DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS SERIES!!!!

This is the 4th book in the Gilded Age Heiresses series, and this final installment is perfection. I do want to give a content warning before writing this review as it will reference it (the author provides this at the beginning of the book as well): domestic abuse (past)

Camille is now widowed from her awful Duke husband whom she was pressured into marrying for social position. He was awful and abusive to her, which causes her to seek out Jacob for some sex rehab/lessons. She wants to enjoy sex in the way that her friends do, and it seems like Jacob is the one who can provide this for her. He tries to decline her offer, but eventually comes around to it.

Camille has a lot of healing to do after her experiences with her husband. Jacob is really caring and respectful of this and never pushes her. AND THE MIRROR SCENE. OMG OMG OMG. Reading this book is worth it for that scene alone.

I absolutely loved every book in this series, and I'm very pleased with the conclusion. Thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book. Disclosure: I am on the author's ARC team, but this did not influence my review.

After reading the first chapter preview of The Duchess Takes a Husband, my first assumption was that it would be a fun and sexy romp. Camille, Dowager Duchess of Hereford, propositions a known rake so he can teach her to enjoy sex. What fun! Perhaps it would be like The Kiss Quotient, just in 1870s England? I wasn’t prepared for the emotional depth and difficult themes that arise in the book, but these elements made me love it even more than I could have anticipated.

If you’ve read the previous three books, you’ve gotten to see Camille a bit during her darkest times. She was married off to the cruel Duke of Hereford, a man who never treated her well. Her marriage was the cautionary tale that fueled the Crenshaw sisters’ avoidance of meeting the same fate, and we saw as Camille was cut off from her friends and publicly berated by her husband. It was cause for celebration when the man finally died, leaving her a widow at only 21. In The Duchess Takes a Husband, we get to know Camille on a much deeper level, and her parts are imbued with emotional depth. I felt for her as I read this novel, wishing she could find some relief from her trauma.

Although Jacob is a rake who eschews romantic relationships at all cost, he’s a surprisingly tender and attentive companion for Camille. He notices not only her lack of enjoyment of sex, but the fear that grips her when things get too intimate. He works to find a way to make her feel comfortable and in control of the situation. Jacob soon realizes that Camille must have been the victim of domestic abuse during her marriage, though it takes her longer to come to terms with this label. Her husband wasn’t physically abusive, so does it still count as abuse? Camille needs time to process this and acknowledge the horrors she endured.

The Duchess Takes a Husband dives into some difficult themes surrounding domestic abuse, recovering from such a trauma, and finding a way to feeling safe and confident again. It’s always written with sensitivity and care, both acknowledging the trauma and offering a new resolution for Camille. It will take her some time to find her way to love again, and with the right partner by her side, she can enjoy a better future with him.

For his part, Jacob fears love because of how it has historically inspired erratic behavior among the Halston men. His dad? Obsessive in love. Christian? As seen in The Devil and the Heiress, not the most conventional path to winning a girl’s affection. In fact, speaking of Christian, I loved seeing the characters from the first three books here. Since Jacob and Christian are brothers, and since Camille and Violet are particularly close friends, we especially get to see a lot of that couple. (They were my favorites, so that certainly made my heart sing!) We also get to see how August, Evan, Helena, and Max are doing, too. Oh, how I love them all!

This book also offers some forays into the politics of the time, with Camille joining the woman’s suffrage movement and supporting the Married Women’s Property Act. (Hello, commonality with Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series! In my mind, all the characters from both series exist in the same world.) There’s also brief discussion of asexuality, a bit of cabaret, some unexpected drama and action, and plenty of steam. Harper St. George has such a way of combing bigger themes with tenderness and characters that are easy to love, and that all shines in The Duchess Takes a Husband.

The Duchess Takes a Husband is a wonderfully written novel that is sensitive, sweet, and powerful. I loved getting to know Camille and Jacob—I fell in love with them both and enjoyed seeing them find happiness and solace with each other. It’s a beautiful end to a perfect series.

