Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
The Story Garden: A Friendly Rivalry Between Georgian Lovers and Regency Devotees–With a Prize At Stake!
Author Guest / February 9, 2012

The Story Garden is about friendship, but friends can disagree, right? So, I’m Jo Beverley and I’m coordinating a discussion on Georgian v Regency as setting for romance novels. Read the arguments and have your say. We’ll pick randomly from among the interesting comments and send the comment writer THE DASHWOOD SISTERS TELL ALL, by Beth Pattillo;SCANDALOUS VIRTUE, by Brenda Hiatt; RUTHLESS, by Anne Stuart; and A LADY’S SECRET, by yours truly, Jo Beverley. First, what’s the difference? Technically “Georgian” is the stretch of British history covered by the reigns of kings George first to fourth — 1714 to 1820. George IV, however, was the Prince Regent until his father died, hence the Regency period — 1811-1820. In general usage, Georgian is the 18th century, and Regency is the first 2 decades of the 19th. The Regency period is the age of Jane Austen’s novels. The Georgian could be typified by novels such as Tom Jones and Clarissa Harlow, and plays such as School for Scandal and She Stoops to Conquer. So, here’s my argument in favor of the Georgian Age. I started out writing Regency romance, principally inspired by Georgette Heyer. However, Heyer too, wrote both and in fact…