I must immediately read Sabrina’s backlist because oh my gosh do I love her writing!!! I read an Earl for Eliza in one night with zero regrets. Nathaniel and Eliza were a lot of fun to meet and very easy to love.

I will say, their relationship definitely went through some tough stuff and there were a lot of lies and hidden truths on Nathaniel’s side. I think he had a pretty good reason, but Eliza is understandably mad and she made some wonderful points. I found that the breakup actually made the story stronger and I had so much respect for her.

But altogether, if you’re not into lies, maybe stay away from this one. I found the mystery of them interesting and I was never angry, but I do think the cheery writing and great characters helped appease me. I was only ever vexed by Jocelin, but even then all was good in the end and she made the right choices. I was maybe a little less giddy than book one, but more giggly.

I’m rounding up to five stars because I know I will be rereading this and I know the audiobook will be such a fun time. I have to assume it’s going to be narrated by Beverley A. Crick and let me tell you I LOVE her. I think the audiobook is part of the reason I loved book one so much. Sabrina Jeffries writes such funny and witty dialogue and Crick absolutely delivers. I was laughing out loud like a weirdo while reading this book and can’t wait to hear her interpretation.

The set-up for Verity’s book has me so confused and so excited. I nearly cried when I read it won’t be coming out until 2024! The curse of reading ARCs! Truly I cannot wait I will be requesting that copy so fast. I really recommend this series. The covers are a bit innocuous, but the stories themselves pack a punch and will satisfy any historical romance fan.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️*/5

*I think there were two scenes, one in a stationary carriage and one in her bedroom. I think we could’ve used one final scene, or at least a full scene in the epilogue! Neither of these two were virgins and while they steamed up some windows, I think they could’ve burnt down the house. Nathaniel definitely had a bit of a mouth on him.

CW: Gaslighting and other psychological manipulation (her former husband)

Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own

I enjoyed A Duke for Diana so I was pleased to see a new book in the series, this time following Eliza - who is married in the first book but is now a widow, with her husband having died on the peninsula.

Nathaniel, Lord Foxtead was her husband's best friend, and has come back from the war having inherited the Earldom from his father. He has a ward in tow, with a small child, and he asks Elegant Occasions to help Jocelin (a widow... we think?) launch in society and find herself a husband.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and amidst a bit of mystery, some lovely garden parties, and some definite sparks between Eliza and Nathaniel, we eventually find out what's what.

We also catch sight of the 'phantom' a couple of times - but none the wiser to his identity. I do hope Verity finds out in the next book!

Small gripes - the writing is generally pretty good but then occasionally wavers in to 'cranky' and 'Period.' etc which jars you out of the scenes and is a bit of a shame. I feel like that could be fairly easily caught by an editor with an eye for anachronism, which would make me up a star :)

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Loved the first one and love this one too.looking forward to the next one. Fun, charming. I wonder what it would have been like in that time period

Nathaniel Stanton, the Earl of Foxstead, is a war hero. He has never forgotten his deceased friend’s wife. Nathaniel decides to hire Eliza and her sisters to help his ward find a suitable suitor. He harbors a shocking secret that could destroy both Eliza and his ward. Attraction blooms between them, and Nathaniel finds that he cannot keep his hands off Eliza. However, the truth threatens to destroy their budding relationship. Can Nathaniel convince Eliza to forgive him? And at what cost?
Eliza Pierce is a widow. She co-owns a successful party planner business with her sisters. Her late husband’s friend approaches Eliza to help his ward debut in high society. She suspects Nathaniel is keeping something from her but reluctantly agrees. Eliza cannot ignore her growing attraction to the rapscallion earl. She soon learns the devastating truth about his ward and her young son. Can Eliza forgive Nathaniel for all his secrets and lies? Or will her late husband’s treachery destroy any possibility of a future?
Nathaniel is such a sweetheart! He has this mischievous and infectious charm that makes him hard to resist. I like how Nathaniel’s stint in the army changed him for the better. It opened his awareness to a lot of injustices in the world. Plus, it helped him give up his rakehell ways. What I adore the most about Nathaniel is his thoughtfulness towards Eliza. He has always liked and admired her. However, Nathaniel kept a respectful distance from her to keep from betraying his friend. Plus, he tried to keep from causing her more pain with the truth about her late husband.
Eliza is such an amazing woman! She, along with her sisters, has managed to overcome many obstacles. I understand Eliza’s distrust with men. Her father and late husband really did a number on her mentally and emotionally. The two men tried to dictate her life without any regards of her feelings. What I admire the most about Eliza is how she proves that she does not need a man to succeed. Elegant Occasions’ success is proof of that, especially during the rigid strictures women faced in that era.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BALLROOM is the second book in Sabrina Jeffries’ historical romance series, DESIGNING DEBUTANTES. The story can easily stand alone. However, I suggest reading the prior book first. It explains the three sisters’ background and why they started their business.

