James Cavendish, a horse farmer from America, recently became the Duke of Durham, and he has to travel to London with his three sisters for the dreaded Season. None of them are pleased with this unexpected turn of events, as the sisters must learn about etiquette and deportment, and Bridget is not doing very well. She makes an unforgettable debut when she slips and lands flat on her back in the middle of a ballroom, to the utter delight of the Ton's worst snobs. She is socially rescued by the charming Rupert Wright, who causes Bridget's heart to flutter. Rupert appears quite unlike his strait-laced brother, "Dreadful Darcy", who nevertheless insinuates himself into Bridget's life.

After an absence from the historical fiction world for around a year, which seemed to me an eternity, Maya Rodale returns with the scintillating first instalment in her new Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. Ms. Rodale's distinctive sense of humour and witty banter are at their apex, and her writing is subtler and more nuanced than ever. LADY BRIDGET'S DIARY is not entirely the madcap comedy we might have expected according to the blurb, but there are plenty of giggles and laughs, subtle winks to popular culture, such as the title obviously, and Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. LADY BRIDGET'S DIARY is a multi-layered story, with a few subplots, and three epic plot twists, and the most life-altering "kiss in the rain".

Every single character is extremely well fleshed out, and it is easy to relate to Bridget's discomfort in trying to fit in, to be something she's not, and that she doesn't even want to become. And I love Rupert so much, even though he is not a Cavendish, I will hereby publicly beg Ms. Rodale to give him his own story. Ms. Rodale's previous series left such an impression on me that when I saw this new title, I forgot to read the blurb! Only one author could surpass the level of excellence achieved in LADY BRIDGET'S DIARY, and it is none other that Maya Rodale herself!