An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves

Abstract

Reviewed by: An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves Aaren Tucker Eves, Rosalyn An Improbable Season. Farrar, 2023 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374390181 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374390174 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys M Gr. 9-12 Thalia and Kalliope Aubrey are both finally of age to go to London for the social season along with their cousin Charis, but the three girls have very different expectations. Kalli is excited to experience balls and parties and dance with young gentlemen; poet Thalia chafes at the societal rules and pressures; and Charis would simply prefer to be at home, studying birds and insects. However, the season has only just begun before Charis has offended a potential suitor and Kalli has gotten herself into a scandal with the family's close friend, Adam, much to Thalia's chagrin. A quick engagement will save the family from ruin, and Kalli is determined to do what is right, even if it means marrying a man who is in love with her sister. Charming dialogue and a quaintly archaic narration style set the tone for this ballroom historical, but unfortunately, the plot is largely derivative of Jane Austen and Bridgerton. There's a frustrating disconnect between the setup and the characters: while the trio of heroines is painted as progressive and modern in their ideas, they're rather clueless about the realities of their society, thus seeming more anachronistic stand-ins than developed characters. The narrative's narrow focus on marital politics in the Regency era also seems to punish rebelliousness and reward convention: Thalia, for example, is the most daring of the three but falls into the clutches of a predator—the implication being that she could have avoided the danger if only she had listened when a man warned her about him. Readers brand new to historical romances, or those with an insatiable appetite for it, will enjoy this, but they might be better served by Marquis' The Davenports (BCCB 1/23) or Farrant's The Secret Diary of Lydia Bennett (BCCB 11/16). Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois