This was an adorable friends to lovers story. I’m a big fan of this trope and it’s always nice to see it in a historical setting. Usually we get the older siblings or enemies to lovers. The couple gave strong Emma and Mr. Knightly vibes. I liked their friendship and watching both realize they felt something more towards each other. This is a clean read so don’t expect anything too steamy. Also, this is a quick read.

Henrietta Gaydon is out of her depth in trying to make her debut. She dreads finding a husband and longs for home, her father and Lord Henfield. Whilst Henrietta thinks that Charles Henfield treats her as a younger sister, he has long stopped thinking of her as one. Soon, their feelings are hard to hide.
Whilst the romance between the couple was sweet despite their misunderstandings, I found the conversation between the characters at times, quite stilted and I wondered whether they would actually have a HEA. Their relationship was quite staid, and yet secondary characters appeared to have a more enjoyable time together. The distinction between characters was at times difficult to establish, and I often wished for a little more spirit, to this storyline. Overall, this was a sweet story and well-written with the author obviously knowledgeable about the time period and the expected customs.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Henrietta has grown up in the country without a mother and pretty much next door to her father's Godson, Charles. Charles has been like a brother to her, but when she is sent to London to navigate her first season under the tutelage of her aunt, she misses him and her father terribly.

What Charles didn't know, Henrietta's father did; Charles is in love with her. He rushes to London to try and win her hand but faces trials and blunders that he is not well versed to overcome. Henrietta becomes close with her cousin, who is also in her first season. They both experience roller coaster emotions in this sweet Regency.

This is a very clean romance. It was a little slow to get into, but once the parties are in London the pace picks up, and you find you can't stop until you know how it ends.

Thank you to Allison & Busby and NetGally for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

2.5
I unfortunately did not connect with this book. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or what exactly it was. There was a lot going on in this story – two couples falling in love; multiple suitors for the main heroine; and plenty of secondary characters. I felt like the main characters’ story line wasn’t fully developed as it could have been, because of the other couple and all the other subplots. There were secondary characters that could have been left out of the story as they didn’t serve any real purpose – as there were other ones doing the same function. For me, the story dragged at times due to the same ground being trodden over again or because it jumped between the different subplots.

I did not feel like any of the people in either couple was adequately explored or developed. It was nice to see both couples get their HEA in the end, but the romances were not sufficiently explored for me. Only the conclusion to one of the romances was completed with no lingering questions left.

I did very much like Charles and the fact that we got to see all aspects of his character especially his vulnerability. He ends up in a couple of subplots in the role of hero, for which the heroine never really sees or understands his role. Henrietta is very much a young woman out in society for the first time. She is swept up by it all and shows her youth and naivete. She also at times shows her intelligence, loyalty, and heart. These are interesting characters whom you very much want to see get past their own thoughts and insecurities to be able to recognize and admit the love they have for each other.

This is an old-fashioned comedy of manners (not comedy as in humor, but comedy as in the opposite of tragedy). There's a lot of focus on proper behavior, even more than on the romance. The pace is leisurely. If you like Georgette Heyer, this book might appeal to you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This felt like an older style regency romance and not what we've come to expect from the genre in recent years. If you like the older style, you'll probably like this but it wasn't what I was expecting or hoping it would be.

Firstly I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC 🥰❤️

I really, really wanted to love this book. It’s got everything I love in it, Regency romances are my thing (I have Jane Austen tattooed on my arm) but I just couldn’t get passed 35% 😅😅 It has so much potential but nothing was happening…it seemed to be edging towards something but never actually got there. There’s only so many times Miss Gaydon can go and dance with a load of gentlemen and it still keep you engaged.

I don’t know what happed at the end as I DNFed at 33% (the beginning of chapter 9) but I was getting kinda Emma vibes? With Charles being a kinda Knightley character? He was the best bit of the book for me. I found his character the most likeable.

I’m sure it would be a great read for a lot of people but, for me, it was just too repetitive. Sorry!!

“The Season” is a sweet Regency Romance, that feels like Jane Austen’s “Emma” set during a London social season, instead of the country side. Charles Henfield fills the role of Mr Knightley well, he is aware of his feelings for Henrietta but has trouble making the change from friend to suitor, especially in the face of other men vying for her hand. Henrietta Gaydon is Emma stripped of the characteristics that people might find unpleasing. She ends up with naive as her only personality trait and is constantly infantilized, which made me uncomfortable when it came from her nearly decade older love interest.

The romance between Henrietta and Charles was cute at times but overall kind of boring and predictable. It didn’t help that the side-characters’ romances were more interesting and distracting. Everyone though seemed not to have discernible personalities, which made it harder to be interested in specific characters.

Overall this had a nice writing style and the author showed their knowledge about the time period and customs very well throughout the story.

