A DEAL WITH A DEBUTANTE

A proposal of convenience leads to love in Bobulski’s historical romance, the first in a series.

It’s June 1908, and the mothers of Miss Calliope Hart and Lord Edward Chase have one goal in mind: marrying off their children. Calliope, named “the debutante of the Season” back in her home of New York City, has been dragged across the pond to England under great protest. Her mother, tired of the judgment from American social circles for their “nouveau riche” status, strives to match Calliope with an aristocrat, thereby securing their family’s place in high society. Lord Edward Chase, the Earl of Hayward, has been in dire financial straits ever since his father unexpectedly died. His estate, Whitefawn, which supports and employs over 150 families, risks going under unless he can marry a wealthy heiress. An unfortunate first meeting (Edward bluntly states “I intend to marry you,” and Calliope, thinking it a cruel prank, responds, “I wouldn’t marry you if I were marched to the altar at gunpoint”) sours Calliope toward the earl, but Edward, captivated by her feistiness, remains undeterred. He makes her a deal: For one week, he will show Calliope all around London, and in exchange, she will spend a week at Whitefawn learning why the estate is worth saving. Calliope, who has yet to see the city, accepts and soon finds herself drawn to Edward in ways she didn’t anticipate. From the beginning, Bobulski renders the leads vividly, highlighting Calliope’s passion for history and Edward’s rediscovery of his adventurous spirit. Both characters, despite the transactional nature of their circumstances, are romantics at heart, and their budding attraction entertainingly leads the two into increasingly compromising situations. The supporting characters, including Edward’s ear trumpet–bearing Great-Uncle Aesop and his awkwardly shy cousin Tilly, are similarly well crafted, adding to a lively and richly textured world. Readers will be eager to read the next book in the series.

A bloody brilliant romance set in Edwardian-era London’s high society.