Regency romance is a genre I never would have picked up but it’s one I have come to love. When it comes to regency this hit all the right notes! A rouge? Check. A duchess? Check. Scandalous behavior? Double check
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If regency romance is your thing definitely check this one out!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Harper St. George's 4th installment in the Gilded Age Heiresses series is here, and as usual, it delivers. #partner @berkleyromance

I've loved Camille as a side character throughout the series and was delighted to see that in The Duchess Takes a Husband she gets her own HEA. Jacob is her perfect match for sure.

I was most impressed with how this story tackles the emotional abuse Camille suffered at the hands of her deceased husband. To have the impact that kind of suffering has on intimate relationships acknowledged in such a tender way made this story become so much more than a historical romance.

I flew through this story and cheered for Camille's growth and strength throughout. I can't wait to read about the Dove sisters' season next!

I felt so terrible for Camille in book one. Eighteen years old and sold by her parents to a man three times her age from another country. Being an American heiress they wanted her married to a British peer. Now, in book 4, Camille's husband is dead and she's a Duchess but at what cost? The abuse she suffered has left her with anxiety and low self-confidence, hindering a future relationship. She decides to ask Jacob to show her that she can experience pleasure in bed. As salacious as this sounds it's really rather sweet. Jacob is kind and trustworthy. An illegitimate son of an Earl. He's partners with his half brother and friend in the Montague Club (characters from previous books) but he wants success apart from them. When one of his potential investors in a cabaret is hesitant because of Jacob's ladies man reputation, Jacob proposes a fake engagement with Camille. This way they will both get what they need. We get to see characters from the previous books in the series and Camille's recovery is handled beautifully as her confidence builds along with her work for women's suffrage. For an extra treat, listen to the audiobook narrated by Justine Eyre.

Absolutely loved! Each book in this series was better than the last and book one was fantastic. Each book St. George made me fall in love with her characters and they now own a special room in my mind. Camille deserved her HEA so badly and no one better to be her person than Jacob Thorne. I love that he was a integral part of her best friends lives by being their husbands best friend but also appreciated his need to be his own individual. HIs own personal struggles made it possible for him to show Camille that she too can be her own individual person and not the one that society demands. Heartbreaking and redeeming all in one. It is tender and fierce, compassionate and freeing.
Read this series!

I have loved this series since the very first book, and I wasn't quite sure how St. George could top book three. However, I had forgotten how well she writes longing and tension. I was along for the ride, and appreciated the discussions about consent within the context of the gilded age. I also forgot how spicy her books can be. Honestly, the only reason this wasn't a homerun for me was because I found myself slightly bored at the 40% mark. I couldn't even tell you why, it just felt like everything had stalled a little bit. Despite that, I'm confident that if you enjoyed any of the other books in this series, it will not disappoint!

I've never read a Harper St. George book, let alone the three previous books in this series, BUT it didn't harm the experience at all. The author's pre-note, combined with strategic reminders of important information, that didn't feel out of place or interupt the flow, prepped this story perfectly. I enjoyed it so much. I loved Camille. The undiagnosed trauma, 'cause at the time there was no understanding or even belief in such abuse, wasn't explored on the page but the reader knew exactly how she suffered. And to have that craving for connection or lust but without the skills to move towards it was a great foundation, without sacrificing the fun of a Historical Romance.

Then Jacob comes in with beautiful sensitivity while also creating the impetus of a much-loved trope, fake fiance. It was a little far-reaching, in this instance, but I got past it. And the chip on his shoulder, guiding his business motivations, combined with his location, the club, made a great counterpart to all that was Camille's life. His motivation to avoid love, however, didn't reel me in. And I because of this I wanted more at the end.

Still, overall, I have become a fan. I need to start reading all the backlist books. I want more.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc. All thoughts and feelings are my own. 3.5 Stars rounded up for Goodreads.

The Duchess Takes a Husband was a lovely conclusion to this series. Camille was introduced at the beginning of book one with her life crumbling around her as she was married off by her parents to a 60 year old man. We got to see a little glimpse of her and the foreshadowing of her story throughout each book, so it was exciting to finally get her perspective.

This one to me was probably the least captivating. I wasn't as enthralled by their subplot as I was the other relationships. I do however enjoy the important topics it covers like mental/emotional abuse, consent, and the suffrage movement. I do wish there had been more moments with Camille and Jacob getting to know each other more and spending time together outside of bed.

