Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

The Devil and The Heiress by Harper St. George

On By BarbaraIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), Barb's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #2)The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #2
Publication Date: 6/29/21
Period: Victorian – London 1875
Number of Pages: 304

I discovered this new-to-me author with the first book in this series, The Heiress Gets A Duke. I absolutely loved that book and I believe this one is even better. The writing is exceptional – I love the way the author turns a phrase. The plot is well-formed, well delivered, and fast-paced. It was such an engrossing and interesting story I read it from beginning to end in one sitting.

We met the Crenshaw family in the first book and found the parents to be very despicable, but the children were delightful. Well, the parents haven’t changed one bit and they are now selling their daughter, Violet, to the nobleman with the most to offer Crenshaw Iron Works. Since they got themselves a Duke the last time, the title isn’t as important this time around – as long as there IS a title. What they need this time are the raw materials that will be needed by Crenshaw Iron Works when they open their London branch. They’ve found the perfect candidate and drawn up the agreements – but they ‘forgot’ to tell Violet she’d been auctioned off to an absolutely odious man.

Violet Crenshaw isn’t exactly who she seems to be. Everyone believes her to be very quiet, pliant, and biddable. What they don’t readily see is the spine of steel. What they don’t expect is for her to object to their marriage choice for her and they certainly don’t expect her to take any actions to thwart them. Violet is definitely more than everyone believes her to be. While everyone is valuing her for her monetary worth, they are missing her real worth.

Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, isn’t exactly who he seems to be either. He is – but it is because he has long ago buried the real Christian deep inside himself, so what we see on display is the cold, calculating, uncaring, and womanizing man he has become. Christian isn’t the typical pockets-to-let aristocrat in search of an heiress. However, since his beloved Scottish estate burned, he doesn’t have the funds to make the repairs. Frankly, he could care less about anything else in his Earldom – he really never plans to marry and have children so the title and everything that goes with it can either go to some distant relative or die out altogether. His vile father was the Earl and he hated Christian – for no good reason. Then, Christian met Violet and she intrigued him – and she was an heiress – what could go wrong there?

I highly recommend this book and this series. The author’s writing style just speaks to me and the characters could easily become my friends if I met them in real life. I loved watching Christian change from trying to manipulate Violet into doing as he wants to only wishing to love her and make her happy – even if it cost him his own happiness. It was also nice to spend some time with Max (Violet’s brother) and to get to know him better as I’m sure his book will be the next one. I hope you’ll choose to read this book and love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Wrong Marquess (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #3)The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret
Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Mating Habits of Scoundrels #3
Publication Date: 6/29/21
Period: Regency London – 1810
Number of Pages: 384
** 4-Stars **

The book starts off with the saddest event any child, especially a young child, can possibly witness. This beginning is beautifully written and deals with Elodie’s emotions wonderfully. It also shows, very plainly, the genesis of all of her fears and phobias that are a central part of this story. To be honest, I had reservations about this trope because it usually turns out that one party clings to their ‘love’ for another for way, way, way too long. It didn’t work exactly that way in this one, but there was an event that made me just want to reach into the book and spank her. The book is well written and the characters are lovely.

Elodie Parrish has more fears and phobias than you can shake a stick at, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about marriage. She has had an understanding with George, Marquess of Nethersole since she was a very young girl – but now, she is twenty-five years old and is practically a spinster. George is busy sowing his oats and just isn’t ready for marriage yet. Elodie isn’t jealous and it doesn’t bother her for him to be sowing his oats, but it is just time. Elodie is totally oblivious to the way George takes her for granted, makes jokes of her, teases her unkindly – others notice, but Elodie doesn’t. He’s just being the George she’s known since she was a small girl.

Brandon Stredwick, Marquess of Hullworth, is unhappily in London for the season. He’s there to escort his much-beloved sister, Meg to all of the events. Brandon is rich, handsome, unwed – and pursued ceaselessly by the debutantes and their mothers. Brandon has no intention of marrying any of them and has not one ounce of patience for their ploys such as accidentally bumping into him, dropping their handkerchiefs, befriending his sister solely to get near him, or feigning injury. When he’s at a garden party and one of those women barrels into him, he’s deplorably rude to her and just walks off – only to find that she’s befriended his sister. He tries to warn Meg, but she’ll hear nothing against her new friend.

Elodie and Brandon certainly have an inauspicious beginning to their acquaintance and only tolerate each other because of Meg – until – Meg isn’t the only reason they tolerate each other. Elodie is focused on George and Brandon mistrusts all women, so their journey to an HEA is a hard one.

I loved both Elodie and Brandon and I loved how each of them grew – especially Elodie. She had so many fears to conquer and I loved that she finally embraced overcoming them. I also loved how Brandon came to trust Elodie and to learn that not all women were ‘out to get him’. I did NOT love George, but then I wasn’t supposed to. However, I also didn’t love Prue, and I think she might be the female lead in the next book. To me, what she did was unconscionable and I think Elodie was much too easy to forgive. So, it will be interesting to see how the author manages to make Prue acceptable to me in her book. Elodie’s aunts, Maeve and Myrtle are delightful and I think you’ll enjoy them as well. They could have offered Elodie a bit more guidance though rather than just letting her flounder after George for years.

I definitely enjoyed this book and hope you will as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews