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The Blue Raven #4.5
The Dress of the Season
Harris Dane, Viscount Osterley, orders a very fine and scandalously cut dress to be made for a certain lady he wishes to woo. While with the dress designer, he also orders a pair of gloves to be sent to his ward, Miss Felicity Grove, to wish her well for the new Season. But when Felicity accidentally receives the dress, along with Osterley’s affectionate note, it sets into motion a tale of scandalous misunderstandings and love in the last place you look.
100 pages, ebook
First published April 3, 2012
740 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
About the author
Kate Noble
17 books499 followersaka
Kate Rorick
Kate Noble is the national bestselling, RITA-nominated author of historical romances, including the acclaimed Blue Raven series and the Winner Takes All series. Her books have earned her numerous accolades, including comparisons to Jane Austen, which just makes her giddy.
In her other life as Kate Rorick, she is an Emmy-award winning writer of television and web series, having written for NBC, FOX, and TNT, as well as the international hit YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Kate lives in Los Angeles with her family, and is hard at work on her next book.
Kate Rorick
Kate Noble is the national bestselling, RITA-nominated author of historical romances, including the acclaimed Blue Raven series and the Winner Takes All series. Her books have earned her numerous accolades, including comparisons to Jane Austen, which just makes her giddy.
In her other life as Kate Rorick, she is an Emmy-award winning writer of television and web series, having written for NBC, FOX, and TNT, as well as the international hit YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Kate lives in Los Angeles with her family, and is hard at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
July 13, 2020
Hero Harris Dane, Viscount Osterley (known as Osterley) buys a dress for his new lady friend, but his ward Felicity Grove receives it (by accident) instead. Felicity goes to the ball in this sexy dress and causes quite a stir. Afterwards, Osterley decides to take her out of town, to the country for a while, until things cool off. But while they are isolated (due to heavy rain) at his home, he becomes very enamored with Felicty…
I really enjoyed this romance. I liked Felicity. She was a nice and classy heroine. At first, I didn’t care that much for Osterley. He seemed to be too angry with Felicity at times and wasn’t very kind to her. He was known as “austere Osterley”. But the more time he spent with Felicity, it made the old, agreeable, and relaxed “Harris” come out. This story was charming and fun at times. Like when Felicity persuaded Osterley to read a gothic romance that she enjoyed. And when Felicity and Osterley played hide-and-seek in the attic. I also liked the secondary characters.
An entertaining and lovely read by Kate Noble.
This book is part of a series but it can be read as a stand-alone.
I really enjoyed this romance. I liked Felicity. She was a nice and classy heroine. At first, I didn’t care that much for Osterley. He seemed to be too angry with Felicity at times and wasn’t very kind to her. He was known as “austere Osterley”. But the more time he spent with Felicity, it made the old, agreeable, and relaxed “Harris” come out. This story was charming and fun at times. Like when Felicity persuaded Osterley to read a gothic romance that she enjoyed. And when Felicity and Osterley played hide-and-seek in the attic. I also liked the secondary characters.
An entertaining and lovely read by Kate Noble.
This book is part of a series but it can be read as a stand-alone.
September 18, 2022
Nice short story. Friend from childhood, he became her guardian after his father’s death .
June 4, 2023
First reading: A little gem of a story. Enjoyable HEA. Will definitely read the whole series. 5☆
(I wish the front cover of this book portrayed the dress in the story, i.e. white/silver).
Second reading: Viscount Osterley wants to woo a certain lady, so he buys such a scandalous dress for her. He also buys a pair of gloves for Felicity Grove, his ward. Something goes wrong and Felicity receives the scandalous dress instead.
Love reading this short story, it's a little gem! 5☆
(I wish the front cover of this book portrayed the dress in the story, i.e. white/silver).
Second reading: Viscount Osterley wants to woo a certain lady, so he buys such a scandalous dress for her. He also buys a pair of gloves for Felicity Grove, his ward. Something goes wrong and Felicity receives the scandalous dress instead.
Love reading this short story, it's a little gem! 5☆
April 30, 2017
The Dress of the Season is childhood-friends-2-lovers romance so I hoped I will like it. Plus some of my friends gave it 5 stars. But... It was not bad but nothing spectacular either.
Mediocre historical romance. Only praise I can think of is that it was well written for such a small number of pages. I will probably completely forget it in a couple of weeks.
Mediocre historical romance. Only praise I can think of is that it was well written for such a small number of pages. I will probably completely forget it in a couple of weeks.
May 15, 2013
This little bit of fluff was fun to read, but not really one of the abiding classics of romance.
It's just terrible how the wealthy young bachelors of the world are so oppressed by their responsibility for their beautiful wards that they are forced to visit ladies of a certain reputation for the release of their needs.
In this case, the whole thing is complicated by a mis-delivered scandalous dress made out of magical wish-giving cloth. I hate it when that happens.
Also, Lady Worth ends up looking like a slightly sinister fairy godmother.
On the other hand, I thought the romance, however improbably it started, was not as inequitable as I thought it might be at first, so that's something.
