True love never goes out of style….
Once renowned for creating the most envied gowns in London, Madame Follette’s dressmaking shop has fallen far out of fashion. The approaching coronation of King George IV offers a chance to reclaim former glory by supplying stunning new wardrobes to the most glittering society in Regency England. In the face of long-held secrets, looming scandals, and the … and the potential ruin of their shop, the dressmakers of Follette’s are undaunted, not even by the most unexpected complication of all: true love.
The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter
When the Duke of Barrowmore walks into the dress shop, Selina Fontaine assumes her secret identity will compromised. Four years ago this man’s brother seduced her and abandoned her to scandal, and she holds the duke responsible. To her amazement the duke is more interested in pursuing her than exposing her, however—and that pursuit soon becomes seductively pleasurable.
The Colors of Love by Myretta Robens
Delyth Owen’s exuberant passion for her new job as a dressmaker at Madame Follette’s is matched only by her love of diverse, vibrant, and frequently unfortunate color combinations. Simon Merrithew, the pseudonymous author of a well-regarded fashion column, is horrified by the gown Delyth creates for a friend, and suspects her motives. He sets out to uncover her duplicity, but instead, he uncovers genuine joy and discovers the colors of love.
No Accounting for Love by Megan Frampton
Miss Katherine Grant is a lady’s companion, one whose number of dishonorable offers (six) greatly outweigh her honorable ones (zero). Now tasked with making certain her charge, Lady Euphemia, does not contract herself to someone inappropriate, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Mr. Henry Dawkins, the inappropriate gentleman Lady Euphemia wants to charm, who keeps the books at Madame Follette’s. But it seems that Henry only has eyes for Miss Katherine Grant.
A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden
Madame Follette’s is Felicity Dawkins’s birthright; her mother founded it, and now she runs it. She’s fiercely committed to making it the most exclusive modiste in London. The Earl of Carmarthen also has big plans for the shop—he wants to buy it and tear it down, to make way for a grand new boulevard of shops. One way or another, he’s determined to persuade Felicity…not only to sell her shop, but to explore the passion that sparks between them every time they meet.
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What a fabulous anthology consisting of 4 stories by some incredibly talented authors! I absolutely loved that all the stories were focused on characters from the one dressmaker’s shop. A unique setting which I personally loved. 2 of our heroines were seamstresses from the dressmaker’s shop and the last 2 stories were of the shop owners son an accountant and the daughter who worked with her mother as a seamstress. Each author gave their own unique twist to their individual story and I think they all did a wonderful job of making each story unique but yet flow together as a group. Well done ladies!
Four Regency romances from four different authors, each telling a love story with one commonality, namely Madame Follette’s dressmaking shop.
The Duke’s Dressmaker evokes all the angst and trauma of the past when the Duke of Barrowmore unexpectedly encounters the dressmaker Selina Fontaine. Whilst Rand is delighted that an opportunity to resolve the mistakes of the past has presented itself, Selina is terrified that he will destroy her. A story of second chances and learning to trust again.
In The Colors of Love, the irrepressible Delyth Owens discovers a client that shares her joy in exuberant colors. Unfortunately, not everyone is delighted with her color choices. The story is lighthearted with quirky characters.
No Accounting for Love brings two awkward characters together. Katherine Grant is a destitute lady’s companion and when she meets the accountant at Madame Follette’s, she experiences an attraction that is quite unlike her. Henry Dawkins is stunned when he first sees Katherine, despite her dowdy clothing. As they fumble their way through their meetings one can only trust that they will get their fairytale ending.
In A Fashionable Affair, Caroline Linden brings together all four stories as well as the outcome for the doomed dressmaking shop. Felicity Dawkins is desperate to save her mother’s business but when the Earl of Carmarthen lays out his plans for tearing down all the buildings in Vine Street and rebuilding the area, she has to face facts. Compromise leads to romance and old secrets being exposed. The story brings out not only the attraction between the main characters but also the stress they were both experiencing from opposite sides of the same problem.
In this themed romance box set, I enjoyed the first and last stories more than the other two. I felt there was some artistic license taken for the era, but if you don’t take your history too seriously, you will enjoy this book.
