A smart and charming historical marriage of convenience romance between new American heiress, Cora Dove, and the Earl of Devonworth (Leo), The Stranger I Wed kept me captivated from beginning to end.

Cora and her two sisters have recently come into an unexpected inheritance- with strings attached (aka marriage). They, along with their mother, travel to England in hopes to marry into a title, and leave America behind. I loved the time spent between the sisters in this book, however brief, since I am also one of three sisters and love mine as much as Cora does her own.

Leo is not interested in love but needs funds to fix some issues that are not of his own making. And Cora is not interested in a long-term marriage. It seems their pairing is meant to be - but with time, it turns out they have quite a bit in common and attraction begins to swiftly grow. Add in progressive politics, a hint of potential scandal, and a bit of intrigue and this was a hit for me! It’s the start of a new series and I’m excited to see where St. George takes us next.
I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This was an enjoyable escape. I was hoping for more from the Women's Property Act aspect of it all, but I like how we are seeing these sisters slowly marry off whomever they love. I look forward to the next one!

💌 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 💌
𝖩𝖾𝗇𝗇𝗒 𝖧𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖽𝖺𝗒

So I listened to the audio of this one and when I saw that Joshua Jackson was the male narrator, I didn’t think it would be thee Joshua Jackson. Well guess what…it was thee Joshua Jackson! This is also a true duet audio, so each narrator says all their speaking parts and it was great! This was a cute and heartfelt romance. From the cover you’d think it was sports romance, but even though he plays hockey and she is a retired ballerina, this really isn’t a sports romance in my opinion. The focus is more on the relationship between Aurora and Mike and dealing with grief and issues from their past in order to move forward.

Aurora Evans faces the consequences of a teenage fib when her fake Canadian boyfriend from years ago unexpectedly resurfaces as Mike Martin, a pro hockey player and recent widower. As Aurora agrees to help Mike with his daughter and navigate his grief, their bond deepens, revealing hidden truths and unexpected connections. But when Aurora's long-held secret comes to light, they must confront their past deceptions and fears to embrace a future filled with love and trust.

TW: disordered eating, death of a spouse (off page), grief and loss

Swipe for Audio Review! >>>>>

Read if you enjoy:
💞 Friends to Lovers
🔥 Slow Burn
👀 Dual POV
🧠 Mental Health Rep
❣️ Nanny
🛏️ Close Proximity
🩵 Single Dad
🏒 Hockey Players
🩰 Dancers
💌 Letters

The Stranger I Wed é um romance de época que entrega casamento por conveniência e os casamentos com herdeiras americanas!
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Cora é fruto de uma relação ilícita de um grande empresário americano com uma atriz. Ela e as irmãs cresceram com uma mãe bastante excêntrica e com o fardo de todos saberem que elas eram b@stardas. Mas, a avó por parte de pai ao falecer deixou para as irmãs uma herança considerável, mas para recebê-la o pai colocou uma condição: elas deveriam se casar com nobres ingleses. Cora, então chega a Londres com a missão de casar com um nobre falido e salvar as irmãs e a mãe. E é nesse contexto que está o conde de Devonworth, que precisa desesperadamente de dinheiro e concorda em ter um casamento de fachada com Cora. Mas a convivência entre eles desperta sentimentos que nenhum deles estava esperando.
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Preciso dizer que eu amo como essa autora trabalha as relações entre os personagens não nobres e os personagens que cresceram entre a nobreza. As pautas revolucionárias à época como o sufrágio feminino, a lei da propriedade e outras leis que traziam direitos a parte da população silenciada.
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Claro, nossa mocinha Cora é uma progressista que se junta a sociedade sufragista assim que chega a Inglaterra e encontra no marido um homem que reconhece que as coisas precisam mudar. Eles se completam intelectualmente e Cora fascina o conde com sua inteligência e beleza.
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Devonworth vai se apaixonando aos poucos e o modo como ele cuida de Cora é muito bonito, pois ela sempre cuidou de todos e quando eles começam a dividir os fardos da vida as coisas ficam mais leves.
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Eu amei muito como esses dois foram crescendo e como a autora incluiu pautas muito consistentes à época. E principalmente, como ela também introduziu outros personagens e me deixou curiosa.

