Series: The Fifth Avenue Rebels, #1
Traits & Tropes: second chance; childhood love; revenge; friends to lovers
Genre/Setting: Historical; Gilded Age; NYC, USA, 1895
Publication Date: 03.09.21
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 3/5
After three years of exile in France, high society second son Harrison Archer returns to New York following his father’s death to find his family bankrupted by mismanagement. He has made his own fortune now but goes along with his family’s demands that he find an heiress to marry, and fast, because it suits his own agenda. He seeks matchmaking help from the only woman he’s ever wanted to marry, Maddie. He has no intention of offering for anyone else but needs an excuse to spend time with the girl who once broke his heart and convince her not to follow through on her impending engagement to an English duke.
Madeline Webster was devastated when her best friend fled to Paris without a word then or since. She’s devoted herself wholly to her passion for tennis and is preparing to compete nationally. Now, with Harrison suddenly back on the scene, she agrees to host a house party at her family’s Newport mansion so he can meet some of her unmarried friends. But closeness with Harrison and seeing him interact with other women ignites feelings she’s surprised to identify as jealousy and leaves her feeling distinctly unsettled.
Reunited at last, there is a clear spark of connection between Harrison and Maddie, but time is not on their side and they must determine if they’re meant to be just friends or so much more.
This book had so much potential and such a great setup but unfortunately fell quite flat. I’m going to try to avoid spoilers as I get my thoughts out but please be aware, they’re possible from here on. Harrison’s triumphant return to the city after an ignominious leave-taking and a terrible childhood set him up for some excellent comeuppance for his family yet this was only teased and, for me at least, never fully realized. The introduction of a potential threat to Maddie was really just a device to be used as an excuse for discord between her and Harrison and the hinted potential for suspense just fizzled away to nothing. Everything wrapped up just fine, but this seemed like a missed opportunity of wasted tension building and a heavy-handed plot device.
I found myself cheering for Harrison even if he was rather ham-fisted. His longing and desperation were beautifully described and palpable and the unrequited love was heart-rending. He was by no means a perfect hero, but he was relatable and realistically flawed and still deserving of better from nearly every character with whom he interacted (excepting Preston, Nellie and Kit.) Harrison had proven himself quite thoroughly and that seemed to mean virtually nothing. This aside, Maddie is where this really fell apart for me. Her cluelessness about Harrison’s feelings and constant insistence on everything and everyone falling into line with her plans got old fast. She was both naïve and mercenary, treating everything like a game and fixedly determined to win the duke merely for status. When a heroine admits verbatim to scheming to get a man, it’s a turn off for me. I actually rather liked the Duke of Lockwood and his level-headedness but the love triangle aspect here was just frustrating rather than charming or engrossing. Harrison wanted only to give Maddie everything and rather than recognize that he was trying and learning, given that he’d never experienced a functional, loving relationship, she demanded sheer perfection and over-reacted dramatically when he inevitably failed to meet her standards. Maddie’s mood swings were too much for me and when she went from being aware of her feelings for Harrison and acknowledging her ability to hurt him to wanting nothing to do with him for trying to protect her without her knowledge, I was done with her. These two obviously had to learn how to communicate as a couple, but every couple goes through that and her willingness to throw in the towel at the slightest adversity undermined the love story for me. Maddie just seemed flat and incapable of the depth of feeling Harrison showed for her and that left me a bit sad and frustrated for him rather than really enjoying the HEA.
Despite being underwhelmed by this book I love the concept of this series and find myself looking forward to stories for Kit, Preston, Forrest, and even Nellie and maybe the Duke of Lockwood.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1006350060
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3835255855
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