Once at the top of the fashion list for ladies of the Ton, Madame Follette’s has come upon hard times. As fashion changed, Sophie-Louise, Madame Follette, did not. At her children’s urging she has retired and left the running of the shop to her daughter, Felicity Dawkins. She, along with her brother and a handful of talented and loyal seamstresses, are determined to bring Madame Follette’s back to the top. Along the way, they meet some very interesting clients.
The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter
A commission from Selina’s new client could be good for Madame Follette’s re-entry to the fashion world. The Duke of Barrowmore may put paid to the opportunity. There is an unpleasant past for the Duke and Selina. Believing she may get up to mischief, he vows to keep an eye on her. Spending time with her, Randall discovers she is nothing like he thought her to be. How can he make things right? Randall is arrogant and duty-driven. Selina is strong and independent. They are both in search of something. It might be each other. Randall may well have to do some soul searching, and find a way to make his wastrel brother grow up.
The Colors of Love by Myretta Robens
When Delyth Owen get a bad review from the fashion column called “Aglaea’s Closet,” she is afraid that it might end her job with Madame Follette’s shop, and worse, her career as a dressmaker. She is pleased when a new client (recommended by the lady who wore the dress in the bad review) commissions a gown and presents the possibility for more, including a dress for the coronation. Simon Merrithew accompanies his sister Louisa when she came to meet Delyth. He insists that Delyth come to their home for the design selection and the fittings. What is he up to? Simon is a slightly judgmental and determined man. He has a secret, and it has to do with his interest in Delyth’s methods and motivations in her dressmaking decisions. Louisa is a kind and understanding and attempts to keep her brother in line. Delyth creates beautiful designs, but she absolutely loves brilliant colors and it shows in her finished products. She does try to match the gown to the lady who will wear it. This truly is a story about the colors of love, and the ending is perfect.
No Accounting for Love by Megan Frampton
Henry Dawkins, Felicity’s brother, is the bookkeeper for Madame Follette’s. He is quite large and very shy. Lady Effie Hammond has pursued Henry since she was fifteen (she all of eighteen now). Katherine Grant has the dubious honor of chaperoning Effie. Effie arranges several meetings for her, Henry, and Katherine. Funny thing, she finds other things to do leaving Henry and Katherine to entertain each other. Is she simply flighty or is she up to something? The more time the two spend together, the more they like each other. Will Effie be upset by this or is it possible she’s matchmaking? This is a really cute story, with loveable characters (even Effie).
A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden
Just when Felicity Dawkins begins to bring Madame Follette’s back from the brink of failure, she learns that Vine Street will be torn down around her. She doesn’t know her mother has received offers to buy the building or that all the other buildings on the street are already sold. Evan Hewes, the Earl of Carmarthen, is behind the moves on Vine Street. He plans to tear down the old buildings, widen the street and rebuild, modernizing the business area. Felicity is devastated. Evan agrees to find her a shop that she can afford and will bring in the kind of clientele to continue the shop’s improving status and finances. In their effort to find suitable space for Felicity’s shop, two things happen. Evan falls in love with her, and he discovers secrets about her family that he is determined to keep. Things get more complicated when Sophie-Louise come to town to set everything and everybody straight. Can Evan and Felicity find a solution to this dilemma? Will they find a way to be together? Evan and Felicity are great together, strong and intelligent, adamant about their goals and confident in the outcome. The story presents the characters with a challenge that keeps the reader’s attention.
The Prologue sets up the background and the premise of the stories very nicely. It explains Madame Folette’s shop and how they came to be in the predicament they were in. It also introduces the characters and their roles in the shop as well as their relationships to each other.
What was missing? Well, an epilogue. Each story had its beginning and its end, but overall, we never really learned what happened with the shop. Each story also ended rather abruptly. Each seamstress married wealthy, aristocratic husbands, so — did they continue to work in the shop? And, Henry — with all of the wealthy new aristocratic connections, did he manage to get more clients so he could support himself and his new bride?
I rated each story separately and then came up with an average of those for the whole anthology. The overall rating is 3.75, but I’ve rounded it up to a 4.
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The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter — 4.5 of 5 Stars
This was a lovely romance between a Duke and a gentleman’s daughter turned seamstress. It amazes me that some authors can write a short story that is complete and robust with fully developed characters that you’d like to know. This is that sort of story.