Read if: You want a bit of candy-floss romance.
Skip if: You're in it for the character development.
Also read: Unlocked for a deeper story/novella.
It's just terrible how the wealthy young bachelors of the world are so oppressed by their responsibility for their beautiful wards that they are forced to visit ladies of a certain reputation for the release of their needs.
In this case, the whole thing is complicated by a mis-delivered scandalous dress made out of magical wish-giving cloth. I hate it when that happens.
Also, Lady Worth ends up looking like a slightly sinister fairy godmother.
On the other hand, I thought the romance, however improbably it started, was not as inequitable as I thought it might be at first, so that's something.
Read if: You want a bit of candy-floss romance.
Skip if: You're in it for the character development.
Also read: Unlocked for a deeper story/novella.
April 8, 2012
One of those reads that remind me why I started reading romance-for the happy sights of pleasure over a well written book about true love.
It can be read as a stand alone and still shine in all of its glory.
Still, I recommend to readers to try out this author in general. She knows how to spin a story and portrait good three dimensional characters.
It can be read as a stand alone and still shine in all of its glory.
Still, I recommend to readers to try out this author in general. She knows how to spin a story and portrait good three dimensional characters.
December 16, 2021
Rated 3.5
July 26, 2015
His body was coursing with the knowledge that he and Felicity Grove were embracing .
...
He had been too long without a woman. That had to be it. Needs had been building for months—hell, it was the reason he had sought out the widowed Mrs. Grace to begin with.
...
Felicity did not look like Mrs. Grace so much as Mrs. Grace looked like Felicity.
He had the hots for the girl (childhood love) under his guardianship, so he he had to have his needs taken care of by a mistress. The poor dear, how dreadful to be in this dreadful situation. About as dreadful as I find this theme :|.
(I put it under 'unfaithful hero' because if she's his childhood love, and he's had mistresses after mistresses, that's not very 'faithful' behavior)
August 28, 2020
The Dress Of The Season is a fantastic historical romance by Kate Noble. Ms. Noble has provided readers with a well-written book and furnished it with excellent characters. This is a fairly quick read, perfect for those with limited reading time. Harris, Viscount Osterley, orders a special gown for his mistress but it mistakenly is delivered to his ward, Felicity. Disaster happens when Felicity wears the dress and one jealous mistress makes a scene. Harris and Felicity's story is loaded with drama, humor and spice. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to my next book by Kate Noble. The Dress Of The Season is book 4.5 of The Blue Raven Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
June 3, 2020
1823 England.
Harris, a 28 YO serious-minded viscount, was 8 years
sr. to his legal ward, Felicity. Her late brother was his
best friend. To use the h's own words: he instructed her
(about society etc.) or ignored her. Harris remained too
stiff/ conventional after Felicity helped him become
more human. Sorry, I did not see the attraction.
Harris, a 28 YO serious-minded viscount, was 8 years
sr. to his legal ward, Felicity. Her late brother was his
best friend. To use the h's own words: he instructed her
(about society etc.) or ignored her. Harris remained too
stiff/ conventional after Felicity helped him become
more human. Sorry, I did not see the attraction.
February 2, 2021
This is charming before bed fluff, featuring characters I could happily have spent a longer book with. It's really a 3.5, but dropped down rather than up for too many editing issues, such as missing words or verb tense shifts.
January 12, 2019
I really need to read this series! I love Kate's writing! For a short novella, this packed a lot of emotion.
May 12, 2020
A Definite Recommend!
What an absolute pleasure it was to read this novella. It was well written, reads like a dream, has fabulous characters, opens with a really funny situation and just carries on from there.
I loved every single thing about it and Yes! This is a definite recommend!
What an absolute pleasure it was to read this novella. It was well written, reads like a dream, has fabulous characters, opens with a really funny situation and just carries on from there.
I loved every single thing about it and Yes! This is a definite recommend!
September 18, 2020
Fun read
Light and fluffy, well constructed, a few editing issues but not many, just a fun read true to the genre
Light and fluffy, well constructed, a few editing issues but not many, just a fun read true to the genre
June 24, 2022
I read this in 2013 (I usually read everything by Kate Noble) but completely forgot the story which isn't surprising with novellas for me. It's a quick read and fun as Austere Osterley gradually becomes Harris once more due to Felicity's machinations.
May 19, 2020
3.5 stars
At the start of the book, I was really drawn into the story because it had a very unique setup. I know I haven’t read a lot of historical romances, but I found it very interesting and had a little twist with it, surrounding the first ball of the season. I really loved the idea of the dress, and how Harris was making this dress for this woman that he intended to “woo”, but instead of it going to this woman it went to his ward, Felicity, who he wasn’t intending to seduce. Then there was a big mistaken identity, and then there was the drama of the ball, which just created a big old scandal that lead Felicity and Harris to be thrown together. That was amazing, and I loved it. It was such a great way to start the story. It got me really excited for the rest of the story.
