The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

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Genre: Historical Romance | Pub: 1.11.2022

Purchase link: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Arielle’s Review Notes

Book Format & Source: Finished paperback copy gifted from the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Review & Thoughts:

The Siren of Sussex was a wonderful introduction to Historical Romance. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction but I’m a huge Romance reader and I thought this was really well done. It had a good story line and great character development. I enjoyed how the relationship grew between Mr. Malik and Evelyn.
Important themes: The Siren of Sussex touched upon important topics of self-discovery and catering to the expectations of society. Topics of racism, classism, adultery, expectations, principles.
This took place in the late 1800s, in the Victorian era. In some ways this reminded me of Bridgerton because of the historical romance aspect of the ‘season’ paired with the fact that I don’t read this genre often. At first I was confused about the equestrian aspect but I thought it was an interesting perspective and I enjoyed the way it was written into the story.
I loved the way fashion was written into this and the importance it played. It blew my mind that people had ongoing debts and it was common during that time to not pay for custom clothing until well after the garments were completed!
Blog post idea coming that was inspired from this book!

Favorite Quotes:

It was the differences in a person that gave rise to true beauty… Sameness was comfortable, but it didn’t move the soul.
When given the opportunity, what else could a lady do but follow her heart?
Wonderful things didn’t happen because one was cautious. They happened because one dared.
It’s a sort of magic, I believe. To create clothing that can do that for a person. That can transform them into something extraordinary.

Recommend for: fans of Bridgerton (but a sweet, not steamy romance)

My Review Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Romance Steam Factor: PG

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Review shared here: Amazon, Goodreads, Storygraph, Berkley

About the Author – From Bookshop.org

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.