She's suddenly destitute, he's a man-child.

I was super excited to read this book. Meredith was interesting. An American who is suddenly destitute and in London.

Philip? I was not pleased with him at all. We meet him in the midst of an affair with another girl. Like, he stumbled home after bedding her. Gross. That is NEVER how we want to meet our lead. He thinks about her all the time, and how exciting she is. He's a man child who likes his mistresses attention because he feels like a child at home. It just left a bad taste.

Here's what I did like. Meredith. The move to London society. The chapters are all odes to writing, as Meredith its an aspiring writer. I truly believed she deserved a better man. Stress on man.

The Unexpected Heiress by Kaitlyn O Riley. Is about a sweet, smart, and independent young woman who lost her father and uncle in an accident that left her and her aunt destitute. Meredith's aunt decides they need to leave America and go to London and find wealthy husbands. To do so they lie about being rich to attract men faster . Meredith hates lying and really all she wants to do is write. Not find a husband but then she meets Phillip and Phillips family. I loved this book it kept me engaged and I had a hard time putting it down. I love phillips family, his mom ,and his brother especially. They were both great side characters. I also loved Simons side love story. It was just a great read.

2.5 stars rounded up.

When her father and uncle die in a tragic accident, Meredith Remington and her Aunt Delilah are shocked to learn that the family oil company they thought was worth millions is in fact nearly bankrupt and they're left with virtually nothing to live on. Left with few options, they take their small family and leave New York, shedding their mourning and beginning anew in London. At her aunt's insistence, Meredith styles herself as an oil heiress, all the while she has no real interest in marriage, however necessary, and would rather be working on her novel. Even still, she can't help being intrigued by the devastatingly handsome man who flirts shamelessly with her in her newly discovered favorite bookshop.

Lord Phillip Sinclair, Earl of Waverly, knows that as the heir to his father's marquesate, he must settle down eventually, but he's far from ready to do so. He spends his days recuperating from wild nights of debauchery with a fast crowd, much to his parents' dismay. When he meets Meredith, he finds himself unexpectedly taken with her and dislikes the idea of her marrying another man, even as he offers to help her vet eligible suitors. When he decides he must make Meredith his wife, jealousy and gossip cause unexpected obstacles and they must overcome them together if their relationship is to survive.

Potential spoilers ahead. This story was enjoyable overall, however, it was not without some major issues for me. I found Phillip to be extremely unlikable as a hero. He was spoiled, selfish, arrogant, and immature, and he kept up interactions with his mistress for far too long, even kissing her after he'd kissed Meredith. This is a no-go for me. Meredith was likable enough, but very naive and rather flat. I never felt like I really got to know these characters, nor did they get to know each other. The relationship between Phillip and Meredith seemed to pop up and get serious more or less out of the blue; one minute they hated each other, the next they were having a lukewarm bedroom scene. Finally, yes, Meredith lied, which I hate, but Phillip gave her virtually no opportunity to explain her side of the story and that doesn't jive for me if he supposedly loved her so much. It just rang false to me. It was also rather off-putting to have so much other woman and other man drama, right down to having whole chapters told from their points of view. This just threw me off a bit and I was not a fan. I also found some descriptions and dialogues were repeated nearly verbatim, which also made me wonder if I was rereading passages and was a bit jarring. Overall, this was a light and entertaining read, but not without issue.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Unexpected Heiress is a wonderful romance. It's plot, characters and romance are for the truly young at heart. I especially loved the independence of the female lead. It's refreshing at this time.

I feel that the book is overly descriptive but it a wonderful story. I also think the male perspective was a little unrealistic.

I look forward to reading more of Kaitlin O'Riley's works.

The latest American sensation to grace London’s ballrooms, Meredith Rose Remington has beauty,
wit—and a shocking secret. At her Aunt Delilah's insistance, Meredith is posing as an oil heiress, but she is utterly destitute. In truth, Meredith would rather spend her time writing than trying to snag a wealthy husband. Yet the stranger who flirts so outrageously with her in Hamilton’s Book Shoppe surpasses even the heroes of her vivid imagination. Phillip Sinclair, the Earl of Waverly, has seen ambitious heiresses come and go. Only the enchanting Meredith could make him curb his reckless ways and settle down.
This is the third book in the series & is easily read on its own, however if like me you love series then I’d recommend starting with book one. I loved both Phillip & Meredith & how they were immediately drawn to one another, I also loved how their relationship developed as they truly seemed to be friends as well falling in love. However I couldn’t condone her lie nor how he handle learning the truth. I really felt she would have trusted him & he would have listened to her. I also thought the ending was a little too pat & rushed. I did love catching up with the rest of the Hamilton family & I adored Simon & would have loved for him to maybe have become an estate manager on one of his father's properties where he could have happily lived out his life the way he wanted to. Overall a well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Will her deception come between her happiness and the man she loves ...

