The Reluctant Debutante

In 1855 New York, Ginger Fitzpatrick has absolutely no interest in taking part in the newest rage in America—the Cotillion Ball. Instead, Ginger would rather be rallying for women’s rights—at least until she meets her brother’s best friend from St. Louis, a dark mysterious man named Joseph Lafontaine, who ignites her passion and makes her question if love and marriage is such a ridiculous notion after all. What she and the rest of New York’s high society don’t realize is that Joseph is half Ojibwa Indian, and therefore, totally unsuitable for marriage to a fine, cultured young lady. In this Edith Wharton-meets-Julia Quinn tale, a young woman rebels against high society and opts for a life in which she creates her own set of rules. Sensuality Level: Sensual

This highly interesting book studies the cultural context of modernisation of middle-class Muslim women in late 19th- and 20th-century Bengal. Its frames of reference are the Bengal 'Awakening', the Reform Movements -- Brahmo/Hindi and Muslim -- and the Women's Question as articulated in material and ideological terms throughout the period. Tracing the emergence of the modern Muslim gentlewomen, the bhadramahilā, starting in 1876 when Nawab Faizunnesa Chaudhurani published her first book and ending with the foundation in 1939 of The Lady Brabourne College, the book gives an excellent analysis of the rise of a Muslim woman's public sphere and broadens our knowledge of Bengali social history in the colonial period.

Tragedy. Sacrifice. Love. New York City, 1830. Clarissa Tanner is carefree and joyous until the sudden death of her parents. Forced to pay off family debts, she's given one choice: auction off her beloved horses or reluctantly enter 1830s New York Society to face the dreaded marriage market. Nicholas is a man on a mission. The artist is hunting for his missing brother who got mixed up with the wrong crowd at the wrong time. To pay his way, Nicholas takes a position as a dance instructor, providing refresher lessons to the beautiful but distracted Clarissa. As Clarissa trains her thoroughbreds and Nicholas continues his search, the two find a connection through grief and movement. With the auction looming, Clarissa wonders if she could possibly lose her parents and the man of her dreams in rapid succession. The Reluctant Debutante is an American historical romance set in New York's Hudson River Valley in the 1830s. If you like strong female characters, 19th century historicals, and sizzling chemistry, then you'll love Jean Jacobsen's stunning debut novel.