4.5 Stars

Illegitimate heirs on the edge of New York society, Cora Dove and her sisters find themselves with an ultimatum: find and marry titled men elsewhere to avoid scandal, or risk losing their inheritance. So off to London Cora, her sisters, and her mother go. Cora, who just wants access to her money, is perfectly fine with a loveless marriage that will quickly end in divorce. But then she meets Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, and Cora realizes that maybe a little passion between a husband and wife isn’t the end of the world. But Devonworth has been burned before and intends to keep his passion trained on politics, despite how tempting Cora may be. But their best laid plans are soon out the window, and both Cora and Leo turn out to be exactly what the other person needed.

This slow burn historical romance was an utterly enjoyable read, featuring a passionate romance against all odds, great tension throughout the plot, and some absolutely fantastic supporting characters whom I can’t wait to see in more prominent roles in future books in this series.

I loved the interaction between Leo and Cora, and it was evident they would have great chemistry right from their very first meeting. St. George made Leo a fully-realized main character; he wasn’t just an Earl. He was a protector looking out for his younger brother, a passionate politician fighting for equality, and a competent athlete. Surprisingly, though, Leo didn’t seem too perfect or like he was too much. He definitely had his flaws, but his well-rounded character came off as realistic and the perfect complement to Cora.

Likewise, Cora was a fun character to follow. She was strong-willed and headstrong, not afraid to pursue her passions as well as her freedom. A lot of her passion and bravery stemmed from her protectiveness of her sisters; Cora didn’t hesitate to do hard things and make tough decisions when she knew her family’s futures were at stake. She really couldn’t have been more perfect for Leo.

I always find Harper St. George’s writing easy to follow and get lost in. She paints such clear pictures for her scenes, and Leo and Cora’s physical relationship was easy to imagine as it played out on the page. While this book is the start of a new series, St. George did a great job at still tying it back to her Gilded Age Heiresses series; readers can, however, thoroughly enjoy Cora and Leo with or without reading the previous series.

Overall, The Stranger I Wed was an enjoyable, lower drama, slow burn historical romance with so much more between the main characters than just falling in love. The cultural significance of this time period shines through the story, creating a truly stand-out historical romance.

This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the idea of the American heiresses, and this family had more secrets than nobility would like. Cora had her list, and Leo met all but one item. Friendship developed before love. They accepted and supported each other, with a couple misunderstandings cleared up with the truth not dragged out. The story was full of historical information and a little more description of everything than I like, but well worth the read.

I received an ARC through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited. review.

In this story we follow a American heiress named Cora Dove, and her sister Cora is about to receive a generous dowry from her dying grandmother but in order to get her money Cora needs to find suitable husband. This leads us to Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament.
What starts out as a marriage of convenience starts feeling in both that leads to love.
This is book 1 of a series of Cora and her sister

Marriage of convenience
Gilded Age Romance
Scandalous Family Secrets
Historical Romance
Slow burn
Great chemistry

First of a new series by a new author to me. American Cora Dove and her sisters are the illegitimate daughters of a wealthy New Yorker. Their grandmother leaves money as an inheritance but their father, who has not been a part of their lives, insists it is a dowry if they find suitable husbands. Going to London, Cora as a wealthy heiress enters into a marriage of convenience with Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonwoth. He has a title but needs funds to prop up his estate and pay off gambling debts of his brother. It is 1878 and Leo is trying to pass a Public Health bill that will improve rights for women. It is a cause that is important to Cora as well.

I like the story and characters, except of course the father. The marriage meets both Leo and Cora’s needs and leads to longing and more. It is a slow burn as Leo continues to deny wanting intimacy as he has had previous heart break and also feels an unworthiness. The author takes time to discuss the laws and arguments of the time period pro and con about improving rights for women. The series will continue with a romance for the next sister and a teaser chapter is included in my copy.

Cora Dove and her sisters’ inheritances are contingent on them finding husbands far away from New York, their birthplace, thanks to their jerk of a father. So they head off to England in search of husbands.

Leopold Brendon, The Earl of Devonworth, captures Cora’s attention right away when they literally crash into each other. He’s in need of a wife with money and she’s in need of a marriage with a title so they make their arrangement with an expiration date, at Cora’s request. Cora doesn’t want to be beholden to any man, her mother soured her on that, but Leo is a different man from her father.

