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…
Release Date: Feb 22, 2022
Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses
Book: 3
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $7.99
A health crisis has not stopped American Industrialist Maxwell Crenshaw’s father from trying to marry off his children. He wants Max to wed and secure the family legacy as soon as possible! But Max cannot forget the beautiful widow, Lady Helena March, who is dealing with parental pressure of her own. When Max suggests a fake engagement to save them both, Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse.
This is the third book in the The Gilded Age Heiresses series, which has focused on three American siblings in London. It can stand alone, but I recommend reading in series order. All the stories are excellent, and they lay out the meddling of the Crenshaw siblings’ father.
Maxwell Crenshaw and widowed Lady Helena March have met before. This time, Max is back in London to check on his ailing father. But Papa Crenshaw is once again up to his matrimonial scheming! He threatens to pull a business pet project away from Max’s sister, August, if Max does not find a bride. Helena’s father is also pushing for her to remarry. She has her own aspirations, pouring her energy into a home for unmarried woman. But her charity is struggling to find donors because the home doesn’t turn away fallen women and their illegitimate children. Entering into a sham betrothal seems like the perfect solution to both of their problems, but of course things don’t do as expected.
While Max and Helena know how to push each other’s buttons, there’s a wonderful kinship and chemistry that develop. Despite being raised in different countries and with different social constraints, they both have an empathy for others…Max for his company’s workers and the families they support, and Helena for the women who often have no control over their futures. They begin to fall for each other, but both are cognizant that the other lives across an ocean and has their own commitments. This is one area that was a large obstacle in the story but was perhaps glossed over a bit in the HEA. I can let it go though because the storytelling from St George is always so engaging.
~ Leslie
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