Relax. Read. Repeat.

THE LAST SEASON
By
Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood. Published by TouchPoint Press.

#justreleased📣

Romance isn’t dead!
Set in Victorian England, The Last Season is a story of social upheaval, changing fortunes, and an unlikely romance that develops between a well-to-do heiress and a stable boy.

The Last Season is a collaboration between Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood, who met in high school and shared a mutual love of historical fiction and romance novels.

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.

3 parts
42 chapters
298pgs.

❤️The story begins in October 1863 and ends in October 1875.
What a cozy read perfect for fall..!!
It is about relationships, love, ego, class difference, self love infact self obsession, realisations, apologies, lessons learned & a romantic relationship, a mother daughter bond, a father daughter relation & the ups and down in a relationship, over a period of time..& how true love triumps.

❤️ Are you still in touch with your school/ childhood bestie?
Do you still remember/ cherish their memories?

I was drawn to this book because of the comparison to Downton Abbey. Unfortunately this one didn’t click for me! The characters felt one-dimensional and cliched. I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight because of the names seeming similar, and I just couldn’t get into the story. It felt a little stilted and predictable, and I was disappointed that I’ didn’t connect with this one. I was very intrigued by the authors’ long friendship and desire to write a book together, and I wish them nothing but the best!

This is the story that most of us girls grew up dreaming about when we were reading our “Little Women” or “Jane Eyre” books. I really enjoyed this romp through Victorian-era England. Jenny Judson & Danielle Mahfood nailed the perfect recipe for everything I cherish in a rolling romantic saga. I fell for both character and place!

This is a great world to fall into! I had fancy gloves, a special tea cup, pen, journal and candle from the “Bridgestone” Book Box, and I loved using them while I took a deep dive into “The Last Season”! #FunTimes Great idea for your Book Club!l

I received a copy of the book from TouchPoint Press via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

#ZibbyOwens #AnnieMcDonnell #TheWriteReview #AnnieFavorites #NetGalley

I ended up DNFing this book at the 50% mark. I don't think this is a bad book, I just wasn't interested or invested in the characters. I was hoping this was going to be more of a historical romance, but at the 50% mark we hadn't gotten any of that. I found myself zoning out and not engaging with the story. I think if you're looking for a more historical novel set in the mid to late 1800's you may enjoy this.

This was like a saga instead of a love story. I was hoping for something different. This is like a BBC movie that is all long and boring and goes no where. The love story did not convince me. I was bored and starting skimming at about 70 percent. Not my thing. This would be a R rated movie.

Miss Cassandra Drayton was the daughter of Lord James Drayton, a widower. She was very lonely especially when her father went to London. His grandfather and Great Grandfather had spent all the money that had been inherited. He had to work hard to get things together and make the estate a viable one. He did a lot of investing. Miss Fairfax was the youngest woman about twenty and was kind to her.

Crispin St, John was the new stable boy. She asked him to teach her how to ride. He reluctantly did so. Her father had told her no but she longed to learn even though her mother died from falling off a horse. Crispin's father was in debtor prison and Crispin hoped he could pay his debts for him. He always sent money to his father when he got paid.

This was a traveling story, it went from England to India to England and back again. She got a chance to travel with her father to America and the wild West. She enjoyed traveling. I thought it was a good story, it was interesting, amusing, and entertaining. They kept in touch by letter after he went to India. I know he paid his father's debt but what happened to him after that? The characters were fun but there were some pretty bad guys. Forsythe was one. He was described as oily or greasy. He was not liked. There were a lot of things happening and you could get lost but you could easily find your way back. I thought they did a great job of keeping the events in the story straight.

I received this ARC from Newt Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

On a manor, in Victorian England, Cassandra and Crispin first meet. Cassandra is the daughter of Lord Drayton, sheltered and spoiled but longing for more. Crispin St John, the son of a gentleman who is in debtors prison, is a poor hard working boy but ambitious. The two strike up a friendship and became fast friends. Tragedy strikes while out riding one day, leaving Cassandra injured and Crispin sent away.
The story starts to unfold from there, when the two or forcefully separated. Crispin is sent to India to work, and Cassandra has to stay under her fathers thumb. When the two meet again, their roles are reversed. Crispin is well off and Cassandras father has fallen in shame. How will the two find their way to back each other? Is it even possible their friendship and feelings from childhood have survived?

I must say, Crispin was my favorite character in this story. He was well developed and easy to like. The author did a good job with her imagery and details. You felt as if you really were in India with him. While this was a slow burn of a romance, I think anyone who is against insta love and cheers for redemption will like this book. Historical fiction fans will enjoy the time period setting as well.