Mrs. Selina Fontaine is really Selina Duval who was ruined by Giles, the brother to the powerful Duke of Barrowmore. She had done nothing wrong, but her reputation was shattered by lies and innuendo. Her parents were suffering terribly from the scandal in her village, so she decided to leave. Now, she’s in London working as a dress designer and seamstress.
Randal (Rand) Woodville, Duke of Barrowmore is rich, powerful and totally accustomed to getting his own way in everything. Well, he gets his way in everything except his brother behaving like the gentleman he is supposed to be. Rand is constantly paying off Giles’ debts even though Giles has ample income of his own.
One day, as Selina is fitting a dress for a client – yes, she knows that the client is the wife of the man who ruined her – but, she can handle that as long as she doesn’t have to meet him or his brother. As she is getting some fabrics, she hears a voice – a much-dreaded voice. No! She cannot face him now.
The Duke is shocked to see the woman who was once his brother’s liaison. What is she doing in this shop fitting clothing? The Duke can’t let it go and makes more and more excuses to see her and to get to know her better. Selina is resistant at first but comes to care for the Duke.
It was a lovely read.
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The Colors of Love by Myretta Robens – 2.5 of 5 Stars
This is a highly improbable tale from a new-to-me author. The writing was well done and the ARC was one of the cleanest I’ve ever read – no typo’s etc. The characters just didn’t resonate with me and I had a hard time figuring out where they were coming from.
Delyth’s family is wealthy gentry, but she wants more, so she runs away to London. She finds work as a costume seamstress in a local theater and works there until she finds a more respectable employment as a seamstress at Madame Folette’s. Delyth is a gifted designer and seamstress but has absolutely no color sense at all. She dearly loves bright, intense colors and mixes them together liberally – to the point that they hurt your eyes to look at them. To her delight, she finally had a customer, Lady Marjoribanks whose taste ran along the same lines as hers and they created a gown. Delyth’s description of the dress colors is: “Oh, they were wonderful: a deep crimson with a violet over-skirt, yellow piping, and just a hint of the palest green lace.” Delyth is so happy until she reads the fashion column, Aglaea’s Cabinet, in the newspaper and it speaks of the dress worn by Lady M.
Simon Merithew is the brother of a Viscount and he’s also the author of the fashion column, Aglaea’s Cabinet. He has immediately jumped to the conclusion that this dressmaker must have decided to shame Lady M by displaying her in such awful colors and he decides to expose her for doing it. So, he brings his sister to the dress shop and commissions Delyth to make her a gown – then, he demands that she make several gowns and that she must live in their home will doing so.
At Simon’s home, Delyth enters through the front door, she is served tea in the drawing room with Simon and his sister and she is provided with a sumptuous visitor’s bedchamber. That is one of the most improbable situations I’ve read in a long time. Then, Simon actively pursues her and proposes marriage. Sorry, I just didn’t see the attraction nor did I believe the scenario.
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No Accounting for Love by Megan Frampton – 4 of 5 Stars
I liked this story. You have two people of disparate backgrounds who find that one other person with whom they can be comfortable and ‘at home’. Henry Dawkins is a huge, but gentle man. He seems to fit that old saying “a bull in a china shop”. There are few if any, small-to-medium sized heroes in romance books, but Henry is larger than most. Add that he is shy and socially awkward and you have a really sweet and lovable hero. Henry’s sister Felicity is the one who now runs their mother’s dress shop.
Our heroine, Katherine, is the daughter of a Viscount who was impoverished before he died. There was no money to settle on Katherine and she had to enter service as a companion to a spoiled, rich, beautiful heiress. That heiress has set her sights on Henry because he is the one man who has said ‘NO’ to her (yep – I don’t buy it either). The heiress decides to go to the dress shop and wait until Henry is there without his sister. That way, she can basically blackmail him into coming to her home for dancing lessons. Henry has no interest whatsoever in the heiress, but he is very attracted to the heiress’ companion, Katherine.
I loved both the hero and heroine, they were lovely together. I loved that both were virgins and that they learned together. I’m not sure how Henry could take on the expense of having a wife nor was I confident of his financial success, but I still enjoyed the love story between Henry and Katherine.
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A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden — 4 of 5 Stars
As always, this author created lovely, relatable characters in a lovely romance. Is it a plausible situation? No, but I loved it anyway. The writing is excellent and the story well plotted. I liked both the hero and the heroine.