What a light and easy read this book was.
I remember having loved the previous book in this series, my first read by this author.
Mrs O’Riley narrates easygoing and heartfelt romances, with a panel of unorthodox characters. Thus if one day I find the time, I would love to the read the mother’s series of this one.
The plot was convenient and I knew where it would lead, and what would occur when the second shoes would drop, my only question was when and how. But from there, I was a bit surprised by the various protagonists interactions and reactions.
Both main characters are quite lovable, I loved Meredith even if I did not agree with her aunt’s scheme but women at that times had few available option when left destitute. But I found it very mercenary, and whatever they told themselves, they were fortunes hunters because they dismissed the less wealthy. Sure it made sense as how a destitute woman could marry an impoverished man, whatever his title was. They would be back to starting square.
Still Meredith should have revealed the truth in time.
After Meredith is a nice young woman driven by her good heart and ignorance of what her deceit might cost her. She is driven by another pull, the one to complet her writing chalenge, finish her first book and be published.
When she meets Philip, she sees rapidly through him, a bored peer, unhappy with the way his life is going but not very willing to change its course.
Him is intrigued by this woman he feels is attracted to him but refuses to acknowledge him. She is honest and forthright. Making him rethink his choice of entertainment.
They are good together, as Phillip encourages her to follow her dreams and she makes him ponder his actions.

I did not see coming who would be the villain in this tale of deception, but there must be one, and while it was bad from the character, the illusion they carried was not fair.
As Mrs O’Riley offers a glimpse in her many characters mind, I felt sorry for Meredith’s turned-away suitor and Phillip’s paramour as both developed true feelings for their counterpart.
I was so sorry, I even had hope the duke would realize Meredith’s aunt was more suited for him than her much too younger niece.

In all, it is an entertaining and relaxing read, 4 stars.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Kensington, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

I adored this book. I loved Meredith—she was a delightful heroine. I love the Hamilton sisters and their families. I enjoyed Phillip in the previous books in the series, and it was nice to see him happy l—even though I wanted to strangle him at times for his petulance. I rated this book 4.5 stars because of that; I had to detract half a star for his childishness.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the fantastic family relationships (and this won't be my last book by this author because there are several series about the Hamilton family).
This book had heart and humor,I loved Phillip and Meredith together. Their interactions were totally swoon worthy, especially since they didn't like each other at first. Meredith was a sweet, driven, breezy character. Phillip was charming in how he really wanted to take care of Merry.

This is a delightful romance that almost didn’t happen all because of hurt feelings over a lie. Philip and Meredith found each other but because of a scorned suitor and Phillip’s ego, he almost lost her in the end. It is a beautiful love story that shows strong family ties that help Philip come to his senses. It is a sweet love story that is well written and entertaining which makes for a great read.

Unfortunately, this story just didn't do it for me. To begin with I never really bought into the romance between the two main characters. They went from strangers to people who were so instantly into one another that he was so "overjoyed" to see her sitting in his family room that they nearly kissed? As cute as that scene was - it was in complete contrast to what we knew of the two characters up until that point. Phillip was a pompous jerk (a fact that Meredith loved to tell him), and while he thought she was beautiful, he had already offered his assistance to her in finding a suitable husband since it would appear that he had no intention of marrying anyone anytime soon.

Until suddenly he was kissing Meredith. And sleeping with her. And then all of the sudden he was so head over heels in love with her that he wanted them to be married as soon as possible? And all while showing no character growth of his own - at the end of the story he still seemed to be the same pompous jerk he had been the entire time. It's hard to like someone when they don't even give the woman they supposedly love a chance to explain herself.

Also this whole "plan" of her aunt's was just plain silly. Obviously the older woman had to know there was a chance that they would be found out before they were ready and that the damage would do more harm than simply saying nothing at all. Why did they have to be heiresses? Why couldn't they simply be visiting family in England during the season? It would have made much more sense and still allowed them to mingle and potentially find husbands. Or, when Phillip declared his love for Meredith and asked her to marry him - she should have just swallowed her pride and told him the truth then the way her aunt claimed they had always intended. Instead, her silence caused unnecessary drama in her life, and almost cost her the man she loved (although what WAS with that creepy Duke wanting her and going to such lengths for revenge when he couldn't have her)?