I did really enjoy Camille's strength and character growth throughout the book though. She starts as a somewhat meek young woman and turns into a vibrant woman ready to take charge of her life. I do also enjoy that the mother made amends with Camille.

Overall, an enjoyable story. I would recommend to fans of Bridgerton.

4.5 stars

4.5 stars

The first thing that caught my eye about Harper St George’s books was the covers! They are stunning and I LOVE the eye catching, bright colored dresses. I know we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover but when a cover looks that appealing, it’s hard to pass up! That’s how I ended up with her first novel on my desk—cover lust!

Imagine my thrill when the book turned out to actually be GOOD too—-not just a pretty face as it were. Sometimes pretty covers do not equal pretty books but in this case the book lived up to my hopes rather than my expectation and I found a new auto buy author so all around a win for me. Since the first book a couple of years ago, I have read all the other books in the series.

But never fear dear readers, even though this is part of a series, all of the books can be read out of order. The author does a good job at keeping the focus on the couple at hand and introducing other couples from previous books in passing rather than having them really be the main focus. So no need to worry about going back and reading other books before diving into this one. If you are looking for a steamy read with great characters this one is for you!

This series has had lot of progression from the first book. In the first book, while I loved it, I felt like there wasn’t the emotional or deep character development that I was hoping for. Ultimately it didn’t bother me enough to not rate this book high, but I do recall wondering when we would get more in-depth characters and as the series has gone one we get more and more into the emotional side of the characters which I am loving! This book being the most emotional yet! Typically with historical romances it’s mostly about the sex and the romance but in this book we get emotion with sex and romance so all around it ticked all the boxes for me! In this book Camille had to work through the trauma of her first marriage and I liked watching her and Jacob do just that throughout the book. With the book dealing with some more heavy content (abusive relationships), it had the potential to be a bit of a downer, but I loved how the author and character guided readers through that content with grace and ease.

Let’s also talk about the elephant in the room—-the sex scenes. I am not a huge fan of crass and over the top sex scenes but neither am I a fan of the generic ‘they kissed and made for the bedroom and woke up with a healthy glow’ situation either. In this book the author struck the perfect balance between sexy and steamy to satisfy fans of more graphic sex, but also managed to make them tasteful for fans who prefer something less porno-ish. It’s a hard thing to do but St George does it with ease and I recall that from her other novels as well! Her sex scenes are always well done and balanced and even if they are a little racy at times, I don’t feel like they are grossly over the top.

The romance between Camille and Jacob was believable and interesting. I liked how they played off each other and helped each other when needed. And I love how a one night stand essentially, turned into something more lasting and real. I thought this was a great romance and I found all the things I was looking for and expecting from St George. I have heard this might be the last in this series and while that makes me sad, I am looking forward to what she writes next! She is a strong writer with interesting characters and steamy romances—-can’t go wrong with that combo!

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Introduction
The Duchess Takes a Husband is the fourth installment in the "Gilded Age Heiresses" series. I am newer to this series but after the third installment, I was really curious about this and how this author would handle this one. I absolutely adore all the tropes that come into play with this one and I really love the writing style of this author, it just has some a classy feel to it without it being too flowery. One can easily be swept away by the glittering sensuality that Harper St. George delivers in her works.

Summary
This story begins with our heroine Camille, Duchess of Hereford, who is a widow and has never been truly accepted by London Society. She has an interest in the suffrage movement and is associated with strong independent women but Camille has never known true independence until now with her late husband unable to control every aspect of her life. But she has desires and determination to win Jacob Thorne, co owner of the infamous gambling hell and club "Montague". Jacob, needs to appear more legitimate for a business venture in France, and he will need a woman to pose as his fiancee and when Camille comes to him with a daring proposal, they decide to make an arrangement that will satisfy both parties. But this proposal will be easier said than done when the heart gets involved...

My Outlook
The Duchess Takes A Husband is a fascinating installment that I easily gobbled up. I honestly recommend this in both digital or audio, both formats work so well as I did a combination of this one here. I am very new to this author, but every time I pick her up, I end up so impressed. I was so eager for Camille and Jacob's book. I honestly didn't know what to think of them being together, but this author make this relationship work so beautifully. I was on the edge of my seat with these two and how they learn each other. Camille's situation just broke my heart and I wanted so much for her and I truly became so endeared by her story and her road of self discovery but also in paving her own path but also wanting more in her love life as well. Seeing her go on this journey of self care was so inspiring at times and I could easily see parts of myself within her character. Harper St. George has this uncanny ability of crafting such relatable character you can see yourself in. The hero is just the right partner for her. I became so endeared by his unwavering devotion and patience for her especially when panic and fear set in. The way that the author handled these aspects so delicately was awe inspiring and I can't wait to read the earlier books in the series.

