'Friday’s Child' Is on TIME’s List of the 50 Best Romance Novels

O ften lauded as the mother of Regency romance, Georgette Heyer is widely considered a pioneer of the booming historical romance subgenre. From 1935 to 1974, Heyer published more than two dozen meticulously researched Regency-era novels that popularized key elements of the genre that still endure today, including tropes like enemies to lovers and conventions like referring to early 19th-century Britain’s upper crust as “the ton.” In the words of Heyer’s biographer Jennifer Kloester, “ Bridgerton probably wouldn't exist without her.”

For a prime example of Heyer’s signature froth and wit, look no further than the 1944 romantic comedy Friday’s Child , reportedly the author’s favorite of her own works. The story begins with spendthrift Anthony “Sherry” Verelst, the Viscount Sheringham, being rejected by the beautiful Isabella Milborne and subsequently vowing to marry the next woman he sees in order to secure the wife he needs to claim his inheritance. This turns out to be the orphaned and Cinderella-esque Hero Wantage, a young neighbor who has secretly loved Sherry since they were children. Despite their marriage of convenience, as the newlyweds navigate the ups and downs of high-society life, Sherry begins to realize Hero may actually be his perfect match.

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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com .