The Season by Sarah MacLean

Publisher: Orchard Books (website)
Publication Year: 2009
ISBN: 0545048869
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Websites:
http://www.macleanspace.com/
http://www.librarything.com/profile/sarahmaclean

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It is the year 1815, the elite of London are still the titled class (aka the Ton) balls and parties are a common thing and if you are a young girl, around 17 you are about to enter your first Season. The Season is a big deal it is where all ladies and gentlemen of a certain class go to mingle, to see and be seen…and if you are an unmarried girl you go with the purpose of trying to find a suitable match in the crush of society. Any man won’t do and love really isn’t the aim of young single girls. Its all about elevating your status. To marry above you rank if possible or at the very least marry someone of equal status. To marry below could result in doors being shut to you and your family. This is the world that Alexandra Stafford is born into. She is the only daughter and youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Worthington. Her mother has been waiting for Alex to come of age almost since the day she was born and would be having the grandest of times….if only Alex would cooperate. Alex has other plans though she wants to enjoy time with her best friends Viv and Ella. She doesn’t want to get married at only 17…especially when most of the eligible marriage minded males are at least twice her age! But she goes to the balls to appease her mother and she makes sure to drag along her 3 older (and eligible) brothers and old family friend Gavin Sewell, the new Earl of Blackmoor. For as they say, misery loves company. During the crush of the Season, Alex and her friends stumble on a mystery…a question that the previous Earl of Blackmoor, Gavin’s father, may not have died of an accident. That he may have been murdered. Sensing some fun and intrigue to what would otherwise be a boring Season, Alex and her friends begin to investigate….and along the way may end up where they least expected.

The Season is the first novel of the amazing Sarah MacLean. She has created a rich and vivid world with some of the most intriguing and believable characters (can I just give a shout out to Freddie?? Love him!). Alex is filled with life and spunk and just makes you want to be her friend. If I could survive in Regency England then I would so try to be a part of her crowd. They conform without really conforming and are able to maintain their sense of self in a time and place where it is really difficult to be a woman. The options open to Alex, Vivi & Ella are far far different then what girls our age face today. MacLean does a wonderful job in giving the history of this world and its social constraints without bogging the narrative down in details. The mystery isn’t one that is over the top and is realistic as is the involvement of Alex and her friends. While not an ideal pursuit for ladies of their social standing they always do their up-most best to keep from causing a scandal and bringing shame upon themselves. For while I am sure that there were many ladies happy to toe the line and stay fully within the social dictates there were those that would push the limits to see just how far they could go. Alex is a fun & witty character and I love her interactions with her family and her friends (have I mentioned Freddie?). This was a great read and I am eagerly awaiting books to be written for other characters in the series like Vivi and Ella….and of course Freddie!