There were elements in the story that I liked. I liked this was a ward/guardian type of relationship, which added a flavor of the forbidden element to Felicity and Harris’s relationship. That was very intriguing. And as I dug more into the story to learn that he was her brother’s best friend that she had known for years just added another check mark in my book of things that were going for me in the story. I loved that there were hints of feelings that were hidden beneath the surface that had been suppressed over the years especially with the fact that he was her brother’s best friend then later on became her guardian, adding even another layer of forbidden to their romance. I adored that. I really liked there was an age gap between them, adding layer of forbidden to their relationship, which was great and awesome. And this was heading in a very positive direction for me.
The disadvantage of this story was the fact that this was a novella. This story demonstrated perfectly of why I don’t like novellas, and why they don’t work for me. I wanted this to be longer and as a full length novel because there was so much potential exploration that could have been done in this story. If this story was a full length novel, it would have been so, so much better because there would have been more development, pacing and depth. But since there was a lack of length to the story, it felt rushed at times, dull at other times, and wasn’t giving me the overall feels that I expect while reading a romance novel. I just needed more depth and layers to the story than I actually got especially concerning the romance/relationship between Felicity and Harris.
I appreciated that Felicity and Harris were forced together and spent time together getting to know each other, but even though they did that I didn’t necessarily feel them getting closer and building that intimacy between them. I just didn’t feel that in the circumstances of the story. I felt like it was more being told to me than seeing it with my own eyes. I did like the hide and seek game and the dinner scene, but aside form that there weren’t many moments between them. I needed to see more that before I could see them come together in a meaningful and intimate way especially when they get to the love scene.
The love scene was okay, but there wasn’t a lot of build up to that moment. Even though there were moments of desire between them, I just felt there wasn’t that intensity between them as they attempted to fight this attraction to one another. There just wasn’t room for that in this novella, but as a consequence of that it made the love scene a little unsatisfying and underwhelming, at least for me. Again it was a little rushed.
I wished there was more pull and push between them. There was some, but it wasn’t as intense as I would have liked it. I wanted to feel that longing between them especially as they battled their feelings for one another that had been suppressed for so long. I wanted that gut wrenching emotional story, and I just that from this one.
Overall, I appreciated the story, and I enjoyed thee tropes and themes that were in this story, which peeked my interest in the story. The beginning was a winner for me, but as I continued on that was where it went on a downslope. I wasn’t feeling a lot and had a couple of moments where it felt uninteresting and less exciting than it was in the beginning. The ending just felt really rushed especially after that love scene. That was just way too fast for me.
That fact that this was a novella just did a real disservice to the story I thought. There could have been great pacing, great development, great angst, and just great overall feels if this was a full length novel. That was my biggest problem with this was the fact that it was a novella. I just needed more for me to be more invested in the romance with Harris and Felicity.
At the start of the book, I was really drawn into the story because it had a very unique setup. I know I haven’t read a lot of historical romances, but I found it very interesting and had a little twist with it, surrounding the first ball of the season. I really loved the idea of the dress, and how Harris was making this dress for this woman that he intended to “woo”, but instead of it going to this woman it went to his ward, Felicity, who he wasn’t intending to seduce. Then there was a big mistaken identity, and then there was the drama of the ball, which just created a big old scandal that lead Felicity and Harris to be thrown together. That was amazing, and I loved it. It was such a great way to start the story. It got me really excited for the rest of the story.
There were elements in the story that I liked. I liked this was a ward/guardian type of relationship, which added a flavor of the forbidden element to Felicity and Harris’s relationship. That was very intriguing. And as I dug more into the story to learn that he was her brother’s best friend that she had known for years just added another check mark in my book of things that were going for me in the story. I loved that there were hints of feelings that were hidden beneath the surface that had been suppressed over the years especially with the fact that he was her brother’s best friend then later on became her guardian, adding even another layer of forbidden to their romance. I adored that. I really liked there was an age gap between them, adding layer of forbidden to their relationship, which was great and awesome. And this was heading in a very positive direction for me.
The disadvantage of this story was the fact that this was a novella. This story demonstrated perfectly of why I don’t like novellas, and why they don’t work for me. I wanted this to be longer and as a full length novel because there was so much potential exploration that could have been done in this story. If this story was a full length novel, it would have been so, so much better because there would have been more development, pacing and depth. But since there was a lack of length to the story, it felt rushed at times, dull at other times, and wasn’t giving me the overall feels that I expect while reading a romance novel. I just needed more depth and layers to the story than I actually got especially concerning the romance/relationship between Felicity and Harris.
I appreciated that Felicity and Harris were forced together and spent time together getting to know each other, but even though they did that I didn’t necessarily feel them getting closer and building that intimacy between them. I just didn’t feel that in the circumstances of the story. I felt like it was more being told to me than seeing it with my own eyes. I did like the hide and seek game and the dinner scene, but aside form that there weren’t many moments between them. I needed to see more that before I could see them come together in a meaningful and intimate way especially when they get to the love scene.
