Title:
Author(s): Sarah MacLean
Genre: young adult, historical, romance, mystery
Publisher/Year: Orchard/2009
-Webpage/Blog: MacLeanSpace

Synopsis: 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!

Review: Let me admit to something straight off the bat--if your character’s name is Alexandra Elizabeth and she’s a brunette, you’ve already got yourself an interested reader in me. If your book is also set in Regency England, you’ve just made a sale. No questions asked. If you then make the book so interesting and captivating, with lively characters, attention to detail and gorgeous gowns described--well you just earned yourself a dedicated reader until you stop writing.

The book begins with the start of the Season--the height of the ton’s social gatherings for four months of glittering balls, strolls through the park and social call after social call (not to mention dinner parties, al frescos, lunch get togethers, rides in carriages…) and Lady Alexandra’s debut into the society. She doesn’t hold much hope for excitement for the Season--she much prefers books and spending time with her two closest friends Ella and Vivi. Both of whom share her passion for the intellectual pursuits and wariness of formal gatherings.

The strength of the book relies on those three and their interactions with each other and the world at large. They each view the world differently, but look to each other for support and guidance. Just how many crazy schemes those three got into as children isn’t said, but from the plans they make in this book one can only imagine (with horror and humor equally)!

Our romantic leads--Alex and Blackmoor (Gavin)--follow a typical romance storyline, that of old friends who see each other differently as adults, but thankfully neither of them is blind. Alex doesn’t suddenly become a simpering miss, determined to behave differently in order to win him and Gavin doesn’t suddenly start treating her like a delicate flower. Neither do they admit to harboring feelings for years, they both recognize that it wasn't until recently they began to see each other in a romantic light.

The mystery, that of Blackmoor Senior’s death, is fairly easy to guess at, but its not a primary focus of the story. Not till closer to the end when things begin to heat up. Many chapters begin with a person’s thoughts--sinister thoughts that serve to advance the mystery plot without needlessly having the characters run around.

A highly recommended read for young adults who enjoy romance, fashion and a little bit of intrigue and for adult fans of the regency genre!

You're a big fan of romance according to both your blog (MacLeanSpace) and your author bio, do you have any particular favorites? Anyone you think influenced you?

I have been a romance reader since I was 10 and my 19 year old sister would leave harlequins all over the house. While I went through phases of romance...contemporary, paranormal, etc., I always came back to Regency-set romances...I think partially because the grandmother of the romance--Jane Austen--is a regency writer.

The authors who wrote in that genre are definitely the ones that I was inspired by--Jude Deveraux, Johanna Lindsey, Judith McNaught. Now is a fantastic time to be writing Regency romance--ya and adult--the genre is so rich and varied...there are so many amazing authors who are keeping it fresh and alive!

What sort of research did you have to do for The Season? What was your favorite aspect of the research [ie: the clothing, customs, etc]?

I'm in love with the Regency. To the point that it would be embarrassing if I didn't have a book coming out that I can use as my excuse for being obsessed with the time, the customs, the clothes, the traditions, etc.

I spent a dozen or so Saturday mornings in the microfilm room of the New York Public Library reading the Times of London from 1810-1820, and they were probably the best Saturday mornings of my life--no joke. I'm extremely lucky, because there have been some major Regency researchers who came before me, and paved the way for me to write the time period. I cannot stress enough how important books like An Elegant Madness and What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew were to my work...my copies are dog-eared and sticky noted and highlighted and annotated, and I need them daily for my writing. I'm also deeply indebted to the Online Etymology Dictionary--a free resource that is invaluable for writers of historical novels...the site kept me honest on a number of occasions when I was tempted to use a word that was coined in the 1960s.

Was any phase of the publication journey more frustrating then others?

The waiting once the book is done! Once the book is written, the process goes so quickly, editing, copy editing, first pass pages, cover, blurbs, ARCs... And then it just...stops. And it seems like an eternity before you hold the actual, real deal book in your hand. Even now, I've got the book in my hand and I've got to wait 6 WEEKS before it's actually on shelves and people are actually able to buy it. I just wish it would be here already!

Any advice or resource you found invaluable during your journey?

Writing isn't a talent. It's a skill. And it takes practice and constant use to hone that skill and keep it honed. Write every day. Because for every day you take off, you need a week of writing to get back up to speed.

Will your readers be seeing more of Alex, Vivi and Ella in the future? Any hints as to what sort of mischief the girls will be getting up to?

I sure hope so! Vivi and Ella both have books in the works...and all I can say about that is that they're both due for adventures and romance of their own. I can also promise that they're equally up to the challenge as Alex is!

Do you look back at The Season and think maybe this plot or character could have been tweaked a bit more or that you wish you could have gone into more detail about?

I'd love to spend more time with the minor characters...Nicola Salisbury, Alex's brothers, even the odious Penelope! But the good thing about having Vivi and Ella's books in the works means that the door isn't shut on those characters...or on any of the others...so, we'll see where they go next!

What scene or character did you most enjoy writing? And which scene or character do you think you had the most problems with?

Alex, Ella and Vivi were so fun to play with...I am so happy to have known and spent time with them...and they always took me somewhere I wasn't expecting them to go! I also have a (now not so) secret crush on Freddie Stanhope, who is totally the boy with whom I would have escaped into the Worthington House gardens! He's charming and wonderful...and has a good decade of rakishness in him before he meets the girl who will knock him for a loop.

As for characters I had problems with...oddly enough, the hardest ones were cut from the manuscript early on. Which, looking back, is probably a good thing. :)