's considered "on the shelf," but her lack of prospects has in no way dimmed her outspokenness or zest for life. This is a woman who knows her own mind, and while in a weak moment may have been coerced into a marriage of convenience, that does not mean she will allow herself to be easily led in all situations! And Carlyon is everything a Heyer hero should be - handsome, strong-willed, intelligent, and perhaps most importantly of all, not cowed by a lively woman's wit. The repartee between Carlyon and Elinor is priceless - indeed, the dialogue throughout the novel positively sparkles, begging to be read aloud so each clever turn of phrase or understated sarcastic remark can be fully appreciated.

The Reluctant Widow is so much more than a boy-meets-girl story - the romantic element is subtly woven throughout the plot, but simmering with potency if you've the eyes to look for it. The mystery Heyer weaves throughout the story is wildly entertaining - like Elinor, the reader is never quite sure who can be trusted, or what to make of the extraordinary characters and trying circumstances she encounters when thrust into the midst of her husband's contemptible and traitorous attempt at dabbling in espionage. The supporting cast numbers among the most entertaining I can recall in a Heyer Regency. I absolutely adored Carlyon's brothers - Nicky, the wild reckless one, and John, whose attempts at propriety mask a nature that can be every bit as outlandish as his brother's. The Reluctant Widow is vintage Heyer, sharply plotted and replete with her unmistakable wit, unforgettable characters, and a romance between two seemingly disparate individuals that's so fiery the sparks fly from the page. If you love Austen's wit and Regency heroes make you swoon, Heyer is an author not to be missed.

Talk about reluctant - I've been dreading writing this review. I adore Georgette Heyer, and sincerely hope this remains the most troubled book she ever wrote, in my opinion, anyway. It certainly doesn't make you want to rush out and read her mysteries. The novel sets out to have some fun with the well-worn British Gothic novel. You know the schtick - poor but proud beautiful young governess in danger in the old dark house. In the hands of a master as deft as Heyer, it should have been a piece...

Talk about reluctant - I've been dreading writing this review. I adore Georgette Heyer, and sincerely hope this remains the most troubled book she ever wrote, in my opinion, anyway. It certainly doesn't make you want to rush out and read her mysteries. The novel sets out to have some fun with the well-worn British Gothic novel. You know the schtick - poor but proud beautiful young governess in danger in the old dark house. In the hands of a master as deft as Heyer, it should have been a piece of cake. It does feature her usual well-drawn characters and fine dialog. But it's troubled from the start, although it's arguable that stretching credibility is part of the game here. Elinor Rochdale leaves London for her new post, arriving in the village of Billingshurst in Sussex, where, by accident, she gets into the wrong carriage and ends up being mistaken for a woman answering an ad placed by the handsome, overbearing and seemingly straightforward Lord Carlyon. He's seeking a woman, any woman, to marry his cousin Eustace Cheviot. It won't be for long, he assures her, since Eustace, a drunkard and a louse, is rapidly drinking himself to death. And the young man will not impose on her, since he agrees with the rather convoluted reasons for the wedding. Events move forward from here at a dizzying pace, and by midnight Elinor is a widow, installed in said old dark house. She becomes entangled with Carlyon's large family, sends for her own old governess to stay with her, the comedy relief of Miss Beccles, and we're off, to secret doors, midnight visitors, gunplay, stolen government documents, French spies, and a very large dog named Bouncer, who's one of the best characters in it.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? For awhile there, it is. So why does it fail? Hard to say, but I suppose the worst part is the flat, incredibly disappointing ending. Actually, I couldn't quite believe it. Not the Who, or the How, but the resolution itself, in a way that's difficult to explain without spilling a spoiler. I will take it on myself to warn you that no one pays for an assault on Elinor or the murder of one of the characters, which, despite the reasons feebly given, is very, very dicey. Take-off or not, a story still has to be believable.

Heyer fans know this is the only one of her books ever made into a film, which is sad. All the talk of a film version of The Grand Sophy seems to have faded away. Someone dug up an obscure German-language version of the charming Arabella from 1959 that doesn't look like much to brag about. The British film of The Reluctant Widow from 1950 is called The Inheritance, and is nearly impossible to get hold of, though someone has posted it in sections on YouTube, with Greek subtitles. Don't be too bitter - it's pretty lousy. Heyer never saw it, and her son walked out half-way through. Interestingly, both Heyer biographers give the experience of the movie very short shrift. Heyer was upset from the time she saw the promotional materials, which she said were abysmal and salacious, and made her feel like a slug was crawling over her skin. Fair enough, I guess, since she really hated being labeled an author of what we call bodice-rippers. But from what I've seen of it, the film suffers from a lousy choice of cast, a plodding script, and absolutely none of the sparkle required doing Georgette Heyer. Doubtless anyone who filmed this would want to rewrite the ending, though the reason for changing Elinor's first name escapes me. As bad as anything Hollywood might have done.

So, why did I give it four stars? Because it's Heyer, so of course there are some wonderful things in it. Solid history, great characters, great dialog, this despite the romance being a bit flat. The exquisite dandy Francis Cheviot is laugh-out-loud funny. Along with eccentrics and dogs and strong-minded women, she was a master for some reason at adolescent boys, who always shine, as does the character of Nicky in this book. Had this had a believable ending, it still would have been so-so overall, but would have rated a far higher place in the pantheon. As it is, I think it's really only for Heyer aficionados like me, who intend to read all of her books.

Between reading this book and writing this review, I polished off Cotillion. Incredible! When it was done, I shouted to my husband, "She's back!" Along with Venetia, it now shoots to the top of the favorites list. If you're looking for your dose of Regency, I'd suggest it whole-heartedly, and far above The Reluctant Widow.

Goodness, Georgette Heyer sure could write a great book. I have several of her books but I intend to try my best to acquire every one of them. I loved this book. Elinore was a wonderful heroine who was remarkably brave, even as she claimed she was not. I loved Carlyon, he was assertive and intelligent and could control any situation, of which there were many. This book was a delight to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a well written, well plotted, humorous, and exciting ...

Goodness, Georgette Heyer sure could write a great book. I have several of her books but I intend to try my best to acquire every one of them. I loved this book. Elinore was a wonderful heroine who was remarkably brave, even as she claimed she was not. I loved Carlyon, he was assertive and intelligent and could control any situation, of which there were many. This book was a delight to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a well written, well plotted, humorous, and exciting book.

This book is Georgette Heyer at her best. I've been reading her books since I was turned on to them in the 60's by a friend who was PhD student in English Literature. I've kept them all, replacing my copies when they became worn out. I don't know how I lost or forgot this one, but when I read the reviews and couldn't find it on my shelves, I decided to check it out of the library. I was entranced from the first sentence. It has the graceful, but not intrusive writing, the wit, the clever plot...

This book is Georgette Heyer at her best. I've been reading her books since I was turned on to them in the 60's by a friend who was PhD student in English Literature. I've kept them all, replacing my copies when they became worn out. I don't know how I lost or forgot this one, but when I read the reviews and couldn't find it on my shelves, I decided to check it out of the library. I was entranced from the first sentence. It has the graceful, but not intrusive writing, the wit, the clever plot and the atmospheric detail that have made many of us loyal readers and re-readers of her works. Having sampled the book without paying, I have now ordered a copy so I can read it at my leisure (there's a hold on the library's copy); and re-read it as I have my other favorites, among them The Grand Sophy and Arabella. So if you love good writing and want to try a good romance, this is an excellent place to start. Georgette Heyer is unequaled and certainly unsurpassed as a Regency Romance writer and probably as a Romance writer of any genre.