Review: The Season by Sarah MacLean

Filed in Review , Sarah MacLean , The HEA Lover Posted on October 20, 2010 @ 11:00 am 7 comments

Format Read: Print
Number of Pages: 343 pages
Release Date: March 1st 2009
Publisher: Orchard Books
Formats Available: Paperback, Ebook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository UK, Book Depository US

Book Blurb:

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 a 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!

My Thoughts:

After reading and loving Sarah MacLean’s adult books, I thought I could give her YA debut a try. I didn’t launch myself blindly into this new adventure but a quick look at its Goodreads’ reviews though convinced me to read it. The Season is the first YA Historical Romance I’ve ever read…or better said I love it so much I can’t remember any other book I could compare it with. I am very happy I gave this book a chance. 


We follow 17 years old Alex, daughter of a duke, on her first Season in London. From the start you can’t help but like her and her best friends Ella and Vivi. Those three are witty, funny and charming and they are very different from the usual young ladies. Alex hates dress-fittings, she also doesn’t believe in marriage! As a young woman and daughter of a Duke, she is supposed to catch a wealthy titled husband during her first season, when all she wants is to be left alone. She doesn’t believe a woman should always be told what to do. I loved that about her, she is independent and she thinks outside the box.

And then, there’s Gavin, the handsome new Earl of Blackmoor. He’s always been a friend to Alex, he was practically (<===this is the important word) her brother, he’s always been welcomed in their house. Gavin’s father died a few months ago, and his death is troubling. Gavin doesn’t believe it was an accident. There is the mystery of the book, what really happened? Why would someone want to kill his dad? Alex and her friends launch themselves in an adventure to discover the truth. I found the story gripping. The villain was not very hard to find but it was still interesting to see it all play out until the big revelation.
I really liked the friendship turning into love aspect of the book. Alex is young and she’s never been in love. She doesn’t even believe in ‘the One’. They slowly realize that they want more than being friends. I found the ending cute, Alex doesn’t change radically and she has the last word! This book is also filled with interesting secondary characters, Alex’s 3 brothers, Vivi and Ella, the young lords…I found them all hilarious and I really hope we’ll see them again. If I remember right, Sarah MacLean will write Vivi and Ella’s story! I really can’t wait.
The Season is a very cute and funny book. It’s a fresh new twist on Historical Romances. The characters could be our contemporaries in their way of thinking and behavior but I think this makes it more appealing to young readers. The only thing is that I never forgot it was a YA book, it has a YA feel to it. It’s not a bad thing though, I’m just not used to it 😉 I can’t wait for The Season to be translated in French so I can buy it for my young cousins. This is one of those books that will leave you with a smile on your face. 
I give The Season 5 Bookies.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review. I bought this book myself.

Copyright 2010-11 Book Lovers Inc.

About Caro The HEA Lover


Caroline is a HEA loving, yarn addicted French who's desperately hoping to get a HEA of her own. If she's not reading then she can be found knitting while listening to Audiobooks or watching Tv shows. Her secret addiction is reading websites that make fun at other people's expense (DYAC, Failbook)! Caroline also blogs at the Secret HEA Society with Susi.

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7 Comments

Join the Discussion
  • Life After Jane October 20, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    I really enjoyed this book. I'm hoping she'll write more YA and perhaps go on to tell Alex's friend's stories.

    I can't wait until next Tuesday when Ten Ways…comes out. I'm going to read it all in one night and not even come up for air.

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  • Jenny N. October 20, 2010 at 11:55 pm

    I'm the opposite having read this book and not her adult titles. Her historical romance titles sound great and I do want to read them one day.

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  • pattepoilue October 21, 2010 at 2:46 am

    @Life After Jane I hope she'll write those too. I'm secretly hope of of the girls will fall for one of Alex brothers 😉
    Ohhh yes! I LOVED Ten Ways. I hope you'll love it as much as I did. I devoured it too.

    @Jenny N =) Her adult titles are very very funny. But also way more sexy. Sarah's writing is a fresh new voice in the Historical romance world. I can't wait to read her future books.

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  • Jan von Harz October 21, 2010 at 3:48 am

    I just bought this book at a Book Fair. It got some play last spring during the Book Battle and I thought I needed to see why. Enjoyed your review. Time to move it up on the TBR pile!

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  • pattepoilue October 21, 2010 at 3:49 am

    @Jan von Harz Wooot I hope you'll love it too. It's pretty hard NOT to love it. And I've always thought the cover was gorgeous. *g*

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  • Blodeuedd October 21, 2010 at 4:04 am

    Sounds great, I think I'd really like YA like this one

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  • pattepoilue October 21, 2010 at 4:08 am

    @Blodeuedd Probably yes! It has all the elements that makes a good historical romance + a fresh new view on it. Very cute book. =)

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