Felicity Dawkins grew up in her mother’s dress shop. She was put to work picking up dropped pins, scissors, etc. as a very small child and she picked up more and more responsibilities as she grew up – until finally – she was a designer and seamstress. Now, she manages the shop for her mother and she is absolutely determined to bring the shop back to the prominence it once had. She loves the shop and is giving it her all – and then – a man shows up and he’s trying to take it from her! NO!
The Earl of Carmarthen likes order – modern, clean lines and amenities. He’s brought that to his country estate after it burned and he rebuilt. Now, he wants to bring that same modernization to Vine Street. It is a street that is slowly falling into ruin with old buildings in need of repair and sewers that leak and allow water to stand in the street. He’s bought the entire street – well – all of it except for one building and the obstinate shrew of an owner refuses to sell. WHAT! Since his solicitor hasn’t had any luck convincing the lady, he’ll just go to the shop and speak to her himself. Good luck with that!
Felicity obstinately refuses to approach her mother about selling the building. However, Carmarthen explains to her exactly what is getting ready to happen on the street. She can either sell to him now and profit from the sale or she can wait while he tears down the rest of the buildings, tears up the street itself while he installs gas lines, plumbing, and sewers and she’ll still have to close her doors because her customers won’t be able to reach her and her inventory will be ruined from the dust and dirt created by the construction.
Felicity isn’t a fool and she knows he’s right in everything he’s said – but – she also knows he REALLY wants her building in order to do the entire street. So, there is a small window where she has the upper hand in bargaining with him and she intends to use that to her best advantage. And she does!
I loved watching the two of them dance around each other. I love that Felicity wasn’t a pushover and that she stood up for herself and her business. It was a lovely romance.
Highly recommended!
In this book we have 4 stories, each one written by a different author but all revolve around a dressmaking business, Madame Follette. Every story is a stand-alone but the main characters all work for Folette.
If you have ever read a book by Caroline Linden, Madeline Hunter, Megan Frampton or Myretta Robens then you are familiar with the ease and high quality of story telling that these authors manage to put into their tales.
In all honesty, I still cannot decide which of the 4 stories I enjoyed the most as all are of such high quality.
These are stories of love and potential scandal which held my attention thoroughly and kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed them and am happy to recommend them to you too.
I read an Advance Reader’s copy of this set and the above is my voluntary and unbiased review of it.
I enjoyed the fresh idea of a Modiste shop based anthology, where the emphasis was on those associated with the shop who were making a living for themselves, be it the owners children, or their seamstresses. Overall this anthology had numerous ups and downs, but the strong writing and story telling skills of Megan Frampton and Caroline Linden ultimately saved this anthology for me and will keep it on my bookshelves.
Individually I review the novellas at:
The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter – One Star
The Colours of Love by Myretta Robens – No Star
No Accounting for Love by Megan Frampton – 3 Stars
A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden – 4 Stars
Overall, the anthology is rated at 3 stars for me, due to a number of factors.
– Despite this cohesive backstory, all but the last novella felt a bit disconnected and needed to be meshed together by Linden (though that is done expertly). Perhaps the relationships and interactions between the women in particular needed to be more clearly built in the prologue, the absence of which gave a sense of discord between Selina and Delyth in particular, who were almost strangers in dialogue, instead of the reality of them being close colleagues prone to working in close proximity.
– I think the prologue, while great for setting up the shop and the scene and some of the key players, actually ended up working against this anthology, as as a whole it felt like the first three stories were just fillers, until the last novella followed up where the prologue left off. It also, in the case of some of the novellas, highlighted the difference in descriptive storytelling and overall quality of the writing.
– I found the re-introduction of the owner into the novella at the end of Caroline Linden’s novella counter-productive, and such an encounter, in my view, would have been perhaps far better suited to an epilogue that tied the series of novellas together, ie- the shop is a success, everyone is marrying, and the owner returns to a vastly improved modiste shop from her holiday in Brighton. An option I feel would have been better than trying to tie up a host of loose threads in Caroline’s novella, instead giving more “screen-time” to Evan and Felicity. We are also left at a bit of uncertainty as to what is going to happen now, with the shop, its possible relocation, and its staff, the dealing of all which would have had tied the anthology up nicely in an epilogue.
