The debut novel from the creator of the Regency genre of romance fiction

Based on a story she had written for her brother and published when she was nineteen years old, The Black Moth is set during the Georgian era in the 1750s and follows Lord Jack Carstares, the eldest son of the Earl of Wyncham. Six years ago, Jack took the blame when his younger brother Richard cheated at cards. Jack consequently faced social exile and fled England for the European continent. He has now secretly returned, robbing carriages as a highwayman.

One day, he rescues Miss Diana Beauleigh when she is almost abducted by the Duke of Andover. Jack and Diana fall in love, but his troubled past and current profession threaten their happiness.

In a contemporary review published in 1921, the Times Literary Supplement deemed the protagonist Jack a “fascinating hero of romance” and added that the novel was “a well-filled story which keeps the reader pleased.”

When the notorious Lord Tracy Belmanoir, Duke of Andover and also the infamous Black Moth, is caught attempting to abduct the dark-haired Diana Beauleigh by estranged Jack Carstares, the rightful Earl of Wyncham, he’s sent scurrying after a thrilling sword fight. Injured in battle, Jack relies on Diana to nurse his wounds and, as their feelings for each other blossom, realizes that he must return to Wyncham, clear his name of previous accusations, and rightly take over as earl. But the Black Moth waits patiently to take what he wants–and he is relentless. Can Jack take over as earl, defeat the Black Moth, and finally be with the woman he loves?

“A large gentleman was strolling from group to group in one of the great galleries of Whitehall. He was very exquisite, this gentleman, adorned with all the coloured silks, velvets and furbelows which that Year of Grace, 1668, demanded […] He was the Most Noble the Marquis of Roxhythe, the King’s favourite and the ladies’ darling […] He was the perfect courtier, combining grace and insolence even more successfully than his Grace of Buckingham.”

Georgette Heyer’s second novel is entirely unlike her greater-known works. A departure from her other historical books, The Great Roxhythe is not centered around a grand romance, but on the devotion of one man to another. In fact, it was so different from her other works that the author actually suppressed its further publication during her own lifetime, most likely out of fear for its politics and its characters’ relationships being misunderstood. Fortunately, Skyboat Media has resurrected this ambitious and heart-breaking novel for audio!

The story begins in 1668 in the court of Charles II and follows the adventures of the Marquis of Roxhythe, a spy in service to the crown. The king’s return from exile, caused by the Puritanical regime of Oliver Cromwell, is met with gratitude by the people, but Parliament refuses to give him the money he requires. Charles puts the task of securing funds to Roxhythe. A courtier through and through, and a master manipulator to boot, Roxhythe throws himself into the job, but soon he must address a vital problem: what is good for Charles may not be what is good for England. So is Roxhythe a patriot to his country, or loyalist to a man in a crown?

Featuring an introduction by Stefan Rudnicki.

Society believes the worst of Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon. When he encounters a young boy, Leon, who is running from his abusive brother, Avon employs the boy as his page, parading him around parties and other society events in full view of his bitter rival, the Comte de Saint-Vire.

But the truth is soon uncovered: Leon is in fact a girl named Leonie and is actually the legitimate child of the Comte and his wife. While Avon is intent on his plan to reveal the Comte’s duplicity and ruin him publicly, he is charmed by Leonie’s kindness, falls in love, and becomes a changed man.

First published in 1926 to great commercial success, These Old Shades showcases Heyer at her romantic best and remains a charming and entertaining listen for all fans of historical romances.