I adored the final book in the amazing series. Like so many, I longed for Camile to have her happy ending. This was a perfect way to wrap up the series. Having her pair up with Jacob was lovely. A woman who was forced to marry a duke ends up with a "bastard." I was surprised by how in-depth her marriage with the Duke was discussed, but it was important to the story at large. I would include many trigger warnings for the final version as the stories surrounding Camile's wedding night may be traumatic for some people. Overall, this is a happy story and it was a blast from start to finish.

Excited to read more of Harper St. George in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC!

✨ That sex scene has me like https://youtu.be/uuZE_IRwLNI ✨

This was a solid conclusion to a lovely series. Camille deserved the world and I was definitely one of the early series readers asking for her story!!

It was so empowering to see Camille take initiative but to also know her limits, and eventually take back control of her life. Jacob was the perfect hero for Camille, as he was literally hanging on to her every word, move, breathe… Meaning he could tell when she needed to slow down or stop in the bedroom as well as when she needed to take control.

I thought he was gonna tie himself up for her but we got something exponentially sexier: A mirror scene to end ALL mirror scenes. Whenever gaming hell pleasure rooms enter the plot, you know the book is absolutely going to bang.

The scene also gave us the iconic line—“panic mixed with extreme affection—which perfectly describes the entire third act (not really breakup but period of uncertainty). I actually really loved how the third act was handled in regards to their relationship plus we got some hot defining-the-relationship sex.

✨

While this book absolutely did bang, it was a lot more slow burn than I expected going in. I understand why the sex had to be towards the end of the book (there was a lot of healing that needed to happen), but I wish the two would’ve spent a little more time together on the page.

For reasons, there had to be some light fake engagement in exchange for sex lessons, but I think the former could’ve been elevated. They were only faking for a few people (to close a business deal) but it would’ve been juicy for it to have hit the ton.

They both had a lot to do apart from each other—Jacob had his investment and Camille was getting into women’s suffrage as well as dealing with Hereford’s horrible heir—that dragged the plot just a bit. Separately everything was interesting, but together I just wanted a bit more cohesion in the storylines and focus on the relationship.

✨

Overall, I adored this one but I didn’t fly through it. The pace held me back a bit, but Camille deserved everything good and lovely and safe, which she ultimately found in Jacob. But she also found herself again, or rather, her new self, and that was the strongest and most touching part of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️.25*/5

*We got a few scenes, varied in length and depth. I think it was about the same as book three.

Spoiler: When her mother went to Jacob at the end he was NOT as alarmed as he should’ve been. He damn near didn’t go rescue Camille! But it also made me really like her mother which I totally didn’t see coming. It was a great scene but I was like. SIR?!

As an avid reader of the first three books in this series I was overjoyed to find out that this one would be about Camille. From meeting her in the first book where she is married off to an older man (crying during the ceremony mind you) and continued presence in the books where we see how awful her life truly is with her husband. This book fulfilled every hope I had for it. This is a heavier topic book so do be advised. Just the character arc that both Camille and Jacob go through is amazing.

Loves:
-Camille deserves the absolute world. Throughout this series we've seen her go through a very, very rough time with her marriage. The scars that this leaves her with are so carefully handled in this book. I loved her projection in this novel and the arc she takes. I knew going in that it was going to be amazing, but reading it is completely different. It is a masterpiece in story telling. Plus the way she builds herself out felt so perfectly in line with her character and was so effortless.

-Jacob was everything you'd hope for Camille. I will admit I was less invested in his half of the story because Camille's is so much more potent. But as a couple they balance so well. The patience and understanding he brings is superb. I could cry over how soft he is towards Camille and treats her with the love and respect she deserves. AND helps her realize that she deserves it. When Jacob tells Camille there's nothing wrong with her--tears. He gets all of the stars of excellent romance lead. I can't spill any more, you just need to read it to experience the perfection that is Jacob.

-Their intimate scene is on the spicier side, but to frame it that way feels wrong. The tenderness and trusting that goes on during this scene is top notch. Like yeah, it was great from a level of steam (not what I was expecting, but was pleasantly surprised). But the build up to the scene made it everything. Honestly one of the best scenes in a book because it completely made the story and changed it so well.

-The supporting characters were fleshed out and added greatly to the book. I adored "seeing" August and Violet again with all of their love for Camille. Camille's family was an interesting ride and I overall enjoyed how that played out. Jacob's family was a beautiful addition as well. I know St. George was dropping some hints on her next series with the characters -- I am SO excited if I'm right.