Leo had his heart broken, so he’s wary of giving his heart to any woman, especially when Cora makes it clear that the marriage is for convenience only. However, they are attracted to each other and in time also come to respect each other. Can they get past their issues to let love in? I hoped so!

Both Cora and Leo had reasons to be wary of a romantic relationship. Cora’s father was something else! I’d love to see him sorry for how he behaved, but I won’t hold my breath. Cora’s mother wasn’t much better, in my opinion. The woman was a big detractor for her girls with her outrageous behavior.

I appreciated that both Cora and Leo were moved to advocate for others and bonded over their righting the injustices of their time.

I really enjoyed The Stranger I Wed. It was a slow burn romance; with multi-layered characters I could relate to and root for! It filled my heart with joy to see Cora find everything she was looking for and so much more with Leo! I’m hoping each of the Dove sisters finds their HEA!

Exactly what I want in my historical romance books! I’m usually not a fan of historical romance set during the suffrage movement because many authors do not add it into the story in a way that makes it better. Harper St. George handles it perfectly. We get to know the main characters through their love of politics and the bond that unintentionally forms through their shared ideals. This was a new take on the typical secretive bluestocking who is hiding her views from everyone or the blue stocking society ignores for their ideals. It was refreshing to see Leo and Cora work together and support each other. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and find out what happens with Cora’s sisters.

The Stranger I Wed is the first book in The Doves Of New York by Harper St. George. First up is Cora years ago her mom was a mistress to a millionaire bachelor and after having three girls he had to do his duty end marry someone suitable leaving Cora and her sisters in the dust. While on her deathbed her grandmother wanting a clean slate in the afterlife wrote Cora a letter saying they would be remembered in her will unfortunately that inheritance had strings attached. This is why Cora her sisters and beautiful mom are in London looking for a suitable husband for the Dove girls. Her husband has to be suitable and what kind of Lord would want to marry in untitled bachelorette well obviously a broke one. In the case of Cora her titled bachelor is a Lord and a member of parliament who wants to be looked at as a family man but he must agree to let her live alone and or get a divorce after two years something Leopole reluctantly agrees to. It doesn’t take long however for core and Leopole to start feeling those magical feelings one feels when falling in love. It seems Leopold‘s new wife is smart intelligent and has great insight during their discussions which only makes him fall even harder and as for independent Cora The more she is around Leopole the less being a wealthy single woman appeals to her. In the end they will learn they have much more in common then they don’t and that includes how they feel for each other. I really really love this book I thought it was awesome and I am definitely going to be reading the other two in the series. As a matter of fact this is a book I will definitely be looking out for I want to thank Berkeley publishing group for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is for romance fans of slow burn, low angst, and marriage of convenience.

I personally felt that it could have done with a bit more passion and drama in a more even paced storyline (i.e. it felt rushed in some areas and dragged a tad in others).

While this is my first romance by the author and some of her previous characters showed up in this story that seemed very intriguing, I'll be sure to check out some of her other work which I heard many great things about,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Berkley for providing me an opportunity to read the book ahead of the publication date.

This was the first book I’ve read from Harper St. George and I don’t think it will be the last! HSG’s writing was accessible but felt authentic to the time period, especially in the dialogue which isn’t always the case in historical romance.

I did think the story was a bit anti-climactic. I thought there was potential for a lot more when it came to Cora’s activism. But I really loved the American in London aspect, which I think HSG writes a lot of.

The two main characters had a clear physical chemistry but I loved that the focus of their story was more on building a solid friendship and genuine respect for each other.

I have another Victorian/Gilded Age book from HSG on my shelf, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking it up now!

I can’t get over how much I loved this book. And it’s historical romance! I’m soo picky about anything historical! I don’t know, there was just something about the writing style and the character development that drew me in.

Cora was the perfect FMC for this kind of story. She was such a badass. She fought about politics with men and wrote scandalous articles under a pseudonym and only wanted to get married so she could keep her inheritance.

And of course, Leo was perfection as well. Solid and stoic with a secret heart of gold. Doesn’t want to fall in love because he’s been hurt in the past, but he can’t help but fall desperately in love with Cora. I mean, come on.

I read this one quickly and absolutely loved the romance and the additional issues that were discussed throughout the book. If you’ve never read historical romance before, this might be the place to start.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy and having me on this book tour!