The love scene was okay, but there wasn’t a lot of build up to that moment. Even though there were moments of desire between them, I just felt there wasn’t that intensity between them as they attempted to fight this attraction to one another. There just wasn’t room for that in this novella, but as a consequence of that it made the love scene a little unsatisfying and underwhelming, at least for me. Again it was a little rushed.
I wished there was more pull and push between them. There was some, but it wasn’t as intense as I would have liked it. I wanted to feel that longing between them especially as they battled their feelings for one another that had been suppressed for so long. I wanted that gut wrenching emotional story, and I just that from this one.
Overall, I appreciated the story, and I enjoyed thee tropes and themes that were in this story, which peeked my interest in the story. The beginning was a winner for me, but as I continued on that was where it went on a downslope. I wasn’t feeling a lot and had a couple of moments where it felt uninteresting and less exciting than it was in the beginning. The ending just felt really rushed especially after that love scene. That was just way too fast for me.
That fact that this was a novella just did a real disservice to the story I thought. There could have been great pacing, great development, great angst, and just great overall feels if this was a full length novel. That was my biggest problem with this was the fact that it was a novella. I just needed more for me to be more invested in the romance with Harris and Felicity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2014
I thought for a Novella Kate has done really well at character developement if you are looking for it. Not sure it's there as obvious as it may have been in a longer book. At first you think here we go, another skirt chasing nobleman after a new mistress gets reformed by falling in love. But it couldn't be further from the truth. Once again it's a brilliant reminder that people aren't always what they seem on the surface and that experiences often make them become something they aren't and the story is all about them finding thier true selves.
April 24, 2020
**Actually a 3.5-rating**
Pretty much what the summary gives us, except--well, this type of romance trope set-up used to be my catnip of choice. But then when I would do that thing that a reader does when you want ALL THE THINGS and you gorge yourself on your guilty pleasure, many of them never live up to your deepest want or desire in a genuine romance.
I see people on here being upset that Viscount Osterley [ Harris Dane ], or Osterley as Felicity is want to call him dares to have an outside paramour/mistress. Actually he seems to be widely known as Austere Osterley, eh, because he always seems to have a stick up his bum. Anyway, he is a red-blooded dude so I cut him a break for having a mistress even when he might have unrequited feelings for his ward.
Felicity is the baby sister of his best male friend. Seems an entire set of families was riddled with smallpox and many had perished, leaving Felicity in Harris's care. She would often be that annoying 3rd wheel when Harris and her brother, John, would play as boys, but she may have grown up along with Harris for quite some time. She isn't of age yet where she can live on her own --one more year--so, she has been under "ward-ship" with Harris for going on 4yrs now.
Harris is at some fancy French designer dress shop when he special orders a scandalous silvery/lacey dress for his current paramour, Mrs. Grace. Of course, while he is in the shop and about to finalize the sale...he gets spotted by people who know him so he hurriedly picks out a set of fancy embroidered gloves for Felicity. So, already, you know there will be a mix-up because Harris seemed to not even want it known he was ordering a dress for a mistress. When the dress and gloves are about to be sent out for delivery, placed in the wagon or something...an accident occurs and the address labels are not simply switched, but one is lost--the one for Mrs. Grace. Hence, why EVERYTHING Harris ordered will be arriving for only Felicity.
Even though she is a ward of Osterley, an "Aunt Bertha" has been chaperoning Felicity these last 4yrs. And it is a group of women who not only find the gloves, but also this mysterious, yet gorgeous dress. Felicity will be entering Almack's tonight, so...yeah, they plan on having her make quite an entrance. More than she bargained for.
Here is what was off-putting... Harris's scapegoating anger, what almost felt like -to me- hatred toward Felicity. He is quick to anger having seen that dress meant for his mistress being worn by his ward and...well, he did start to look at Felicity with different eyes, but he squelched that, snuffed it right out. Instead, he becomes a deplorable meanie by using displaced anger toward Felicity instead of being a better man and taking the full blame on himself.
Now, he becomes a full-on fire-breathing anger rager and he says he is going to force Felicity to leave the London Society and make her go live in the country to escape ridicule and gossip. This is why it downgrades in rating because...this whole rest of the story becomes pointless except to "force proximity" on Harris and Felicity now, so they can have a battle of wills face-to-face. Harris had a plan all along to simply drop Felicity off and abandon her to his old family estate where they both used to live.
Then a bridge, literally, washes completely away during a severe rainstorm which now imprisons Harris within Felicity's vicinity even though he wants to be very far from her. And we truly don't know exactly why he seems bipolar with her. On days where he's back to his old self, she calls him "Harris"...but when he's being all stoic, cold and mean, she'll call him "Osterley".
The time they spend here actually gives not just them a chance to restart their old bond of friendship, but also give Felicity a chance to say goodbye to old ghosts who still haunt her and haunt this old place that Harris has done some massive renovations with.
