An earl's son turned highwayman...
A spirited young society beauty who is kidnapped...
A sinister duke, known as 'The Black Moth'...

Set in the eighteenth century at Georgian England. Disgraced Jack Carstares, now rightful Earl of Wyncham, left England seven long years ago, sacrificing his honour for that of his eldest brother when he was accused of cheating at cards. But he is determined not to claim his title and instead turns highwayman. Now he is back, roaming his beloved South Country in the disguise of a highwayman. Not long after his return, he encounters the Black Moth, his old adversary, the notorious Lord Tracy Belmanoir, Duke of Andover, just in time to dispute at the point of his sword the attempted abduction of dark-haired lovely Diana Beauleigh. Once more Jack's noble impulse to save the day landed him in trouble, but not before sending the villainous duke scurrying. Diana took her gallant rescuer in and nursed his wounds, and soon truer emotions grew between them. But Jack couldn't stay, for a lady and an outlaw would make a scandalous pair. And the libertine Duke was foiled once, but the society beauty was under siege. The Duke of Andover meant to have her--if not with her assent, then by force. But Diana was not about to surrender her virtue. She had already lost her heart to the handsome mysterious highwayman who rescued her from the Duke. Torn between his tarnished past and the hope for Diana's hand, Jack had one dangerous chance to reclaim his honor -- by defeating the Black Moth for good! ( )

First of all I should say that I listened to the Penguin audiobook narrated by Stewart Clarke. This narrator does an excellent job! He is particularly good at doing different voices and for long stretches I forgot that this was indeed the same person. I was under the impression of listening to a dramatized version because he does it so well - and all without overdoing it and making it all ridiculous.

Now on to the story: Jack Carstares, the Earl of Wyncham, has been living as a highwayman for seven years. Back then, his brother cheated at cards, but Jack took the blame onto himself to save his brother from ruin and despair, and went into hiding.
The Black Moth refers to the Duke of Andover, Jack's enemy and the scoundrel of the story, who wishes to marry Diana Beauleigh and plans to abduct her.
As is to be expected, there are many turns and twists. There are also quite a lot of other characters who have important roles in the story.

I must admit that in the beginning, it was a bit hard for me to settle into Heyer's style. I had trouble keeping up and was confused by all the different names and characters. But after some time, it became easier and I enjoyed the story very much. The characters are so lively and I like how Heyer takes her time to let things develop. The dialogues are not rushed and it all plays out nicely.
I only wish that there was more of Diana herself - she as a character as well as the actual love story come a bit short. ( )

A swashbuckling romance? The Black Moth, a dastardly scoundrel who means harm to the lovely Diana. Jack, a wrongfully disgraced duke. Do I need to go on? This is the 3rd Heyer I've read and I'm a bit disappointed. +1, -2 ( )

This had everything - evil dukes, scandal, highwaymen, lies, redemption. I loved it. And apparently, Georgette Heyer was only 19 when she wrote this! I loved the ending so much I wanted there to be another book. I hate when I love a book and then find out that it ISN'T an established series of 27 books. I want the Duke to have a book!
This book is number 6 on my self-imposed curriculum of chronological Romance History, written in 1921. ( )

Didn't get far with this - I hope it was because I wasn't listening properly, and I will give it another go some time. I found it a little stilted, unformed, unpolished? I'm so used to the slick historical novels of Tessa Dare, Loretta Chase, Evie Dunmore, Lorraine Heath etc.

It's meant to be a classic of the Romance genre and I did not realise how long ago it was published. From Google:

Her first novel, The Black Moth, published in 1921, was written at the age of seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother; her last was My Lord John. Although most famous for her historical novels, she also wrote eleven detective stories.

and that Heyer was only 17! ( )