This is a very sweet and gentle Regency romance, where nothing really happens but you find you don't mind because these characters couldn't cope with anything particularly dramatic invading their lives. The story was fine, but I struggled with the writing style, which was annoying me because even in Regency times they didn't write like that!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet Regency read with a fun storyline. I enjoyed the characters and felt they had good depth. Will look forward to seeing more from Holloway.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Allison & Busby for allowing me to read this advanced copy of ‘The Season’.

This is a highly entertaining story set in the Regency era, focusing on the Ton during the London Season Although there will obviously be comparisons made to the Bridgestone series which is currently so popular, I believe ‘The Season’ to be just as entertaining. I read the book in one day after being drawn in by the characters and found myself routing for the happy ending that I knew was inevitably coming.

Hello! I absolutely loved the Season! I have become a huge fan of the work/writing of Sophia Holloway even since having read her book, Kingscastle. What I love about her writing and, specifically, the Season, is that.this book really puts the reader in the epicenter of the Regency Period. She is spot on with wording, phrasing, description and characterizations. Henrietta and Charles are reminiscent of Jane Austen's Emma and Mr Knightley, I am sure, by intent. And this was a wonderful idea! Emma is such a favorite book, and this couple in the Season are similarly delightful. I love this romp through the Regency life, and I really appreciate this ARC from NetGalley. Thank you! :)

A fun, easy Regency romance read.

Henrietta embarks upon her first season, sponsored by her aunt, with her cousin. This story follows their season as they hope to find husbands. Or does Henrietta really want an aristocratic husband? Maybe the love of her life has always been there.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

This may be the best regency romance I've read this year. So wonderful! It felt like a Heyer novel. The wit, the slightly cynical commentary, the characters, their mistakes and follies...all made for a wonderful read!
Please, please, please give Mr. Newbold his own book. I knew from the outset this was Charles and Henrietta's story, but most of my highlights and heart emojis were for Mr. Newbold. I would so love a book all for him.

Couldn’t finish the book. The writing style just wasn’t working for me. I struggle to get into the story.

I have read a previous book by this author and loved it. This has a similar vibe and I loved this book too. It's such a sweet, clean Regency romance and .I enjoyed being whisked away to this world. With a great cast of characters and a lovely storyline it made the perfect escape.

Henrietta (Henry) Gaydon is heading to London to stay with her aunt and make her debut into society for her first Season. She is immediately popular but isn’t sure about any of the candidates being a suitable husband.

Henry misses her Papa and home. She misses her friend, Lord Charles Henfield, who happens to be her fathers godson. Charles has always been brotherly with Henrietta but as they have grown their feelings have become more complicated.

As she searches for a possible husband, could it be that she has already found the right match?

This is my first book by this author and it was a sweet story. I would recommend.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so hoping for me to like this book but for some reason this wasn't my cup of tea.

I loved the cover and based on the description on here I thought I would like it. I am very grateful to have gotten a chance to read this one even though I didn't liked it very much.

For me it wasn't a fit but perhaps one of you will like it instead :)

The Season was a light, fun read that was easy to devour and with plenty of surprises in the side plots (which Sophia Holloway always does so well) whilst coming to a satisfying conclusion with the main romance. If you love this sort of thing Sophia Holloway is a new author you really, really need to know about as her writing is pleasurable without relying on some of the lazier tropes of the genre, though The Season was simply enjoyable, which was a shame alongside her other novels Kingscastle, Bless Thine Inheritance and The Devil You Know - which all sparkled.

Unfortunately, this story did not impress me very much. I felt it was lackluster and there were way too many characters, talking and thinking way too much. And the manner of writing was so embellished that the reader had to read the sentence and translate it into correct English. There were times when the sentence had so many phrases added on, it was hard to determine what the actual subject of the sentence was. This is from the first page: "Miss Henrietta Gaydon put down the sock she was darning in a housewifely manner." So she put the sock down in a house wifely manner? Or was she darning the sock in a houseqifely manner? And what is "housewifely"? It is a made up adjective in my mind. I stopped taking English and grammar classes about 40 years ago, but I can still recognize a sentence written incorrectly. And that is from the first page, ye gods!
I did not find the characters engaging and all I could get from the story was about a country lady goes to London for a husband hunting Season, but she already had a suitor at home.
And the age gap was off. The hero supposedly fell in live with the heroine when she was 16, two years ago. And he is presently 26. What 24 year old MAN is lusting after a 16 year old GIRL? It is sick. Just because "that was common in those days" doesn't stick when modern words and phrasing are used. What 18 year old boy would play with a 10 year old girl.
I give this book 1 star because I have and do not recommend reading. I tortured myself reading this book so that you do not have to waste your time.