Romance

These Old Shades

These Old Shades

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  • Create Date：2021-08-27 09:53:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Georgette Heyer
  • ISBN：0099465825
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Summary

Under the reign of Louis XV， corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France。

Lord Justin Alastair， the notorious Duke of Avon， known for his coldness of manner， his remarkable omniscience， and his debauched lifestyle。 Society believes the worst of Justin， who is clearly proud of his sobriquet， 'Satanas'。 In a dark Parisian back alley， he is accosted by Leon， a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian。 The Duke buys Leon， a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks。。。

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Reviews

Elodie’s Reading Corner ，

💎These Old Shades 💎Gossip， scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance Alastair-Audley Book 1✒️Georgette HeyerRelease Date 1926， actual edition 02/28/2011Publisher Cornerstone Digital➪ https://www。amazon。com/dp/B004PGNGSI/。。。𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯Justin Alastair， the Duke of Avon， is a reprehensible rake with an axe to grind。 Decades ago the Comte de Saint-Vire did something unforgivable and ever since Justin has been lying in wait to settle the score。When Justin meets Leon， a street urchin with a striking rese 💎These Old Shades 💎Gossip， scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance Alastair-Audley Book 1✒️Georgette HeyerRelease Date 1926， actual edition 02/28/2011Publisher Cornerstone Digital➪ https://www。amazon。com/dp/B004PGNGSI/。。。𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯Justin Alastair， the Duke of Avon， is a reprehensible rake with an axe to grind。 Decades ago the Comte de Saint-Vire did something unforgivable and ever since Justin has been lying in wait to settle the score。When Justin meets Leon， a street urchin with a striking resemblance to his nemesis， he aims to use him as a pawn in his plans for revenge on the Comte。 Except Leon is in fact Leonie， a beautiful young ingénue who may just steal Justin's heart。Can Leonie win the Duke's affection， or will his need for revenge overcome them both？𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄A revenge well achieved …Don’t bash my head but I learned about Georgette Heyer only a few years ago when I dug a bit more deeper into the historical romance world， after Jane Austen， it seems she was the reference for HR。So here I am。I confess I struggled to adapt to the writing style of the author， it is nowhere close to any other HR writer I have read so far。I even wondered if it was really a romance， as the revenge trap is what takes most of the pages。 Yet as I turned the pages， I came to appreciate the author’s way with words and witticisms。It is a very different approach of narration， and the characters are so old school， yet I had to work and find my way in this throwback in time， it took some work but I finally caught the rhythm and loved Justin。 How he had been built and shaped by his need for revenge， his management of others’ wills and his cold cynical wit。 I tried to imagine him， I thought him at first a peacock but all around him they were all peacocks， fro them fan to their heels down， some more empty headed than conceited and the reverse。It is sure， even if I am not always looking for a six packs hero， one with red heel， a wig， ruffles of lace is a bit difficult to picture。But I came to have fun with the absurdities of the period， and even loved my foray in this period。After all it was part in Paris and à la cour de Versailles。And I loved following Justin， always one step ahead， slowly ensnaring his nemesis。Then there is Leonie， she is so young， with a temper， yet much too young for his forty years old self。 As such， he treats her like a daughter。 So a romance between them， I wondered how it would occur。And while she is in adoration for her rescuer， he mostly saved her because he immediately devised a plan to bring down his long time enemy。 And outside from the eyes of those surrounding them， there is no real marks of a deeper affection he might feel for her， as he mostly patronizes her。 Well until the last quarter of the story， when he expressed he was angry on her behalf by how she had been shabbily treated。 In all， this book has been like a ovni in between the other historical romances I am used too。 I had to work a lot to comprehend many of the terms， I was like watching a movie from the gold age， with highwaymen， bandits， hidden identity， tricks and plots。Why I am a bit at loss at how to rate it， I loved Justin， and Leonie is fun， I pictured her as a sprite， which would explain her very childlike reactions and actions。 The period is not the sober Regency， but during the pomp and excesses of Louis XV’s reign， a flamboyant and extravagant era。4 stars𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 nonehttps://www。facebook。com/429830134272。。。https://www。instagram。com/p/CSzE9bjD6。。。 。。。more

Fatheya El-Marsafawi ，

4。5 stars

Cheryl ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Pretty adorable book。 Entertaining， with some surprises。 I was a little irritated at the main character's use of "my son" for his brother， and "my dear" and "my love" for his friends -- those endearments didn't really seem to go with his character -- but I would probably read more。 Also， um， wouldn't there have been other aspects to being a nineteen-year old girl？ Pretty adorable book。 Entertaining， with some surprises。 I was a little irritated at the main character's use of "my son" for his brother， and "my dear" and "my love" for his friends -- those endearments didn't really seem to go with his character -- but I would probably read more。 Also， um， wouldn't there have been other aspects to being a nineteen-year old girl？ 。。。more

