"'It's not a fair world I'm afraid. Beauty or fortune carries the day. You have the beauty and I the fortune, so there's every chance we'll succeed'

In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her sister and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near their Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for The Season to begin.

Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie's godmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition. Jostling for attention are the two lords - the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Rockliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.

Against the backdrop of glamorous Regency England, Sybella must settle Lucie's future, protect her own reputation, and resist the disreputable rakes determined to seduce the beautiful widow. As the Season ends, will the sisters have found the rarest of things - a suitable marriage with a love story to match?

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life in a page-turning novel packed with surprising revelations, which all comes wittily, gloriously, good in the end. Perfect for fans of Gill Hornby, Janice Hadlow, Jane Austen, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives."

If you're having Regency Romp withdrawals, here's a book for you!

This felt like the most historically accurate regency era novel I have ever read, I just wished the pacing had been a bit more consistent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

I have read many regency romances but I was astounded Etta Jame Done’s grasp on everything that is the regency era. From the music to the fashion to what is and what isn’t socially acceptable at that time. That truly made the marriage season more than just your average regency romance. Bella is a widow with a young son named James and she is also the ward for her sister Lucy in this season Bella will be trying to find her sister a suitable match and since her and her sister are untitled this could prove to be difficult. Thanks to Lucy‘s upper vescent personality and Bella‘s natural grace and refinement they were a hit with the title lords and ladies in London. Bella is worried though after the first party which was a renowned in success Lucy has become close to two Lourdes one who she could be his twin sister and the other who seems to be a wild but outgoing and gregarious person. Before melanosis Lucius calling them Freddy in Val and there are two constant companion this only worries Bella because how is she going to find a suitable match when she’s hanging around with two lords who she clearly just sees as friends or does she? While she is fretting over her sisters situation before she knows it she is called the thing at the opera on Lord what does Bella feel the same for this taciturn non-emotional man or is there more to him then she initially thinks? This book was so good and although it is a novella not a novel I will definitely be reading more by Jhené done in the future I have already downloaded to books from her off of Amazon. I thoroughly enjoyed this for anyone who loves regency romance adults best will definitely not only love bug come to appreciate the great research and knowledge that Jane done obviously possesses it made the book so much better. I love this book and highly recommend it. I received it from NetGalley and BoldwoodBooks but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I won't rehash the synopsis to get us started. I will just jump in.
This novel, though lovely and charming---is far from original. This is historical fiction along the lines of Bridgerton.
The Regency area of England was a time and a place that is still setting off the imaginations of readers and writers everywhere. BUT it also has been played. SO then authors come in with new ideas that were not part of the original era. AND that is fine and dandy, I am all for representation BUT I wish there could be more to the story than just romance.
This novel came close to that by having more than one romance unfold i9n the course of the story and the author does very well at not having one outshine the other.
As I said, it is sweet, charming, the characters do have love for each other that is easy to see BUT it is not anything to call a breakout.

3,5 stars rounded up

In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her siter and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near there Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for The Season to begin. Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie's grandmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition. Jostling for attention are the two Lords - the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Radcliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.

Filled with scandal, drama and captivating characters, this is a decent Regency period drama. I guessed correctly who the couples would be as they were quite predictable. The story is descriptively written. The story ended how I expected it to. I did enjoy the story, but I also felt there was something lacking at the same time.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #JaneDunn for my ARC of #TheMarriageSeason in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story and lost myself in the Season and the time it was set, it was full of romance, thrills and angst at times but I enjoyed every moment

I like historical novels a lot, but I am not really a romantic type, so I was not that sure about this book. I didn‘t need to worry, the book was not too soppy and I liked it a lot. The story fits the genre, of course, but it is not that predicable that I couldn‘t enjoy it. The characters develop nicely and are not only black and white. Mostly the character of little James was very enjoyable. The language was a bit old-fashioned, but it fitted the story well and didn‘t disturb me while reading.
I will certainly follow the author and hope she will write more enjoyable books.

I usually like a historical novel, however I really struggled to get into this one. For me it was slow start and it wasn’t until I was a third of the way through that I felt it started picking up.

The Marriage Season is a stand-alone book by Jane Dunn. This is the first book I have read by this author and I can assure you that it won't be the last. I will admit that it took me until about a third of the way into the book before I was drawn into the storyline, but once I was, I couldn't read quickly enough to find out what would happen next.
It is very obvious that the author researched the time period and her use of language from the regency era was a joy to read. I particularly loved the way that Sybella's young son James spoke. His grand love of horses was wonderful too. I loved how excited he was when he was close to beautiful horses and how he constantly wanted to ride them. He was adorable.
Sybella and her sister Lucie are as different as chalk and cheese yet they have a very close relationship. The men introduced to them throughout the story were all fascinating characters, especially of course the ones that were to perhaps end up romantically involved with the women.
I thoroughly enjoyed their story and was fascinated by the new things I learned about the era. This was a sweet romance and was a pleasure to read. I thoroughly recommend it.

