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Ginger Monroe's avatar

Gaudy Night is wonderful, but you need to read the backstories with Harriet Vane and Lord Peter first—Strong Poison and Have His Carcase.

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Michelle Watson's avatar

Got it! I was wondering if it could stand alone or not, so thank you for the tip!

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Beth Gross's avatar

Thank you for this list!

I've been reading a lot of Georgette Heyer lately, and The Grand Sophy was one. I enjoyed it, but Arabella is my favorite so far.

Also, Tisha has been a long time favorite. Great story.

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Michelle Watson's avatar

Yes, Georgette Heyer is so much fun! I bet you’d love the Emma M. Lion series by Beth Brower! It’s very Heyer-esque.

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Carolyn Givens's avatar

You've got several of my absolute favorites on here!

The Bird in the Tree is deeply wonderful, as are its sequels (Pilgrim's Inn and The Heart of the Family)

The Perilous Gard - I fell in love with this one in middle school and it has never let me down on re-reads! I also recommend Pope's other novel, The Sherwood Ring (not about Robin Hood, fyi!)

Gaudy Night is my favorite Sayers, but it's definitely important to read Peter and Harriet's story in order. Start with Strong Poison.

A Tangled Web is one of those Montgomery books full of characters who will remain with you for the rest of your days. The twists and turns are WILD (tangled, really), and the whole thing is glorious.

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Michelle Watson's avatar

I picked up a copy of The Sherwood Ring last week at a used bookstore. Reading your comments on all these makes me excited to read them all!

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Loren Warnemuende's avatar

So many good ones—and also ones I haven’t read. I haven’t read that Georgette Heyer, but I always enjoyed hers. Rose in Bloom—I read it years ago and remember enjoying it. I love The Bird in the Tree! And any Mary Stewart novels. Nine Coaches is a good one, but if I had to say my favorites I’d go with Touch Not the Cat and The Gabriel Hounds. The Perilous Gard is great. Oh, and I literally picked up A Tangled Web this week for a reread. It starts slowly with lots of characters, but I remember liking it so I’ll keep going. Ah, and Gaudy Night is probably my most favorite of them all.

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Michelle Watson's avatar

I’m so glad to hear good things about so many of these!! I will check out those other Mary Stewart titles. I found a used copy of Rose Cottage recently and picked it up.

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Emily Barnett's avatar

Emma M Lion is on my list! I’m on book 3 of The Secrets of Ormdale, which might have similar vibes… but with some dragons. 🥰😌

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Michelle Watson's avatar

Putting that one on my list! Thank you Emily!

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Allison Woods's avatar

I was wondering about adding the book "Mrs. Mike," to your list? It was written in 1947, so fits your timeline...

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Michelle Watson's avatar

Yes! That is such a great book! I didn’t add it because I read it last year. One of those rare books that stars a young married woman. I cried many tears.

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