Anne ，

Loved the sharp wit， the intrigue， the characterization…These Old Shades is a 1926 Georgian historical romance that established Heyer as a writer。 In this standalone novel， Heyer recycled characters from a previous book， now ‘shades’ of the original， giving this book its title。 On his way home late one night， Justin the Duke of Avon has an encounter with a fleeing child， and thus， rescues him from his pursuer， then brings him home to work in his household as a page。 This action sets Justin， amon Loved the sharp wit， the intrigue， the characterization…These Old Shades is a 1926 Georgian historical romance that established Heyer as a writer。 In this standalone novel， Heyer recycled characters from a previous book， now ‘shades’ of the original， giving this book its title。 On his way home late one night， Justin the Duke of Avon has an encounter with a fleeing child， and thus， rescues him from his pursuer， then brings him home to work in his household as a page。 This action sets Justin， among others， on a life changing course。 Arm yourself with a character list and keep it handy。 No joke。 You’ll need it primarily for the first couple of chapters until you recognize the multitude of names used to refer to Justin， Duke of Avon。 I had the same issue with other characters， basically anyone with more than a first name。 Here’s a list of the characters with the tiniest spoiler， if you read closely， but mostly it’s spoiler free。 （view spoiler）[•tJustin "Satanas" Alastair， Duke of Avon， （also called his Grace or the Duc or the English Duc） age 41•tLady Fanny Marling， Justin’s sister•tMr Edward Marling， Fanny's husband •tLord Rupert Alastair， Justin’s brother， early 30s•tHarriet Field， Justin’s cousin•tHugh Davenant， the Duke's friend， early 30s， sometimes guest of Justin’s•t •tGaston， Justin’s valet•tWalker， Justin’s maître d'hôtel •tLéon Bonnard， 19 years old page for the Duke Avon。 •tJean Bonnard， a tavern-keeper， Léon's older brother•t•tAnthony Merivale， lives near one of Justin’s estates， had past conflict with Justin•tLady Merivale， formerly Jennifer Beauchamp， wife of Anthony Merivale。•tMadame de Verchoureux， Justin’s beautiful mistress•t•tComte de Saint-Vire， rival of Justin。•tHenri de Saint-Vire， the Comte's son， 19 years old•tLéonie de Saint-Vire， the Comte's daughter， 19 years old•tArmand de Saint-Vire， younger brother of the Comte（hide spoiler）]Action started immediately and the descriptive writing keep me engaged throughout the book。 Several times the suspense could be felt as the game or adventure was afoot。 However， I was on the edge of my seat for the climax！ It was fun and exciting， and I loved how everything ended。 That’s not to say it was devoid of tender moments。 There were a few touching scenes that made my eyes glisten。 But for the most part， it consisted of either action or humor。 Characters were well developed， varied， and interesting。 I would say the characterization and witty dialogue， from the multiple narrators， was the definite strength of this book。 My favorite was Justin’s brother Rupert。 He was a hoot， mildly debauched， and was often saying things like， “Thunder an’ turf！” If you were having a party， you’d want to invite this lively character。 He proved he was loyal and protective。 Here is a quote from a favorite scene with Rupert lying in bed eating but intent on defending his charge with a minor outfit adjustment… ”Where’s that pistol？ Plague take this broth！” “He threw the bowl and the rest of its contents on the floor， settled his wig straight， and reached out a hand for the pistol” Justin’s character， “a tall， haughty figure，” showed the most character growth over the story。 Starting out self-centered and hedonic， he evolved to the point that his friends and family commented on his change。 Léonie， Justin's love interest， exhibited a temper with her retorts but nevertheless I found her quaint and amusing。 One who was both innocent and fiery。 These characters and others became like old friends before the ending。 The clothing descriptions were entertaining and had me grinning or eye rolling！ One opening line that was a hilariously juxtapose to Justin’s masculinity was， “he walked mincingly， for the red heels of his shoes were very high。” This was a dude that carried a beribboned cane， wore a powered wig， had jewels on his lace and fingers， and， finally， “languidly waved” “a fan of lavender silk。” The ladies didn’t miss out either; their gowns were no less detailed or lavish。 What I wouldn’t give to see a film adaption of this book！ Although the MCs showed affection for each other in minor ways， and it was evident they cared for one another， I wouldn’t shelve this as romance。 It’s more historical fiction to me。 If this were a modern romance， I probably would rate the hero as a reprobate。 （view spoiler）[ From the text， we know he frequently spent time with his light O’ love （his mistress） after he had met his love interest and begun developing tender feelings for her。 She was keenly aware of his behavior too。 （hide spoiler）] Ultimately， he proved he could speak lovely words from the heart with apt timing。 You may notice that Justin often called Léon， Rupert， and Léonie by terms of endearment that mostly reflected their youthful age compared to him。 Pet names such as， “infant， Little one， child， beloved， mes enfants， ” Other characters referred to Léonie with， “la petite” and the like。 I mention this tendency because it continues throughout the book， and so that a reader at the beginning won’t draw a premature distasteful conclusion。Overall， this was one of the best， if not the best， historical fiction books I’ve read。 The story， the characters， the lively dialogue all added up to a delightful read。 The only odd bit that’s still puzzling me was in reference to his Grace “swept a magnificent leg” or “made a leg。” So， history buffs， please enlighten me。 Note: I believe finding out about the characters and the story before I started reading helped my experience to be successful。 Where did I start？ Why with this excellent and thorough review and my resource for all things Georgian/Heyer， please see my friend Anne’s review of These Old Shades。 。。。more

