A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!
THE LADY TEMPTS AN HEIR
by HARPER ST GEORGE
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #3
Publication date: February 22, 2022
Published by: Berkley Romance
Genre: Historical romance
SYNOPSIS
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...
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Praise for A Lady Tempts an Heir:
"Luscious historical romance"—PopSugar
“With sizzling chemistry, brilliant banter, and an unapologetically strong, feminist heroine, Harper St. George sets the pages ablaze!”—Christi Caldwell, USA Today bestselling author of Along Came a Lady
“Harper St. George just gets better and better with every book, penning the kind of page-turning stories that you will want to read again as soon as you finish each one. Max and Helena are my new favorite couple in the series.”—Lyssa Kay Adams, author of Isn't it Bromantic?
"The central couple’s palpable devotion is sure to delight. Series fans will not be disappointed."—Publishers Weekly
"Hits all the right notes."—Library Journal
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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The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. GeorgeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third book in the Gilded Age Heiresses series by Harper St. George and another success for this reader. I've been enjoying each installment very much. This book centers around Maxwell Crenshaw, brother to the first two heroines, August and Violet. I was looking forward to learning more about Max as I felt that he was a bit of a mystery in the previous stories. There wasn't much development around his character and he was very much in the background as a secondary character. In The Lady Tempts an Heir he's truly brought to life and becomes an honorable hero to really root for.
Once again, we have the Crenshaw parents meddling in their children's lives by forcing the last remaining single sibling to marry. To be honest, this was my only complaint and reasoning for taking off a star when choosing a rating. The theme is reoccurring in every single book and when that happens it tends to get a little stale. Yes, there were some variations to the attempt at forced marriages, but essentially we're reading the same thing. The parents are absolutely despicable and selfishly controlling. They don't go through any sort of redemption arc or grow from what transpires after the first two marriages. They manipulate their kids into marrying nobility for their own selfish gains, get what they want, and then repeat, despite the pain and suffering they cause along the way. It seems to me that the three siblings are very forgiving towards them, and I have to say that I didn't feel any sympathy at all for the father who developed a heart condition in this book and feared for his life. Maybe that sounds a little heartless, but it was hard to mete out any forgiveness when he put his social rank above his three children's freedom and happiness.
Max Crenshaw is the loyal and honorable prodigal son. He is following in his father's footsteps, learning the business at Crenshaw Iron in order to eventually run the company. While he is more than capable of taking over from his father, they have completely opposite values and managing styles when it comes to business. His father is a dictator and doesn't care about his workers' welfare or living conditions. Max is constantly butting heads with him because unlike his father, he believed an organization is the sum of its parts and that success isn't due to one sole person at the top. Another admirable trait was his loyalty to his family. When it came to his sisters, he jumped to defend them at every opportunity and fought for their happiness and well being. His father's sexist attitude toward August's contribution in the company is a constant battle that he's willing to fight for her. He sees the value in her work and he genuinely cares about the projects she initiates for the company. When his father uses that loyalty against him to attempt to entrap him in marriage, that was the final nail in his coffin for me. He threatens to sink August's business plan if Max doesn't get married by the end of the season.
Lady Helena March is a close friend of Max's two sisters. He encountered her in previous books, and there was an attraction there, but he forced himself to put it out of his mind. He had no time at the present to entertain thoughts of marriage, even though he felt oddly drawn to her. When they see each other again, there is an instantaneous reaction between them, and his respect for her only grows as he sees her efforts towards setting up a home to assist unwed mothers. Rather than turn his nose up at her charity for "fallen" women like most in their social echelon, he sees the value in her work and the generosity in her heart. You have to love his willingness to not only confront the snobbery that surrounds them, but his desire to help her achieve her goal. His plan for a fake engagement will assist both of them: he will get some breathing room from his father's threats and she will get the respect needed from her family and society in order to get financial backing for The London Home for Young Women. What could go wrong?
What started out as a fabrication started to feel more real by the day. As their respect, admiration, and passion grew, the line blurred between fiction and reality. However, even as they wished they could make their engagement into a true marriage, they didn't see how they could overcome their lives firmly settled on separate shores. She could never move to America where Crenshaw Iron was based when her own dreams were on the verge of being attained in England. Would they find a way to bridge the gap? There was another major roadblock between them, but that was quickly resolved because of Max's unconditional love and acceptance of Helena. Once he made up his mind that he had to have her, nothing was going to stand in his way.
His eyes met hers, and it was almost like a physical touch.He meant what he said, and she felt the same sense ofbelonging she had felt the night of the music performance.It was the both of them together against all the rest.
I really enjoyed reading Max and Helena's story. It was a pretty straightforward story with no excessive drama. They had a ton of chemistry and sweetness between them to enjoy. Helena got the partner that she so greatly deserved after suffering through the heartache of her first marriage. I highly recommend this series if you're looking for historical romances with strong, independent female leads. That seems to be a staple in Harper St. George's stories, and I for one, will keep coming back for more as long as she is producing them.
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