The Season by Sarah MacLean

“Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London—she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of London season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance. Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties, and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process? Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s season begins!”

This is one of those books that seemed to be calling to me. I had read a few reviews that sounded promising, and I really liked the cover. I was a little nervous that it was going to be too much like the Luxe novels, which I loved, but it was very unique and equally engaging. I thought this had a great story line, and things moved along nicely. The first part of the book seemed to focus more on the relationships and all the balls they were attending. While the second half focused more on the mystery and plot of the story. Overall, I thought it was a great, entertaining read. I enjoyed the relationship between Gavin and Alex and thought the book ended perfectly. My only complaint is that the author used the Lord’s name in vain and I personally hate seeing that in novels. That’s just a personal thing though, other than that I really enjoyed the story.

I don’t know if this is a stand-alone book or the first in a series. I truly hope that there will be at least two more books, from the perspective of Ella and Vivi. Ella was a clever character, it would be fun to see what adventure she finds herself in. Vivi is witty and I could see something brewing with her and one of Alex’s brothers, Will perhaps?

"The Season is frothy, girly, wicked, and wise to the tender, tenuous, and sometimes very strong ties between young people throughout the ages. With a backdrop of world events and enough nefariousness to go around, here is a romp for readers to lose themselves in."

-Anna Godbersen, author of The Luxe