Caitlin ，

This was going to be a 4/5 but then two characters ended up romantically involved despite the fact she was his ward and he called her “infant” for a good 80% of the book。 I know it was written in 1926 but…🤮

Marilyn ，

Young innocent falls in love with older jerk。 Ugh

Linda ，

I have read about 12 of Heyer’s books so far and I believe this to be my favorite。 I laughed so many times。 There is a bit of a mystery。 A love story with a happy ending。 Strong friendships formed and relationships restored。 I am looking forward to read the rest of the books in this series。

Bibliomaniac ，

Loved it。

Theresa ，

After the very first book I read by Georgette Heyer （it was Arabella） I went looking on Amazon for any that were free。 I believe there were three。 For some reason I decided they must be inferior if they were free when the rest were not。Now I feel very foolish。After every book by Georgette Heyer， I think this was my favorite one。 This one was no different。 But honestly， this one may be my all time favorite for longer than just till I read the next one。Justin and his infant。 Leonne and her monsogn After the very first book I read by Georgette Heyer （it was Arabella） I went looking on Amazon for any that were free。 I believe there were three。 For some reason I decided they must be inferior if they were free when the rest were not。Now I feel very foolish。After every book by Georgette Heyer， I think this was my favorite one。 This one was no different。 But honestly， this one may be my all time favorite for longer than just till I read the next one。Justin and his infant。 Leonne and her monsognoir。 It was full of mad cap adventure， intrigue， family and friendship。 It was a huge cast with every person having a full fledged personality。 I loved Fanny and Rupert。 I loved every persons relationship with each character。 It was like real life。I was so full of romance just watching Justin love Leonne but think he didn't deserve her。 It was such a swoon worthy love。And his dashing， angry anti hero when he played his final hand。 Oh my gosh， Justin is everything I've ever loved in a man and shouldn't have。I so wish Georgette Heyer had fan art。 I would hang this couple on my wall。 。。。more

Shreya ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 there's this trick authors pull to justify romances with significant age gaps by having the guy mournfully say， over and over， "I'm too old for you"。 well if you are， sir， then scram there's this trick authors pull to justify romances with significant age gaps by having the guy mournfully say， over and over， "I'm too old for you"。 well if you are， sir， then scram 。。。more

Olivia ，

The story could have been great， if the hero wasn't 40 years old and the heroin 19。。。kinda creepy， especially when he calls her "my infant"。 Plus， the fact that she is portrayed as childlike in her behaviour and attitude （let's ignore the fact that he more or less adopted her。。。*cough* grooming *cough*）。。。a bit weird。 If there would have been a more appropriate age gap and Leonie would have had more personality than being a child， the story would have been great and quite sweet。 The story could have been great， if the hero wasn't 40 years old and the heroin 19。。。kinda creepy， especially when he calls her "my infant"。 Plus， the fact that she is portrayed as childlike in her behaviour and attitude （let's ignore the fact that he more or less adopted her。。。*cough* grooming *cough*）。。。a bit weird。 If there would have been a more appropriate age gap and Leonie would have had more personality than being a child， the story would have been great and quite sweet。 。。。more