They play a silly childlike game of Hide-and-Seek merely because they battle one another on who knows this house better... Him or Her. So, yeah...they have a few moments of brushes with intimacy and almost kisses. That is until Harris makes an unforgettable confession of where his feelings for Felicity may actually lay...and he sparks her interest by claiming, "I cannot lose you, too!"
This causes Felicity to take a chance, for once, and seek Harris out on her own, since he finds running away from her preferable whenever emotions get heavy. So, yeah...she puts on that silver dress again...and sex happens. They both confess love and by morning...Felicity is alone, fearing the worst. She has been left alone to perish in solitude while Harris ran away to hide from his feelings or even worse, he had some idea she slept with him only to get him to bring her back to London.
Because this is a novella, Felicity is not going to wait for Harris to make a move, she makes her own and is on her way, back to London, to get her man. And...POOF! HEA...well, she actually learns she hightailed it to London for no reason because Harris had left a small note on his pillow that he would be back but did have to return to town. He was all prepared to inform people he was about to ask Felicity to marry him while obtaining the family heirloom ring, so, yeah...it was a complete stand-alone, but still a part of this series.
Pretty much what the summary gives us, except--well, this type of romance trope set-up used to be my catnip of choice. But then when I would do that thing that a reader does when you want ALL THE THINGS and you gorge yourself on your guilty pleasure, many of them never live up to your deepest want or desire in a genuine romance.
I see people on here being upset that Viscount Osterley [ Harris Dane ], or Osterley as Felicity is want to call him dares to have an outside paramour/mistress. Actually he seems to be widely known as Austere Osterley, eh, because he always seems to have a stick up his bum. Anyway, he is a red-blooded dude so I cut him a break for having a mistress even when he might have unrequited feelings for his ward.
Felicity is the baby sister of his best male friend. Seems an entire set of families was riddled with smallpox and many had perished, leaving Felicity in Harris's care. She would often be that annoying 3rd wheel when Harris and her brother, John, would play as boys, but she may have grown up along with Harris for quite some time. She isn't of age yet where she can live on her own --one more year--so, she has been under "ward-ship" with Harris for going on 4yrs now.
Harris is at some fancy French designer dress shop when he special orders a scandalous silvery/lacey dress for his current paramour, Mrs. Grace. Of course, while he is in the shop and about to finalize the sale...he gets spotted by people who know him so he hurriedly picks out a set of fancy embroidered gloves for Felicity. So, already, you know there will be a mix-up because Harris seemed to not even want it known he was ordering a dress for a mistress. When the dress and gloves are about to be sent out for delivery, placed in the wagon or something...an accident occurs and the address labels are not simply switched, but one is lost--the one for Mrs. Grace. Hence, why EVERYTHING Harris ordered will be arriving for only Felicity.
Even though she is a ward of Osterley, an "Aunt Bertha" has been chaperoning Felicity these last 4yrs. And it is a group of women who not only find the gloves, but also this mysterious, yet gorgeous dress. Felicity will be entering Almack's tonight, so...yeah, they plan on having her make quite an entrance. More than she bargained for.
Here is what was off-putting... Harris's scapegoating anger, what almost felt like -to me- hatred toward Felicity. He is quick to anger having seen that dress meant for his mistress being worn by his ward and...well, he did start to look at Felicity with different eyes, but he squelched that, snuffed it right out. Instead, he becomes a deplorable meanie by using displaced anger toward Felicity instead of being a better man and taking the full blame on himself.
Now, he becomes a full-on fire-breathing anger rager and he says he is going to force Felicity to leave the London Society and make her go live in the country to escape ridicule and gossip. This is why it downgrades in rating because...this whole rest of the story becomes pointless except to "force proximity" on Harris and Felicity now, so they can have a battle of wills face-to-face. Harris had a plan all along to simply drop Felicity off and abandon her to his old family estate where they both used to live.
Then a bridge, literally, washes completely away during a severe rainstorm which now imprisons Harris within Felicity's vicinity even though he wants to be very far from her. And we truly don't know exactly why he seems bipolar with her. On days where he's back to his old self, she calls him "Harris"...but when he's being all stoic, cold and mean, she'll call him "Osterley".
The time they spend here actually gives not just them a chance to restart their old bond of friendship, but also give Felicity a chance to say goodbye to old ghosts who still haunt her and haunt this old place that Harris has done some massive renovations with.
They play a silly childlike game of Hide-and-Seek merely because they battle one another on who knows this house better... Him or Her. So, yeah...they have a few moments of brushes with intimacy and almost kisses. That is until Harris makes an unforgettable confession of where his feelings for Felicity may actually lay...and he sparks her interest by claiming, "I cannot lose you, too!"
This causes Felicity to take a chance, for once, and seek Harris out on her own, since he finds running away from her preferable whenever emotions get heavy. So, yeah...she puts on that silver dress again...and sex happens. They both confess love and by morning...Felicity is alone, fearing the worst. She has been left alone to perish in solitude while Harris ran away to hide from his feelings or even worse, he had some idea she slept with him only to get him to bring her back to London.
