Georgette Heyer is one of those authors I always heard about and seemed to write the type of books I'd like, but somehow I'd never gotten around to reading one of her romances until now.

Although I'd read some of her mysteries and enjoyed them, they weren't as--I have to use the word--delightful as this romance. Our no-nonsense heroine, 28-year-old Abby, lives with her niece and her elder sister, both of whom are vulnerable to the kind of stereotypical silliness of women their ages that Abby avoids at all costs. The hero is completely irresistable, funny and attractive and above all reasonable. He's also a good guy, though he tries to hide it as best he can.

I think one of those most satisfying things about the book is how Heyer manages to make use of the kinds of obstacles to romance that make romances work, while still showing a healthy appreciation for how ridiculous they can be. How many times have you wanted to just roll your eyes and ignore the most ridiculous (or "idiotish") of the heroine's reasons why she just can't marry the guy who's perfect for her and would make her happy? This book does just that.

The book's also often hilarious--more than once I had to wipe tears out of my eyes that were blurring the words.