This book has a beautiful coming of age story of friendship and the path to love. I was invested in the characters and wanted nothing more than them getting together for their HEA. Crispin and Cassie’s story was refreshing in showing the more realistic way a relationship can develop. They met as children, but due to circumstances, they weren’t tunnel visioned thinking that was the only person for them. They knew the reality and pursued other relationships before finding their way back to each other.
With that said, it was a hard read. It didn’t flow as well as some of the more seasoned authors do. It went into details where it wasn’t necessary, then would abruptly end just as the scene was getting good. At times I loathed the back and forth between chapters and character POV, mostly when the chapter abruptly ended then it would switch people. But, overall I see the necessity in organizing that way, and wouldn’t mind the style if it flowed a little better. Maybe adding location above the date at the beginning of the chapter would help. The abrupt ending so chapter left me feeling I missed out on details that would have been interesting, like the actual proposal and answer, or the wedding, or why it took years for Henry to court Cassie. I was also left wondering how the Middleton situation resolved with Crispin marrying and where did Crisping and Cassie buy a house. I would be a few paragraphs into the next chapter before I figured out the time jump and was guessing what had happened to lead to the circumstances in that chapter that was skipped.
Another thing that would help the book, would be small reminders to who people are throughout the book. In the past with other authors, the constant reworded reminders from chapter to chapter and between books in series drove me nuts, but now reading a book without them, made me really miss them. When introduced to so many side characters, and multiple names starting with the same letter, it’s hard to keep track of who is who. I suspected, but it took me a long time to confirm that May and Archie were siblings. I had to go back and find names to be sure, that took extra time to get through the book.
Spoiler Alert: They do not get married until literally the last chapter. So beware if that type of story is not your style
There is pretty much no sex in this book, so those looking for a romance that skips that, this is your book.
They do leave a cliff hanger in the epilogue making me want to read the next book. Hopefully they wrap up that story in the next book. I would also love to read May and Archie’s stories, hopefully those are coming.

Thank you TouchPoint Press, Jenny Judson, and Danielle Mahfood for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLastSeason #NetGalley

The Last Season is a historical romance set in Victorian England. It focuses on the story of Cassandra Drayton and Crispin St John, an entitled heiress and a scrappy stable boy. I finished the book, but it was only "okay" for me. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was mildly intrigued by the description of The Last Season, but I honestly didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did! Judson and Mahfood did an amazing job of creating two sympathetic and fully realized characters in Cassandra and Crispin. I found myself quite invested in the outcome of their respective stories, rooting for them to succeed in spite of the odds. What a truly remarkable story, able to draw one into its depths so you feel like you really know the characters and their struggles.
I also very much enjoyed the various backdrops to the story, which range everywhere from a great country house in rural England, to the busy streets of London, across the continent to the spicy, seething alleys and roads of India, and even across the pond to the wilds of the American frontier. I will definitely be reading this book again and again, to enjoy the story all over again! I'll also be on the lookout for more novels from this outstanding duo of authors. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys historical fiction with a bit of drama and romance thrown in for good measure.

This is my freely given review for a free preview that I received courtesy of Netgalley.

This was an enjoyable, sweet, nicely written historical romance. It starts out with the meeting of two youths, a young woman, Cassandra Drayton, and Crispin St. John. She is a wealthy young lady of the peerage, who is a bit spoiled, and lonely. He is a youth who has fallen on harsh circumstances. Sounds like his father was a gentleman, and while they were not of the same standing as the peerage, they had some status as land owners and horse breeders. Except, that his father had lost that wealth and because of debt, he and his father were living in a debtor's prison, until his aunt, the governess of Miss Drayton, managed to get him a position working in the stable of her employer.

Crispin and Cassandra meet, and become friends. It sounds like he was taken with her from the beginning and she was able to persuade him to do what she wanted, but going against his employer's wishes, and his own judgement. Ultimately that leads to his disgrace, and banishment from the estate. His aunt manages to get him passage to India to try to find work and build his future there.

Their stories over the next few years are written, some through letters, about their growth and development, including how Crispin succeeds in making his way in the world. But they do not seem to forget each other, despite their different backgrounds, and development of other relationship, and other adventures for each of them. Their paths cross again, and they renew their friendship as adults, and eventually it does lead to an HEA for the both of them.

I found this a very enjoyable read because there was some lovely depth developed with the characters, and the story was written from their two different perspectives growing up. It felt slow at times, but not in a ponderous way, but more like a gently meandering river where you can look and enjoy the scenery. Also, there was a back story romance between two other characters pivotal to Cassandra Drayton's life, that I found very intriguing. That relationship was left without conclusion, but you were left feeling like there was a world of possibility there.