Because this is a novella, Felicity is not going to wait for Harris to make a move, she makes her own and is on her way, back to London, to get her man. And...POOF! HEA...well, she actually learns she hightailed it to London for no reason because Harris had left a small note on his pillow that he would be back but did have to return to town. He was all prepared to inform people he was about to ask Felicity to marry him while obtaining the family heirloom ring, so, yeah...it was a complete stand-alone, but still a part of this series.
October 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this story. Just the right amount of romance and I loved the interaction between the h/h.
March 6, 2018
I had low expectations for this little novella and because of that, I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! I've never read this author before. I only got this novella and another by the same author because they were free a few months ago. I needed something really short to hold me over a day until the book I really want to read is released tomorrow.
I think I read this in less than two hours! It was short and sweet.
The reason I left off a star is because I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of a story. I felt like I was missing out on a lot of background on these two characters that had a lot of history together. I didn't realize this was a novella in a 5 book series until I came on Goodreads to write this review. I'm assuming that maybe there's some history shown with these characters in the other books, but I couldn't really say since I haven't read them.
Once the background between Harris and Felicity was explained, the story fell into place for me and I really enjoyed the two of them finding each other again as friends and then watching them fall in love. I have never read a scene that involved an adult game of hide and seek before and it was so fun! I smiled through the entire scene!
I really wish that this had a been a full length novel. I felt the love between Harris and Felicity so tangibly that I wish there could have been more! Also I really loved the whole dress angle. Of course I didn't like that he bought the dress with the intention of enticing a mistress, but once it ended up on Felicity, it was a fun premise. The description of the dress was very clear, I could picture it perfectly. I'd definitely read more books by this author!
There's one, short love scene that is fairly vague. No language or violence.
I think I read this in less than two hours! It was short and sweet.
The reason I left off a star is because I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of a story. I felt like I was missing out on a lot of background on these two characters that had a lot of history together. I didn't realize this was a novella in a 5 book series until I came on Goodreads to write this review. I'm assuming that maybe there's some history shown with these characters in the other books, but I couldn't really say since I haven't read them.
Once the background between Harris and Felicity was explained, the story fell into place for me and I really enjoyed the two of them finding each other again as friends and then watching them fall in love. I have never read a scene that involved an adult game of hide and seek before and it was so fun! I smiled through the entire scene!
I really wish that this had a been a full length novel. I felt the love between Harris and Felicity so tangibly that I wish there could have been more! Also I really loved the whole dress angle. Of course I didn't like that he bought the dress with the intention of enticing a mistress, but once it ended up on Felicity, it was a fun premise. The description of the dress was very clear, I could picture it perfectly. I'd definitely read more books by this author!
There's one, short love scene that is fairly vague. No language or violence.
August 25, 2020
Enjoyed the book very much. A lighthearted story that made you smile a lot when reading. A scandalous almost see through fabric dress ordered by an Earl for a widow he is planning to take up with ends up going to his ward instead. She wears it to a ball the same night she gets it and when he arrives at the ball he almost has a heart attack. The widow makes some rather nasty comments that will soon be the gossip of the Ton and the Earl takes her to the country estate the very next day to let things die down so as not to ruin her season or reputation.
The weather turns awful on the way and the five hour trip turns into all day with them arriving at the estate right before supper. Too late for him to ride back to London as he had planned. The hard and heavy rain lasts for several days, washes out the only bridge back to London as well as raising the levels of all the rivers and streams . It throws him into constant contact with her. He has tried not to be attracted to her because he feels responsible for the loss of her family. Harris and Felicity spent a lot of time together growing up as he was her brother's friend and they lived in the same village, he on the estate and she in a cottage very close to it. There is depth to the story and lots of laughter. Very light sex scene. Worth the time to read for sure.
The weather turns awful on the way and the five hour trip turns into all day with them arriving at the estate right before supper. Too late for him to ride back to London as he had planned. The hard and heavy rain lasts for several days, washes out the only bridge back to London as well as raising the levels of all the rivers and streams . It throws him into constant contact with her. He has tried not to be attracted to her because he feels responsible for the loss of her family. Harris and Felicity spent a lot of time together growing up as he was her brother's friend and they lived in the same village, he on the estate and she in a cottage very close to it. There is depth to the story and lots of laughter. Very light sex scene. Worth the time to read for sure.
February 18, 2018
For the life of me I cannot think how this book fits into the Blue Raven canon... but fine. I'll go with it. It's a lovely novella between a woman whose lost her family and a man who is cracking under the burdens of his responsibilities, including responsibly raising his ward, who happens to be his deceased best friend's younger sister and our novellas heroine.
Novellas work best, in my opinion, when a history is already established between our hero and heroine because it establishes a beginning and makes the jump from beginning to middle so quick and simple. There is a heavy history between these two and when weather forces them to spend time in closer proximity than either would like, the band aids are torn off as they each force the other to confront the great loss each has encountered. Like all of the books in this series, I loved it.
