Review: The Heiress Gets a Duke (The Gilded Age Heiresses #1) by Harper St. George
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Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #1
Author: Harper St. George
Published January 26th 2021 by Berkley Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Even a fortune forged in railroads and steel can't buy entrance into the upper echelons of Victorian high society--for that you need a marriage of convenience.
American heiress August Crenshaw has aspirations. But unlike her peers, it isn't some stuffy British Lord she wants wrapped around her finger--it's Crenshaw Iron Works, the family business. When it's clear that August's outrageously progressive ways render her unsuitable for a respectable match, her parents offer up her younger sister to the highest entitled bidder instead. This simply will not do. August refuses to leave her sister to the mercy of a loveless marriage.
Evan Sterling, the Duke of Rothschild, has no intention of walking away from the marriage. He's recently inherited the title only to find his coffers empty, and with countless lives depending on him, he can't walk away from the fortune a Crenshaw heiress would bring him. But after meeting her fiery sister, he realizes Violet isn't the heiress he wants. He wants August, and he always gets what he wants.
But August won't go peacefully to her fate. She decides to show Rothschild that she's no typical London wallflower. Little does she realize that every stunt she pulls to make him call off the wedding only makes him like her even more.
Goodreads
Review
After seeing her friends being forced to marry a British nobleman to appease her parents wishes, American heiress, August Crenshaw is adamant neither she nor her younger sister, Violet, will suffer the same fate. All she wants is to prove to her parents that the work she does at Crenshaw Iron Works is meaningful, and she should play a larger role, and not have to step aside when she marries. But, she meets the Duke of Rothschild at a place where no nobleman would be expected - a bareknuckle ring, and he saves her from a fall, after they kiss. When it's clear that Evan needs to marry a rich heiress, and quickly, to save his family estate, and allow his sisters to have the season they deserve. But his mother, and the Crenshaw's believe that the beautiful Violet would be the perfect choice for future Duchess, but Evan only wants August, and he'll stop at nothing to prove that he's serious. Well, August won't go down without a fight, and she soon realises she might've bitten off more than she can chew.
As much as I adore historical romances, I will admit I know next to nothing about the Golden Age in America. So, seeing what August's home life was like, and the mentions of the glitz and the glamour of New York society was lovely. I also really appreciated how strong and capable August was. Just because she was a woman, she still found her way making a place for herself in her family's company, being extremely important to the entire operation, and believing that she had made herself indispensable to her father. Yet, she and her younger sister still faced the same issues a many other woman in this age, where wealthy parents, who had no need for their children to marry for money, instead wanted a titled son in law, and no one was more enticing that the penniless Duke of Rothschild. Evan, for his own part, didn't want to marry for money, but realised that the odds were stacked against him, and his elder brother and late father had left the estate in ruins. Only by marrying well, would he be able to recover some of the estate, and his family's honour, and he's ready to fall on his sword - but meeting August makes Evan realise that marrying might not be the bugbear he thought it could be, but instead be perfect for them both. Both of the main characters, as well as some of the secondary characters - especially Violet and the Earl of Leigh, who will be the protagonists of book 2 - were fantastic, and I can't wait to get my hands on The Devil and the Heiress. Definitely an author I'll be reading again!
Dates Read:
Rating
4 Stars
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