begins when Alex, Vivi, and Ella are about to make their debut into London society. But, they aren't your typical silly girls seeking a rich, titled husband. Ella fully intends to become a spinster authoress. Vivi is seeking for The One - her true love, scornful of any other arranged match. Alex is uninterested in young men at all and unhappy at her mother's attempts to find a suitable match for her. But these things pale when a mysterious spy threatens the lives of the girls and their good friend Gavin.
Things I Liked:
I don't typically like books with a cover like this. To me, it expresses snooty, Gossip Girl-ish books (which I personally don't enjoy). In this case, however, the cover belies the actual characters of the girls depicted. I liked having the three headstrong ladies who think for themselves and aren't completely flighty. I enjoyed the historical aspects and also the lively dialog that goes on among the girls, Alex's brothers, and Gavin. Also loved the Austen mentions :)
Things I Didn't Like:
I was disappointed there wasn't more about the murder and spying aspect. Perhaps that was because I was expecting more and it didn't really talk much about that until near the end of the book. Most of the pages are filled with the interaction between Alex and Gavin and Alex's frustrations with her mother trying to marry her off. I got somewhat tired of it after a while. Also the mysterious aspect wasn't very mysterious, since I figured out immediately who it was. I really only kept reading (and even sometimes enjoying) because of the dialog. Some of the dialog didn't seem very Regency England, though I couldn't quite point out why, since I'm not a real expert.
Read-alikes:
Reminded me of a less sensual British version of The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy by Anna Godberson
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a very few
mrg-factor: none
except kissing
v-factor: none
Overall rating: ***
