This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!
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…
My Review
First Impressions
The Lady Tempts an Heir is the first book that I have read from this author, and I know I started this series with the most recent release and I did that on purpose. I did know from other reviews and friends that I trust, that this author writes with more modern overtones but I had heard that this book “The Lady Tempts a Heir” is the best book in the series. So I was eager to try this author out and when I saw it at my local library, I knew I had to grab the audio and especially with one of my favorite narrators for historical romance, I knew that this book would be for me. So I immediately picked this up and I was completely drawn into the story, it has been quite a while since I have been drawn into a setting like this for a historical and I had a fun time with the setup. It does have a mix of Gilded Age and Victorian England feel to the story and I really liked the mixture of elements that the author is able to blend together but also there is such a interesting chemistry that is built between Max and Helena. And their unique arrangement, I was curious to see how it would play out.
Summary
American Maxwell Crenshaw has come to England due to the demand of his father and also due to some health concerns and is having to take over the Crenshaw interests while his father works on his recovery. The last thing that he wants to be is here in England, as he much prefers his home in America. But with his father giving him an ultimatum for marriage, Maxwell knows that his time is running out until he meets the lovely Lady Helena March. Helena, is a widow and embraces her independence and working on building a home for young women to help those with lesser means. There is an instant chemistry between them, and they work on an agreement to have a fake engagement that will suit both of their family’s interests and satisfy their parents demands while allowing them to have the freedom to pursue their individual interests. As Max and Helena work together, the chemistry between them is becoming more heated and something deeper forms between them and now they will have to decide if they are willing to fight for each other no matter what their families may say to the matter…
What I Loved
This story was such a swoony romance and I had such a charming time with this story. I do see why so many readers are gravitating toward this author’s writing. She does have a level of writing that has an elegant classy feel to it and I see the appeal especially if this book is similar to the previous two books in her style of writing. I was really intrigued by the relationship that builds between Helena and Maxwell. Seeing their powerful chemistry build throughout the story was quite delightful and I loved the manner in which the author build the chemistry as it was the chemistry between them that had me wanting to read more of them together. They are both powerful individuals with strong minds of their own, but they are so well matched. I loved the way that the way they are willing to fight for each other. It was such wonderful to see their relationship build and seeing them fight in the end for each other was AMAZING, the ending especially blew me away and it had me in my feelings.
What I Struggled With
There are some modern connections to the terminology used surrounding workhouses and it was the way certain phrases were used that it was super modern terminology and not how they would have talked about it back then. And Modernism can turn me off from an historical as I like a more authentic feel to a historical.
The Narration
Justine Eyre did a brilliant job with this narration, she really capitalized on the personalities of the characters and really added the right flair that was the author’s writing style and blended all the elements so flawlessly together.
Overall View
I found The Lady Tempts An Heir to be a beautiful elegant historical that portrayed such raw emotion and vulnerabilities, it built a sensual chemistry and focused on a well-built story that will satisfy many historical readers!
Book Details
Title: The Lady Tempts An Heir
Author: Harper St. George
Genre: Historical Victorian Romance
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Length: 9 Hours and 34 Mins
About the Narrators
Justine Eyre has turned her passion for reading and remarkable facility with accents into her dream career. This classically trained, multilingual actress has narrated well over 400 audiobooks and been honored to receive a coveted Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. Appearing in leading roles onstage in King Lear and The Crucible, she has also graced the screen in Two and Half Men and Mad Men amongst her many television credits.
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| Storygraph| Literal Club| Audible| Anyplay
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 4
Story Itself: 4
Character Development: 4
Writing Style: 3.5
World Building 4
Feels + The Romantic Heart 4
Pacing 4
Plot 4
Narration= 4.5
Cover Art 5
Ending 5
Book Ratings
Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering cup of tea—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin’ by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
The Gilded Age Heiresses
The Heiress Gets A Duke-Pub 2021 #1 in the Series
The Devil and the Heiress-Pub 2021 #2 in the Series
The Lady Tempts An Heir-Pub 2022 #3 in the Series
The Duchess Takes A Husband-Pub 2023 #4 in the Series
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. Please visit her website at harperstgeorge.com
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