La Petite Four by Regina Scott

Lady Emily and her best friends Priscilla, Ariadne, and Daphne make up La Petite Four. Their dream is to throw an unforgettable ball to mark their debut into Good Society. However, their plans are dashed when Lord Robert announces his intentions to marry Lady Emily, which for some reason requires their marriage to take place within a little over a week and prevents Lady Emily’s attendance of the ball. La Petite Four are appalled; they’ve been planning this ball for ages! And since Lady Emily detests the very thought of marrying this man, La Petite Four take it upon themselves to discover Lord Robert’s secrets or anything that will stop Lady Emily’s impending marriage. But when this investigation turns out to be more dangerous than just traipsing all over London, La Petite Four know they must reveal the secret before it’s too late.

I will begin by saying that La Petite Four is a slightly misleading title as the story is mainly about Lady Emily and not focused on the exploits of the four friends; however, I did think that name of their little clique of friends was adorable. La Petite Four was a cute blend of high society, friendship, daring escapades, and even danger. I found it amusing to follow the four friends around as they tried to find Lord Robert’s secret only to come up with false accusations until the very end. I was a little disappointed that the characters weren’t very developed; often I felt that certain characteristics were forced upon me or just snuck in, but that didn’t make the story less enjoyable. I felt that the story focused mainly on plot, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but characterization would’ve made the story much better. However, I really loved the historical angle of the novel, and especially how it affected the rights and roles of women.

La Petite Four was good but not the best. I felt it was a small step down from several of my favorite historical novels, like The Luxe by Anna Godbersen and the A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray. However, it was a very entertaining, enjoyable, and light read. Fans of Marissa Doyle’s Bewitching Season will like this non-magical version of London’s high society.

Rating: 3.75

Review copy from personal collection