The Season

by Sarah MacLean

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!

• ISBN10: 1338566571
• ISBN13: 9781338566574
• Publish Date: 30 April 2019 (first published 1 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Just as I find myself in a tizzy over the lack of Sarah MacLean books to read, I found myself with The Season, a young adult historical romance from Sarah MacLean herself. Imagine my good fortune! And now that I've finished The Season, I'm a little disappointed it's not the beginning of a series; I find myself much attached to all the characters.

Very. Much. Attached.

So often in adult historical romances (and perhaps this isn't so YA; Blackmoor is in his twenties, though kissing and embracing is as far as it ever goes), the heroines are well past their first seasons, perhaps "on the shelf" and usually have given up on the prospect of marriage. Alex's experiencing her first season and she has no desire to marry.

Heh. Oh. The strong ones always fall the hardest, no matter the gender.

But I loved the friendship between Alex, Vivi, and Ella. I adored all three of Alex's brothers (even when she did not). The three girls are bright, intelligent, and prone to fits of giggles, which frankly, sometimes you need to have a proper giggle fit. The mystery wasn't all that mysterious, but it was still quite fine and not completely predictable. I'm just a little disappointed that The Season is over and I have no more.

*wanders off in despair*

[rakesandrogues]

I have such a high expectation when it comes to Sarah MacLean novels just because I am so in love with her adult romances. Of course, I had to tell myself that THE SEASON is young adult and that I cannot give it such high expectations.

THE SEASON by Sarah MacLean still turned out to be a fun read despite the fact that it is not quite as sexy as I expect MacLean novels to be. I love the mix of romance and mystery in THE SEASON. It’s not the most well-crafted mystery – I uncovered the culprit way before the characters – but the mixing of genres made it a more engaging read.

Alex is a fun character to read about. Like any other protagonist during this era, she’s the kind of girl who doesn’t want to live by the ton‘s standards. Alex doesn’t want to get married for the sake of duty and she secretly wants a love match. When she sees her childhood friend Gavin for the first time in months, readers immediately notice the spark between them.

I would not mind it at all if MacLean decides to write a sequel or two (romance genre style, of course) about Vivi and Ella. They made great supporting characters, and I have to admit – I’m really curious as to how they will get their happily ever afters.

At the end of the day, I still prefer MacLean’s adult romances – just because they are a lot steamier. I would still recommend The Season to teens who love historical romances that is more age appropriate. If I had discovered THE SEASON a lot earlier, this probably would have been the book to make me seek out adult romance.

[ladygrey]

If there were half stars, it's likely I'd give [b:The Season|39662|Different Seasons|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329662611s/39662.jpg|2248680] 3 1/2 stars. The world isn't exceptionally realized, but [a:Sarah MacLean|1598076|Sarah MacLean|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1499444204p2/1598076.jpg] has set the story in a world that is already familiar so there's less need to establish it. She does seem quite at home in Regency England allowing the propriety and formaltiy to easily infuse dialog and perceptions of the characters.

MacLean's strength is in her dialog which she seems to recognize as description is kept to a minimum. It could have been minimized even more in the beginning where she has a tendancy to over-tell. The dialog, in contrast, is brisk and engaging and fun.

The characters are also what makes this story so delightful. Alexandra Stafford, as the central character, is easily the least interesting. Which is not to say I didn't like her, just that I liked everyone else so much. Possibly the others were more fascinating from largely being seen from Alexandra's point of view. But I adored her friends and her brothers and the esteemable Gavin Blackmoore. I liked that Alexandra and her friends were intelligent and capable; knew when to speak out with boldness and when to ask for help; and that they could remain feminine without being stubborn or clumsy or tom-boyish or any number of cliches authors like to use for strong women. I even liked her mother who could be intelligent and interesting and still insist on hosting the best parties and that her children marry appropriately.

The underlying mystery is completely obvious from the beginning. But the rest of the story is sweetly romantic and thoroughly enjoyable.