All things considered, I'm sure that there are other people who will love this story. I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I loved Phillip and his family. I hadn't read any books by Kaitlin O'Riley before this book, but I will again. I enjoyed that the historical fiction setting was not a usual one.

This is my first Kailin O'Riley. This book is third in the series, but fine as a stand alone read. The characters from the prior two books in the series make appearances as side characters but nothing that spoils the previous stories for you (I think we all know they end in a happily ever after!) and nothing that would be confusing jumping into this story. I love series like this because there's no long and confusing recap needed. Just enjoy!

Meredith has just lost her father and uncle in a tragic accident. With her mother already gone, her aunt decides to bring her to London so they can both find husbands. They plan on posing as obscenely rich oil heiresses, which would be true if they haven't just lost their entire fortune and are now penniless. Meredith isn't in love with this plan, as she would rather support herself by writing intriguing mystery stories. Time in London is made more bearable when she finds the most wonderful book store to spend her time in. This is where she meets...

Philip Sinclair. Earl of Waverly. Son of book store owner? Yes, his father, a marquess, married a working class woman and they have continued running the book shop after marriage. Philip only cares about not being bored right now, and he's having a fabulous time with his mistress and torturing his poor parents. Yet, when he comes across Meredith he starts acting in ways that are unlike him because he suddenly doesn't care about all the gambling and drinking, only the next time he'll see her.

Give this story a try if you want
Victorian era London
no murders, mysteries, crimes to solve. It is focused on the romance, with a few held secrets and family/mistress drama
a story line with the OW (other woman). She's here, and she doesn't leave until almost the end of the book. Technically there's OM (other man) as well, so this relationship has its challenges!
Working heroine/secret writer – we have an author heroine! Not published in London yet as the story takes place, but not exactly secret either ;)
Lower steam. You get open door sex scenes (2) and a few kisses but these scenes are filled with poetry and feeling and not much explicitness. They are fairly short too. I think people that like closed door usually wouldn't mind this story. Of course this made me sad. Hahahaha.
American heroine and British hero
some diversity included in side characters – there is a gay relationship of a family member

Specifics on the kissing/sex! Possible spoilers of percentage of book they take place in.

First kiss – 44%
Second kiss – 52%
First sex scene (open door but brief) – 60%
Second sex scene (open door but brief) – 92%

I am so sad I didn't love this book. It has a lot of to love for other people I'm sure. I usually adore books that have no mystery/murder going on. But as soon as I met Philip, I hated him. Then I got to know him a bit more and I hated him even more. Then the story continued and I found myself more and more annoyed with everything he did. Everything. Philip is a spoiled man-child. I foresee not a marriage for poor Meredith but a never ending babysitting job trying to manage his immaturity, irrational mood swings, and overblown ego. I am usually not harsh on my heroes, but. Well. Philip is not my cup of tea. Or coffee. Or anything else. Just go away, Philip. Go. Away.

I really liked Meredith. I also really love that the author titled each chapter. I've always loved when authors do that and I don't see it very often. So I give 2 stars because of those things.

I'm going to get into heavier specifics about why I didn't enjoy this book. Please avoid for spoilers if you plan on reading the story.

Philip is introduced as a lazy, gambling, drinking loser. He has a mistress that he is still with sexually until at least chapter 6. He kisses his mistress after he kisses the heroine. He is still WITH his mistress in some form of a relationship until 57% of the book. Way. Too. Long. I will say the mistress was refreshing in that she's not super catty and rude and just out for her own selfish ends. The author does give page time in her head, which is another thing I really dislike, but I'm assuming she's going to have her own book at some point. I'd hope anyway. She deserves it. And I wouldn't want my page time wasted. Hahaha.

Philip disappoints everyone in his family repeatedly. He makes his mother cry. Everyone's expectations for him are an inch off the ground and he can't even meet them. He flirts with the shopkeepers. He doesn't want to get married until his mother begs him not to marry his mistress then he thinks about marrying her. Philip is child that does whatever he can to test boundaries. He needs reverse psychology used on him to get him to behave appropriately because he wants to do the opposite of what everyone tells him. He cannot seem to think for himself or make up his own mind about anything without external interference, which I'll go about in more detail later.

The beginning of this book, and by beginning I mean like 1/3 of the book, the hero and heroine are barely together. They meet in the book store and he looks at her and she leaves. Another scene they waltz together and it's basically an 'enemies' feeling clash. They nitpick at each other. Scene done. Then they have another dance at another ball and talk for a few moments. Then after 30% they finally start to talk to each other and actually spend some time together. But, not too much time. Because there's plenty of side characters talking through the middle of the book and even a side story about a family member's relationship. If I wasn't wanting so much more from the MC relationship I probably would have been okay with this. As it was, to me it was made into too big of a deal and filled the already lacking story.