Overall View
The Duchess Takes A husband is a superb installment that brings together the sensuality of the gilded age, the romantacism of the era, and the sparkling human nature that endears the reader for the long haul.....A PRICELESS GEM!

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 4.5
World Building: 5
Cover:5
Hero: 4
Heroine: 4
Steam: 4
Heart & Feels: 3.5
Ending:4
Overall View: 4.25

This was my first Harper St. George book and I really enjoyed it! I definitely want to go back and read the other stories in this series now. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romances. St. George did a great job handling Camille's trauma and her journey towards healing.

The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George is perhaps my favorite of her gilded-era romances to-date.

Camille, the Duchess of Hereford, is widowed and only 23, and her terrible marriage to her late husband left her feeling broken and uncertain of herself and her own desires. Despite her lofty title, she's still an American, from new money, and the London social set has kept her at arm's length. Now, it's even rumored that she poisoned the old duke. Which she didn't. But she definitely isn't sad that he's dead. Determined to reclaim ownership of herself and her body, she suggests an unconventional arrangement with a gentleman of her acquaintance--she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience physical pleasure, and in exchange she'll pose as his fake fiancée in order to help him secure funding for his new business venture.

But as is always the case, their arrangement doesn't remain as casual and business-like as they had envisioned. Real feelings develop, and they have to decide if they can make a real relationship work, despite their many differences.

This one was so gentle--as someone who has struggled with desire in the past, I connected deeply with Camille. I was rooting for her, for them. Jacob was so patient and understanding, and he went out of his way to make her feel comfortable and loved. I love how characters from the previous books make appearances and push both Jacob and Camille to figure things out and grab hold of their happiness.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance review copy.

I’ve read a few other Harper st George books and I have to admit that her covers just grab me - this one was no exception, I knew I had to read. While I loved the cover art, and have enjoyed others in the series - this one did not quite come together for me in the same way.

Once again, I love that St George paints a world that I can see and weaves in interesting facts. This isn’t a historical era I’ve read as much about, so I’ve enjoyed that aspect too. I really felt for Camille and wanted her to get the type of HEA she deserved. I’m always a fan of a slow burn and some tension as well.

As for what wasn’t working as well for me, I’d say the pacing of the story felt a bit off for one. I didn’t feel as invested in them as a couple as I have with others. The author writes great characters and knowing Camille’s backstory I wanted her HEA, but it wasn’t holding me as much as I hoped. This honestly might have been a me thing though.

Overall, solid story and an author I will read again. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for the chance to read an early copy!

The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

Published: May 23, 2023
Berkley
Pages: 335
Genre: Historical Romance
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Harper St. George was raised in the rural backwoods of 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 family.

“Love isn’t obsession.”

Camille is a widow and the dowager duchess. She isn’t sad her husband died, though. He was a cruel man, and she is enjoying her freedom. Jacob has always known he didn’t want to settle down. He has enjoyed many lovers and makes his living allowing others to explore their sensual side. Who would have thought a simple proposal would lead to forever?

This was a sweet second-chance romance with lots of steam! I haven’t read the other books in this series, but I enjoyed this story.

Camille was such a sweet leading lady. She was soft, kind, and brave. Jacob was a delicious leading man, and his gentleness and honesty made him almost perfect.

I enjoyed the elements of women fighting for their rights throughout this novel. And the fact that so many of the male characters were strongly supporting the movement. That was powerful and beautifully written.

The romance was red hot, and I love how Jacob worked so hard to teach Camille to love, trust, and explore herself. Their dynamic was excellent.

I liked that the writing style matched the time period, and the descriptions brought the scenes to life. This was a dynamic novel about love, romance, and taking chances.

The Duchess Takes a Husband is the perfect ending to The Gilded Age Heiresses series. Harper St. George ends with sweeping emotions and a poignant story arc.

