The Last Season by Jenny Judson & Danielle Mahfood

Release: October 19th 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: TouchPoint Press
Source: Suzy approved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, Kobo

A Zibby Owens for Katie Couric’s Katie’s Picks Fall Must Read

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.

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.

About the Authors:

Jenny Judson is the coauthor of The Last Season. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She and coauthor Danielle Mahfood met in high school, where they shared a mutual love of historical fiction and romance novels. Instead of passing notes in class, they would write short excerpts from imaginary novels that featured themselves and their classmates as characters caught up in tales of romance and adventure. Many years later, they came together in New York City to begin writing The Last Season, their first novel..

Danielle Mahfood is the coauthor of The Last Season. She received a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She and coauthor Jenny Judson met in high school, where they shared a mutual love of historical fiction and romance novels. Instead of passing notes in class, they would write short excerpts from imaginary novels that featured themselves and their classmates as characters caught up in tales of romance and adventure. Many years later, they came together in New York City to begin writing The Last Season, their first novel.

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The Last Season Review:

If you are looking for a charming historical novel with romance, drama, angst, and heightened emotions, “The Last Season” is the book for you!

As soon as I started reading the story, I fell in love with the two main leads. Cassandra and Crispin share incredible chemistry right from when he introduces himself as the stable boy. Both of them are strong as individuals and also share beautiful chemistry when together. Crispin’s journey from childhood to a standing man was inspiring, and I loved how larger than life the story felt at times. It was also beautiful to see how they bonded with one another and built their friendship with Artemis, and started writing letters. Frankly, one of my favorite moments was reading the letters the two shared, as it felt sweet and innocent.

What I liked about the author’s style of writing is also how she makes the characters complex. While we have some shady characters like Forsythe and Lord Drayton, there were moments when the author surprised me. What’s interesting is how my impression of Lord Drayton also changed over the course. While I was not too fond of the main initially, I felt terrible for him later on in the story, and I enjoyed seeing the selfless side of Cassandra during these moments. Similarly, even side characters like Aunt Eugenia and Lady Douglas spiced up the story with their presence. On a side note, I loved how the author brought the era to life, like, for example, the olden days of Calcutta.

Overall, I enjoyed reading “The Last Season” and found it a lovely dramatic, historical romance. I found it to be a charming debut novel and look forward to reading more books of theirs in the future.