Rating: 4 stars
Nowhere Book Bingo: 2024 Debut Release
Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: New to Me author
CBR16 Bingo: Scandal (Gwen and Beth's friendship lead to a scandal in the latter half of the book)
Beth is the daughter of the Viscount Demeroven, but has no brothers, and as a result, the title will pass to her cousin. If Beth doesn't find a wealthy and suitable husband during her first season, she and her mother will be left with barely anything (because her father was a very unpleasant man who didn't settle any money on them in his will). She hates being out in society, though, smiling and nodding and pretending to be a ninny just so some man might like her.
Her season gets a bit more bearable when she befriends Gwen, the daughter of a notorious rake. Gwen is in her fourth season, but since her father is wealthy, there is no real need for her to marry, and with each passing year, she becomes more certain she probably doesn't even want to. She takes an instant shine to Beth and promises to help her find a suitable match. The young ladies also notice that there is something strange going on with their parents, and discover that Beth's mother and Gwen's father were friends, and possibly more, back before Beth's mother got married. Now they seem determined to avoid one another, which is difficult as their daughters are becoming best friends.
Beth wouldn't have to get married if her mother married someone wealthy, so the young ladies start scheming (rather ineffectually) to get their parents to fall in love. While trying to push their parents together, the girls grow ever closer, and it becomes obvious that one of the reasons neither of them want to get married, is because they are madly in love with each other. Meanwhile, Beth has managed to catch the attention of a very eligible young man, and their matchmaking plan isn't going as well as they are hoping. Will our young lovers be separated because of Beth's need to secure her future?
A Victorian romance novel with a pair of lesbians with a title inspired by a Taylor Swift song? Sign me up. The book is set shortly after the introduction of the crinoline, or hoop skirt, so there is quite a lot of descriptions of the intricate garments the ladies have to wear during the various balls and such. Both young ladies, upon discovering their queerness, are able to be open with their various family members and instantly accepted, which seems unlikely for the time period, but also avoided some of the angst often present in queer historicals.
The story is mostly frothy and fun, some of the dialogue and attitudes felt anachronistic, but the characters (both the protagonists and the supporting cast) are very charming and I really enjoyed readin it. As is often the case with historical romances (hi Jane Austen!), women's rather unfortunate situations if left without generous male relations are highlighted. Beth's mother was in a similar situation to her daughter before she got married, and since Gwen's father was an untitled nobody at the time, he felt heartbroken when she chose to marry Viscount Demeroven rather than him. Sadly, the now late viscount was abusive and Beth is very aware that her parents' marriage was less than ideal. She dreams of being able to marry for love, but is all to aware that a lot of the eligible men of the ton might hide cruelty and unpleasantness behind their well-dressed facades. Gwen's father is in Parliament and trying to gather enough support to pass a bill that would make it possible for wives to divorce their husbands in cases of abuse or cruelty. Unsurprisingly, there there are a lot of noblemen opposing the bill, and as such, are not big fans of Gwen's father.
This is Ms. Alban's debut novel. In the final part of this, she pretty heavily foreshadows the sequel, where Beth and Gwen discover that their male cousins (one of them the new Viscount Demeroven) both seem to be gay, and while they are trying to hide it, rather interested in one another. So they decide on another matchmaking scheme. I'm already looking forward the the hijinks that will no doubt ensue.
Judging a book by its cover: Yet another wonderful cover by Leni Kaufmann, although based on their descriptions, I think Beth (the dark-haired one) should quite a bit shorter than Gwen (the blond one). Their dresses are lovely, and it's a nice touch that the main colour choices can also be found in the lesbian Pride flag.
Crossposted on Cannonball Read
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