The Duchess Takes a Husband has us finally seeing Camille’s happy ending during The Gilded Age Heiresses series. We first meet Camille in The Heiress Gets a Duke – she’s August’s friend and a chilling example of the marriages young women were sent to enhance family money and connections. Camille is a strong secondary character throughout the books and we see her unhappy interactions with her controlling and emotionally abusive husband, the Duke of Hereford. With the older man’s death, Camille is suddenly free but isn’t sure how to live her life or where to live her life: New York isn’t home anymore, but neither is London really. She’s still young, but the idea of remarrying makes her feel ill. All Camille wants is to be loved and to share all the love she has to give, but everytime she gets near a man she feels afraid. And sex, well sex is nothing to write home about, right? There is one man though that she is interested in: Jacob Thorne. Jacob has been trying to resist Camille’s charm since the first time he met her: he knows he needs to stay away from the beautiful and wealthy widow because she’s out of his league. However when he suddenly finds himself promising investors that he has a fiance who is making him, the illegitimate son of an earl and renowned playboy, very respectable, Camille all but falls into his lap. Now, they both need to remember this is only for pretend. And it seems that the harder they try to pretend indifference, the more the two of them can’t stay away from each other. Camille and Jacob have unbelievable chemistry that made me want to cheer as I read their story because it was so wonderful to finally see Camille be treasured for the amazing woman that she is. I love Camille and Jacob together: their love is built on respect, mutual admiration and a willingness to help each other achieve their own goals and dreams. And when the two of them finally get together? It’s hot and beautiful and absolutely sizzles. Let’s just say I would also be happy to help Jacob Thorne with whatever he needed.

Female empowerment and the suffrage movement plays a role in this series but it really comes to a head in Camille’s story. The book dives into suffrage history at that time, and the friction between the old generation who is used to using women as chattel to the newer generation who begins to recognize women as individuals with their own needs and desires. Caught in the middle of this change is of course Camille. Throughout the story she begins to realize her own desires are ok, and that she is allowed to have her own wants and needs. She also, through the help of friends and the suffragette movement, realizes that her treatment at the hands of her husband wasn’t ok and was actually abuse. Her relationship with her parents has been pretty awkward since they married her off, and St. George delivers a powerful resolution between Camille and her mother: it’s satisfying and emotional and brought tears to my eyes as Camille’s mother grapples to understand the pain and heartache she caused her daughter when all along she thought she was doing the right thing.

I loved watching August and Violet come back into Camille’s story and to see how the three friends have built their lives and maintained their relationships with each other. I loved the ending of Camille’s story: it brought her full circle to her first marriage which set off August and Violet’s own journey to London and their own love stories. St. George also neatly introduces new characters for her next series while ensuring that we will still see these beloved heiresses.

The Duchess Takes a Husband is a swoony book filled with a fake engagement, mutual pining and steamy love scenes.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

St. George never intended to write the story of Camille and Jacob, but I am so glad that she did. I have been following this series since the beginning and have always loved both of these characters! Camille, like so many of the American dollar princesses, was sold to the highest bidder by her parents without a thought about how awful the Duke of Hereford was and would be to his young bride. When he finally meets his end, Camille experiences a freedom she had never known and she begins to relish it. One of the ways in which she does so is with a scandalous proposition to Jacob Thorne. But is there more to their relationship than either wants to let on? Definitely a wonderful addition to The Gilded Age Heiresses series!

I received an advanced copy of The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George from the publisher Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Despite being a duchess of Hereford, Camille has always been an outsider, while technically accepted by the London Society, her late husband has always made sure she never felt welcome. Even with her husband passing away, things haven’t really changed, but the damage done by her abusive late husband remains. Camille, feeling like something is wrong with her, tries to make a bargain with Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and owner of the Montague club, he will take her to bed and show her she can still have a good time. Jacob tries to resist but he finds that Camille might be his answer to his own personal challenge, lunging these two into a sexy fake engagement.

What I Loved: I think classifying this book as a fake engagement is not entirely correct, cause this part has very little to do with the plot, sure it comes up a bit, but realistically it’s only a scene or two, this book much more has to do with the ‘sex bet’. I really think that these two characters were perfectly positioned for this book, even though they have a bargain, it doesn’t feel sleezy or like they are using each other but that they are really doing this to bring out the best of each other. These two have wonderful chemistry and I am so happy that they found each other. The love and respect shown between these two is just lovely and the kindness that is taken when handling another’s trauma is just so lovely. Camille is just a really likable and wonderful character and Jacob meets her where she is and I just love this one!

