I love Georgette Heyer, and would never have found her had it not been for recommendations from RP. I am forever grateful! I've read many of her romances (my all-time favorite: The Grand Sophy) and two of her murder mysteries. I'd definitely be up for a discussion.

Heyer is hit or miss with me. I didn't particularly care for These Old Shades but I loved Venetia. I've read a few others and have a few more in the TBR for when I'm in the right mood.

I love that Heyer doesn't recycle the same heroine over and over. The reckless naif, the mature (24) woman of the world, the brainless dolt, the quiet longsuffering daughter of a wealthy tradesman, the managing Grand Sophy (also my favorite,) a wild adventuress, the poor faro dealer, and so on. She shows us something to love in all of them. In one, Powder and Patch she even gives us a rough farmer as the central protagonist.

BTW, Michael Dirda, former editor of the Washinton Post's Book World has some fine things to say about Heyer in his Classics for Pleasure. The Grand Sohpy, A Civil Contract, Venetia, Cotillion, and Friday's Child get called out for special discussion.

I have been a fan for about 60 years! My favourite books have changed as I grew older. Originally, I preferred younger and dashing heroes such as Sherry (Friday's Child) and Beauvallet but later could relate to more mature lovers as portrayed in "Venetia" and "The Talisman Ring". I have read Regency books of a similar nature but I have never found a better writer. (Not counting Jane Austen of course!)
As Chris says, she does not repeat her main character and where characters appear more than once they are generally in minor roles excepting Timothy in "Duplicate Death".
I used to have a comprehensive collection, which included early works but it has vanished in moves over the years. With limited space, I now borrow a library copy for re-reads but I almost know some of my favourite scenes by heart!

Count me in for anything you choose. I have not read any Heyer for some reason, and this would be an excellent time to start.

She is one of my all time favorite authors. There are a few of hers that I really don't care for, but overall, I like her books very much. In fact, I've been slowly collecting hardcover copies whenever I can find them.

My favorites include Venetia, These Old Shades and The Talisman Ring.

When I moved I got rid of many many books. I kept all the Georgette Heyers. They are comfort reads for me.

I recently stumbled across her books at the store. I absolutely LOVED Behold, Here's Poison. I've read a few other of her mysteries. Haven't tried a romance yet, as it's not my usual fare, but I thought I might give one of hers a try.

vtchewbecca: "The Quiet Gentleman" has mystery elements in it, so you could start there, perhaps.
Some of her other Regency novels like "The Tollgate" and "The Talisman Ring" have similar cross-over themes of mystery and romance.
"Penhallow" is not really a who-done-it but an interesting book if you can get it. It did not go down too well when it was published apparently. My paperback copy has a very misleading blurb written by someone who obviously did not read the book!

When I was in my mid teens I bought as many Georgette Heyers as I could! I still have them all :-) many are a little wrinkled from bathtime reading :-D

vtchewbecca, I'd describe them more as Comedies of Manners than Romance, but ymmv.

A few years ago I read The Private World of Georgette Heyer written by Jane Aiken Hodge. I found it fascinating. The amount of research she did amazed me. Apparently she kept elaborate notebooks recording the eras in which she set her novels. She knew year by year when fashions of clothing came in and went out of style, what kind of carriages where popular with what kind of people in which times, what historical events where taking place, whether the Price Regent was at that time popular or scorned, how much in debt he was in, what sporting events were taking place -- in other words, rich detail to the degree that could only be surpassed by actually living in the era.

Heyer (BTW, pronounced Hayer, not Higher, a surprise to most Americans, including me) longed to be taken seriously as a historical novelist, rather than a mere writer of light fiction. While her mysteries and romances were immensely popular and generally well received by critics, they did not bring her the kind of scholarly approval that she longed to have. As a reader, though, I found those novels to be her weakest, and missed the clever wit, humor, and vivid characters that made her other books such a delight to read. There are a good dozen of her novels that I simply love, and many others that I enjoyed. A few (including all the histories) just did not work for me at all. My personal favorite is Venetia. The heroine is an intelligent young woman cheerfully resigned to the necessity of living her life on the sidelines while the hero is a man who damaged his life by a bad decision in his youth. I won't spoil it for anyone by describing how they work their ways out of their difficulties.

I would agree with Chris in the Valley that her romances are really more Comedies of Manners than romances. One reviewer I read on Amazon thought that she really ought to be compared to Wodehouse more than anyone else. Her purpose is not so profound as Austen's; she is not saying that this is what life is like, and people are like. She is merely showing us what these people are like. And how very enjoyable it is to discover all this!

Rosefolly