The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter – One Star
Using a classic story premise of two people with mutual distrust and dislike, based on a shared history where neither had the “full story”, Madeline Hunter manages to create a story complete with colourful additions in the spoilt, petulant and at times petty characters of Edeline, and the self-serving Giles, along side our hero Rand (Duke), and heroine Selina (Seamstress) in a novella length story, an ambitious task.
Overall, I was amused by The Duke’s Dressmaker, though it didn’t work for a novella-length story, as it didn’t fully allow the premise or relationship between the characters to evolve organically. The overall “love-story” felt at times a bit overwhelmed by both Edwina and Giles, and the ever present history between Rand and Selina. Which resulted in a story that was overshadowed by the past we never really escaped from, even in the “happy ending” scene.
The Colours of Love by Myretta Robens – No Star
This was a new author for me and while it had elements I liked including the descriptions of questionably coloured gowns, the premise completely ruined it for me. I do not enjoy novels or novellas wherein the “hero” of the story sets out to expose, humiliate, or otherwise belittle the heroine. While in this case, there was a slightly redeeming element to the premise, namely his “motives” for ill-will, it was not enough to save the story as a whole. I also found the enormous change in the hero’s taste vastly unlikely, though one couldn’t doubt he was clearly a man in love, and found the addition of the epilogue written from the vicars point of view, odd.
No Accounting for Love by Megan Frampton – 3 Stars
How refreshing a novella where two very shy, inexperienced, and endearingly awkward people find their other half, and learn a whole lot of new things together. Add a stunningly beautiful plotting society Miss determined to make the bookish hero accountant love her, her shy and occasionally awkward companion who tries to keep said society miss and the hero out of trouble, (and herself from falling in love with said hero), and an awkward bookish accountant (hero) who prefers books to people and who fears he will trample all in his path; and you have a fun trope that finishes all too quickly making you wish you could spend more time with Katharine and Henry. Just a small niggling criticism about the many mentions of Katharine’s “Other Part”, and the countering “male part” which I found a bit distracting but this is definitely one for the bookshelves.
A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden – 4 Stars
A novella in which a strong minded, intelligent and beautiful heroine proves to more than a match for a stubborn Lord, resulting in a strong clash of wills and more than a few fireworks!
I enjoyed how the author managed to tie together our hero and heroine based on seemingly different, but remarkably similar passions and interests, namely building something beautiful that’s well made and put together, in Evan’s case this is “modern” architecture and street planning, and in Felicity’s a well cut, designed and built garment. The interaction between this two made the downs of the anthology well worth the struggle!
The only real criticism I have about this novella, is mentioned above, and is in relation to the addition of both the return of the owner of the shop, (which I feel would have been better served in an epilogue), but mainly the addition of the diamonds at the 11th hour and its ensuing scene.
I really did not understand why the diamonds (or Felicity’s parentage for that matter) needed to be brought into the equation at all? Surely the increased profile and clientele of the Modiste’ due to Felicity’s hard work, meant that she had a right to be heard by her mother? It was not until after the diamonds were pulled out, albeit, unthreateningly that Sophie-Louise acknowledged her daughters contribution and then acknowledges that she trusts her daughters judgement. Very unsatisfying, and a bit anti-climactic.
I enjoyed this book which is actually an anthology of 4 novellas with overlapping stories. I found the novel’s locale (centered about a dressmaker shop) very interesting. I’ll give a brief rating for each novella:
The Duke’s Dressmaker: 3.5. As a big fan of Ms. Hunter, I found Selina’s and Rand’s story well-written but just not quite up to what I was expecting. Part of that may be because I didn’t especially connect with her hero. I had trouble seeing him as “duke-ly” when he did not assert himself overly much to reign in some of his family members…maybe it’s just a personal thing with me.
The Colors of Love: 3.5. This is my first book to read by Ms. Robens and while I did enjoy the chemistry between Delyth and Simon, I found her a bit overblown, even with her theater background. I just really did not warm up to her character as I normally do a heroine.
No Accounting for Love: 4. This is also a new author for me and can definitely see myself reading more from her in the future. I especially enjoyed her hero, Henry, and his sweet naivete and shy charm were refreshing and new…Katherine made a good heroine for him.
A Fashionable Affair: 4.3. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella by Ms. Linden and the way it wrapped up the stories in the novel (except I do wish that one small mystery had been cleared up in the end). I found myself waiting for Felicity’s story throughout the book and was not disappointed with her Evan. I found this to be a very sweet, romantic, heartfelt story…this was my favorite.
