Review: The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses, Book 4
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780593440988
Release Date: May 23, 2023
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.

A sensual bargain is only the beginning of the tale in The Duchess Takes a Husband. Harper St. George wraps up her Gilded Age Heiresses series with American heiress Camille’s story. The widowed Duchess of Hereford is the survivor of an abusive marriage who is just beginning to find herself again. She wants to reclaim her life and oh, how I loved watching her do that. Whether it’s joining the Montague Club or becoming a member of the suffragette movement, Camille is no longer going to let society’s snobbery stop her. One of Camille’s goals is to find out if she can find pleasure in bed, and the man she wants to be her tutor is none other than Jacob Thorne. Jacob is the illegitimate son of an earl and the co-owner of the Montague Club. Jacob has had many advantages in life and he wants to know if he can accomplish something himself. His goal is to open a cabaret club in Paris without the assistance of his brother and his friend, but to do so his investors want him to have the respectability of a fiancée. He and Camille strike a bargain to their mutual benefit, but of course nothing is as simple as it seems…

Camille and Jacob have a slow burn romance that sizzles with sexual tension. Camille has suffered greatly in the past and the trauma she has to face makes things difficult for her. Jacob is patient, kind, and understanding. He never pressures Camille and is there for her when she needs it. But Jacob has baggage and he fears falling in love. As he and Camille grow closer both will need to face the ghosts of their past in order to claim a future together. St. George mixed healing with growth and it was lovely to watch Jacob and Camille’s journey. The two of them had excellent chemistry and the love scenes were worth the buildup. I adored these two together and was rooting for them every step of the way.

The Duchess Takes a Husband is the fourth book of the Gilded Age Heiresses series but I think it stands well on its own. I loved revisiting the Crenshaw siblings and their spouses and the friendships between all the characters were a delight. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Camille and Jacob’s love story and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Harper St. George comes up with next!



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George

The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780593197240
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires…

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget…

A fake courtship feels all too real in The Lady Tempts an Heir. Sparks flew between Max and Helena in the last Gilded Age Heiresses book so I was delighted to see the final Crenshaw fall for the independent widow.

If Max thought that being male would prevent him from being subjected to the same pressure to marry as his sisters, he was wrong. If he doesn’t fall in line and secure the Crenshaw legacy, then his father will derail his sister’s current project. Max doesn’t want to be pressured into marriage, but he needs to buy time to protect his sister’s work so he decides to propose a fake engagement to Lady Helena March. Helena is a widow who cares deeply for others. She’s trying to secure funding for The London Home for Young Women, but her own father is pressuring her investors to pull out because it’s “unseemly” for Helena to be associated with unwed mothers and their children. Max’s proposal seems to be the perfect solution to her problem. But what starts as a mutually beneficial fake relationship quickly becomes real.

Helena and Max are easy to like both individually and as a couple. They’re well-matched, smart, kind characters who stand up for what they believe in. Max truly listens to Helena and doesn’t dismiss her ideas or plans, even if they come into conflict with his own. He isn’t perfect, but he learns and becomes an even better person over the course of the story. The two of them support one another and I loved that. They have excellent chemistry and no matter that they believe this courtship is temporary, it’s clear for all to see that they’re falling in love.

Love, however, may not be enough for Max and Helena to get their happily ever after. Both have established lives on different continents, and Helena carries a secret that has her pulling back from Max. I was rooting for them every step of the way and I loved how author Harper St. George handled Helena’s secret. St. George really made her characters consider what it would mean for them and that made the love story all the stronger. I adored The Lady Tempts an Heir – the Crenshaw siblings and their partners are all a delight to spend time with – and I cannot wait to see what St. George has in store for her next American heiress!



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George

The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780593197226
Release Date: June 29, 2021
EBook Source: Publisher
Paperback Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Sparks fly when a runaway heiress bargains with a devilish rogue to escape a marriage of convenience.

No one would guess that beneath Violet Crenshaw's ladylike demeanor lies the heart of a rebel. American heiresses looking to secure English lords must be on their best behavior, but Violet has other plans. She intends to flee London and the marriage her parents have arranged to become a published author--if only the wickedly handsome earl who inspired her most outrageously sinful character didn't insist on coming with her.

Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, has a scheme of his own: escort the surprisingly spirited dollar princess north and use every delicious moment in close quarters to convince Violet to marry him. Christian needs an heiress to rebuild his Scottish estate but the more time he spends with Violet, the more he realizes what he really needs is her--by his side, near his heart, in his bed.

Though Christian's burning glances offer unholy temptation, Violet has no intention of surrendering herself or her newfound freedom in a permanent deal with the devil. It's going to take more than pretty words to prove this fortune hunter's love is true…

A devilish lord in need of funds meets his match in an American heiress determined to escape a betrothal that would crush her spirit. The Devil and the Heiress is an engaging romance that charmed me thanks to its roguish hero who has a marshmallow heart and an optimistic budding writer with a spine of steel.

Violet Crenshaw has seen firsthand what can happen to a woman who is essentially sold for a title. Though her sister made a love match with an English lord, that doesn’t mean the same will hold true for Violet. In fact, her parents are determined she marry a man who will undoubtedly cage her. Determined to take charge of her own life, Violet flees London and is surprised to find a helping hand in the form of the Earl of Leigh. Except Christian has his own plans and it wasn’t chance that made him appear when Violet needed aid. He needs funds to save the one home that means anything to him and Violet is the answer to his prayers. She also intrigues him as no other woman has. The forced proximity allows them to get to know one another in a way they never would have within the confines of society’s rules. I thoroughly enjoyed their trip and watching Christian and Violet get to know each other. Their mutual attraction quickly becomes something more, but what happens when Christian’s initial plot is revealed (as it must or where would the conflict be?) I will leave readers to discover for themselves.

Christian and Violet have great chemistry and the pages of The Devil and the Heiress practically flew by. There are elements of this story that remind me of Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower quartet and as that’s one of my favorite series it’s a definite compliment. But Christian and Violet are their own selves and they won me over. Violet can be naïve but her spirit and openness charmed the daylights out of me. And Christian made me smile and sigh. He definitely is wrong in lying to Violet, but the man has the softest heart and I could have melted over him. I adored them both as individuals and as a couple.

The Devil and the Heiress is the second book in Harper St. George’s Gilded Age Heiresses series but having not yet read The Heiress Gets a Duke I can safely say Violet’s book stands on its own. That being said, I enjoyed Violet and Christian so much that I cannot wait to go back and read August Crenshaw’s book as I wait for more Gilded Age Heiresses stories.



FTC Disclosure: I purchased the paperback and received the EBook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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