Series: Gilded Age Heiresses, #1
Traits & Tropes: marriage of convenience; titled hero; impoverished hero; unconventional heroine; enemies to lovers
Publication Date: 01.26.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Gilded Age/Victorian; London, England, 1875
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Rating: 4/5
Contrary to the popular goals of her peers, American heiress August Crenshaw aspires to further her position in the family business, Crenshaw Iron Works, rather than to further her social standing through marriage. With her decidedly unladylike pursuits, August’s parents use the London Season to attempt to make a titled match for her younger sister, Violet, instead. August is appalled and determined to save her sister from a loveless marriage.
Evan Sterling, the rather reluctant Duke of Rothschild, has been saddled with his late father’s crippling debts and with hundreds of tenants, and his own family, dependent on him for support, he has little choice but to marry an heiress. But after meeting the Crenshaws, it’s August he wants, and he’s determined to have his own way in this one thing at least.
August has no intention of bowing to her parents’ demands and decides to increase her outrageous behavior in the hope that Evan will cry off, but every bit of unconventionality she displays only makes him like her more.
This was a new to me author and I enjoyed her writing style and this unique plot. August toed the line for me of being hostile and easily offended just for the sake of being difficult, but she managed to never actually cross that line. Given the betrayal perpetrated by her family in the whole scheme and the way it rocked her entire world, I was inclined to give her some leniency. Evan started off a bit cocky, but he was on the cusp of having to swallow nearly all his pride and through no real fault of his own, plus his façade was hiding a lot of pain, so I could forgive him as well. Perhaps the best thing about both characters was their development. Both Evan and August did a lot of growing in a short time and learned to forgive and apologize and I loved that, especially from August since she had been so determined to see Evan as a villain and not give him even a slight chance. I did get a bit bogged down towards the middle of the book as it seemed like Evan and August took two steps forward and one back without actually making any progress, but thankfully this was overcome. The ending here wasn’t exactly what I wanted, and I wasn’t a huge fan of a couple of the plot devices used, but it was satisfying. I do, however, wish that we’d had an epilogue just to tie everything up but perhaps Violet’s book will take care of that and pick up right where this one left off. Either way, I’m looking forward to reading about her turning Leigh’s world upside down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3513202420
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3019522043
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