Cassidy Percoco reviewed The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
Review of 'The Siren of Sussex' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Not a typical romance novel! I don't know if this is something common to Mimi Matthews's books, but I appreciated that there's a level of physicality/eroticism without following the traditional romance beats.
Evelyn Maltravers is the plainer younger sister of a young woman who came to ruin, so it's her duty to save the family fortunes and reputations by marrying well - her plan is to make a splash by riding her fabulous stallion in Hyde Park while wearing amazing tailored riding habits in the style of the Pretty Horsebreakers, notorious courtesans who ride on Rotten Row. She visits their tailor, Ahmad Malik, who immediately sees her potential (taking off her glasses, wearing clothes that fit, etc.) and begins to work for her. He's also trying to start his own couture house, and she becomes his emissary and his muse. They fall in love and overcome obstacles to be together. …
Not a typical romance novel! I don't know if this is something common to Mimi Matthews's books, but I appreciated that there's a level of physicality/eroticism without following the traditional romance beats.
Evelyn Maltravers is the plainer younger sister of a young woman who came to ruin, so it's her duty to save the family fortunes and reputations by marrying well - her plan is to make a splash by riding her fabulous stallion in Hyde Park while wearing amazing tailored riding habits in the style of the Pretty Horsebreakers, notorious courtesans who ride on Rotten Row. She visits their tailor, Ahmad Malik, who immediately sees her potential (taking off her glasses, wearing clothes that fit, etc.) and begins to work for her. He's also trying to start his own couture house, and she becomes his emissary and his muse. They fall in love and overcome obstacles to be together.
Evelyn was a good heroine, but I found myself really appreciative of Ahmad. It's incredibly rare, in my experience, for a romance novel to have the hero of a lower social status than the heroine, particularly a trade/gentry divide, and borderline nonexistent for either character to be of color. In addition to that, he faces sexual harassment, something very much off the table for the typical wealthy, white romance novel hero. And I don't mean to suggest that he's interesting just because he checks boxes - he's a kind, perceptive, and artistic character with passion, which is fantastic.
If I have one quibble with the historical setting, it's that I think Matthews is unfair to Charles Frederick Worth in the text (which is saying something, because I'm normally not the biggest Worth fan, I think he's overrated). She attributes gowns being covered with frills and ruffles and unnecessary adornment to him, in comparison to Ahmad's more modern aesthetic of simple elegance. By 1864, simple elegance without heavy trims and flounces was the norm in high fashion, and Worth was at the forefront of that. While I definitely get the need to present Ahmad as The Best Dressmaker, I worry that a lot of people will come away with the wrong impression of 1860s fashion.
I hope in future books in this series, we get some resolution to Evelyn's older sister's story! I'm very curious about her.