I usually love all historical fiction, including the regency period with all its pomp and ceremony but unfortunately this one did not live up to expectation. I found it very predictable with not a lot of content or surprises. Well written and will appeal to many readers but not for me. Additionally, I agree with many readers that the horse element was overdone, it was far too repetitive (and I'm a horsey person) but I'd probably love the horse thing if I was watching it on the television! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the e advance review copy.

I had a hard time getting into this book. At many times, it felt very anachronistic or hit wrong notes. At other times, it felt like someone was trying to set a record for talking about horses. The main characters were dull and the male love interests didn't exactly sound like they would make good husbands for the women. I was bored with the women and really disliked the men.

Story: Sybella lost her beloved new husband in the war but he left her a precious gift - a son, now 6 years old. Together with her sister, the two embark on a trip to London to find a suitable husband for Lucie. Cue several candidates for both women and a lot of horses.

This is a book where not a lot happens and nearly every character lacks charisma. The men all have bad traits that I imagine the women are supposed to cure when they obtain a wedding ring. But it was hard to get to that point. The scenes with Sybella's son James were especially annoying and we are supposed to be enamored of his precociousness and obsession with horses - but it gets old fast and does not feel realistic at all. I was starting to skip through those scenes as a result. Both ladies did not feel like a part of the era and instead more like constructs who were a bit too preternatural and woke for the Regency milieu.

In all, the book greatly failed to keep my interest, was bland as milquetoast, and lacking a reason to want to root for or even like any of the main characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

While I enjoy books set in this period - I love how there were so many rules on how a lady should act and behave and that she was expected to be married off to a suitable gentleman after a period of wooing - this book unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

There was a lot of talk of horses, but not enough developments to keep me gripped.

I will say, however, that Lucie and Sybella are wonderfully strong female protagonists, which i loved!

Not a bad read, but not quite as exciting as I had hoped.

There are two love story here. Two sisters meet new love. Sybella Carey aka Mrs. Lovatt is a widow with one little boy meet Anthony Brabazon, guardian and cousin of Freddie, meet Sybella. He think as a widow Sybella must be older. Anthony is uptight like to be in control surprise by his reaction to Sybella.

Miss Lucie Carey and Lord Freddie Lynwood the young earl. Lucie Carey carefree young woman live in country life who ready to debut in London meet Freddie. She help him when injury since then He call her Guardian angel.

This is lovely book i love how author describe England in that era. Daily live in manor country side, Season in London, London scenery in that time. The word little bit stiff but i still enjoy the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#TheMarriageSeason #JaneDunn #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley #ARC

What a sweet book. Two sisters, the oldest, Sybella, a young widow with a young son, Lucie, a young lady preparing for her first season in London. They leave their sweet home in the Country for the Marriage Mart in London, after meeting a rambunctious Lord Lynnwood, a young Earl, who spends his money gaming, women, and horses. His handsome, strict guardian, Anthony Barberzon, whose country estate lies next to the young ladies. To be quite honest this is the first book by this author, and I always give debut books a break from my strict criticism, there are slight problems in this sweet story, it needs more lightness, a command of words used during the Napoleonic Wars, and less latin used by the godmother. Women were not encouraged to learn Latin, much less use it in speaking with each other. French yes, Latin no. I must admit to enjoying parts of this clean romance, and I look forward to her next book. Thank you #Netgalley #BoldwoodBooks
I recommend.
carolintallahassee

The Marriage Season is a fantastic regency romance with a little bit for everyone. There are great characters that will make you laugh out loud (specially young James) and an interesting plot that takes us from the country to the "ton" to see what lies in store for Lucie. I really enjoyed not only Lucie, Val, and Freddie's storyline, but equally enjoyed the Bella and Mr. B storyline. While the romances were kind of predictable, I really liked the trip getting there. I have to say I was glad I read this on my Kindle becasue I had to look up a ton of words. I am not normally a regency romance reader, but this one was just my style. I loved it and really hope the author revists these charatcers in future books.

I received this from Netgalley and Boldwood books. I really wanted to like this novel however there wasn’t really anything that happened but a few parties. The child described horses more than anything happened. I was really let down by this. The characters are pleasant but I really wish there was more to the story. This had so much potential but fell flat to me.

This was a fun regency romance containing all the elements that you would expect. A young widow takes her beautiful sister to London to find a husband. Whilst there, they attend balls at Almacks, go riding in Hyde Park and of course, meet eligible young men.

