The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

 Evelyn Maltravers needs to find a wealthy husband so she can lift the situation of her whole family. They had hoped her older and more beautiful sister would be their salvation, but she ended her first London season in scandal. Evelyn is not as beautiful, but she is an accomplished horsewoman, so she decides to try to make her mark by riding beautifully the latest fashion.  She enlists the assistance of an up-and-coming habit-maker, Ahmad Malik. He is half Indian and has struggled against prejudice  his whole life.  He hopes that, if he can make striking enough clothes for Evelyn, it will secure his place as a dressmaker for the aristocracy. As they became partners in what they hope is a mutually beneficial venture, they are forced to acknowledge their growing attraction for each other. Can Evelyn abandon her duty to her family to follow her heart?

This is the second book I have read by Ms Matthews, and I didn't like it as well as the first. The story line was fine, the characters were written well and there was some interesting historical detail.  What I didn't like was that is was very hormonal.  There was way too much time spent on describing how his touch made her belly feel, and how she felt when he had to adjust a fitting on her bodice. There was so much focus on the physical, that the reader feels that their attraction is merely physical.  I also didn't like that they constantly flaunted the rules of propriety for the time period and believed there wouldn't be any consequences. Somehow was no big deal that she stripped down to her knickers for a fitting without a female chaperone present. There are certain social rules in these books.  I don't know if they are based on reality or just a literary creation, but people who write in the Victorian romance genre are accepting those rules when they select the genre.  Ms Matthews ignored the convention in order to give the readers yet another scene of suppressed sexual tension. Granted, the couple never cross the line, but they were teetering on the brink the whole book. I debated with myself, but I finally removed Ms Matthews from my Clean Romance Writers list. It just isn't what I want to read. (432 p. 2022)