Overall, very nicely done ladies.
I received a free ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve received this book in exachange for a honest review.
This book is an anthology with four stories, all of them connected by Madame Follette’s dressmaking shop. I’ll give my opinion about each of the stories individually and then I’ll bundle them all up.
First, I just want to say that I’ve only read books by Madeline Hunter (one of my auto-buy authors), from whom I got this review copy, so the other three writers were a complete novelty for me.
The first story, written by Madeline Hunter , is about the Duke of Barrowmore and Selina Fontaine, one of the dressmakers. Selina already has a story connected with the Duke, and when he enters the shop, she became scared that he’ll reveal that she is gentry, and most importantly, that she had been practically abandoned by her almost fiancé. As you can imagine, the stories aren’t very long, so I won’t dwell on them, or I risk telling you everything. It’s a sweet romance, with witty and sexy scenes and, as always, Madeline Hunter’s writing creates an atmosphere that leads to a well-spent time reading one of her stories. It was one of my favourites of the anthology. (3.75*).
The second story, by Myretta Robens , was my favourite probably because it was a bit different than what I’m used to – not that that means that it’s not a Regency romance that ends well, it is, but it shows the two main characters, Delyth Owen and Simon Merrithew, in a different light that I enjoyed (an example is the way the two of them meet). Delyth is the most recent dressmaker at Follete’s, and her style is, at the very least, irreverent. This doesn’t mean that she has a bad sense of style or that she is cruel to her costumers (in the way that she would be dressing them poorly and making fun of them), like Simon initially thinks. I really liked seeing Simon changing and, consequently the reader, which led to an understanding of Delyth’s love for colour and fashion, making Simon fall in love with her, and the way she loves life itself. I think that was my favourite part, the fact that it had so much life, so much colour, so much… of everything! And in so few pages. (4*)
The third story, by Megan Frampton , ended up being the one I liked least. Not that it wasn’t sweet (in some way it may even be the sweetest of them all), but it lacked credibility regarding the characters, which made me feel quite distanced from them. Although I did like Henry Dawlkins, son of the owner, Madame Follete, and brother of Felicity Dawkins, the current store manager, the image that came to mind was that he looked like a giant teddy bear, that was afraid he was going to hurt someone just by being who he was. Katherine Grant, the female leading character, wasn’t my favourite. I don’t think she was created in a very coherent way, regarding what she was in the beginning and at the end of the story – I’m sorry for repeating myself, but I think it lacked credibility. (3.25*)
The last plot is by Caroline Linden , and it’s the story of Felicity Dawkins and the Earl of Carmarthen. Felicity, which showed up briefly in the other stories, seemed more interesting there than here, she seemed to have a bit more wit and a stronger character, which is too bad because it raised my expectations for her story and when I read it, it didn’t quite reach them. However, I would like to mention that Felicity is the kind of woman that takes matters into her own hands, and can deal with whatever problems that shows up, no matter how difficult they are. About Carmarthen there’s not much to say, which is sad, because I think he could have been much more developed and explored, making him a more interesting character. Although it was a good story, it left too many unanswered questions for my taste, because this story was where I thought we would actually know what would happen to everyone, but that did not happen. (3.5*)
By this, I mean that even though I actually enjoyed reading this book, it left me a bit disappointed, because I wanted to know what would happen to Follete’s, after two of the dressmakers married a Duke and an Earl. Because if Henry could still be Follette’s accountant, and Delyth a dressmaker, I’m not sure if Katherine would still be a chaperone or now just a wife, if Selina becomes a Duchess and stops all work at Follete’s and becomes a patron or if she’s still part of the shop, creating models, for example, or even if Felicity stayed running the store but now from the backstage because of her position or even if her mother was again the face of the shop or was pushed aside for ever. These are questions I would have liked to see handled, but that, sadly, I’ll never know the answer.
In conclusion, a reading that gave me great pleasure, full of romance and beauty, that showed a turning point in the history of fashion, regarding styles and colour, bringing at the same time a regency love story that will please the readers.
Four different authors work together for intertwined stories of a doomed modiste shop. Interesting characters with twists and turns which result in four couples’ happily ever afters. I enjoyed that each storyline was closely related to the fashions of the time.
