The Debutante's Dilemma

by Elyse Mady

• ISBN10: 1426890737
• ISBN13: 9781426890734
• Publish Date: 8 November 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Carina Press
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[celinenyx]

Little romance novella set in Regency England. Debutante Miss Cecelia Hastings is being courted by two of the most eligible bachelors of the whole empire. Yet before she can make a choice between the two of them, she has to ask them something. Something of the utmost discretion.

Even though I generally dislike love-triangles, I got this novella for free, so I figured I'd give The Debutante's Dilemma a try. Because the choosing between the two men was actually the focus of the story, it felt less of a convenient "hey, let's make our heroine's love life a more exciting!" but a genuine plot. It fits the time period, where marriage is on the top of a girls mind.

Because this book is so short, there is not much time to have some more in-depth info about the characters, and I had a hard time to keep Cecelia's suitors apart. For me their character was pretty much interchangeable, not having seen them enough to remember their distinct personalities.

The resolution of the plot was rather rushed, just a mention afterwards. I myself didn't even get it at first, because there's just some hinting at, and no direct description. Ms Mady uses a lot of fancy words, which fits the book, but doesn't make it easier to read. As English is not my first language, I was glad my Kindle had a dictionary function, or I probably would have put this book down.

It's a historical M/F/M novella, available for a very decent price. If you're into this kind of books, you will probably like The Debutante's Dilemma.

[Kim Deister]

The Debutante's Dilemma is a historical romance set in 1800's London, in the height of the Season. It is a time of strict moral codes of behavior and the Cecilia Hastings is far more passionate than her prim and proper fellow debutantes. Cecilia was a likeable character, and as relatable as a character from another century and society can be. Her emotional struggle between her heart and the rules of society was well-written and well-developed, and drew me in as a reader. While you knew from the beginning where the story was leading, getting there was still an enjoyable thing. I did wonder how there was going to be a satisfying ending, as the story was leading to something other than what society at that time would have expected. But the ending did answer the remaining questions satisfactorily, if a little rushed. There was a bit of an erotic turn to the story, but it didn't overshadow the book and was not the primary focus of the story.