Category: American Historical

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale

On By TracyIn America's Gilded Age (1870-1900), American Historical, Tracy's Reviews2 Comments

An Heiress to Remember (The Gilded Age Girls Club, #3)An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Gilded Age Girls Club, #3

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Young and in love with Wes Dalton, Beatrice Goodwin makes a decision that changes her life and sets Dalton on a journey to gain revenge. Years have passed since Wes asked her to run away with him and she has barely thought of him in the sixteen years she has been gone – but now she is back in New York, a scandalous divorcee who threw over a duke and dared to be her own woman. She is stunned to learn the poor boy she loved is now one of New York’s richest men and is trying to buy her family’s store – the store she has come back to run – the store that is to be her dream, her mission, her independence! Former love or not, there is no way Beatrice is going to surrender without a fight!

For sixteen long years, Wes Dalton has devoted his entire life to revenge against the woman who broke his heart and her family. He took the payoff her mother offered when she got engaged to the duke and turned it into an empire. He is now the third richest man in New York City and has a department store that is so well known, he doesn’t even have his name on the building. His crowning achievement is at hand – Edward Goodwin (Bea’s brother and current President of Goodwin’s) wants to sell the store and Dalton is going to buy it and destroy it. But his grand plans are thwarted when Bea sweeps in and says that she will not let Edward sell the store – she checked with a lawyer and it was clear in her father’s will that both she and her mother have to agree to a sale. She then takes things further and has her brother committed to get treatment for his drinking and takes over as President in his absence.

Dalton finds himself exhilarated by the prospect of going up against Bea and welcomes the competition. But soon he realizes that revenge was never what he really wanted and he needs to decide what he is willing to pay to get what he really wants. For her part, Bea will find herself and hopefully realize that her dreams and success won’t keep her warm at night or ward off loneliness before it’s too late and she is left with nothing.

I really enjoyed this story, I loved that they didn’t have a misunderstanding in their past – they both made choices and stood by them. I loved catching up with the Ladies of Liberty and I thought some of Bea’s stunts were awesome. I was rooting for her at the beginning and loved that she didn’t give up on her dream. And Wes – OMG – LOVED HIM, he was funny, smart and pretty much perfect. The book has a lot of emotion, a little intrigue, a villain I didn’t see coming, some steamy love scenes, some serious girl power and a very sweet HEA. My only complaint is I felt Bea held onto her past experience a little too long and had an all or nothing attitude – like there is no compromising when you love someone – it made her come off a bit selfish – but it all works out in the end. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I am happy to recommend this book and hope there are more installments to come!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley/Edelweiss and the publisher.*

The Outlaw’s Heart by Amy Sandas

On By TracyIn American Historical, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Outlaw's Heart (Runaway Brides, #3)The Outlaw’s Heart by Amy Sandas

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Runaway Brides, #3

Release Date: October 29, 2019

On the surface, it would appear that Evelyn “Evie” Perkins married well, her husband Matthew is rich, attentive and handsome. But the reality is far different, Evelyn’s husband is abusive and beats her without mercy, he controls every aspect of her life and has successfully separated her from her friends and family. Finally at the end of her rope, Evie forms a plan and escapes.

She heads west, but knows better than to go to her brother or her friends, as she is sure that is the first place Matt will check. Instead she plans to go to California and disappear into one of the large cities – but that plan is out the window when her train is stopped and boarded by outlaws clearly looking for someone – when asked her name, she lies and gives another passenger’s name and as luck would have it – that is the person they are kidnapping! She is taken without her possessions and knocked out. When she wakes, she is at the outlaw’s camp and they realize that they have taken the wrong woman. Unable to risk taking her back, they will take her to their leader, Luke and let him decide how to handle it.

One of the men, Gabe, is kind to her and sees to her comfort and is assigned to taking her to Luke. She is surprised at her attraction to him and finds that while she is wary of him, she isn’t afraid. Gabriel “Gabe” Sloane is a Cheyenne Indian who has been riding with Like for years but still feels out of place. He was taken as a boy and raised by missionaries, but when he was older and escaped, found that he no longer fit in with his family. That is when he met Luke and began “working” with him. Gabe is a quiet man of few words, he is also surprised at his immediate attraction to Evie, who tells him her name is Eve. He protects her on the trail and when he learns the extent of the abuse she endured at Matt’s hands – he knows he would lay down his life for her.

This was a very emotional story with strong abuse triggers as well as adultery that may be upsetting for some readers. I personally thought Ms. Sandas handled the physical abuse as tactfully as possible and wasn’t overly graphic in her descriptions, but nevertheless, be warned if that sort of thing is difficult for you to read. I loved Gabe and Evie, but I did have a problem with the adultery – I hated her husband and wished him a painful and slow death – but she was married to him while she was will Gabe and that sort of thing bothers ME. I also felt like the end was a whirlwind and ended too abruptly – Since this is the last book in the series, I really feel like this book should have had an epilogue to get some closure with Evie and Gabe as well as Courtney, Dean, Alex and Malcolm.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*