The Stranger I Wed
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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. . . .
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
St. George (the Gilded Age Heiresses series) opens her Doves of New York series with a fun if slightly unconvincing late Victorian romance that sends American heiresses to London to hunt for titles. Cora Dove and her sisters are illegitimate—and society ensures they never forget it. When their father declares they must marry to access their family inheritance, the Manhattanites, along with their mother, a scandalous former actor, head to England to find husbands who don't know all their baggage. A vocal advocate for women's rights (under a pseudonym, of course), Cora is decidedly unhappy with her father's edict, but she knows that marriage would enable her to take care of her family. As luck would have it, the perfect man, in the form of Leopold, Earl of Devonworth, literally knocks her off her feet at a sporting event. He's desperate for money to save the family estate and finds the young American woman refreshing. Their mutually beneficial arrangement develops into deep friendship and respect, but it's hard to see much romance in it even after their relationship becomes physical. Still, the author's attention to historical detail adds authenticity while offering a fresh perspective on a tumultuous time. The sisters' sparkling dynamic will leave readers excited for the sequel.