Morganta ，

Лёгкий изящный слог， развитие отношений между Циником с Ужасной Репутацией， у которого На Самом Деле доброе Сердце и Юной Дерзкой Наследницей богатого рода （о чём знает только Циник， потому что он ещё и Умный （и， возможно， коварный！））， которая Сразу Видит в нём Добро， чересчур прямолинейно поданная идея о том， что происхождение важнее воспитания。 Сперва казалось， что ради первого можно потерпеть остальное — мне действительно нравится стиль， диалоги， описания и ирония， и нарочитость образов герое Лёгкий изящный слог， развитие отношений между Циником с Ужасной Репутацией， у которого На Самом Деле доброе Сердце и Юной Дерзкой Наследницей богатого рода （о чём знает только Циник， потому что он ещё и Умный （и， возможно， коварный！））， которая Сразу Видит в нём Добро， чересчур прямолинейно поданная идея о том， что происхождение важнее воспитания。 Сперва казалось， что ради первого можно потерпеть остальное — мне действительно нравится стиль， диалоги， описания и ирония， и нарочитость образов героев ему идёт， да и не жду я чего-то серьёзного от таких книг — но чем дальше， тем сильнее моё отношение менялось от «не самая моя любимая динамика» к «какие же они оба противные»。 А уж когда стало ясно， что предыстория не проста похожа на сюжет «The Black Moth»， а использует её целиком， изменяя лишь имена。。。 нет， просто нет。 。。。more

Mellie ，

I would recommend this for any historicalfiction， historicalromance fans。

Clagon ，

I just finished reading These Old Shades （Alistair， #1） and I loved it。

Lauren ，

This book was charming， witty， and written so damn well！ It's rare that a book written in 1926 could be relevant a century later。 No wonder every hr writer is inspired by her。 This is a must read book！ This book was charming， witty， and written so damn well！ It's rare that a book written in 1926 could be relevant a century later。 No wonder every hr writer is inspired by her。 This is a must read book！ 。。。more

Juliette ，

Love everything about this book。

Darbella ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Leonie and Justin。 I can not believe how much I enjoyed this even with the instant love/devotion by the heroine to Justin， no sexual scenes between the couple， and that age difference。 I thought it was amazing。 As an emotional reader this had tons of stuff in it for me-- intrigue， humor， great side characters， cringeworthy moments， feuds， family drama， dramatic parts especially near the end and a hea。Purchased July 5， 2021 on Kindle。

Merry Jewelhound ，

Absolutely wonderful wonderful read 100 years after it was written。 I read this many years ago and its one of the few books that has held the test of time。 Many many others have written better reviews。 I can just say this is well worth reading and the characters are so good！

Marcia ，

I quite enjoyed this one。 The story line was interesting because it had a bit of intrigue in it。 The heroine was not wingey but had some back bone。 The hero was reformed by meeting the heroine which was good。

Samantha B ，

Ahhh Georgette。 This was amazing！！ It was like The Masqueraders meets Devil's Cub and！！！ YES PLEASE。Leon was perfection， and so sweet， the Duke of Avon is My Favorite， and his family is hilarious and fantastic。 The sheer amounts of banter and wit were over the top and I am very much a fan。Four stars！ Ahhh Georgette。 This was amazing！！ It was like The Masqueraders meets Devil's Cub and！！！ YES PLEASE。Leon was perfection， and so sweet， the Duke of Avon is My Favorite， and his family is hilarious and fantastic。 The sheer amounts of banter and wit were over the top and I am very much a fan。Four stars！ 。。。more

Devon Ohlwiler ，

I loved the story and the characters， but it took a while to get into it because there were a lot of French words， so I didn't get the full dialogue， which was a little annoying。 I loved the story and the characters， but it took a while to get into it because there were a lot of French words， so I didn't get the full dialogue， which was a little annoying。 。。。more

Cristine Marie ，

I count this one as a favourite！ I really enjoyed the storyline。 The dialogues can be a bit cheesy sometimes but the characters are lovely。 A joy to read！

Diane ，

Set in Paris during the reign of Louis XV， between 1745 and 1751， Justin Alaistair， Duke of Avon chances upon a youth who reminds him of someone。 So he buys Lèon from his brother and makes him his page。 And from there， the adventure begins。 Being Georgette Heyer， the descriptions of fashion and accoutrements are historically accurate and enhance the storyline。

Henry Percy ，

My introduction to Heyer。 I have read nearly all her romances now。 1755 England & Paris。 Her first novel， writ when she was 17！ Very impressive。 Heyer invented the Regency romance （though this predates the Regency）。 Great fun。

Cristina ，

Correva il 2014 ed ero in piena deriva Heyeriana， tra crinoline e perfidi inganni su cui l'amore trionfa immancabilmente，Ricordo solo che mi piacque meno di Il figlio del diavolo ma non ricordo perché。 Forse troppe giravolte nella trama？ In ogni caso la Heyer è garanzia di divertimento e ironia。 Correva il 2014 ed ero in piena deriva Heyeriana， tra crinoline e perfidi inganni su cui l'amore trionfa immancabilmente，Ricordo solo che mi piacque meno di Il figlio del diavolo ma non ricordo perché。 Forse troppe giravolte nella trama？ In ogni caso la Heyer è garanzia di divertimento e ironia。 。。。more