I read Madeline Hunter’s & Caroline Linden’s contributions to this anthology – I enjoyed them both and will definitely be going back to read the other two novellas as soon as I can!
The premise of the anthology is nicely set up with a prologue explaining the history of Madame Follette’s modiste shop. The collection features stories of the women (and one man) who work together to ensure the success of the shop.
The Duke’s Dressmaker by Madeline Hunter – 4.5 stars – Selina Fontaine works as a seamstress at the shop, her newest client Lady Giles was taken against her better judgement – she is helping the young woman when her brother in law, Randall “Rand” the Duke of Barrowmore arrives to bring her home – the man that ruined her life. Rand recognizes the woman that almost married his brother Giles four years ago. Selina is worried he will make trouble and force her to run again, so when he approaches her later, she agrees to talk to him. She blames him for Giles throwing her over – but she doesn’t know the real truth and after talking with her – Rand doesn’t want her to find out. He leaves her with a warning to stay away from Giles and never to mention him to his sister in law Edeline. She agrees and thinks she will not see him again. But Rand can’t forget her or help but feel a little guilty for the downward turn in her life caused by Giles. He tells himself he is only interested in her because his family wronged her – but acknowledges that for the lie that it is – he is attracted to her and makes excuses to see her. They spend time together and eventually become lovers and more truths are revealed. Selina has fallen in love with him and accepts that his lover is the only role she can play in his life. But when Giles returns and tries to get her to help him with Rand, the ugly truth of their break up comes out and Selina wonders if Rand’s attention has been four years in the making. Rand is furious with Giles and has to face his feelings for Selina and what to do about them – but it may all be for naught as Selina has disappeared. This was a well written, fast paced novella, with steamy love scenes, wonderful characters, a bit of drama and to die for hero (I loved how Rand treated Selina) and finally a believable HEA that left me wanting more!!
A Fashionable Affair by Caroline Linden – 4 stars – Evan Hewes, the Earl of Carmarthen has plans, he wants to raze and then rebuild Vine Street, all the owner have sold their buildings to him, save one – Sophie-Louise Dawkins aka Madame Follette. She has steadfastly refused all his offers and due to the location of her building, threatens to destroy his plans. He cannot build around her as her building shares a wall with another – so he decides to pay her a visit. He is surprised by the lovely woman at the shop and hopes to make her acquaintance once his business with Madame Follette is done. He is floored to learn that she is her daughter and is managing the shop in her mother’s extended absence. He explains the situation to her and Felicity is floored – her mother never mentioned any of this to her. She refuses to sell and sends him away. She goes to see her brother and learns that their mother didn’t tell him either, but he thinks the Earl is telling the truth. Felicity gets an idea – she goes to see Evan’s solicitor and makes a deal – she will convince her mother to sell, if Evan can find her a shop in a better location. Evan agrees and takes the task on himself – to expedite things of course! He takes her to see a property and she apologizes for her reaction at their first meeting, but is annoyed again later when she sees the property he takes her to. He doesn’t understand the problem and is annoyed – but he is not giving up, this project means too much to him. He finds more properties and treats her with more respect, she in turn apologizes for the misunderstanding and they form a friendship – but that friendship is tested when she falls in love with a property only to learn that he didn’t tell her the cost of the rent – she is upset and just wants to get away from him. Evan knows he should have told her, but figured he would work out a deal with the owner of the property – he wants her to have the shop and a reason to keep seeing her, so he will find a way to make it work. He doesn’t see her for a few days and misses her, so when he sees her at a theater benefit he finds a way to talk to her – thanks to his mother and sister. He introduces her to his mother and sister, then apologizes for not telling her about the rent and says he hasn’t given up – he will keep his word. When he returns her to her box, her brother is nowhere to be seen. He takes advantage of his absence and offers to see her home. She agrees and invites him in. They begin an affair and grow close, sharing their pasts, their hopes and dreams, everything is perfect – until her mother returns. She warns him not to visit her and in their time apart, Evan learns something that will guarantee Sophie-Louise will sell to him, but using the information will ensure that he will lose Felicity. Will he find a way to keep her AND the Vine Street project? This was a wonderful novella with two fantastic leads, I loved their interaction and even if the ending was a little hard to believe, I really enjoyed the story.
My only complaint is there was no epilogue and I felt like both stories that I read ended a little abruptly. But the writing was great and I would be happy to recommend this anthology!