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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
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
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
buttermellow's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Misogyny, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide
sydapel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Followed the thing I did as a kid where I picked up a book entirely for the horse on the cover, but I despite a lackluster start and the lack of steam, I liked this! It's clearly setting up an entire series, so there's quite a bit going on, but I liked the central relationship a lot, especially Evie's determination to create a life for herself and Ahmad. I feel a bit weird about a white woman writing from the perspective of a half Indian person, but I can't speak to how well or badly it's handled. I wish that there had been less focus on side plots so that we could dedicate a little more time to Evie and Ahmad's physical relationship, but this is a good entry into historicals if that's what you're looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual assault
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Mental illness
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
This historical romance is one of those majestic finds that puts the "historical" part first. While you won't find me casting stones at lovely fluff, I'm so impressed at works in the genre that dig into the meat of the time period and lead readers on a journey that feels more tangible and has the gravitas of real life.
The story takes us to 1860s London, where sensible Evelyn is conducting her one and only season for the future benefit of her younger sisters. Orphaned, haunted by a scandal brought on by her older sister, and staying with an absent uncle more interested in antiquities and spiritualism than society, Evelyn has only herself to rely on. She's an athletic equestrienne with a great appreciation for fashion, and she sets out to use her strengths to get ahead on the marriage mart rather than relying on tried and true methods that don't suit her skillset. She sets out to hire a tailor to make her a riding habit that will be the talk of the town. Ahmad Malik is the best at what he does, but he's itching to follow his passion as a dressmaker rather than working as a men's tailor. A partnership forms between them that will benefit Evelyn's husband hunt and Ahmad's need to have his designs seen and coveted by society. An inconvenient attraction brews between them that could derail both of their plans.
The historical detail covers a broad range of topics from the obvious fashion and tailoring to horsemanship and social expectations. There are also unexpected layers including the spiritualism fad sweeping through the aristocracy. As is typical for me, it's the social commentary I appreciated most. Ahmad's identity as both Indian and English is an important component of the story, which the author notes is informed by her own experiences. This necessitates conversations between the characters about the intersections between colonialism, race, and class. The approach is nuanced and shown on the page with both feeling and careful thought.
In terms of romance, I would categorize it as low-level tension in terms of pining, steam (closed door), and drama. Evelyn is a very determined character, equipping herself with multistep plans and consulting her conscience more than social expectation. Ahmad has very reasonable reservations about pursuing a relationship given the social barriers, but he is largely upfront with Evelyn about his concerns rather than hiding away in toxic masculinity to avoid his feelings. I appreciate that upper class courting habits are in no way romanticized here. The genre often falls into an interesting tension whereby these practices are largely portrayed as mercenary while still managing to tell all manner of stories that rely on them for a happily ever after. This one discards the whole experience of a season as stressful and unromantic as Evelyn and her friends fend off all manner of sexist aristocratic men, and Evelyn ultimately finds love not only outside the expected system but actually in defiance of those constraints and rules.
I admire everything this book sets out to accomplish. The lack of motion and excitement in the romance kept me from being fully enamored with the love story itself, but I enjoyed the historical-heavy components very much. Thanks to Berkley Romance for my copy to read and review!
The story takes us to 1860s London, where sensible Evelyn is conducting her one and only season for the future benefit of her younger sisters. Orphaned, haunted by a scandal brought on by her older sister, and staying with an absent uncle more interested in antiquities and spiritualism than society, Evelyn has only herself to rely on. She's an athletic equestrienne with a great appreciation for fashion, and she sets out to use her strengths to get ahead on the marriage mart rather than relying on tried and true methods that don't suit her skillset. She sets out to hire a tailor to make her a riding habit that will be the talk of the town. Ahmad Malik is the best at what he does, but he's itching to follow his passion as a dressmaker rather than working as a men's tailor. A partnership forms between them that will benefit Evelyn's husband hunt and Ahmad's need to have his designs seen and coveted by society. An inconvenient attraction brews between them that could derail both of their plans.
The historical detail covers a broad range of topics from the obvious fashion and tailoring to horsemanship and social expectations. There are also unexpected layers including the spiritualism fad sweeping through the aristocracy. As is typical for me, it's the social commentary I appreciated most. Ahmad's identity as both Indian and English is an important component of the story, which the author notes is informed by her own experiences. This necessitates conversations between the characters about the intersections between colonialism, race, and class. The approach is nuanced and shown on the page with both feeling and careful thought.
In terms of romance, I would categorize it as low-level tension in terms of pining, steam (closed door), and drama. Evelyn is a very determined character, equipping herself with multistep plans and consulting her conscience more than social expectation. Ahmad has very reasonable reservations about pursuing a relationship given the social barriers, but he is largely upfront with Evelyn about his concerns rather than hiding away in toxic masculinity to avoid his feelings. I appreciate that upper class courting habits are in no way romanticized here. The genre often falls into an interesting tension whereby these practices are largely portrayed as mercenary while still managing to tell all manner of stories that rely on them for a happily ever after. This one discards the whole experience of a season as stressful and unromantic as Evelyn and her friends fend off all manner of sexist aristocratic men, and Evelyn ultimately finds love not only outside the expected system but actually in defiance of those constraints and rules.
I admire everything this book sets out to accomplish. The lack of motion and excitement in the romance kept me from being fully enamored with the love story itself, but I enjoyed the historical-heavy components very much. Thanks to Berkley Romance for my copy to read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, and War
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