A Zibby Owens for Katie Couric's Katie's Picks Fall Must Read
Set in Victorian England,Β The Last SeasonΒ is a story of social upheaval, changing fortunes, and an unlikely romance that develops between a well-to-do heiress and a stable boy.
When they meet as adolescents at Drayton Manor, the well-to-do Cassandra Drayton and the manor's stable boy, Crispin St. John, seem destined for very different futures. Yet, the two strike up a secret and forbidden friendship. Once discovered, they are forced apart, with Cassandra staying locked in her father's world and Crispin traveling to India to make his own way.
Years later, when Cassandra's high-society London lifestyle is shattered by her father's spectacular fall from grace, she is surprised to reunite with her childhood friend, no longer a penniless boy but an enterprising young man who has risen through the ranks of the Indian cotton trade. As they navigate changing circumstances, fickle friendships, and social upheaval, Cassandra and Crispin find that the bond they developed as children is a lasting one.
Praise for The Last Season
"Old school historical romance is not typically my genre, but this sweeping, expertly-written narrative by two friends from St. Paul's boarding school who split ways to go to Harvard and Yale is like a smart dose of Downton Abbey. Set in Victorian England, this story about a wealthy young woman and the stable boy at her "manor" as their fortunes rise and fall over the years has all the saucy ingredients for an epic escapist read." βZibby Owens for Katie Couric's Katie's Picks
"Judson and Mahfood immerse readers in British high society...blending Regency romance with Dickensian themes of reinvention, unrequited love, and unexpected benevolence..."βBooklist
"If you love a juicy, Victorian-era story of forbidden love, thenΒ The Last Seasonby Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood deserves to be at the top of your TBR pile."βPopSugar**