Scan barcode
wordsofclover's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It's the 1860s, and Evelyn Maltravers has arrived to London for her first season at the grand old age of three abd twenty, ready to salvage her family's reputation and her younger sisters' futures following a reckless decision made by another sibling. Evie must marry rich, and for this she needs the help of an expert habit maker as she knows her beauty lies not in the ballroom but on the back of her horse. Enter Ahmad Malik, whose skill with needle and thread is only bested by how handsome he is. Immediately there is an attraction between the two but with the opinions of high society in the way, what can they do to make it work.
I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. While there isn't necessarily insta-love in this book, there is insta-attraction. I would have liked the slow burn to have been built up even more than it was between the two and for it to have taken a bit longer for the two to realise how deeply attracted they were to each other. The historical elements in this book were very good and I appreciated how the author dealt with Ahmad being a POC, half Indian and half British, how he was treated by people as a POC but also as a tradesman, and then his opinions about colonisation and the general wrong ideas Brits had about India and its peoples - and then how Evelyn strived to learn more herself from those affected by British rule, not the colonizers themselves.
As a horse girl I loved the horse element in this book, and really loved the friendship between Evelyn and the Furies and I really look forward to reading the next book which I think was set up really nicely in this one.
I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. While there isn't necessarily insta-love in this book, there is insta-attraction. I would have liked the slow burn to have been built up even more than it was between the two and for it to have taken a bit longer for the two to realise how deeply attracted they were to each other. The historical elements in this book were very good and I appreciated how the author dealt with Ahmad being a POC, half Indian and half British, how he was treated by people as a POC but also as a tradesman, and then his opinions about colonisation and the general wrong ideas Brits had about India and its peoples - and then how Evelyn strived to learn more herself from those affected by British rule, not the colonizers themselves.
As a horse girl I loved the horse element in this book, and really loved the friendship between Evelyn and the Furies and I really look forward to reading the next book which I think was set up really nicely in this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent
yourbookishbff's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a really enjoyable read and my first by Mimi Matthews! The historical touches (the pretty horse-breakers, the Victorian spiritualism, etc.) added a lot to the story, and I loved our two main characters. The male main character is biracial and Indian, and the female main character is white, and Matthews navigates the difficulties of interracial marriages at this time - as well as the difficulty in simply existing in the kingdom of your colonizer as an Indian person in the late 1800s (particularly after the uprising of 1857). Matthews is also biracial and Indian and notes in the author's note how Ahmad's story reflects her own feelings of being caught between worlds and cultures. This is slower-paced and a felt a little too long for the central conflict to support, but I'll likely continue the series! This is closed-door, with lots of pining and slow-building tension that is truly delicious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny and Pregnancy
katrinaward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Sexual assault
blewballoon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an excellent historical fiction romance. The setting is clearly well researched and the story is immersed in Victorian Era culture and fashion, with nuance. I do enjoy spicy books, but I found it refreshing to not have explicit spice here. The romance is chaste, with no on page sex scenes, but there was plenty of physical chemistry and intimacy between the characters. I felt their pull towards each other. Their dressmaking interactions were an excellent example of how you can create incredibly sensual moments without there being literal sex. I also felt their friendship and partnership growing the more they interacted. It was refreshing how open and honest they were to each other, yet there was still plenty of pining and tension. Evelyn starts the story somewhat naive due to her upbringing, but she is not willfully ignorant and is physically and emotionally strong. Ahmad is guarded and a bit cynical, but very compassionate and kindhearted. They are both genuinely talented and hard working in their respective areas, and respect each other's abilities. The side characters are interesting, but also serve to move the story forward. I listened to this on audio and I found myself thinking about it all the time when I wasn't listening. I had really high hopes for this one, and it met them. Mimi Matthews is probably going to be a new favorite author for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
amy_in_the_city's review
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and Sexual harassment
carleneslibrary's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I am not sure what to think of this book, but it is absolutely over-hyped in my opinion.
The romance was not at all romantic, and that was the most annoying thing to me. The characters didn't fall in love; they fell in lust. From the moment they met all they did was think about their physical attraction. It did get better throughout the book as they started to build a friendship, but the fact that it was all built on lust still felt gross to me. No relationship can be built on lust and make it very far.
The highlight for me was Evie and Ahmed as individuals. I did not like their relationship with each other but I did like everything else about them. Ahmed's struggles with race seemed very realistic for the time period and I did appreciate that this book got a little more real about issues like that than most historical romance. I also loved Evie's friends and if my main complaint about this book weren't the romance, I'd keep reading the series to get their stories. But I'm worried the romances will be so physically centric I won't enjoy them.
This book didn't have any sexual content, which I appreciate, but still managed to have all the worst attitudes and ideals of books with spice and I want to read romance, not smut.
The romance was not at all romantic, and that was the most annoying thing to me. The characters didn't fall in love; they fell in lust. From the moment they met all they did was think about their physical attraction. It did get better throughout the book as they started to build a friendship, but the fact that it was all built on lust still felt gross to me. No relationship can be built on lust and make it very far.
The highlight for me was Evie and Ahmed as individuals. I did not like their relationship with each other but I did like everything else about them. Ahmed's struggles with race seemed very realistic for the time period and I did appreciate that this book got a little more real about issues like that than most historical romance. I also loved Evie's friends and if my main complaint about this book weren't the romance, I'd keep reading the series to get their stories. But I'm worried the romances will be so physically centric I won't enjoy them.
This book didn't have any sexual content, which I appreciate, but still managed to have all the worst attitudes and ideals of books with spice and I want to read romance, not smut.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
leannanecdote's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Suicide, Classism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
lgoconno's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Abandonment
wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
A beautifully woven story full of longing and rich in historical detail.
I wish this had been a bit more slow burn, with more of a friendship forming first. It felt more like insta-lust the way they were so instantly enamoured of each other; a slower start would have been a bit more believable. Still, I loved both Ahmad and Evelyn separately and together. I especially enjoyed how respectful Ahmad was of women — not just middle- and upper-class women like Evelyn, but all women right down to sex workers. Evie’s independence and determination sets her up to be his ideal match despite the significant barrier of race and class. Their romance was so heartfelt and tender, full of simmering tension during the dressmaking scenes. Even when they didn’t think they could be together, they were open and honest about their feelings with each other.
I do think that you need to like both fashion and horses in order to enjoy this book, since they take such a prominent place in the plot. There’s also significant discussion on racism and colonialism that’s very naturally woven into Ahmad’s experience as a mixed race man in Victorian London. I loved that Evie takes it upon herself to buy books on India to inform herself on Ahmad’s experience. The addition of spiritualism was perhaps one plot point too many — all of these different things going on (there’s also subplots with Evie’s friends, one of Ahmad’s customers, Ahmad’s cousin, and Evie's sister) are kind of a detriment to the building romance, which could have had more focus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
jinjaritia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, Medical content, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
Minor: War and Violence