The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2022 by Berkley

Series: Belles of London (#1)

Historical romance/own

Dukes always fall for dressmakers and such so why not turn it around. Here we have Evie who comes to London for a season. Orphan sisters who need money, not to mention a sister who ran away with a man. For a season you need to be dressed right, and well Evie might not be the prettiest or most fashionable so she decides to be brilliant on horseback and wow them all.

But first she needs a dressmakes and in comes Ahmed. Yes like the whole class thing is not hard to begin with, then there is the thing that Ahmed is half Indian half British. But that problem is far away in the future because first there are riding habits to make, dresses to make, Evie finding friends. Evie worrying about her sister who ran away. And Evie falling in love with her handsome dressmaker and he falling for her too.

There is some drama from different directions. But from her family, oh they were lovely in the end, and her friends! And I really want to read about her friends now too. They are already called spinsters so I need to see them fall in love.

A lovely story that made me want more

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 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 designs—and 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 Horsebreakers—but 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 making their mark or following their hearts?