Eliza is a younger widow who owns part of Elegant Occasions. Her late husband's best friend hires the company to help another widow. He is highly attracted to Eliza but he has complicated issues....

Another book in this romantic series. It's dramatic, romantic and sweet. I like both main characters a lot. I like the women's friendship a lot. too. An excellent follow-up to A duke for Diana. A terrific read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This book was so good. There was banter, there was steam, there was funny situations. Complex, intense characters heat up the pages with scintillating love scenes amid the intrigue. Jeffries continues to impress, and romance fans will eagerly await the next book.

I have loved Sabrina Jeffries for what feels like forever! I read the first book in this series, A Duke For Diana and I couldn't wait for this book about Eliza! I do think you need to read the first book in the series before you read this one because the characters and storyline does carry over.

I loved it! I expected it to start off slow, but it didn't! I loved Eliza and that she was an independent woman. It took me a minute to warm up to Nathaniel mainly because of the "secret" he carries around. It's a big secret no doubt, but it just dragged and dragged for no good reason lol.

Anyhoo, this was a solid romance novel read. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really, really liked What Happens in the Ballroom! It is a great read!
Sabrina Jeffries takes us back to the three plucky young women who branched out on their own and created Elegant Occasions, where they plan events (how fun, especially regency events!) and help ease other young women into ton social events. In this book, we get sister #2, Eliza. I really adored Eliza-- her independence, efficiency and her love of music really charmed me. I wasn't as big of a fan of Nathaniel, and that's because he had too many secrets and problems with the truth, but it goes with the story so I did feel like by the end I could like him more. I did wish his break was a little harder, and a little longer. But I did enjoy Eliza and Nathaniel's chemistry together, him loving Eliza made me begrudgingly like him.
The story, the dialogue was entertaining, snappy and I loved reading the story! I was late to an event because I could not tear myself away from this book!
I was super excited to get What Happens in the Ballroom as an ARC, because I really enjoy Sabrina Jeffries and I loved the first in this series, A Duke for Diana. I think I have this book on preorder, but it had a different name, which I think I liked better after reading this one and taking into account the title of the first book in the series. Small quibble though, the title nor the time did not take away from my enjoyment in reading this book. The timeline in this book from the previous book was a little confusing as well, because it seems to me like Eliza's husband being deceased for 3 years and Diana being married for only a few months seems off from the previous book? Maybe this is a pre-published book issue and once published it will be fixed, but if not I don't think in any way it takes away from the story-- which was a lot of fun to read.
I highly recommend What Happens in the Ballroom, and the whole series in general! Kudos to Sabrina Jeffries for another great book! I cannot wait for Verity's book!

So I read this book in one day. I absolutely could not put it down. I carried my Kindle around with me while I did errands so I was able to read whenever I got a second. This book will absolutely captivate you. If you’ve read the previous book, a Duke for Diana, you know the characters, and have been on pins and needles waiting for the next book in the series. This one is about sister Eliza. She is the down to earth widow sister of the three Harper siblings. Our hero, Nathaniel, the Earl of Foxstead, is someone you may remember from the previous book. He was good friends with Geoffrey, even though Geoffrey was upset when he thought that Nathaniel was flirting with Diana. But if you read the last book, which you really need to do before you get this one, he’ll know that he had no interest in Diana. Now we learn that our war hero rake earl is interested in Eliza. But that doesn’t bode well. You see, he was Eliza’s husband’s best friend. They went to war together, but Mr. Pierce, Eliza’s husband, never returned.

So anyway, Nathaniel has a problem. He is asking the Harper girls and their company, Elegant Occasions, to assist a friend in coming out and getting a husband. This situation is quite mysterious, because we don’t know why he is doing this favor for this friend, who is the widow of someone else they were at war with. And what about her child?

Anyway, without spoiling anything, Sabrina Jeffries takes us on an adventure: even though Diana has married a duke and their business has redeemed a bit of the scandal that you learned of in the previous book regarding their parents’ very nasty and public divorce, the Harper ladies still are not completely accepted. In addition, Eliza is mourning her husband and previous life, and still figuring out who she is because their marriage was not at all perfect. By the way, for fans of this series, we do hear a little more about the other sister, Verity, and her phantom (if you’ve read the previous book, you know that there is a mysterious gentleman who Verity sees from time to time. Fingers crossed that this phantom is our hero in the third book).

This is a lovely addition to the series. It’s a strong 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 star book that we will round up to a five. You fell in love with the sisters in the previous book and this advances their story, plus there’s some mystery. Second books in trilogies are sometimes weaker than the rest of the books but this one can hold its own.

this was another great entry in the Designing Debutantes series, I enjoyed how well this was done and that it felt like the same universe as the other book. I enjoyed the plot and was invested in what was going on in this world. I enjoyed the characters and am glad I read this.

“It would have been had he agreed to it. To be honest, I try not even to think about the particulars. Fortunately, both were skeptical about his enduring such torment. My mother convinced my father to travel to Italy to see a doctor my mother had heard of from her own family there.”