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 lovely 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 want her even more.
-From the Book of the Month club edition; A Jove Book published in 2021
ISBN 978-1-64385-846-3
Cast of Characters:
Evan Sterling, Duke of Rothschild - lead love interest, underground boxer, heir of the dukedom left with mounds of debt and seemingly no way out from underneath it without marrying rich.
August Crenshaw - American heiress of Crenshaw Iron Works, business woman with a mind for numbers in times when women weren't 'supposed' to have a mind for them; fiercely independent and protective of her younger sister; vehemently opposed to marriage, particularly those of the arranged type.
Violet Crenshaw - August's younger sister and original love match for Evan; vehemently opposed to marrying Evan; quietly seeing more and understanding more than most give her credit for.
Mr. and Mrs. Crenshaw - August's and Violet's parents; uncaring as to their daughters' wishes; not very good parents when we get right down to it.
Plot Summary:
August Crenshaw is fiercely independent; and after seeing her friend Camille, now the Duchess of Hereford, forced into marriage to the old man Duke of Hereford, vehemently opposed to arranged marriages. Since her father allowed her to participate in the family business, she always assumed she and her sister would be pardoned from the expectation. She was wrong.
Evan Sterling, Duke of Rothschild, has fallen on hard times thanks to an abundance of debt left by his father who always refused to modernize the farming industry on the lands he held. It did not help matters that his father had a shady solicitor who Evan suspects has absconded with monies rightfully belonging to the family. In an effort to maintain their reputation and the roof over their head, his mother informs him he must marry - sooner rather than later. She has found the perfect future Duchess for him in Violet Crenshaw. Evan is adamantly against being forced into a marriage but he knows his efforts to try and keep the family afloat are not cutting it.
When Evan meets Violet Crenshaw at a dinner held at the Ashcroft's, she is not the fiery woman he kissed at his latest underground bare knuckle brawl. Upon realizing it is Violet's sister he wants, he begins making plans to court her and woo her - but he does so by being honest with her. How refreshing. Clearly the chemistry between the two is palpable as seen in their clandestine make-out session at the ball held by the Duke of Hereford. August will not allow her sister to be married off and she believes she will be able to sway Evan against marrying her. However, Evan has a trump card up his sleeve. He appeals to who she is. He asks her to visit his home, Charrington Manor, to help him in a business sense. He knows she has a brilliant mind for business - and what's more, he actually listens to her advice. My oh my, August has met her match. He wants not just her body but also her mind.
Through it all, we see August come to the realization that her parents are more concerned with the title of Duchess rather than their daughter's happiness. We see Evan bring down his own walls to allow August to see the vulnerable side of him. And we see August change her opinion on marriage when she meets someone who loves the person she is.
Review:
Let's be honest. We all know going into this how it's all going to end - it is a romance novel after all. I really enjoyed Evan. He's a good man that realizes the situation is not ideal but is trying to make the best of it. He knows he doesn't want August to be an unwilling participant in this marriage, and he also wants her to be HAPPY. He doesn't want to strip away what she loves and break her -- which her parents seem more than willing to do. August has found a partner in Evan - not someone to lord over her.
The book was a super quick read and not too heavy on the drama. I really liked the side characters, except for Mr. and Mrs. Crenshaw, and I can guarantee we'll get a story about Violet and Leigh. St. George does a good job of showing the process of how these two fall for each other - from the words they say to one another, but also how they treat one another. Evan is a true book boyfriend and August just sometimes needed to get out of her own way.
All in all, not a bad little historical romance.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
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