Meh:
-uh.... uh.... I think the only thing I could be nit picky on would be the lack of potency in Jacob's story. It never felt like a high risk situation and rather very secondary to Camille's grand story. I just expected more anxiety out of it. I'm not complaining at all, just was a change in tone from what *my* expectations were with the synopsis.

Long story short I HIGHLY recommend this book. I think you probably could get away with reading it as a stand alone, but why? This series has been phenomenal. I'm emotional thinking that it's over. Plus reading all three before this gives you the full appreciation for what St. George does with Camille and Jacob. The absolute perfect final installment of this series as it puts an elegant bow on all the loose plots that have been interwoven throughout the books. I very much look forward to the future books of St. George and will continue to be an avid reader.

Thank you so much Harper St. George and Berkley Romance for an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

A fun, witty, exciting adventure that continues Ms. St. George's series of sassy, clever ladies. A wonderful weekend read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this novel.

As a fan of Harper St. George and this series, it was rewarding to see Camille get her long needed, much deserved HEA. We have seen glimpses of the trauma and unhappiness she was living with since she walked down the aisle in tears in book one, so it was wonderful to see her regain her confidence and find joy.

Camille getting involved in the suffragette movement and the attempt to change the women’s property laws was insightful and added a nice element to the story.

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

From the very beginning of the Gilded Age Heiresses series, where Camille's devastating fate is presented as a contrast to what the Crenshaws are determined to have, I've hoped that Camille would get a chance at a HEA. Her backstory is the darkest of any of the heroines in the series, having been forcibly married to a much older, abusive, and powerful man. The Duke of Hereford is dead now, but the aftereffects of his abuse still linger, which this book handles in a thoughtful, complex, and respectful way.

The romance in this book is fantastic, and more on that in a moment, but I must say that this is above all else the story of Camille finally - FINALLY - getting to make the rules in her own life. The romance, in fact, dovetails nicely with this arc, as one of her quests to reclaim power is finding a way to enjoy herself in bed after so many traumatic experiences at the hands of her abhorrent husband. Jacob, the illegitimate half-brother of our Book 2 hero Christian, just might be the tenderest rake to ever rake. He co-runs a club and has plenty of liaisons of vary degrees of scandal, but he's also infinitely patient, considerate, and understanding as Camille navigates the ups and downs of reclaiming her agency. There's plenty of scorching sex scenes - these might be the steamiest in the series, tbh - but they're also wonderfully emotional.

All in all, an exceptional and satisfying end to a series I've loved from the start, and I can't wait for the spin-off series!

This series is just so good! I was excited to find out Camille was getting her own book and it did not disappoint. I loved how Camille took charge of her life & set out to seek fulfillment not just in an intimate relationship but in other areas of her life too.

I’m so glad to have this final chapter on the Gilded Heiresses series - as poor Camille deserves her HEA as well. As the Duchess of Hereford, she had been married off to a much older and abusive man. Given no choice about her future and her self esteem crushed, she found herself withdrawn even after her oppressor died.

Until Jacob. A beautiful bastard running the scandalous Montague social club that allowed both men and women as members. Will his influence and tutelage open Camille’s eyes to how life should and could be?

🌶️ 🌶️ - def more peen than some of her other books and thank goodness for it!

I was so happy that we got this book from Harper St. George and I was so happy reading it.`I love this world she has created and I was just soaking up every moment being back in it. While objectively it may not be the best in this series, I cannot seem to care because it's just a happy read. I think readers will be very excited to finally see Camille get her HEA and Jacob Thorne is very much a worthy hero.

I was so happy to see Camille get her happy ending and with Jacob no less! What a lovely way to wrap up the series! I can't wait to see what's next from Harper St. George.

Thank you for the early copy!

I've enjoyed this Gilded Age series (and its absolutely spectacular covers). It was great that Camille, whose abusive marriage acted as a catalyst for the first book in this series, got her happily ever after to round things off. Having her get involved in women's suffrage was a nice touch as well. Looking forward to whatever Harper St. George writes next.