I’m sharing my review for Lady For A Season by Melissa Addey #regencyromance #blogtour #bookreview

Here’s the blurb

A young duke declared mad. His nurse masquerading as a lady. 
One social season in which to marry him off. 
What could possibly go wrong?
When foundling Maggie takes a job caring for Edward, she knows him only as a young man declared mad and kept privately under the care of a physician to avoid any scandal for his family.
But Edward is the heir to the Duke of Buckingham and when his father dies his family determine to marry him off to secure the title and the estate. Edward insists that Maggie stay by his side, so she must be passed off as a lady for one social season, during which time a marriage can be arranged.
When a midnight carriage comes for Maggie, is she ready for the makeover of a lifetime? Can she remember all the rules, keep the secrets of Atherton Park… and above all, avoid falling in love?
A delightful Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional choices, as two downtrodden characters come to know their true worth and what they mean to each other. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… and the clock is ticking for Maggie and Edward.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Season-Regency-Outsiders-Melissa-Addey-ebook/dp/B0DFJTSLYB/

https://www.amazon.com/Season-Regency-Outsiders-Melissa-Addey-ebook/dp/B0DFJTSLYB/

My Review

Lady for a Season is a thrilling Regency romance, well-written and with two really intriguing main characters, who allow us to view the period through new eyes; the jaundiced ones of Edward and the wide-eyed ones of Maggie, who should not only not be a part of the whole Ton, but who is able to see the restrictive Regency convenctions for what they are. It is a heady combination, and I can see why the series is called The Regency Outsiders.

Maggie is very much our main POV, and she is a most sympathetic character, able also to offer us an outsiders view of the ‘treatments’ poor Edward is forced to endure as part of his status as a ‘lunatic’ (which are horrifying and based on period-relevant research). Once Edward is recalled to his duties as a highly valuable marriage asset, Maggie is the one to highlight the societal differences and how rigid many of the conventions were. She wins Edward’s regard and those of others who occupy the liminal space between master and servant. It is a fabulous way to teach readers about the period – all told with warmth. The reader is certainly rooting for Maggie as she learns about the many requirements of dressing correctly and conducting herself in the ‘acceptable’ way. As pretty as the dresses might well be, I don’t think any of us would welcome being forced to endure all the contrived elements.

Edward, born to the lifestyle but also a very different individual from what might have been expected of a high-born member of the nobility, has also seen what Maggie has—that there is a very different way of living. He is tested by convention and driven by a real fear that he truly is a lunatic.

Lady for a Season is a most enjoyable tale. Even if we do suspect the eventual ending, as I’ve said before, that is the joy of the genre—how our conflicted characters also reconcile themselves to it. I will certainly be reading more of the series.

Meet the author

Melissa grew up and was home educated on an Italian hill farm. She now lives in London with her husband, two children and a black and white cat called Holly who enjoys the editing process as there is so much scrap paper involved.
She mainly writes historical fiction, inspired by what she calls ‘the footnotes of history’: forgotten stories or part-legends about interesting people and places. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, and enjoys moving from one historical era to another, finding stories to share, like a travelling minstrel. So far she’s been to Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco and 18th century China. Lady for a Season is her first Regency romance, although her books have always had a romantic streak to them. Join her on her travels: browse her books. 

Connect with the author
Website: http://www.MelissaAddey.com 

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Check out my review for From The Ashes, Melissa Addey’s Roman-era historical fiction set around the events of Vesuvius and the building of the Colosseum.