A sweet review of False Colours from as far afield as Hong Kong, in the South China Morning Post (2 February 1967):
REGENCY ROMANCE
False Colours. By Georgette Heyer.
REGENCY England, where the “best people” spent fortunes on show — whether or not the fortunes were their own or obtained on credit — and when life in society meant a constant social round.
But however dull such a life would seem to us today, the intrigues and scandals that went with this period always make interesting reading, especially when they are told by Georgette Heyer, who has just had her first Penguin book published.
A young nobleman, on the edge of marrying a fortune in an attempt to repay his spendthrift mother’s debts, disappears on the eve of his presentation to his intended’s family. The day is saved by his identical twin brother who stands in, just for the one appearance, but when the missing lord still fails to appear his brother is forced into carrying on with the deception.
The plot thickens as the stand-in brother falls in love with the intended bride, and the devious twists and turns provide plenty of scope for the introduction of the usual Heyer characters — irascible dowager, miserly relation with obnoxious family, elderly dandy and so on.
If you like Heyer’s England, you’ll love this one. I did but then I’m an incurable romantic. — HG.
SOURCE: 1967-02-02. South China Morning Post, p. 13.