Heyer discussions come up regularly in several of my online communities, so I'm conversant with the issues.
Now, as to other books that rhyme with Heyer, I'd like to recommend the Sarah Tolerance books by Madeleine E. Robins. There are 3 of them to date: Point of Honour, Petty Treason, and The Sleeping Partner. These are set in an AU Regency (not important to the plots, but some of the political details are different), and the protagonist is a Fallen Woman who is now making her living as a private investigator, working out of the guest house behind her aunt's brothel. (No, these books are not YA at all.) There's no sugar-coating of the darker side of the Regency period; Miss Tolerance is frequently in physical danger, and having a strong circle of friends is one of the things that keeps her from being casually offed by some of the people she's investigating. Content Warning: The entire plot of The Sleeping Partner revolves around the fallout from an abduction and rape, and Robins doesn't pull any punches there either. But if you like the trappings of the Regency and kick-ass heroines making their way in a society which is heavily slanted against them, you can't get much better than Sarah Tolerance.
Re: this is Jenny!
Now, as to other books that rhyme with Heyer, I'd like to recommend the Sarah Tolerance books by Madeleine E. Robins. There are 3 of them to date: Point of Honour, Petty Treason, and The Sleeping Partner. These are set in an AU Regency (not important to the plots, but some of the political details are different), and the protagonist is a Fallen Woman who is now making her living as a private investigator, working out of the guest house behind her aunt's brothel. (No, these books are not YA at all.) There's no sugar-coating of the darker side of the Regency period; Miss Tolerance is frequently in physical danger, and having a strong circle of friends is one of the things that keeps her from being casually offed by some of the people she's investigating. Content Warning: The entire plot of The Sleeping Partner revolves around the fallout from an abduction and rape, and Robins doesn't pull any punches there either. But if you like the trappings of the Regency and kick-ass heroines making their way in a society which is heavily slanted against them, you can't get much better than Sarah Tolerance.