Series Review: The entire series is full of wit and humor. Our heroines are sensual and powerful- smart, no-nonsense women who make the knees of our flawed heroes buckle until they're realizing the error of their ways and clambering to show our heroines their true colors. They're such fun reads and should be read, in any order, by everybody who loves romance!
Novellas work best, in my opinion, when a history is already established between our hero and heroine because it establishes a beginning and makes the jump from beginning to middle so quick and simple. There is a heavy history between these two and when weather forces them to spend time in closer proximity than either would like, the band aids are torn off as they each force the other to confront the great loss each has encountered. Like all of the books in this series, I loved it.
Series Review: The entire series is full of wit and humor. Our heroines are sensual and powerful- smart, no-nonsense women who make the knees of our flawed heroes buckle until they're realizing the error of their ways and clambering to show our heroines their true colors. They're such fun reads and should be read, in any order, by everybody who loves romance!
October 14, 2020
I actually cried
Beautifully written. I fell in love with not just the main characters (who were funny and far better fleshed out than you see in a novella) but the side characters. The aunt is wonderful mix of proper and forward thinking. I know that she will likely never have a book but I find myself wanting to hear her story. If I had to guess I would say that she was married but widowed early with no children of her own. She said that she was independently wealthy and only came to live with Harris to take care of Felicity as a favor. She didn’t need him to take care of her but as she’s been with him in London for 4 years she likely doesn’t have children of her own or grandchildren to take care of. Since her husband’s heir would have taken control of the properties or title if there was one, then it’s even possible it was a love match and he protected her assets or returned whatever money or property was in the dowery which is why she never remarried or apparently taken lovers if her face in the office in that final scene was any indication.
Speculation about side characters aside, I will be reading the rest of this series and probably others. It’s been a long time since a romance novel had me crying happy tears.
Beautifully written. I fell in love with not just the main characters (who were funny and far better fleshed out than you see in a novella) but the side characters. The aunt is wonderful mix of proper and forward thinking. I know that she will likely never have a book but I find myself wanting to hear her story. If I had to guess I would say that she was married but widowed early with no children of her own. She said that she was independently wealthy and only came to live with Harris to take care of Felicity as a favor. She didn’t need him to take care of her but as she’s been with him in London for 4 years she likely doesn’t have children of her own or grandchildren to take care of. Since her husband’s heir would have taken control of the properties or title if there was one, then it’s even possible it was a love match and he protected her assets or returned whatever money or property was in the dowery which is why she never remarried or apparently taken lovers if her face in the office in that final scene was any indication.
Speculation about side characters aside, I will be reading the rest of this series and probably others. It’s been a long time since a romance novel had me crying happy tears.
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May 9, 2021Skilfully written
A collision of past, present, future and the conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds of the characters. Kudos! We were not instructed what to think or feel about them with no burden of proof demonstrated. Glimpses of both youthfulness and maturity and genuine care. No one is the prettiest, a greek god or goddess or a King Saul, standing heads and shoulders above all others. No one is the richest, while being the most idle. Yet we find value and worth and admirable qualities and strength. The myth of the strong, independent, never want to get married protagonists is debunked. But instead we are brought face to face with the intermingling of strength and weakness, independence and dependence, meekness and boldness, .... A triumphant human experience. A novel both subtle and unique, illustrating the conflict between artistic skill and editorial clones.
This is one of a few books in this genre that causes one to pause and reflect on the skill essential to weave such nuances that provoke admiration of the creative processes. Well executed.
A collision of past, present, future and the conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds of the characters. Kudos! We were not instructed what to think or feel about them with no burden of proof demonstrated. Glimpses of both youthfulness and maturity and genuine care. No one is the prettiest, a greek god or goddess or a King Saul, standing heads and shoulders above all others. No one is the richest, while being the most idle. Yet we find value and worth and admirable qualities and strength. The myth of the strong, independent, never want to get married protagonists is debunked. But instead we are brought face to face with the intermingling of strength and weakness, independence and dependence, meekness and boldness, .... A triumphant human experience. A novel both subtle and unique, illustrating the conflict between artistic skill and editorial clones.
This is one of a few books in this genre that causes one to pause and reflect on the skill essential to weave such nuances that provoke admiration of the creative processes. Well executed.
June 24, 2022
'The Dress of the Season' was sparkling, dazzling; had lace that allowed wisps of skin to be shown; had a squared and dropped back -- giving a full view of the wearer's back! Totally scandalous for a young and innocent ward to wear!
Harris Dane, Lord Osterley, orders a dress for an intended mature woman, who has been desiring this silver laced expensive fabric! Previously in mourning, she was unable to wear such a dress, but she is more than ready now! He also orders a pair of evening gloves for his ward, whom he has known since childhood and was sister to his best friend.
There is a mix-up with the delivery! Feelings are snubbed, while others are hopeful!
This leads to the confrontation of buried emotions, hidden fears being released and the desire to quell notorious gossip!
Felicitiy Grove, Lord Osterley's ward intends to be more than hopeful! She is determined, that she and Harris be happy!