Audrey Z ，

oh what merry antics

Jill ，

I finally read a Georgette Heyer book and I am a fan。 Character development， plot construct， humor， history， and clean romance are all in these pages。 Who knew？ Well， a lot of people。 Not me。 I had tried one of her books earlier but gave up as I couldn't make heads or tails of who was who or what was happening。 This book started similarly， but I decided to stick with it for a bit longer and it paid off。Here the Duke of Avon （a jerk of a fellow of ever there was one）， meets a young red-headed tee I finally read a Georgette Heyer book and I am a fan。 Character development， plot construct， humor， history， and clean romance are all in these pages。 Who knew？ Well， a lot of people。 Not me。 I had tried one of her books earlier but gave up as I couldn't make heads or tails of who was who or what was happening。 This book started similarly， but I decided to stick with it for a bit longer and it paid off。Here the Duke of Avon （a jerk of a fellow of ever there was one）， meets a young red-headed teen in a disreputable street。 The teen is fleeing from a beating by his master。 Except the young lad is no lad。 He is a girl in disguise。 The duke pays for the boy with a jewel， which the brother is only too happy to take。 And with that the lad/lass becomes absoluteky devoted to the snobby-jerk of a duke。Why did he buy him/her？ Ah， he saw a likeness to an old enemy of his， the even more awful Comte Saint-Vire， and a possible way to repay an old wound。 And so begins the conflict。 Heyer adds in wonderfully hilarious and loyal supporting characters fill of their own distinct personalities， whose stories each further develop the characters of the Duke of Avon， the Comte Saint-Vire， and Léon/Léonie。 My only complaint， which is more an observation than a complaint， is that I could *only* hear Léon/Léonie's voice as Leslie Caron's。 It was almost impossible to hear her as anything else。 And the Duke's voice was always a lá Anthony Andrew （from the 1982 movie The Scarlet Pimpernel， which is an issue of age disparity， I know， but imagination casting doesn't care about that）。It was quite enjoyable， but not light。 Fans of period historical romances will enjoy this book--if they have not done so already。 。。。more

Amrita Goswami ，

In terms of characterization， Justin Alastair， the Duke of Avon， is a breath of fresh air。 He frequently calls his friend Hugh "my dear" and "beloved"， and brandishes a fan "like a woman"。 He wears bright colours， jewels， high-heeled shoes， and dons a powdered wig， after the fashion of the times。 He speaks softly， but is considered to be an extremely dangerous man， （aptly） nicknamed 'Satanas'。 Honestly， this is how I had envisioned a younger Voldemort: cunning， quietly dangerous and inscrutable。 In terms of characterization， Justin Alastair， the Duke of Avon， is a breath of fresh air。 He frequently calls his friend Hugh "my dear" and "beloved"， and brandishes a fan "like a woman"。 He wears bright colours， jewels， high-heeled shoes， and dons a powdered wig， after the fashion of the times。 He speaks softly， but is considered to be an extremely dangerous man， （aptly） nicknamed 'Satanas'。 Honestly， this is how I had envisioned a younger Voldemort: cunning， quietly dangerous and inscrutable。 In the beginning， Avon gives off a decidedly sinister， avuncular vibe。 Not surprisingly， Avon does experience a change of heart and becomes less villainous as events unfold， but he retains his biting sarcasm。 His trademark sardonic wit and sharp humour kept my full attention。 Some readers may be uncomfortable with the romantic relationship : Avon is 20 years older than the young love interest， who has a deep， almost servile devotion towards him。 He even calls her his "infant"， although he does call his younger brother his "child" as well， and his address is probably meant to be a quirk of his urbane demeanour。 What is more difficult to swallow， in my opinion， is the extremely classist views of literally every single person in the book。 This is the linchpin of the plot， and drives the main conflict。 However， if you can get past these issues， the dialogue is amusing and the setting is rich and authentic （at least as far as I can tell）。 。。。more

Sara ，

Actually a re-read but still enjoyable after so many years。

M-N ，

Wonderful Heyer pre regency dealing with intrigue and revenge and romance。 The enigmatic duke of Avon and Leon/Leonie。 Have read many times this time on audio this time read by Cornelius Garnet on YouTube well worth a listen our book of the month。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=These Old Shades

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=These Old Shades&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,These Old Shades&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0