New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all. . . .
THE STRANGER I WED by HARPER ST GEORGE
Series: The Doves of New York #1
Publication date: April 23, 2024
Published by: Berkley
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.
Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets...
But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.
Purchase your copy now!
Praise for The Stranger I Wed:
"Prepare to be dazzled! Scintillating and deeply romantic, The Stranger I Wed is another winner from Harper St. George. Fans of historical romance will find themselves enchanted by the rich, sensual storytelling, and look forward to what comes next in this fabulous new series."—India Holton, international bestselling author of The Secret Service of Tea and Treason
"From the moment I picked up The Stranger I Wed, I was glued to the pages. This swoony and tender marriage of convenience has all the wit, emotions, and chemistry I love about Harper St George's writing, but it also felt new and I can't wait to see where Harper will go next."—Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author
“Gilded Age New York meets Victorian London in Harper St. George’s dazzling new series. The Stranger I Wed is strong, feminist, and scorchingly sexy. This is historical marriage-of-convenience romance at its swooniest. I couldn’t put it down.”—Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author
“Harper St. George never misses! The Stranger I Wed delivers everything I love about historical romance—a marriage of convenience that erupts into a red hot passion; two characters who grow to love and respect each other; and a thoughtful discussion of political and social issues that are still relevant to this day. In one word, The Stranger I Wed is magic!”—Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana MarÃa and the Fox
“The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George is a delicious start to a new series, with all of my favorite things—a marriage of convenience, scandalous family secrets, and feisty American heroines who bring too-handsome aristocrats to their knees. A fantastic, fast-paced read by one of the best historical writers around!”
—Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author
“The Stranger I Wed captured me from the first page with the tenacious Cora Dove and kept me enthralled with a deliciously simmering romance. There is nothing I love more than a strong female lead and Cora is a woman after my own heart. This story has all my favorite things in a marriage of convenience: snappy banter, palpable yearning, sizzling chemistry, and ultimately, a passion that cannot be denied. A fabulous start to an exciting new series. Harper St. George is one of my must-read historical romance authors.”—Adriana Herrera, USA Today bestselling author
“Engrossing and detailed…A delightful start to a new series”—Kirkus
"A well-crafted, slow-burn journey through a marriage of convenience that eventually erupts into a steamy love story."—Library Journal
“St. George brilliantly plays to her literary strengths, delivering an expertly evoked historical setting that touches upon some of the social and political issues of the time, along with a superbly matched pair of protagonists whose simmering sexual chemistry blossoms to a romance that is sweet, steamy, and sublimely satisfying.”—Booklist
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.
Follow her:
REVIEW
The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. GeorgeMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Reading Harper St. George's newest title is a no-brainer for me at this point. I've been a fan of hers ever since reading her first book in The Gilded Age Heiresses series, The Heiress Gets a Duke. There are appearances of past characters as well as inferences to events that took place in that series, however you do not need to read any of them first if you have not done so already. I really don't think it would cause any confusion, however, you will get some spoilers from the other series. Once again, the author is highlighting the suffrage movement with a heroine who is very involved in the cause. The hero is heavily into politics and what they would have considered progressive at that time for his support of women's rights and the common working man.
This story had a marriage of convenience trope, but it had the vague feel of a fake relationship trope as well due to this couple's pre-engagement agreement to put on a public front of a real marriage. Cora has come to England for the sole purpose of finding a man of noble birth to marry. She's not interested in romance or love, what she has planned is a mutually beneficial arrangement where her inheritance is released upon her marriage, and her new husband fills his empty coffers. She does not want a genuine marital relationship, and hopes that they can separate or even divorce after two years. This would be somewhat of a scandal for anyone of noble blood during that time, but not completely unheard of. After she and Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth meet, they quickly decide that both of their desperate situations can be resolved with this simple arrangement.
Leo is as loyal as you can get, dependable, and generous to those he loves. With an estate in major disrepair, limited funds, and a brother with a dangerous gambling debt, he calmly chooses to marry Cora because it will be beneficial to everyone. Like Cora, he has no interest in love. In fact, he has an extreme aversion to it after a betrayal of a past lover. He guards his heart carefully, and even the thought of growing an attachment to someone practically makes him break out in hives. Though a divorce wouldn't be ideal for him, he is willing to grant Cora her wish as long as they are able to attain one. If not, she agrees to provide him with the male heir that he needs to continue the family line. They approach the marriage in a businesslike manner in the beginning, although there is a subtle attraction and appreciation for each other that neither like to acknowledge.
Starting tomorrow, it would be the two ofthem against the world. He barely knew her,but already he was prepared to defend herat all costs if it came to it. She was giving himand his brother a future; he couldn’tdo any less for her.
I had difficulty with how Cora entered into their marriage. Even though this would be a marriage on paper only, he questioned her about her family, her mother's history, and their financial situation. She deliberately deceived him by hiding her mother's past in theater, and the truth of her own illegitimate birth. Before they agreed on the engagement, he transparently told her that he'd had her family investigated for his own peace of mind. Rather than fill in the gaps of the investigator's report, she lied to him (outright or by omission) because she was scared that he would back out. She kept justifying it throughout the book, but there finally came a point where her guilt forced a confession out of her.
He was looking at her too hard. Lying to him,or not telling him the entire truth, hadseemed easy. It had been easy back whenshe barely knew him and marrying himhad given them both what they wanted.
The problem is, he wouldn't want the scandal from the skeletons in her family closet and she knew that. Her actions, and those of her family directly affect him and his public reputation which is something he needs to be conscious of due to his political involvement. Her actions were selfish towards him, and even when she did come clean, he let her off the hook completely. She only confesses one of her secrets, and she has another one which ends up causing a big conflict later on in the story that he needs to resolve.
Another issue was their odd dynamic for the first 50-60% of the book. They acted like polite acquaintances who happen to be married. Essentially that's what they are, but the two of them were a bit too distant for my taste. They are both attracted, and she appreciates how fairly and respectfully he treats her, but she doesn't get jealous or upset when she thinks he has a mistress? He came home smelling of cheap perfume, and she just blows it off. She even casually gives him permission to be with another woman when they get into an argument over her desire to attend a potentially dangerous suffrage protest. She uses his "mistress" as ammunition to try to get her way. I found this off-putting and odd despite their arranged marriage because clearly they were both already fighting feelings for each other. It wasn't even as if he were trying to lord husbandly power over her-he was just concerned for her physical safety.
I did love how Leo appreciated Cora's strong beliefs and encouraged her to speak her mind. They shared similar values and both felt very passionate about them. It was one of the main things they bonded over as she supported his efforts to pass a Health Act that would improve living and working conditions for the working class. She is a proficient writer, and her skills are put to use fine tuning his speech in support of the upcoming bill. They both have/had a rocky relationship with their fathers, and they both are very protective of their families. Even their differences seem to compliment each other-she and her family are very open, unabashedly show emotion and their passion for life. He is very reserved and dignified, and unconsciously holds his emotions in check. While he does hold on to that reserve for a long time and resists his growing emotional connection, he certainly falls hard once he lets go of his fears.
Cora was everything, and with herin his arms, he possessed all he ever wanted.
Cora and Leo's relationship went from married to friends to lovers which is far from the typical order of things (to say the least). I didn't fully enjoy the way that it was executed, and it showed in the way that the first two parts tended to drag for me for long stretches. The last bit finally picked up, and I enjoyed seeing them be openly loving and affectionate with one another once they both decided to make their marriage a real one in every sense. Eliza's story is next in line, which has been teased just enough to whet my interest in continuing on with the series.
FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:
0 komentarze:
Post a Comment