I liked the characters of Sybella and Lucie and their relationship as sisters was one of my favourite parts of the book. I felt that the men were less well written and seemed far more like stock characters including the impetuous young man running through his inheritance and the jaded older man who has given up on love. The romances were a little predictable but it was still fun seeing how the relationships played out although I’m fairly sure that Lucie would not have been able to spend all the time that she did with her two courtiers in real life.

I felt that the book owed a good deal to Georgette Heyer especially the character of Sybella’s young son. For me, the parts with the horses and child did get a bit wearing as we seemed to be reading the same things over again.

However, this was an enjoyable read especially for a debut novel and I would certainly read another book by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was hoping for something with snappy wit, bold characters, and lots of drama. Unfortunately, this is a book about horses.

Okay, okay, it's not REALLY. But the plain truth is that there were more discussions and descriptions of horses in the first 30% than there were of any of the characters. And there were a LOT of characters. Our heroines start well enough, but after introductions, things go downhill. There is a lot of telling, rather than showing, both in backstory and in the interactions of the ladies with any of the gentlemen they meet. For example, we're told, not shown, who is a rake, who is cold, etc., and then we immediately go into that person's POV so the author can ensure we know exactly what we're supposed to think of them. Everyone here is, despite what we're told at first, wonderful and perfect, especially the horses.

I wanted to love this and was ready to overlook a lot, but this just got messier and messier and I didn't connect with either the characters or the writing. Also, the world's smartest 3 year old got tiresome pretty fast. Honestly, I thought both ladies would end up with the men working for them, one of whom had been tasked by the dead husband to look after the family. That would have made for a more compelling read than what we got.

I am an avid reader or regency novels in particular those of Austen herself, so I was very excited to begin this book.
This is a fun tale of two sisters (one widowed and one ready to be presented to the ton) who travel to London for the season.
What follows is a classic almost Austen like tail of broody gentlemen, libertine rakes and some drama involving horse accidents.

I did struggle to get into the book at first as the language felt completely off. I felt the casualness and informality of conversations as well as some bizarre statements to be completely out of place, (if not even 90 or more years out of place). This was especially so with the conversations between Val, Freddie and Lucie, who for one would not have been on such informal name bases as well as such close body contact. And I had to triple check when a London lord uttered the sentence “well if it ain’t”. It was really more suited to late Victorian era /cowboy-esque.

Once I could get past the language barrier it was quite an enjoyable tale (although the horse descriptions did become tiresome).

My favourite however in the whole book was the wonderful Sampson. Such a character who’s opinions were so wonderfully portrayed through simple descriptions of his facial expressions. Such a wonderful judgemental man who shone in every mention.

*3.5 rounded down for Goodreads rating*

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

"The Marriage Season" by Jane Dunn is a historical romance set in Regency England and follows widow Sybella Lovatt and her younger sister Lucie as they travel to London for the "marriage season". Along the way, they meet a reverse harem of handsome rakes that will test the sisters.

I thought this was a pretty cute romance. I don't normally read romances because I tend to find them super unrealistic and if I am reading a romance it's usually cause it's fun s""t. That said, I had to request this because much of my field of research is from the Regency period of British literature so I thought "Why not?"Generally, I enjoyed the relationship between Sybella and Lucie. I thought they were cute and intelligent women with a strong sense of self. I felt reminded of a mix of Jane and Lizzie Bennet and Jane Eyre with the two sisters (Lucie did have a small mix in of Kitty and Lydia) with how often the sisters read, had discussions about not losing themselves amidst the marriage market, and how much they cared for one another. I also thought that Freddie Lynwood was a funny and charming character but he was really the only male lead that I ended up liking. I thought the other rakes sounded handsome and fun but a lot of their behaviors fell more to the uncomfortable side rather than the "I can fix him" side of rakishness.

One thing I was finding myself getting bored of was all the horse talk. I understand why it was included and can see why it helped, but man was it a drag. It was one thing to read it as a tool to show off the sisters' independence and capabilities but it was another whenever James spouted off about horses. I mean it felt like every couple of paragraphs had a paragraph or two about horses. I could have done without the horse information and would have loved to see more about the sisters. Maybe more secret violin playing from Sybella, or more of her bees, maybe Lucie meeting other like-minded women and discussing books? I don't know, I just got bored multiple times reading this cause of the horse bits (rarely does this happen to me as I've spent a lot of my education reading late 18th to late 19th century British Literature).

Overall, I enjoyed my reading experience. I was invested in the main characters and liked that the book gave equal time to both of their storylines. I found the possible interests intriguing and liked how everything ended up.