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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Period duels and court intrigue
Language
Barely any
Period language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Period-appropriate; the romance involves a significant age gap
Substance Use
Some
Aristocratic drinking culture
Emotional Intensity
Some
The ethics of the age-gap romance require modern reader awareness
What this book is about
The Duke of Avon purchases a ginger-haired waif named Leon from the gutters of Paris, suspecting an old enemy's connection. Leon is actually Léonie—a girl in disguise—and Avon's revenge scheme becomes something far more personal. These Old Shades is an older-format Heyer with a May-December romance that modern readers approach with nuance.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Significant age gap (hero is much older)
Girl disguised as a boy premise
Hero purchases heroine—historical context
Reader Verification
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