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Blog

Penny Hampson

The Imposter at the Toll-Gate

May 15th, 2020

Well here we are still in Lockdown, and still in need of comfort reading (well, I am anyway). Another Georgette Heyer book that I haven’t read for some time is The Toll-Gate. Now why did I ever think that all Heyer’s Regency tales were romances? This one, while containing a charming romance at its heart, […]

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When Love is a Game…

May 7th, 2020

Another Heyer book today – this time Faro’s Daughter, the story of tempestuous Deborah Grantham and the man who is out to ruin her plans, Max Ravenscar. If you enjoy sparkling, witty dialogue, you will enjoy this book, the verbal sparring between this pair is some of Heyer’s best work. If you’re puzzled about the […]

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Looking for Madcap Adventures With An Unlikely Hero?

May 2nd, 2020

I’m devouring Georgette Heyer’s books at the moment. They are definitely my go-to reads during stressful times, whisking me away to a world where the worst that can happen is that no-one asks the heroine for a dance at Almack’s Assembly Rooms. One book I’ve recently re-read is The Foundling – not a typical Heyer […]

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Looking for a hero? More Comfort Reading During #Lockdown

April 21st, 2020

Well, this is the second of my blogs about my comfort reading during Lockdown, and I’ve stayed with one of my favourite authors, Georgette Heyer. I decided that I could do no better than re-read some of her Regency historicals to discover if my opinion of her writing had changed in the intervening years. Yesterday […]

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Looking For Some Comfort Reading?

April 13th, 2020

For those of you feeling the stress right now, (and who isn’t in these challenging times?) I thought I’d review one of the books of an author who inspired me to start writing. I first discovered Georgette Heyer when I was a teenager. Her books were considered suitable reading for the pupils at the convent […]

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Who was Caleb Hillier Parry?

March 2nd, 2020

Bath in its heyday was renowned as the place to go if you were in poor health. Since Roman times its hot spring had been famed for its curative powers, and the same waters were used by the Georgians in an attempt to cure their ills. Bath, a magnet for the sick, also became a […]

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How to Spend 3 Days in Bath

February 23rd, 2020

Last week I was on my travels again, this time to Bath. Yes, I know I have written about this place before, but I can honestly say there always seems to be something new to discover. This visit didn’t disappoint. Arriving just before midday, husband and I enjoyed lunch and then paid a visit to […]

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3 reasons to visit the picturesque Cotswold village of Swinbrook

February 11th, 2020

Last week I joined some friends for lunch in Swinbrook, a pretty Oxfordshire village. If you are looking for a quintessential English village, then Swinbrook fits the bill. A babbling stream runs through the centre, and there are quaint honeystone coloured Cotswold cottages galore. At this time of year, the village verges are covered in […]

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The Curious and Tragic Case of ‘Miss Paris’

January 31st, 2020

In The Monthly Magazine for 1810, I discovered this intriguing report for February. A death ‘in St Martin’s-street, Leicester-fields, Mrs Jones, but who had for some time resumed her maiden-name of Miss Paris.’ Immediately, I was hooked. Why did Mrs Jones merit a two-column report of her life and death? And why was she calling […]

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