I am not a huge fan of historians but I really liked this one. The storyline felt original and I really wanted to keep reading.

Cora and her sisters leave New York to seek prosperous matches abroad, their dowries their only chance at removing the taint of their dubious legitimacy. The pragmatic Earl of Devonworth seeks a wealthy wife to pay off his family’s debts. He agrees to Cora’s request for a marriage in name only, yet he’s drawn to her intelligence and spirit. Will they find true love, or will her dark secrets threaten their bond?

This smart, entertaining novel is written in a warm and engaging style. The characters are endearing with strong chemistry between Cora and Devonworth.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I absolutely loved the Harper St. George’s Gilded Age Heiresses series. So, when I heard she was starting a new, adjacent series, The Doves of New York, I knew I needed to try them. The Stranger I Wed is the first book in this new series.

This is the story of Cora Dove and Leo, Earl of Devonworth. Cora goes to England to find a titled husband in order to get a surprise inheritance from her grandmother. With the help of Camille, a dowager duchess and former New York heiress from the previous series, Cora and her sisters are given a list of needy bachelors. Leo is on that list due to some mismanagement of the earldom from his father, a recent disaster at the estate, and gambling debt from his brother. Leo is hesitant to get into a marriage of convenience but is desperately in need of an influx of funds in order to continue his passion, which is serving in Parliament.

I’m a total sucker for the marriage of convenience trope. There’s just something about two people, generally practically strangers, getting married and then finding love as they traverse through their marriage. The Stranger I Wed is a great example of the trope, and I just adored watching as Cora and Leo circled each other, got to know each other, and came to love each other. They each had secrets they tried to keep hidden and protect their hearts, and it was fun to watch it all unravel.

I enjoyed both characters. They each had flaws and strengths that complimented the other. Both characters had great development as their relationship grew over the course of the story. I think my only real complaint is that at the climax of the story, when there’s that bump in the road of their happily ever after, well, it wasn’t much more than a speed bump, and I would have preferred just a bit more tension and strife for them to overcome.

I truly enjoyed The Stranger I Wed, and I can’t wait to continue this series as Cora’s sisters get their romances. This novel might be for you if you enjoy historical romances or even marriage of convenience tropes. Well done, Ms. St. George!

4.5 stars

Thank you Berkley Romance for the gifted book, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

Cora and her sisters have had a less than luxurious upbringing, but as long as they marry well they will receive an unexpected inheritance! As many Americans do, they set off to England and meet Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a progressive member of Parliament. He needs a wealthy wife, but with Cora he discovers a potential partner who brings intelligence and passion to their relationship. Cora is determined to only have a marriage in name, but each day they spend together leads these two closer to true love!

This story is perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore who love historical romances with real political history woven in! The characters were fun, their relationship was dynamic and driven both by lust and a real friendship! Part of the third act conflict felt a little rushed, but the pros far out way any cons in this one!

I was absolutely thrilled to hear that St. George had a new series starting! While this makes reference to characters and events of her Gilded Age Heiresses series, you certainly don’t need to read it to understand this book (but you should read those books because they’re fantastic). I adored Cora as a character. She’s whip smart, determined, and fascinating. Leo is a solid male lead and the chemistry between the two was well done. There’s not as spice here as I expected and the plot had… a lot going on. However, some of that was clearly set up for the rest of the series. I’m definitely looking forward to future books and enjoyed reading this one.

I am going to preface this review by saying Harper St. George is an automatic read for me. With that in mind, two things-1) I already knew this would be an enjoyable read for me 2) When I was offered the ARC I jumped on it!

I previously read Harper St. George’s historical romance series The Gilded Age Heiresses and really enjoyed them! This book is technically the first in her new series, The Doves of New York. We enter with our FMC Cora Dove, who is the illegitimate child of a noble. Upon the death of her grandmother Cora is left a large dowry that could change her life with the stipulation she must marry. Enter our MMC Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth. Lord Devonworth is in desperate need of funds to support his ambitions in parliament. When these two run into each other the perfect compromise marriage becomes their mutual solution with the agreement they will divorce after two years of marriage. What could possibly alter that plan?!?!?!!?

As expected, this was thoroughly enjoyable. Please add anything Harper St. George to your TBR. Thanks to Berkley for the advanced copy!