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The Siren of Sussex
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
8 posts | 8 read | 4 to read
Victorian high societys most daring equestrienne finds love and an unexpected ally in her fight for independence in the strong arms of Londons most sought after and devastatingly handsome half-Indian tailor. Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she's worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention she'll need a habit-maker who's not afraid to take risks with his designsand with his heart. Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row's infamous Pretty Horsebreakersbut no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible. But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?
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SheReadsAndWrites
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Diving into this one that looks fun and lighthearted which I need right now! Any other light and fun read #recommendations ?I'm asking all #littens for suggestions. 🤓 #bookhelp

Bluebird The Amazing Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman is a fun, light read, especially if you enjoy mystery or spy books Audiobook is fabulous. 1mo
41 likes2 comments
review
julesG
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

Forbidden romance. Lovers from different social classes. She needs to find a husband, he's supposed to make her the most gorgeous riding habit ever.

Belles of London series book 1

#FabulousFebruary @Andrew65
#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView

Andrew65 Execellent, looks a good series. 👏👏 1mo
TheSpineView Great job! 1mo
67 likes2 comments
review
iread2much
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

This was a book that was real enough to be sad, but ended happily. I loved all the descriptions of fashion and horses.
Evie comes to London to find a husband and make a future for her sisters and has a daring plan to use her riding skills and her meeting with a daring fashion designer will change her ideas of how to build a better future.
4/5 stars, read if you enjoy historical romance and love fashion.

PageShifter Sounds really awesome, horses 💜🐴 4mo
iread2much @PageShifter horses and fashion! It‘s a great combo 😊 4mo
bookishbitch This sounds really interesting! 3mo
See All 6 Comments
iread2much @bookishbitch I was very impressed, it was a fun read 😊 3mo
bookishbitch @iread2much got it on my kindle. Thanks for the recommendation! 3mo
iread2much @bookishbitch you are so welcome! I hope you enjoy it 3mo
18 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
Clare-Dragonfly
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Bailedbailed

I picked this up because I heard it had lots of descriptions of fashion and fabric. It had some, but not to the level of detail I wanted (at least not so far). I was looking for Bernadette Banner, and this is… a historical romance. I feel like I should have liked the characters but I just wasn‘t interested in their romance. Not a bad book, but not for me.

shanaqui Ooh, sounds like I might be interested though! 7mo
23 likes1 comment
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MamaGina
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this romance, it was just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump…Ahmad and Evie were just lovely to root for and I‘m looking forward to the next in this Belles of London series…Favorite Quote: “It‘s lately seemed to me that we ladies are dropped into a churning sea and forbidden from revealing that we know how to swim.”⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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MamaGina
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews

“Evelyn entered the shop alone. She was at once assailed by the scent of fresh ink, paper and new leather bindings. A delicious fragrance. She breathed it in, feeling at once both excited and oddly at peace. For a reader, a bookshop was rather like a church.”

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Johanna414
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

This was a fun romance, with likeable characters and a great cast of side characters (who I expect will have future books of their own). I liked that this wasnt your typical Victorian era romance where the girl gets the duke... instead, she falls in love with her Indian dressmaker. I only has a couple small issues. First, they resolved all their issues just a little too easily. Second was more of a "me" issue but I got bored with all of the ⬇️

Johanna414 descriptions of fabric and dresses. Some people will definitely love that about this book - I'm not not a particularly visual person and have no interest in fashion 🤣 13mo
41 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
esurient
The Siren of Sussex | Mimi Matthews
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Pickpick

(Author's note quoted above.)

I broke down. I bought it. It's very sweet.

Pros: Matthews packed this story full of female friendships, descriptions of beautiful gowns primarily from the perspective of the maker, ladies on sidesaddle, gentlemen introduced first by their horses, and a POC hero. I especially loved the horses and the focus on non-noble characters.

esurient Cons: the novel is very brisk. The British occupation of India is a minor plot point and important to several characters ranging from career military involved to characters who feel they can neither claim to be English nor Indian to characters who are just discovering what British occupation means. It's a detail that would easily absorb a whole book, but there's only enough pagespace here to allow Matthews time to mention it and move on. (edited) 1y
esurient The same goes for other historical details involved here, working conditions for seamstresses and the difficulty for a POC character to set up a trade -- all absolutely real things I wanted to learn more about, and I clearly needed the book to be about a thosand pages longer. 1y
esurient And while I like the main characters and their growing feelings for each other, the romance felt too smooth. There were massive, important reasons for them to halt or delay their relationship, and while this was acknowledged in the plot, it didn't actually cause so much as pause for breath. The villains didn't pose much of an obstacle either, and could by and large be safely ignored by even the reader. (edited) 1y
esurient Matthews is planning a four book series here, so I will be interested in seeing if the brief historical elements are explored even further (I have high hopes regarding the British occupation -- there's a captain who is poised as the next hero). (edited) 1y
esurient All in, the villains were dull, the dresses were pretty, the female friendships were my favorite part, and this wasn't a bad pick. I'll look forward to the next one. 1y
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