It seems hopeless, though, since Pavel is only eighteen–the same as Miranda–and they’ve always been more like siblings. Miranda has been sent to stay with the Herschams, ostensibly because of her younger sister’s bout with the measles, but Miranda knows her parents are hoping she will make a match of it with Pavel, the younger Herscham son. Miranda has known the Herscham family all her life thus, she knows better than to set her cap for Lord Rotham, the oldest son, who has proven to be a ramshackle young man of the worst sort–not to mention the one who had played fast and loose with her older sister’s affections all those years ago. This is the book that inspired me to write this post. lively romps through Regency society in a variety of English locales.well-crafted plots and believable scenarios.three-dimensional, memorable secondary characters.witty dialogue à la Georgette Heyer without the superfluous narrative found in other books.spirited heroes and heroines with a sense of humor.What sort of reader would appreciate Joan’s Regencies? Anyone who enjoys

So I decided to do my part in getting the word out. Oh, you can find them in used bookstores, and nearly 70 of them can be found in the Kindle store for $3.99, not to mention on the Regency Reads web site for $5 a pop, but let’s face it, authors’ backlists don’t get the sort of promotion the newer titles do, and most younger people will probably never know what they missed. (Note: Joan also wrote as Jennie Gallant don’t overlook those titles when you come across them.) I’ve been making my way through two shelves of Joan Smith books for quite some time (guaranteed fun reads), and the other day when I found one that I felt was truly outstanding, it occurred to me that it was a shame that few young people-who may not have been born in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s when Joan Smith was producing her delightful Regencies-have had the opportunity to read her work.

Queen of Diamonds by Barbara Metzger