A scandalous arrangement between a London rogue and an American duchess leads to lavish stakes.
THE DUCHESS TAKES A HUSBAND
by Harper St George
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #4
Publication date: May 23, 2023
Published by: Berkley
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.
Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.
The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.
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Praise for The Duchess Takes a Husband:
"Harper St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series gets better and better, and this newest installment just dazzles! With a combination of lush, poignant prose and sizzling intimacy, The Duchess Takes A Husband is a compellingly emotional read that historical romance readers will love!"—Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana MarÃa and The Fox
“Particularly for readers of the rest of the series, it’s emotionally rewarding to see a woman who had been so downtrodden finally find the happiness she deserves. This sexy and emotionally rich story is the perfect way to wrap up this excellent Gilded Age–set series.”—Library Journal
“Tantalizing sex scenes and high emotional stakes enhance this story of exploration and acceptance. Readers will be fanning themselves throughout.”—Publishers Weekly
“A delightfully trope-filled romance with a most deserving heroine.”—Kirkus
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. She would love to hear from you.
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REVIEW
The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. GeorgeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Camille, Dowager Duchess of Hereford has been seen throughout the series as a cautionary tale for the Crenshaw sisters. She was sold to the highest titled bachelor in the English aristocracy and her resulting misery was plain for all to see. She was humiliated publicly by her cruel husband. He may have been forced to marry her for the money she would provide him, but he was sure to make sure everyone knew that she was beneath him in every way imaginable. While her friends could see that she was now living a nightmare of a life, no one really knew the extent of her circumstances in private. Camille went from a bright, happy young woman who was considering a suitor in New York to an emotionally abused former shell of herself stuck in a loveless marriage. Her husband had treated her like his own personal property, something he used for his own needs any way he saw fit. She lost a piece of her humanity in becoming subservient to him, and didn’t know if she’d ever get it back. Now that she is (thankfully) widowed, she does enjoy a sliver of freedom in her own home, and starting to make some choices for herself. However, she is still dependent on the new Duke's whims and if she does anything he disapproves of, he manipulates her by threatening to withhold her money.
You really feel for the poor Duchess as she is navigating this new phase of her life.
The few bruises she’d sported because ofHereford’s handling hardly seemedto compare to broken bones,but did his angry tirades andhurtful accusations all add up to abuse?Her mind churned with memories,small moments that had left woundsshe hadn’t even noticed at the time.The way his anger made hercringe internally. The way alook from him could make her feelsmall and insignificant. God, that monsterwas still controlling her from the grave.How had she allowed herself to beso thoroughly brought down by him?
Camille doesn't really feel comfortable confiding in any friends so she just holds it all inside. Her parents are definitely out of the question as confidantes, as they were the cause of her situation in the first place. Even though she's firmly stuck in her own head, you do see her rebelling at society's strictures a bit even in the beginning. She joins Montague club against her parents' wishes, and this is where she decides to present one of the co-owners, Jacob Thorne with an indecent proposal. She has always felt a flutter of attraction to him, even before her marriage. Now she wants him to help her experiment with a physical relationship in order to help her move past the trauma she experienced in her marriage bed. To her embarrassment, he gently turns her down because of their close association through their mutual friends. It could get complicated later, and that could lead to awkwardness. Neither has any interest in emotional entanglement or marriage for their own personal reasons, but whether they admitted it to themselves or not, they were emotionally invested from day one.
Jacob was a sweet and supportive hero. He has his own demons that stem from his parents' scandalous relationship. His mother was mistress to the late Earl of Leigh. It wasn't a healthy relationship that he could aim to model his own future after. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Though Jacob is a bit of a ladies' man, he isn't the type to disregard the feelings of the women in his life. I would even describe him as a gentleman, one who is protective and caring. It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do when he turned down the beautiful woman who attracted his eye for a long time now. And he had every intention of sticking with his decision until his new business aspirations required that he's settled in a serious relationship. Jacob wants to open a new club in Paris, and his potential partner sees him as a loose cannon because of his casual sex life. He needs a fake fiancée fast, so their bargain is struck. Bedroom lessons and a temporary fake engagement until he moves away to Paris to start his new club. They lay down rules at the start: The exchange will be friendly and beneficial to both, but absolutely no falling in love!
There was definitely no insta-love in this relationship. I could see the gradual build-up from mild attraction to head-over-heels for both. They each had a lot of internal battles to overcome in order to be ready to accept their feelings. They were in a state of denial for a lot of the book, but they could sense if they let go and allowed it to happen, they'd be in deep very fast. He does believe in the concept of love, just not in its success rate. Particularly when it comes to himself. Camille needs to make peace with her past and bury her demons, and that is no small feat. Together, they find comfort in each other, which is something neither could ever conceive of happening.
I gave this three stars because the book dragged for me for a chunk in the middle, and I didn't really feel as if the whole setup with their fake engagement made a lot of sense. His potential new partner distrusting him because he was too much of a ladies' man felt like a plot device rather than an actual realistic conflict. I just couldn't see him caring-it had nothing to do with the business proposal. Also, the details of their relationship felt very modern and out of place in that time period. The "indecent proposal", them deciding to live together in Paris while still single, the kinky room at the club, and both adverse to marriage? I know they were supposed to be "progressive" and forward thinking for the time, but all of the details together made it feel like I was reading about a modern couple in a historical setting. I did worry about that when I read the synopsis, but I really enjoy this author's writing, so I went for it anyway. It wasn't a bad reading experience, but I will say that I enjoyed this one a bit less than the previous books in the series. However, if you've been following the Gilded Heiresses series, this is still worth reading in order to see Camille finally find her HEA.
Her need for him was a balm to a wound he didn’t know he had.She easily filled all the tiny crevices in his heart.By God, he could fall in love with her so easily.
There was definitely no insta-love in this relationship. I could see the gradual build-up from mild attraction to head-over-heels for both. They each had a lot of internal battles to overcome in order to be ready to accept their feelings. They were in a state of denial for a lot of the book, but they could sense if they let go and allowed it to happen, they'd be in deep very fast. He does believe in the concept of love, just not in its success rate. Particularly when it comes to himself. Camille needs to make peace with her past and bury her demons, and that is no small feat. Together, they find comfort in each other, which is something neither could ever conceive of happening.
I gave this three stars because the book dragged for me for a chunk in the middle, and I didn't really feel as if the whole setup with their fake engagement made a lot of sense. His potential new partner distrusting him because he was too much of a ladies' man felt like a plot device rather than an actual realistic conflict. I just couldn't see him caring-it had nothing to do with the business proposal. Also, the details of their relationship felt very modern and out of place in that time period. The "indecent proposal", them deciding to live together in Paris while still single, the kinky room at the club, and both adverse to marriage? I know they were supposed to be "progressive" and forward thinking for the time, but all of the details together made it feel like I was reading about a modern couple in a historical setting. I did worry about that when I read the synopsis, but I really enjoy this author's writing, so I went for it anyway. It wasn't a bad reading experience, but I will say that I enjoyed this one a bit less than the previous books in the series. However, if you've been following the Gilded Heiresses series, this is still worth reading in order to see Camille finally find her HEA.
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