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Topic: What about Victoria Holt?

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Subject: What about Victoria Holt?
Date Posted: 12/17/2007 3:16 PM ET
Member Since: 8/12/2006
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She was the very first romance author that I fell in love with.  I read every single book I could get my hands on when I was a teenager.  That was about 17 years ago, so I hardly remember her books now, but I know I loved them. 

I hardly ever hear people talk about her books anymore. 

Were they as good as I thought they were? 

Are they just too old now?  I still love to read Georgette Heyer and I hear people talk about her books.

I'm thinking to reread them :-)



Last Edited on: 12/17/07 3:17 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 3:45 PM ET
Member Since: 10/7/2007
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I , too really liked Victoria Holt. I haven't re-read anything of hers in quite some time. 

I think I have almost everything Georgette Heyer wrote and I still enjoy re-reading them now and then, especially my favorites.

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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 4:43 PM ET
Member Since: 8/23/2007
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I don't think I've ever read either of them.  I've only been reading romances for about a year though.  I tend to move from one author to another and devour everything they've written.  Eventually I'll get to them I'm sure. Georgette Heyer wrote a bunch of mysteries too I think.

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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 5:09 PM ET
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I also wondered about Victoria Holt.  I have three of her books that I got recently at Helping Hands Mission, but I've not yet read them; hardly looked at them, in fact.  But I just picked up one and read about the author in the back of the book.  Seems she also wrote under the names PHILIPPA CARR and JEAN PLAIDY.  Also, in the author's bio, it says that Victoria Holt died in 1993.

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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 5:29 PM ET
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I read Victoria Holt when I was young also, but they mostly haven't stood the test of time for me.  I left them behind when more satisfying (more romance) reads became available.  The only ones I've kept and do reread are Shadow of the Lynx and King of the Castle.  Though, you know, now that I'm thinking about them I'd sort of like to find the one she wrote where the "noble"(not)man  raped the h and she had his son.  She was an artist living in Paris so she got away with keeping the child.  The city is under seige at the end.  Does anyone remember the title of that one?

 

Georgette Heyer has definitely stood the test of time for me.  I have them all (the romances, haven't tried the mystery and history ones) and reread them.  I think she is talked about more now because several companies are reprinting her books, so they are more readily available and visible to a new audience.

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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 5:54 PM ET
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I believe that book is called The Demon Lover and I do remember reading that one.  I think there was also something about euthanasia in it.  It's been awhile since I read it. 

This book is a bit dark for some I am sure. 

I'm glad to know others have read and like her books.  I remember being really obsessed with her writing and had to read all of her books.  



Last Edited on: 12/17/07 5:56 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 12/17/2007 6:22 PM ET
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For some reason my favorite Victoria Holt is MISTRESS OF MELLYN. Its the only one I kept over the years. Seems like a lot of hers were kind of gothic romances. I didn't care for the books that she wrote under Plaidy, too deep and had a lot of sad stuff as best as I remember.

On Heyer, her books are what got me started on regency romances and I think she is still top of the line. There is no sex, which is fine, but good plots and great characters. I haven't got any of her mysteries, but I do have some of her historical novels based on real people. They are good, too, but with real people you don't always get happy endings.

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Date Posted: 12/26/2007 2:18 PM ET
Member Since: 8/1/2007
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Yes, I read her when I was younger as well.  My three favorites that I kept are:

Mask of the Enchantress

Demon Lover

Shadow of Lnyx

I enjoyed the others as well, but they didn't make keeper status.

I feel a lot of times she did not really delve into the hero's character as much as I would like to know, making it kind of one-sided in a lot of her books.  But it was always engrossing and I wanted to find out the end of the mystery.  One that surprised me was Legend of the 7th Virgin (I think that was the title) where the heroine actually DIDN'T marry the hero.... that was a surprise.