Philip runs hot and cold. He is rude to Meredith. Then he's charming. Charming enough to make Meredith feel like they are friends. He brings her gifts. He kisses her. He demands to be written in as her next character in her book because he's THAT annoying. Then he brings his mistress to a ball and is cold and aloof towards her. After hurting her he hunts her down and apologizes. Then things are on the upswing again. In fact, they now love each other. How, I have no idea. I think Meredith loves him because he bought her presents. Philip loves her because she's a shiny new toy.

Insert other man. Other woman wasn't enough so we need other man too. I was fine with this plot, except the author also gave page time in his head. It was totally unneeded. And as I get the feeling he DEFINITELY won't be getting his own book, there really wasn't a reason for it. His actions were totally explainable in the circumstances and learning about his past and feelings was pointless. As I was wanting more interaction between Meredith and Philip *shudder,* as they were barely together in the beginning and then the middle is filled with side characters and plenty of scenes that didn't have either Philip OR Meredith in them, in the other man's head was the last place I wanted to be. Anyways, other man causes some drama. And Philip, who KNOWS this man is competition and wants Meredith, decides he should believe everything he says and not even give Meredith a chance to defend herself. But he loves her so much, so it hurts that he has to do this. Give me a break. The scene should have been angsty and heartbreaking, but it was such a joke after everything Philip had already done to her. I would have tolerated it better if he didn't love her yet. You don't treat someone you love like that and not even give them a chance to speak.

Then he doesn't even do what he has to do to mend the relationship. He needs his brother, who has become a friend to Meredith, to go over and have circle time with him and tell him what to do to fix it. In fact, he doesn't even believe the relationship is worth fixing with this woman he loves until his brother says, yes it is worth fixing, then he realizes he should fix it. I couldn't stand this. What kind of man has no idea what he wants or how to go about it? Not a man I want around.

The Unexpected Heiress by Kaitlin O'Riley is the third book in the Hamilton Cousins series. This is a nice, quick, and enjoyable historical romance.

I have to confess that I have not read the previous two books, however I was easily able to follow along with the overarching theme and with these specific characters.

I enjoyed the backgrounds and stories of the main two characters: Meredith Rose Remington and Phillip Sinclair. I enjoyed their interactions and felt that they played off of each other well. I felt their chemistry and enjoyed their ending together. I also really enjoyed the side characters. They really made the book memorable. It would be nice to see spin-offs including those, to be honest. I was more of a fan of Meredith then Phillip, as I felt he was more dramatic and moody, as she was more independent, like able, and realistic. However, I still enjoyed the book overall and I look forward to future books from this author.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Meredith Rose Remington has left America, known to the outside world as a wealthy oil heiress. Yet at the insistence of her aunt, they are both truly destitute but in need of husbands. When Meredith visits the Hamilton’s Book Shoppe, she meets Phillip Sinclair, the Earl of Waverly, and finds herself instantly captivated. Phillip finds himself captivated by Meredith, and the more time he spends with her, the more he realises that she could be the one to help him curb his reckless ways.
The chemistry between Meredith and Philip is evident from the start, with them gravitating towards each other, whenever they are together. Together they make for a lovely couple, yet Philip’s family also adds to the development of their romance. Philip’s mother Colette and her sisters are all intertwined in the Hamilton Book Shoppe, and Colette’s friendship with Meredith, was very sweet. Her connection to Meredith, also helps to give Meredith the courage to pursue her dream to become a writer, which is cleverly linked to the storyline.
I did find Philip’s mistress, Katherine, to be an interesting character. Her portrayal in the story is quite conflicting, yet nonetheless, quite integral to the story. I would definitely like to see her story to light in the future. Whilst part of a series, this book is a standalone read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

*I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.*

This was such a lovely romance read! I've realized that I quite like books with bookish elements within the story, and this book delivers. Meredith Remington is a talented aspiring writer who wants nothing more than to be a published author. Unfortunately, after her father dies and leaves her penniless, her aunt hatches the plan to go to London and find a wealthy husband while pretending to still be the rich oil heiress they expected she would be. Aunt Delilah needs to provide for her two young children, and the logical thing to do is for her and Meredith to marry well. Meredith isn't happy about it, but going along with the plan is better than being homeless and broke. After she finds the delightful Hamilton Book Shoppe, she gets to know the lovely owner's family and sparks fly with their roguish son, Phillip Sinclair... But the older Duke of Havenfield is interested, even if Merry isn't. Will she be able to marry for love? And what will happen when she gets found out?