Harris Dane, Lord Osterley, orders a dress for an intended mature woman, who has been desiring this silver laced expensive fabric! Previously in mourning, she was unable to wear such a dress, but she is more than ready now! He also orders a pair of evening gloves for his ward, whom he has known since childhood and was sister to his best friend.
There is a mix-up with the delivery! Feelings are snubbed, while others are hopeful!
This leads to the confrontation of buried emotions, hidden fears being released and the desire to quell notorious gossip!
Felicitiy Grove, Lord Osterley's ward intends to be more than hopeful! She is determined, that she and Harris be happy!
January 25, 2021
Very unique plot in this Regency romance novella with a lovely cover. Lord Osterley constantly finds himself in embarrassing situations with his ward - soon to come independent. It began when a mix-up occurred upon taking a chance and sending a sizzling dress to a widow (after a year's mourning) whom he wished to impress. Unfortunately, packages became mixed-up and it went to his ward (his deceased best friend's sister) instead and was only discovered at an Almark event. This all blew up, causing a social catastrophe. Escorting Felicity to his country estate against her will, a bridge is washed-out and they have some together time. Can care-free and fun Felicity attract uptight and proper Osterley? Unique story, however with one sizzling scene for those who like a quick read.
May 17, 2020
The Dress of The Season by Kate Noble is a quick read. It takes an accident, a scandal and a flood to make two people realize they need to change their perception of each other.
Harris Dane is the VIscount of Osterly. He decided to send a lovely dress to a widow in order to woo her into a relationship. However, life gets in the way and the dress ends up at his ward’s hands. Felicity Grove loved the gown from Harris Dane. Little did she realize that the gown was not for her, but she wore it to Alamac’s, which set off a series of incidents. There might only be one way out… marriage
The Dress of the Season by Kate Noble was a fast read, but interesting.
Harris Dane is the VIscount of Osterly. He decided to send a lovely dress to a widow in order to woo her into a relationship. However, life gets in the way and the dress ends up at his ward’s hands. Felicity Grove loved the gown from Harris Dane. Little did she realize that the gown was not for her, but she wore it to Alamac’s, which set off a series of incidents. There might only be one way out… marriage
The Dress of the Season by Kate Noble was a fast read, but interesting.
May 30, 2020
Readable but I'd not recommend it either
This title was a novella length FM historical romance with a HEA, part of a series but can be read as a standalone.
It was a short, fast, easy but a bit bland read. There was nothing particular wrong with the style of writing but it simply didn't manage grasp me either. I could read more by them but not have any particular wish to do that category is the best way to put it.
I find it very unlikely that well-bred aristocratic ladies would call anyone cow at a ball, of all things! Let alone another woman do what they did to this young lady at said instance. Really stretching. No, no, no.
This title was a novella length FM historical romance with a HEA, part of a series but can be read as a standalone.
It was a short, fast, easy but a bit bland read. There was nothing particular wrong with the style of writing but it simply didn't manage grasp me either. I could read more by them but not have any particular wish to do that category is the best way to put it.
I find it very unlikely that well-bred aristocratic ladies would call anyone cow at a ball, of all things! Let alone another woman do what they did to this young lady at said instance. Really stretching. No, no, no.
June 7, 2020
Interesting story
I really enjoyed the story. It was well thought out and had an easy, laid back rhythm. The characters are believable, quirky, and likeable. I like that the majority of the book takes place in a more remote area. The rekindling of the friendship that had once existed takes center stage, not descriptions of beautiful parties or way too many people to keep straight. I liked the simplicity of the plot; after all, how many people could have been working for the "Home Office" as a spy or whatever. I love those books too. It is just nice to read something else for a change. I would totally recommend this book.
I really enjoyed the story. It was well thought out and had an easy, laid back rhythm. The characters are believable, quirky, and likeable. I like that the majority of the book takes place in a more remote area. The rekindling of the friendship that had once existed takes center stage, not descriptions of beautiful parties or way too many people to keep straight. I liked the simplicity of the plot; after all, how many people could have been working for the "Home Office" as a spy or whatever. I love those books too. It is just nice to read something else for a change. I would totally recommend this book.
June 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this story, and I feel like the author does a great job giving this story depth even at novella length.
Harris and Felicity grew up together and had been close till they lose all their family to infection. Then Felicity becomes his ward and he becomes Osterly.
But now Felicity is all grown up and a gorgeous dress not meant for her shows Harris how much of a woman she has become.
I loved every second of Felicity trying to break down his walls, and his failed attempts to keep her at arms lengths. The hide and seek game ending in the attic was my favorite.
If you love book about head strong ladies, definitely read this!
Harris and Felicity grew up together and had been close till they lose all their family to infection. Then Felicity becomes his ward and he becomes Osterly.
But now Felicity is all grown up and a gorgeous dress not meant for her shows Harris how much of a woman she has become.
I loved every second of Felicity trying to break down his walls, and his failed attempts to keep her at arms lengths. The hide and seek game ending in the attic was my favorite.
If you love book about head strong ladies, definitely read this!
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