One thing that I found was a loose thread though was what happened with Crispin's father? He was definitely in the background, but he never actually showed up in the story at any point?

This was an okay read. The plot line was totally predictable (you could see every big thing coming a mile away), but honestly I found the book way too long. The story just went on and on and on, and could have been wrapped up so much sooner. It was decently entertaining, but wasn't anything I'd read again.

Cassandra Drayton was the lonely heiress, Crispin St. John was the stable boy. They became friends and stayed friends throughout the years. Will life give each of them happiness? Their lives are so different, Cassandra's companion is also Crispin's aunt and they have that common thread in their lives. Will they ever have more in common?

This was a very good story, I did not want it to ever end. But it did end. I enjoyed it very much!

I am a sucker for any book, fiction or not, from this era and this one did not disappoint. I love how it takes you on an incredible journey, over many years, and countries. It begs the question, duty or love?

I tried to enjoy this book but it was too contrived. The reader could foresee the story from the very beginning…rich girl - poor boy, circumstances shift and he rescues her in the end.

The Last Season, a period novel set in 19th Century England, is a tale that is not uncommon for the time period and setting – spoiled little rich girl defies her father and sneaks away each day to see her best friend, the stable boy, and learn to ride horses, which is strictly forbidden because her mother was killed riding a horse.

Forbidden love is a common theme. Anyone who has read Jane Austen is familiar with the balls of the season when the wealthy young ladies are paraded around hoping to catch the eye of the wealthiest bachelor in attendance. Wealthy parents want wealthy sons-in-law in order to increase their wealth – not unlike an auction really.

These authors, however, throw in a stable boy whose father was a gentleman, accepted in social circles, until he gambled away the family’s fortune and ended up in prison due to unpaid debts. Crispin, unfortunately, only has his father, so most of his childhood is spent in prison alongside his father. Crispin will do anything he can to pay off his father’s debt and rebuild what the family once had. His aunt, who works as a governess, gets him a job as a stable boy. That’s when he meets Cassandra. They become best friends, sharing afternoons riding horses and talking about their dreams. That is, until strategy strikes. Cassandra is thrown from her horse.

The book is somewhat slow in developing the story, but this is where the book starts to get more interesting. Crispin, who is only fifteen, is sent to India alone to find work. He is just a child all alone on a boat for almost a month. Fortunately, he meets the Foresters, a nice couple who takes Crispin under their wing, introduces him to other boys working in India, and helps him find a job.

Judson and Mahfood not only take Crispin’s life into a different direction but also use such vivid imagery that the reader experiences the overwhelming sights, smells, and sounds in India as though visiting for the first time. Before Crispin even gets there, Mrs. Forester tries to describe Calcutta to him.

“It is a place of contrasts – crowded and tightly packed bazaars a stone’s throw from open avenues and marble palaces – stifling heat followed cool monsoon rains…The ports are teeming with all manner of people, Indian and British. Some half-dressed and others in finery to rival any aristocrat and everything in between.”

Then, when the boat finally arrives in India, twenty-three days after setting sail, Crispin enters a world so far removed from England, and not just geographically.

“cacophonous sounds…pungent smells…so many people, teeming like a colony of ants…colors…a dazzling kaleidoscope of color.”

What is most interesting about The Last Season is not how the story ends. Rather, it is the journeys Crispin and Cassandra take to get there. As they grow up so far apart, a not-so-chance encounter takes them back to their childhood and the bond they shared as children – best friends. This prompts secret correspondence with each telling the other all about their lives, including significant others and plans for the future.

The Last Season is more than a romance. It is a story about true friendship, love, and what is important in life. Regardless of the period in which it is written or the circumstances in which the reader finds herself or himself, the messages apply. The themes are universal across time periods and geographic locations as well as socioeconomic status. Everyone can relate to love, loss, friendship, sacrifice, and family. The descriptions of everything from the environment to the dresses the young ladies wear are so rich that the readers need only to close their eyes and open their minds to experience it all alongside Crispin and Cassandra. Starting off rather slowly, the deeper one gets into the book, the more difficult it becomes to put down.

