The Season [Hardcover]

Sarah MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

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.

When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband? Romance abounds as this year's season begins!

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.)
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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

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545048869
• ISBN-13: 978-0545048866
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#61 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#63 in Books > Romance > Historical

#61 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#63 in Books > Romance > Historical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

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

By Megan Crewe

Format: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!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

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

By Deva Fagan

Format: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!

37 of 48 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Sorta lame. July 2, 2009

By Peony

Format:Hardcover

The synopsis for this book was intriguing to me because it describes it as a thrilling murder mystery with romance for young adults all set in the Regency era. I haven't ever read a book described like this before, and it sounded really good, but it wasn't. What was disappointing about The Season was the ratio of romance to mystery. It was like a whole pie to a really tiny slice that your mom who is on a diet would order. I was waiting for the clues and the sleuthing but it never really came along until the last hundred pages and by then I was so exasperated I didn't care anymore.

I also found the characters flat. All Alex ever seems to talk/think/dream about is not getting married and not being chased by hotties and not I DON'T CARE ANYMORE I GET IT. Her best friends are pretty boring too, mainly because they're all the same and don't serve any purpose other than to agree with each other. "I hate marriage." "So do I." "Me three!" And not to mention Gavin (who is not `brooding' at all, book jacket), who is so obviously going to cure Alex's aversion to men that its sad.

Overall I would not recommend this book, because its not very good. If you want to read something with mystery and sweet, subtle romance and awesome BFFs, read Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty.