A Delightfully Progressive Historical Romance
The Lady Tempts an Heir
The Gilded Age Heiresses
Victorian Historical Romance, Historical Romance
Berkley
February 22, 2022
ebook, paperback
336
A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!
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…
“It wasn’t the courtship that bothered her. It was that he would be the man doing the courting.”
The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George is a gorgeously written standalone historical romance that features a fake engagement and not so fake feelings between the main characters.
While this is my first introduction to Harper St. George, fellow Bee Carla loved Violet Crenshaw’s book The Devil and the Heiress which came out this past summer. The Lady Tempts an Heir
tells the story of second-born Maxwell Crenshaw and his fake engagement to Lady Helena March—a widowed Lady with a heart of gold and a penchant for helping the unwed and destitute mothers of London. I’m sure you can see how this would be a problem for Lady Helena. Due to her charitable cause, Lady Helena is finding funding hard to come by and her parents are further pressuring her to find a husband that would give her some stability as well as better standing within High London Society.
“She had never met once a man in secret at a ball. It seemed only fitting that Maxwell Crenshaw would be the first.”
Enter Maxwell Crenshaw. Though American and a successful—not to mention thoughtful—businessman in his own right, he’s still looked upon as slightly brutish if not too American for polite society. His father gives Maxwell an ultimatum to find a bride and holds the success of his eldest sister as leverage. When mutual admiration leads to a mutually beneficial fake engagement, Lady Helena fears that her more than robust feelings for Max may be the end of her. Likewise, Max is fearful if he doesn’t convince Helena of his very real feelings, he may run the risk of losing her forever—fake engagement be damned.
Truly, there is so much more to this wonderful story. I love that Helena bows down to no one and uses her knowledge and compassion to gain the respect of her peers. Maxwell is also surprisingly progressive in his business acumen as well as wonderfully respectful of both his sisters as well as Lady Helena. Maxwell is truly the ultimate gentleman. The conflict and ultimate resolution surprised me in a wonderful way and I wish more romances would embrace such a well thought out and modern twist to the Happily Ever After.
“Her smile tried to widen, but she bit the inside of her lip to stifle it. He nearly groaned as an ember smoldered inside him, brought to life by her attention.”
Due out next week on the 22nd, The Lady Tempts an Heir is a romance you shouldn’t miss out on. Max and Helena’s romance will have you cheering! I cannot wait to see what Harper St. George has in store for readers next!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
