The Season by Sarah MacLean

 Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued -- in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet.

When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband? Romance abounds as this year's season begins!

This book was really good and I enjoyed it immensely. The writing was very classic and I felt the characters stayed true to the era. Gavin was absolutely adorable and I found myself wanting to go back in that time and be swept off my feet by someone as charming as him (or Stanhope, I'm not picky hehe). There was elements of mystery and darkness despite the elegance and fashion that the parties entailed.

I loved the characters, all of them were very lovable and I felt a deep connection with them even if they weren't the main ones in the story. Lady Eleanor reminded me so much of myself, always having a notepad to write down ideas for her stories with! I have to admit that the end was a little bit of a let down for me - I was expecting more than what MacLean delivered, but overall it was still a really gripping read!

If you're looking for a good historical fiction novel then I highly suggest this one! The language was a bit hard to understand at times, since it is a completely different world, but I still really enjoyed it and urge anyone to run out to their bookstore and pick up a copy.

****