There were so many things I enjoyed about this story. The pacing is well done, and the romance develops pretty naturally even though it's so quick. The rapport between the two leads is lovely, with excellent conversations and banter. Phillip has a lot of character growth - he starts off as a bit of an entitled ass, and grows more thoughtful as the book progresses. It can be cliche for the man to start off so reckless and settle down once he falls in love, and it did happen quite suddenly, but it didn't seem too unnatural. Meredith is resilient, resourceful, thoughtful and pragmatic, and I enjoyed seeing how she gracefully dealt with all that came her way. Having the heroine be a writer was such a lovely touch.

The bookshop is absolutely delightful, and so is Phillip's mum Colette. His entire large family is so fun to see - I haven't read the other books in this series and it works as a stand-alone, but if you had read them you'd probably enjoy it even more. There were several issues mentioned that added depth to the story. I enjoyed the discussion of privilege, how the book highlights the situation of women at that time, and the support and understanding between them. There's also mention of the ridiculous 'older men looking for young wives instead of women their age who would be more compatible' trope. And the LGBT story line was so well done, ending up as positively as it could for that time (yay for non-tragic LGBT story lines! Yay for acceptance! yay for happy endings!) while still showing the limits that existed on the lives of queer people back then. One aspect that stood out to me is how empathetically the author presented the 'villains'. The people who would be the 'bad guys' of the story - the other suitor, the aunt, the other woman - are presented as real people with real concerns and backgrounds, not as malicious people bent on doing harm. That's rare to see, and I appreciated it so much.

I did have some minor quibbles with the book. The writing can be a bit simplistic, and repetitive at times. Some details were heavy-handed, such as how suddenly and easily Merry fit in with the entire Sinclair family, and the perfume gift. The OW, Katherine, seemed to be presented as not wife material because of her past, whereas Meredith was instantly more acceptable as an innocent and sweet 'nice girl'. The ending wrapped up quite quickly and neatly, considering the previous fight. But ultimately, this is a romance, and I'm happy with how it all turned out. It was an easy, sexy, light and thoughtful read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I haven't read anything by this author before, but I'll be on the lookout for more of her writing!

Sadly this one was a miss for me. I was initially interested in the premise and plot and I had really liked Merry as a protagonist but as the book went on I just found myself not liking the story as much. My other big issue was the love interest, Phillip. I did not like him at all, I could not fathom why Merry fell in love with him after meeting him twice and barely talking to him. He was already in another relationship and the entire time I just found myself irritated at him. I did not see their chemistry at all and had hoped that Merry would have ended up with a better partner. Throughout the book Phillip barely acts like an adult and I just had enough by the end. In the end this romance novel just was not for me sadly.

Loved loved loved this book!!

It's easily the best book I've read of this genre all year!

The heroine was amazing, brave, witty, smart and just all around perfect. The story telling and the additional characters all added to its charm.

Even though I found the hero somewhat childish, the rest of the book made up for it!

My favorite characters were Merry and Simon I loved the other supporting characters too.

5 stars. Overall. Im so happy I found this author!

Also rated on goodreads

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and their road to romance. Believable plotline and characters. Looking to read more by this author.

Adorable story about a smart, creative heroine and a charming hero. American woman Meredith finds out that her father has died and his inheritance has disappeared. Her aunt hatches a scheme to move to London and participate in the 'season' to find rich husbands- without informing society that they are actually destitute. As you can imagine, their secret is eventually found out but in the meantime, the reader is introduced to the wonderfully warm Hamilton family. I really enjoyed reading about them and would love to read more in this series. My only complaint is with the hero Philip. He seemed immature. His cousin said at one point that she wanted to hit him in the head and I had to agree! All that being said, it was a light breezy read!
Thanks to NetGally and Kensington Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Ok so we have another supposed heiress which seems to be the theme in this book as in the previous book. We meet Meredith whom has lost her father and uncle. Meredith has grown up in wealth but now has to go live with her aunt and and they both come to find out that they are not rich as they were in fact they were broke. Her aunt would like Meredith to find someone that could take care of them and feels that if the truth of their dire situation come out it would be more detrimental. And that starts my issues i get it to a point when dealing with the ton you have to get a little creative. Meredith is not interested in lying or in getting a husband she writes novel and would prefer to do that. We end up meet Phillip who is bored with his life as he should be it is nothing he does is really all that important, he drinks in excess, gambles in excess and is a rake. He meets Meredith and falls in love fairly quickly, but a situation arises that Phillip over reacts, will he forgive or wake the heck up..?