The Last Season by authors Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood is a sweeping and robust historical romance novel. The book is organized in three distinct sections, spanning from 1863 to 1875. The two main characters are Cassandra Drayton, the thirteen year old daughter of a wealthy nobleman, and Crispin St. John, the son of a gentleman who has fallen on hard times. Crispin is working at Drayton Manor as a stable boy in an effort to help get his father out of debtor’s prison; his aunt is Cassandra’s governess. While the story centers around the two young people, the reader is also privy to the intricate relationships of the governess, Emma, Lord Drayton and his snobbish sister. Emma and Lord Drayton are involved in a clandestine love affair which, over the years, becomes hard to maintain. These details give a richness and complexity to the storyline. Cassandra and Crispin, despite the disparity of their stations in life, become loving friends. Against her father’s wishes Crispin teaches Cassandra how to ride a horse. When she is injured, Crispin is banished from the estate and they are separated for several years. Crispin journeys to India and is fortunate enough to be mentored and becomes prosperous. Of course, Cassandra and Crispin reconnect and become correspondents…..keeping in touch through delightful letters. Cassandra enters into an engagement but it is broken off when her father faces financial ruin. In order to recoup his losses, Lord Drayton accepts another marriage offer for Cassandra from an debased, but wealthy, peer. This book is amazingly detailed and I totally enjoyed taking the journey with Crispin and Cassandra. They were both generous with their hearts and were ready to sacrifice for their families. Will this worthy pair be able to escape the plans of others AND their obligations in order to find their own season of love?

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
#TheLastSeason #NetGalley

Beautiful story about two remarkable young people

Cassandra is a lonely little girl raised in isolation by her kind governess, her suffocating, know-it-all aunt, and her overprotective father. When she secretly convinces the young groom, Crispin, to teach her how to ride, it is the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Crispin is an admirable young man, old beyond his years, whose purpose in life is to earn enough money to get his father out of debtor’s prison. He is the son of a gentleman, but never allows his family’s fall from grace to embitter him. He is an extraordinarily hard worker and ambitious.

Cassandra is beautiful and spirited. She is slightly spoiled, as would be expected in her circumstances, but she is a good person. Her life’s ambition is to travel, and since it is the Victorian era, she needs a husband (the right sort of husband) to be allowed to do so.

After a five year friendship, Crispin is banished from the estate when he is caught giving riding lessons to Cassandra resulting in a fall off her horse.

This in actuality is the best thing that could have happened to him, because he goes to India where he meets men who can see his true worth and help him become a successful businessman. It was the making of him.

As Crispin’s life improves, Cassandra’s is ruined by her avaricious father’s bad financial investments (the same father who banished Crispin from his home).

The plot has many fascinating twists and turns that kept me enthralled. I read the book in one day, practically from beginning to end. The storyline was quite unique, encompassing historical events that occurred in India and the United States. It is unusual to read about Victorian England and then in the same book to read about the social and economic climate of the United States as well as India during the same time period. I constantly stopped reading to Google people and events which I knew nothing about. After reading about the authors’ educational backgrounds at the end of the book, I could understand why it was so well researched.

The writing was fantastic. There were unique descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells which made the book vividly realistic. The dialogue was not bogged down with superfluous chatter. It was written with economy, but got its message across.

It is a love story, and although it took Crispin and Cassandra practically the entire book to get their HEA, it did occur in the end—and it was worth the wait. Both characters grew and changed over the years (in positive ways), but their love and respect for each other was steadfast.

I HIGHLY recommend this book, and look forward to reading these talented authors’ next book.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
#TheLastSeason #NetGalley

Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood's "The Last Season" chronicles the divergent lives of rich girl Cassandra Drayton and poor boy Crispin St. John. Spanning ten years and sweeping in scope, the action take place in various locales. England, America, India and Scotland are vividly described.

While one gets a real feel for the various locales, I found characterization somewhat lacking. The motives of some were confusing. I didn't love any of the characters, including the h and H, and a couple are repulsive. One's epiphany was too little, too late.

All in all, this book is good for the debut novelists. There are a few grammatical issues, i.e. "pour" for "pore", " reign" for "rein", and "debutant" for "debutante". While there are no graphic sex scenes, I don't consider this novel completely clean. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

The Last Season by Jenny Judson and Danielle Mahfood

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Last Season is a historical romance set in Victorian England. It focuses on the story of Cassandra Drayton and Crispin St John, an entitled heiress and a scrappy stable boy. I found the cast of characters of this novel to be incredibly likable. Cassandra was spoiled without being unlikable and her naivete wasn’t off-putting but instead charming. Crispin was driven in a haunted way, wanting to prove himself in a world where his father had failed. I found his desire to free his father from debtor’s prison and make something of himself to be admirable. The friends and mentors he met along his journey added another interesting dimension to the story. However, while the characters were well written and likable, the plot left much to be desired. The central problem wasn’t new or novel in any way, which could easily be excused if we the reader were given something else to focus on. Instead, there were hints of steamy passion that never came to fruition. We were given slight mentions, enough to think you might get more between the characters later on, but we were never privy to the burning passion that was implied. Thank you to NetGalley and TouchPoint Press for this ARC.