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

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

THE DEVIL AND THE HEIRESS by HARPER ST GEORGE

Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #2

Publication date: June 29, 2021

Published by: Berkley

Genre: historical romance

 

SYNOPSIS

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....

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Praise for The Devil and the Heiress:

“A sparkling jewel of a love story, full to the brim with Victorian wit, romance, and heart-stopping heat. Road trips in a carriage and four don’t get much sexier than this.”—Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author

 

"Dear Reader—if you love great characters—sexy rakish heroes and strong heroines—and an emotional story set in Victorian England, The Devil and the Heiress is the historical romance for you!"—Terri Brisbin, USA Today bestselling author

“St. George’s characters are wonderfully nuanced, and their chemistry is all the more enticing for it. It’s a pleasure to watch this complex duo navigate their relationship.”—Publishers Weekly

“A rich, compelling, and beautifully written romance. St. George brings us the story of Violet Crenshaw, an American heiress with distinctly modern ideas about love and marriage.”—Elizabeth Everett, author of A Lady’s Formula for Love

"Captivating...A delightful romance between a man who learns to be vulnerable and a woman who discovers her strength."—Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harper St. George was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was a setting filled with stories of the old days that instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the historical romance novel which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since.

She lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found devouring her husband's amazing cooking and reading.

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REVIEW

The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Once again, poor Violet Crenshaw is on the marriage mart chopping block. In The Heiress Gets a Duke, her social climbing parents shamelessly dangled her in front of the Duke of Rothschild. Violet's belief that she was in love with her childhood sweetheart didn't affect their plans-their children were nothing more than bartering tools for financial and social gain. They ended up marrying into a noble family, albeit with August instead of Violet. Everyone should have lived happily ever after, right? Wrong. Before the ink is dry on August and Evan's marriage certificate, they immediately start plotting Violet's downfall again. It's enough to make you despise her parents with a passion, though I will admit to some disbelief that her parents could possibly be that greedy. An American family with "New Money" should be satisfied with a Duke to prop them up...right? They could have gotten an invitation into the most discerning snob's home.

Violet is portrayed as the more quiet and obedient sister of the two, however in this installment we get to see a new side of her. We learn that she dreams of becoming a published novelist, and a slightly more rebellious nature starts to shine through. I think witnessing her friend's recent tragic marriage was the main thing to bring about this change. Knowing how miserable her friend's new life was, she was almost desperate to avoid the same fate. Being married to an older man who had little to no respect for her who abused their power over her was not what she wanted out of her life. Her parents are dead set on her accepting Lord Ware, despite the fact that he attempted to take liberties with her. Now she is in even more dire straits than she was with Rothschild. She has no allies around her to help and there are sharks circling from every direction.

    The man was willing to ruin her to get what he wanted. 

The fact that she wanted something else wasn’t even 

a consideration to him. What made it worse was 

that her own mother supported him over her. 

Violet didn’t know what to do with that. 

She felt lost and alone.

Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh is the definition of a rogue. He needs an heiress and doesn't have much of a conscience when it comes to getting his way. After getting turned down by Violet's father, he decides to take matters into his own hands. I wasn't sure how I felt about him at first because he was just another person who treated Violet like an object rather than a human being worthy of making her own choices. He's kind of a despicable guy, even plotting to sell the home she inherited from a beloved family member if her father cut her off. However, it didn't take long in her company before he started to feel guilt gnawing at him, and fear started to build at the thought of the truth driving her away. Despite his chivalrous knight in shining armor act, he's really the villain in this story. She just doesn't realize it quite yet. I do love a good redemption story when it's done right. The good news is that I truly believed that Christian not only understood his mistakes, but made amends for them by the end.

I enjoyed seeing his wicked, charming personality paired with Violet's sweetness and innocence. I think she really softened him up and helped him to become a less selfish person after he fell so hard for her. There was such a tenderness that developed in him which I don't think he ever felt in his life. His parents had a horrible and toxic marriage, and neither had time to show him the affection he needed. They were also a horrible example of love, which is one of the reasons why he never felt inclined to get truly close to a woman before Violet.

As with any relationship that is rooted in deception, Violet and Christian's is doomed for disaster. It isn't a matter of if, it's when. After the truth bomb drops, and the stars are lifted from Violet's eyes, there is nothing but destruction. There was a point where I wondered if Christian would be able to adequately come back from the betrayal that he delivered. One of the things that I really appreciated was that his actions weren't brushed under the rug after a quick apology, and he didn't use her attraction to him to smooth things over either. He set about winning her heart back with actions rather than words.

All in all, I think this was another win for the Gilded Age Heiresses series. The writing is once again easy to engage with, and very fast paced. I never had any issues with boredom or temptation to skim. Anyone looking for a historical romance with a reformed rake and a sweet heroine will most likely really enjoy this couple! Violet and August's brother Max was much more fleshed out in this book which made me really happy. He finally started to feel more three dimensional as we got into his head a little bit and understood some of his thoughts and feelings. I look forward to reading his full length story in The Lady Tempts an Heir, scheduled for release next February.

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