Love in Excess
This classic eighteenth-century novel follows the romantic antics of a rakish French count and the women who conspire to have him.
Two wealthy young women, Alovisa and Amena, compete for the rake D’Elmont’s affection. Count D’Elmont drives women crazy, who must go to great lengths to subtly catch a man’s eye. But then, D’Elmont conspires with his friend Baron D’Espernay to seduce a young woman in his care by throwing a ball. When things go wrong, D’Elmont finds himself in Italy where he must deal with a kidnapping and a murder . . .
Love in Excess was originally published in 1719 and depicts female desire at a time when it was socially unacceptable to do so. It is Eliza Haywood’s first and one of her most popular works.
Eliza Haywood
Eliza Haywood (1693–1756) was an English writer, actress, and publisher. She wrote and published more than seventy works in her lifetime, including fiction, drama, translations, poetry, conduct literature, and periodicals. Haywood described herself as a “widow,” noting in 1719 that her marriage was “unfortunate,” but no record of her marriage has been found and the identity of her husband remains unknown. Haywood’s long writing career began with the first installment of Love in Excess and ended in the year she died with the conduct books The Wife and The Husband and contributions to the biweekly periodical The Young Lady. Haywood is buried in Saint Margaret’s Church near Westminster Abbey in an unmarked grave in the churchyard.
