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A review by aoife98
The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Let me start by saying this: If you dislike horses or thorough descriptions of clothing/dressmaking, this might not be the book for you. I personally didn’t mind all the horse talk but I have seen a few reviews mentioning this as an aspect they did not enjoy.
Getting ready to embark on her first (and only) London season, horse enthusiast Evelyn “Evie” Maltravers visits renowned tailor Mr. Doyle to commission one of his fashionable and eye catching riding habits. She intends to make a memorable first impression and believes the combination of her horsemanship and this new riding habit is the way to do it. Mr. Doyle refuses her request and Evelyn is disappointed until she realizes that Mr. Ahmed Malik, the second tailor in the shop, is the true creator of the riding habits. The pair strike up a relationship that straddles the line between business and pleasure. Their romance is tender and beautiful and both characters have to face harsh realities about their stations and the expectations placed on them — by themselves and by others. There is a lot of inner turmoil, especially on Ahmed’s side. Evelyn was more upfront about what (who) she wanted but I’m not sure she fully understood the risk she was taking. Her sole purpose in coming to London was to find an eligible, rich husband to help her younger sisters make good matches and Ahmed, a tailor, is unfortunately not that man.
Occasionally I got the impression that I should know more about Ahmed than I did but I later learned that he previously appeared in another Matthew’s novel which makes sense. While Ahmed’s background wasn’t as fleshed out (perhaps because Matthew’s had done so already), Evelyn was well written. We learn about her family, her sister (and why Evelyn is now the sister embarking on a season in London). I found myself rooting for them despite the perceived obstacles in their way.
Occasionally I got the impression that I should know more about Ahmed than I did but I later learned that he previously appeared in another Matthew’s novel which makes sense. While Ahmed’s background wasn’t as fleshed out (perhaps because Matthew’s had done so already), Evelyn was well written. We learn about her family, her sister (and why Evelyn is now the sister embarking on a season in London). I found myself rooting for them despite the perceived obstacles in their way.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was my first time reading Mimi Matthew’s work and I appreciated her prose and detail descriptions of the clothing Ahmed was working on. You can tell she did her research and knows this time period well. This one of the few closed door historicals that I’ve read and I think it worked really well for this story.
My main critiques of this story are:
- It dragged a little at points a nd may have benefited from being 50 pages short
- I didn’t enjoy the Prince Albert / spiritualism side plot
I’ll definitely be checking out the other books in the series!