Kitty convinces Freddy, one of the few unmarried and marriageable nephews who did answer Uncle Matthew’s summons, to pretend to be engaged to her. Reluctantly he agrees. Freddy might not be the smartest of the bunch but it doesn’t take him long to realize that Kitty has some hidden agenda as he sweeps her off to London for a season with the Ton.  

London is full of pitfalls for a country girl and Kitty finds herself in a few tight spots. But again and again Freddy, the dandy concerned with not much else besides fashion, is there with his common sense and knowledge of the intricate workings of London society to save the damsel in distress. Freddy is the perfect gentleman hero, the kind that is better than the ones you read about in books (so says Kitty) because he is real.  

There are several story lines here that all tie into Kitty and her adventures in London. She seems to be the go-to-girl for several of the characters who are in dire need of help. It is Kitty who takes on the task of enabling her dim-witted but well-meaning cousin Lord Dolphinton to escape his dictator of a mother. As well as making it possible for her French cousin Camille to achieve his happiness; happiness which happens to take the form of the beautiful Olivia, a woman in search of a rich husband. 

So Cotillion is a bit complicated with its collection of romantic entanglements and multiple schemes. But that’s the best part about it. You simply become lost in the characters, truly living breathing people and all of their games and intrigues. That, of course, is what a good regency romance is about; high society and the way your favorite characters navigate the pitfalls.  

Never once did the almost 500 pages seem too long. It helps to have excellent historical details as well as superb writing, both of which happen to be what the author is known for. Georgette Heyer writes a novel that you are always dying to pick back up once you’ve set it down.