The Siren of Sussex

Belles of London, Book 1

By: Mimi Matthews

Narrated by: Vidish Athavale, Lydia Hanman

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A PopSugar, Oprah Daily, and BookBub Most Anticipated Romance of 2022!

Victorian high society’s most daring equestrienne finds love and an unexpected ally in her fight for independence in the strong arms of London’s most sought after and devastatingly handsome half-Indian tailor.

Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she's worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention she'll need a habit-maker who's not afraid to take risks with his designs - and with his heart.

Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row's infamous Pretty Horsebreakers - but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.

But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?

©2022 Mimi Matthews (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“What I love about Mimi Matthews is that in the crowded field of historical romance she always finds new and interesting slants for her plots and characters. That, along with her wonderful writing and meticulous research, makes every book she puts out a rare treat to enjoy and savor. Highly recommended!”—Kate Pearce, New York Times bestselling author

"Unflinching, tender, and moving, the delicately crafted The Siren of Sussex might just be my favourite work from Mimi Matthews; it certainly is one of my favourite historical romance reads this year."—Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Portrait of a Scotsman

“Lush, seductive, original—The Siren of Sussex drew me in from the first page, and wove its magic. A fresh, vibrant, brilliant Victorian romance, making it an unforgettable read.”—Jane Porter, New York Times bestselling author

Wonderful!

Loved this book! So much research and history went into this story. I loved the characters and their interactions! the narrators were terrific they really did a great job reading this book!

I really liked this.

I enjoyed this story. The narrators' pronunciation of several words was laughable, which annoyed me. Otherwise it was a great light historical romance.

HR with diverse characters

One year after her older sister’s season ended in scandal Evelyn is in London to save her family’s reputation and insure that her younger sisters will eventually stand a chance of making suitable matches. Evelyn meets a gifted tailor, Ahmad, who sews the most amazing riding habits as well as gorgeous gowns. As they get to know each other a friendship grows to stronger feelings that will pose challenges, to be sure. This HR addresses differences in race, culture and class. I was drawn into the story by the slow burn romance that Mimi Matthews developed between the main characters. I loved revisiting characters from a previous novel by Matthews (A Modest Independence). It was lovely to see Ahmad take center stage. Recommended to fans of the HR genre. I look forward to the next book in the series due out in October 2022.

The narrators did a superb job and bumped my rating up from 4 stars! I'll listen to more from them.

A wonderful historical romance!

There was amazing chemistry between Evelyn and Ahmad! Such a sweet story—I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.

TheSiren of Sussex

I anxiously waited months for this book to be released.
Ive been very disappointed in this purchase. It is so slow that every time I go to read it, I fall asleep. Every single time.
I have also found it strange that a man’s voice is used for a woman’s part.
I have had a difficult time wanting to listen to it. Perhaps it’s me, but It’s quite boring.

Not true to the time.

It beggars belief that an unmarried young woman would be measured for clothing by a man. The author needed these kinds of ridiculous plot points to set up her story and move it along. But it just isn't feasible. And women did not ride stallions in that period of history much less young unmarried women. And for a family of modest means having an imported stallion is just not believable. Much less that this young woman would have trained the horse for grand prix dressage movements. Nope.

The Queen of Clean Reads!

Brilliant, breathtaking, and absolutely addictive! This series is fresh and fierce. These Belles will take you by storm, and you won't want to depart from their company. Mimi Matthews is the Queen of Clean Reads! And I'm just so giddy to leap into the next book.

A beautiful love story across cultural/class divides in Victorian England

Instant attraction between a woman fighting for her families reputation and a mixed race man who is a brilliant clothier.
Ahmad Malik (from the Parish Orphans of Devon series) is a tailor in London trying to make a name for himself. Evelyn has come to London to make a brilliant marriage to save her family’s reputation from her older sister’s disgrace and provide a future for her and her younger sisters. She has a plan-she isn’t particularly beautiful, nor money to attract men to propose. What she does have is a spectacular horse and her own brilliant horseback skills. With those things, she has a plan… Part of that plan is beautiful riding habits to show off her skill and attract men. She knows the exact tailor she needs to make those extraordinary habits. When Evelyn meets Ahmad the attraction is instant on both sides.

This was a smart, detailed love story between Evelyn and Ahmad (half Indian- half English) and all the struggles of forbidden love between the classes and how they fight for that love. I loved the dimensions of all the characters and the intensity of love they share. The best part is that it is a clean romance that creates the intensity without sex scenes. You feel everything. I rooted for them and all their friends and family. I love Mimi’s books and this was no exception. The narrator’s were good- switching between Ahmad and Evelyn’s voice which increased the feeling of understanding both characters. A wonderful read/listen!

And engaging story well told

Mimi is a master story crafter. Like the tailor dressmaker in her story she creates a beautiful romance without an excess word or tedious embellishment all while honoring the authentic history of the era. Thank you, Mimi.

Good Grief!

So much introspection! This is probably a better book than audible listen. The narration is truly awful. I cannot believe Mimi Matthews allowed this on audible. She is normally a good author for the most part but this was never quite clear in the message. So many unexamined character plots. She must have some sort of ax to grind but not sure exactly what it is here. There are two sides to every story but only one is presented here for the most part. People make choices and find it hard to live with. Not sure what to say about this book except that with the topic presented it could have been fascinating but wasn't.