What I Didn’t Like: I don’t love this whole fear of love as a trope, it just is unreasonable and seems silly in an otherwise smart book. I wish the woman’s suffrage plot had been more of a story point throughout, it seemed like it was added last minute without much care and as it served as a focal point ultimately, this didn’t serve the book well.

Who Should Read It: People who love historical fiction. People who love stories that delicately handle trauma. People who love stories that celebrate female sexuality.

Summary: A scandalous bet just might be the best thing that’s happened to these two.

The Duchess Takes A Husband is an enchanting historical romance that held me spellbound from start to finish. Harper St. James knows how to paint a picture and she did a wonderful job telling Jacob and Camille's story. The writing is realistic and made me feel like I was right there. The characters are interesting and unique as they yearn for each other in this slow burn romance. They have tons of chemistry and I loved reading their story and also enjoyed all the entertaining secondary characters. I knew what the two main characters were thinking because the author gives us both of their points of view throughout the story.

This story takes place as the suffragette movement is just starting. Women are so constrained, they are either under the thumb of their parents, or the man they marry. The reader is taken back in time to the beginning of the movement and we are shown how hard women worked to gain their freedom in a male dominated world.

Camille has been told what to do her entire life and she never realized she had choices. As she learns about the suffragette movement her eyes are opened to the possibilities a woman can have. Jacob is wonderful and understanding and just the type of man Camille needs in her life.

This story has engaging characters and a good plot line. I immediately liked Jacob and Camille and thought they were perfect for each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I am sure you will too.

A sweet and charming ending to a series by an author who has become one of my new favorites! I saw a note from St. George saying that she didn’t originally plan for Camille to have her own book, but then decided to write it after readers reached out asking about one — and I’m so glad she did! There are, of course, the standard tropes to know and love in this book — fake engagement, bedroom lessons — but Camille’s story is also one of overcoming an abusive relationship and learning how to experience true intimacy, which added such an important dimension to the romance. (I also LOL’d at Jacob inventing a fake fiancée solely because his business partners were concerned he was too much of a ho.) Whatever St. George writes next (and I’m hoping it’s a spin-off series?) I’ll be there!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book starts very strong. I haven't read the others in the series, but didn't feel adrift even though there are clearly characters from the other books playing supporting roles. The way Camille's past and her current position are drawn is incredibly tender and nuanced. Jacob is also a strong character, though his motivations and inner life are decidedly thinner. The character and relationship development are moving satisfyingly along for the first two thirds or so, but the wheels come off a bit at the end - a combination of a forced feeling final confrontation and rushed change of heart for the hero.

3.5 stars

The Duchess Takes a Husband is the final book in the Gilded Age Heiresses series and it can be read as a standalone. Finally, Camille gets her well-deserved HEA with Jacob.

We have a pretty common tropey situation happening here: Camille asks Jacob for lessons in intimacy and in exchange, she will pretend to be his fiancée in front of his business partners. I enjoyed the lessons in intimacy portion, but the motive for the fake relationship is weak and the author failed to take advantage of this trope. There was so much that could have been done with Camille and Jacob pretending to be engaged, but it was kind of just there in the background. It's almost as if the author couldn't think of anything else that Camille might provide to Jacob in exchange for the lessons, so she just randomly picked the fake relationship trope.

Camille was emotionally and mentally abused by her late husband and it takes a lot of effort for her to eradicate her fear of physical intimacy. Hence, the lessons in intimacy. I can always count on this author to write poignant scenes that really highlight the emotional depth of the romantic relationship. The mirror scene in this book may be the hottest one I've come across to this date. It's steamy and emotionally intense at the same time. It's so well done. This book is worth reading for that scene alone. And it reminded me of the reason why I continue to read this author's books.

In terms of Camille pursuing something for herself, I wish she had found an interest that was unique to her because we've already gone through the charity thing with Helena and the suffrage thing with August. I wish the author had given Camille a new outlet for her only.

Overall, this was a decent read, with solid relationship development. It's equally steamy and emotionally intense. The pacing was a bit too slow for me and there were some minor hiccups. But I'm glad I read it solely for that incredible mirror scene, which was the peak of Camille and Jacob's relationship. I know I keep going on about it, but iykyk. Lastly, I'm definitely curious about the teaser for the new series 👀