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The Last Season

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A Zibby Owens for Katie Couric's Katie's Picks Fall Must Read


Set in Victorian England, The Last Season is a story of social upheaval, changing fortunes, and an unlikely romance that develops between a well-to-do heiress and a stable boy.

When they meet as adolescents at Drayton Manor, the well-to-do Cassandra Drayton and the manor's stable boy, Crispin St. John, seem destined for very different futures. Yet, the two strike up a secret and forbidden friendship. Once discovered, they are forced apart, with Cassandra staying locked in her father's world and Crispin traveling to India to make his own way.

Years later, when Cassandra's high-society London lifestyle is shattered by her father's spectacular fall from grace, she is surprised to reunite with her childhood friend, no longer a penniless boy but an enterprising young man who has risen through the ranks of the Indian cotton trade. As they navigate changing circumstances, fickle friendships, and social upheaval, Cassandra and Crispin find that the bond they developed as children is a lasting one.

Praise for The Last Season

"Old school historical romance is not typically my genre, but this sweeping, expertly-written narrative by two friends from St. Paul's boarding school who split ways to go to Harvard and Yale is like a smart dose of Downton Abbey. Set in Victorian England, this story about a wealthy young woman and the stable boy at her "manor" as their fortunes rise and fall over the years has all the saucy ingredients for an epic escapist read." —Zibby Owens for Katie Couric's Katie's Picks

"Judson and Mahfood immerse readers in British high society...blending Regency romance with Dickensian themes of reinvention, unrequited love, and unexpected benevolence..."Booklist

"If you love a juicy, Victorian-era story of forbidden love, then The Last Season by Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood deserves to be at the top of your TBR pile." —PopSugar

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    • Booklist

      October 15, 2021
      Cassandra and Crispin developed an odd friendship as children; the daughter of an English lord wouldn't often fraternize with a stable boy in the 1860s. But they recognized grief in one another, both having lost their mothers at a young age, and they soon became fast friends. But when Lord Drayton discovers that Crispin has taught Cassandra how to ride, Crispin is banished from the estate and decides to sail to India to look for work. Tucked under the figurative wing of a wealthy businessman, Crispin rises up the ranks and soon finds himself in the same social circle as Cassandra. But after tragedy befalls the Drayton family, Cassandra is torn between a marriage for social advancement, her independence, and figuring out where Crispin falls in her grand plans to save her family's social standing. Judson and Mahfood immerse readers in British high society, with lavish parties, intrigue, and gossip around every corner. Blending Regency romance with Dickensian themes of reinvention, unrequited love, and unexpected benevolence, The Last Season will engross fans of Lucinda Riley, Paulette Jiles, and Karen Harper.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      October 15, 2021

      DEBUT A historical romance debut from longtime friends Judson and Mahfood. Crispin St John and Cassandra Drayton became friends as children when he is employed as a stable boy at her family's estate. They meet up again as adults when Crispin's prospects have changed dramatically; now wealthy and accepted by society, he still feels a pull to Cassandra. Cassandra makes a dramatic and successful entrance to society, but disaster soon changes her prospects. The reversal between Crispin and Cassandra should lead to conflict, but the authors don't develop this shift's effects on the characters. Shallow characters, glacial pacing, and the lack of connection between the leads creates an unsatisfactory romance. Among the defects are that all the novel's virtuous characters are members of the aristocracy (even the initially impoverished hero has a gentleman for a father). while the non-aristocrat characters are villains, and Cassandra's Aunt Eugenia is a frequent subject of fatphobic comments. Several subplots lead nowhere; Judson and Mahfood conclude them without fully resolving them, leading readers in circles for no clear reason. The book is somehow both too long and not long enough and ends abruptly after the leads reconnect. VERDICT An undistinguished historical romance whose predictable plot is made worse by the pacing. Readers won't be satisfied by the lackluster conclusion.

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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