The Season [Mass Market Paperback]

Sarah MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

Murder, treason, ballgowns, and boys . . . Regency London has never been so deliciously treacherous, adventure-filled, or . . . romantic!

Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued -- in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Regency London, Alexandra is about to embark on her first season of balls and dinners, and while nothing would steer her mother from the course of marrying off her only daughter, 17-year-old Alex is put off by men's seeming lack of interest in women with any amount of intelligence (Evidently, it scares eligible gentlemen off). Her opinions about romance change when she develops feelings for her brothers' friend Gavin, who is mourning the sudden death of his father (making Gavin the new earl of Blackmoor). Mac-Lean's debut is well paced, and as readers fill up on descriptions of dresses and society's rules, another plot line develops: Alex overhears a conversation proving that Gavin's father was murdered, and she puts her relationship, reputation and life in danger to help him. Readers will appreciate the clique lit/historical romance hybrid: headstrong Alex rolls her eyes and gossips with friends, but still knows the steps to the quadrille. Clever conversation in the spirit of Jane Austen makes this quite a page turner. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

MacLean’s debut plays with English high society: girls in swishy-satiny fabrics at balls; brooding, port-swilling boys; chaste but thrillingly clandestine kisses; and, oh yeah, a murder mystery. If this sounds like the makings of a Regency-romance primer for the middle-school set, that’s not far off. Alex, no blushing maiden, approaches her first “season,” when she is officially up for sale on the meat market, and balks at the idea of being married off to the highest bidder. But her mother insists that she marry well. It’s a good thing she begins to notice her brothers’ closest friend, Gavin, er, Lord Blackmoor. She notices his broad shoulders, gray eyes, and the knot in his cravat. She even notices his odd behavior around her, which obviously is nothing more than his worry that his father’s “accidental” death wasn’t all that accidental. Alex proceeds to do a lot more noticing en route to solving the mystery, as does Gavin. Bottom line: this is a good suggestion for readers looking for a PG version of a bodice ripper. Grades 7-10. --Courtney Jones --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books; Reprint edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545048877
• ISBN-13: 978-0545048873
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Europe

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book. Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One fabulous regency!, February 2, 2009

By 

Megan Crewe (Toronto, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Season (Hardcover)

Sarah MacLean's THE SEASON has everything a reader could want--a strong, smart heroine who sticks to her guns and saves the day, a romance that will make even the most skeptical heart giddy, a suspenseful mystery that will keep you turning pages right to the end, and a vividly realized historical setting. The writing is a delight, full of humor and tension. I had so much fun with Alex and her friends, and I eagerly look forward to to rejoining them in the sequel (because there had better be one!). Highly recommended to all fans of historical fiction, romance, mystery, and fine stories in general!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ballgowns, Mysteries, and Romance, February 3, 2009

By 

Deva Fagan (Hallowell, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Season (Hardcover)

As a fan of Jane Austen, mysteries, and strong female characters, this book was the perfect thing for me to read curled up on a snowy day with a cup of tea. All too often I find romances in novels don't move me as I would wish, but I was completely enthralled by the complicated and conflicted relationships in The Season. It was also a very fun read-- I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Alex and her two best friends Vivi and Emma discussing all manner of subjects. I am very much looking forward to visiting with them again!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, May 7, 2009

By 

Kaye Rose (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Season (Hardcover)

The Season is a light and charming YA novel set in Regency times. It is a romance with an Austen-like tone, and mystery thrown in for some adventure. It is the kind of book that I used to love as a teenager, and I might have given it 5 stars had I been younger.

It's not a perfect book: the characters have very modern ideas and don't always act in the manner that is believable for the time period (example, a gentleman would never swear in front of a lady--especially if he was trying to impress her); and the mystery part was a little boring (I would have preferred the author skipped it altogether).

But for the most part, it's entertaining. The major and minor characters are interesting. For the author's first novel, it's not bad at all.