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brianne_k's review against another edition
3.0
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.
*3/5*
The Siren of Sussex is the first in a new historical romance series by Mimi Matthews. This book follows Evelyn Maltravers as she makes her first season debut at three and twenty years old. Evelyn comes to London to stay with her Uncle, who is pretty absent from her life. She is most comfortable on her horse and is adamant on having a handsome riding habit, and this kicks off our books. Evelyn has seen The Pretty Horsebreakers and found out where they had theirs made. Enter Ahmad Malik; a half-Indian tailor who has a unique eye for ladies fashion and finds a muse in Evelyn.
She needs to make a good match for herself and to make sure her younger sisters can secure good matches in the future. There is also a scandal involving her older sister that she is hoping people don’t remember. There is some issues with her older sister and an old friend.
There is a lot of talk of fashion and spiritualism in this book. More than I was expecting. And way less romance – there are a few kisses and that’s all.
I did love how much Evelyn knew her own mind and heart. She knew she wanted to be with Ahamd, no matter the hardships. She even tried to find books to read that weren’t written by white men.
Ahmad was talented and you were really rooting for him to succeed.
I will definitely be checking out the future books in this series. I already looked and saw who book 2 is about and I am excited.
*3/5*
The Siren of Sussex is the first in a new historical romance series by Mimi Matthews. This book follows Evelyn Maltravers as she makes her first season debut at three and twenty years old. Evelyn comes to London to stay with her Uncle, who is pretty absent from her life. She is most comfortable on her horse and is adamant on having a handsome riding habit, and this kicks off our books. Evelyn has seen The Pretty Horsebreakers and found out where they had theirs made. Enter Ahmad Malik; a half-Indian tailor who has a unique eye for ladies fashion and finds a muse in Evelyn.
She needs to make a good match for herself and to make sure her younger sisters can secure good matches in the future. There is also a scandal involving her older sister that she is hoping people don’t remember. There is some issues with her older sister and an old friend.
There is a lot of talk of fashion and spiritualism in this book. More than I was expecting. And way less romance – there are a few kisses and that’s all.
I did love how much Evelyn knew her own mind and heart. She knew she wanted to be with Ahamd, no matter the hardships. She even tried to find books to read that weren’t written by white men.
Ahmad was talented and you were really rooting for him to succeed.
I will definitely be checking out the future books in this series. I already looked and saw who book 2 is about and I am excited.
silver_anchor4's review against another edition
2.0
Enjoyed the descriptions of the gowns, but didn't connect with any of the characters. Pacing was not good, imo. Definitely insta-love and the ending was dragged on for to long.
lolovesbooks3's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The dress making details in this were uh-mazing! By far the best part of the book. Evelyn and Ahmad’s attraction was solely based on the physical for most of the book and I didn’t feel like it ever really moved into a more emotional relationship until AFTER they declared their love. How can you love someone you hardly know? This bothered me a a bit but the story was interesting and I was entertained.
I will read anything and everything Mimi Matthews writes. This just wasn’t a favorite of mine like the second book in this series was!
I will read anything and everything Mimi Matthews writes. This just wasn’t a favorite of mine like the second book in this series was!
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
thecolorsofhelen's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
blairrose22's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
hannahleewhite's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
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
jaymoonneyyy's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable read, I enjoyed the diversity of the main characters and those surrounding them as well.
daniliz11's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tad insta-lovey, but I think historical romance is one of the only genres that can make that trope work for me. I liked both of the main characters and was interested in the side characters as well (very interested in Julia and Captain Blunt’s book). You can tell that this author knows her history (and her horses) and the book was very well researched and put together. Overall an enjoyable read.