St. George remains the queen of historical romance with this newest story, and I couldn’t read it fast enough!

I loved the constant push and pull between Cora and Leo. It made the moment they caved that much more delicious. I loved their desires for equality, how easily they trusted each other, and how perfectly they worked together. Honestly, I just really loved how Leo was a simp for Cora from the jump.

And I loved getting to see so many familiar faces from previous books! I can’t wait to see what’s next in this series 🤭

I loved this!!! It was slow to start but I’m so glad I stuck with it. No instant love here- it was a slow burn in the best way. The couple had a real connection full of love and respect. I loved both of their back stories and how they worked together as a team. The spice was also great. I can’t wait to see where this series goes! Now to get to the backlist 😍😍

Today I’m reviewing The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George. In this historical romance we follow American heiress Cora Dove and her sisters to the heart of London, where Cora is in need of a titled husband in order to obtain her inheritance. And who better to fill that role than the handsome Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth. He’s a staunch modernist member of Parliament, whose title will be worthless if he can’t turn his finances around.

Seems like the perfect match?

And romance readers, you NEED (yes all caps) this book in your life. (I know, another repeat from my last post four blot post, but it’s relevant to this one too).

Have you ever finished the first book in a series and immediately needed to read the next book?

That’s me, book friends, with George’s new series, The Doves of New York! I want to read Eliza’s story (the youngest Dove sister)! But for now, let me just say, I’m so excited for you to read George’s latest and greatest about bold young women who take the stage like the women in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Transporting readers back in time, where the performances of Cora Dove and Leopold Brendon will have readers devouring this historical romance in one one sitting.

The Stranger I Wed (which I’m not really a fan of this title) is a new historical romance series that I am hands-down ready to pre-order the entire series today. I really enjoyed George’s The Gilded Age Heiresses series, and with this opening novel, romance readers be prepared to be swept away with another set of young women ready to take on the London scene and devastate it’s gentry. Character driven, George will have readers rooting for both main characters, holding our breath as Cora and Leo grow closer, both fighting their urge to fall in love with each other.

George took me on a journey that had me only wanting more.

Go add this one to your cart book friends. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

The Stranger I Wed was such an enjoyable read. I loved going on this journey with Cora and Leo even though it was slow. It was also sweet, sexy, a bit steamy and packed with secrets. The act of watching them fall in live with one another was one of my fave parts. I loved seeing how their relationship went from strangers to friends and eventually lovers. I loved experiencing the growth of their intimacy and watching them truly become a couple. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Another thing I loved was sentence structure and turn of phrases. They made me stop and savour what was being conveyed. It was an awesome read and start to a new series. I can't wait to read the rest of the series especially after the teaser for Eliza's book.

I don't apply for many ARCs because when I first got a @netgalley account, I applied for quite a few, assuming I'd only get approved for a couple. My bad. Now, I only apply for ones that really pique my interest and/or are by authors I really enjoy. Hence this Harper St. George that I was thrilled to get approved for. I have loved her regency romance books since the first one, The Heiress Gets a Duke.

Cora Dove is an American girl who's never been formally recognized by her ultra wealthy father because of his appropriate family, who is accepted by American Society. Cora and her two sisters live with their mother, Fanny, in New York City and have a deceased step father. When Cora learns her true father's mother left an inheritance for her and her sisters in her will, she approaches her father, Charles Hathaway, about it, but he turns it into a dowry only granted upon marriage to a titled Brit. Cora accepts this challenge and she and her mother and sisters head to England to find titled men in need of funds. When she quite literally falls for Leo, aka Lord Devonworth, she's convinced it can never work between them because he's too handsome. But, her heart strings pull her that way and the two come to a mutually beneficial arrangement, where they'll stay married for a couple of years before divorcing. Determined to be wed in name alone, the two find they have much in common and find themselves being pulled together. But can they keep level heads and keep love at bay?

Read if you like:
✅ Angst
✅ Slow burn
✅ Marriage of convenience
✅ Bridgerton
✅ Friends to lovers

This was so well done. So, so well done. I was feeling the angst the entire time, which is something I love in any book, but it hits even harder in a regency romance. I am SO happy to have received this ARC and can't wait for more in this series by St. George!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I need the whole series ASAP! I love anytime a young woman has a pragmatic air about her and takes charge of her own life? That's exactly what our heroine does - embarrassing family, circumstances, and lack of society mannerisms to boot!! Cora Dove is a gal I would have wanted in my corner in that day and age!

**Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Cora Dove and her sisters’ legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls' dying grandmother gives them each a guilt-induced dowry, Mr. Hathaway vows to release their inheritance, but first, they must produce suitable husbands as far from New York as possible....

I thought this story was an okay read. I almost always struggle with Historical Romance, so finding one that I can immediately get lost in, is always a bonus. The Stranger I Wed had a great plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed how bold and opinionated Cara was. She had no delusions about love, but she would be happy if she could find a suitor who respected her.

That brings us to Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament who has a plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class. But for that to happen, it requires the backing of a wealthy wife. The one thing he never counted on was Cara. He never expected to be interested in her thoughts or cave her touch.

Together these two made a great pair. I loved how upfront they were about their marriage of convenience and made no delusions about falling in love. They were upfront with their needs and somewhere along the way, they became friends and gave in to the burning chemistry between them.

I did, however, have some issues with this story. The biggest one for me was the pacing. As I previously mentioned, Historical Romance can be a struggle for me, so when the pacing is off, I'm a lost cause. Don't get me wrong, the pacing was great at the beginning of the story, but as the story continued, it began moving at a snail's pace. And that might be a me thing, but I did feel it was important enough to bring up.

My other issue was with some of the events that happened. At times, I felt like we would start a scene and then it would abruptly end. Instead of getting to experience what was happening along with the characters, we were told what was happening in the next chapter. And I don't know, that just felt a bit off to me.

Overall, I thought The Stranger I Wed was an interesting take on the marriage of convenience trope. I enjoyed the characters and idea of the story. However, I did run into issues with the pacing and moments that happened off-page. Even though this book was a 100% hit for me, I'm still glad to have checked it out.

An intriguing slow build in a historical romance, where you can both see where the most obvious bits of plot are going but also you can't tell how on earth it's also going to get to the eventual destination or what the end result will be beyond the obvious connection given away by the title.

I love a good marriage of convenience, and this one had a strong premise and well-rounded characters. My main problem (no spoilers) was that not much happens for most of the book, and then about 18 things happen during the final 15%. The ending felt rushed and some promising plot points were resolved way too fast. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Harper St George is BACK with a brand new series (with subtle nods to the gals from her Gilded Age Heiresses of course!) The Stranger I Wed gives us a steamy marriage of convenience between an American heiress and a desperate Earl. I just loved getting to know the Dove sisters on their first adventure and I truly cannot wait for the rest of the series to see how the other sisters fare!

I really enjoyed The Gilded Age Heiresses series so when I saw Harper St. George was starting a spinoff series I knew had to read it!

Cora and Leo's story is one for the slow burn romance fans! They are nearly strangers when they get married and they first have to slowly become friends. I really enjoyed how hard Leo fell for Cora even though it made him really scared to lose her. Leo and Cora are really similar and their slowly falling for each other is pretty adorable!

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series! I have the feeling Cora's sisters are going to get into some trouble before they find their perfect matches.

🌶️🌶️ - This story has one very detailed spicy scene but given that it is so slow burn it isn't overly steamy.

A solid debut into a new series! Marriage of convenience meets slow burn. I thought maybe a little spark was missing, compared to the previous series. But I still felt compelled to read and watch how everything would unfold. I'll definitely be checking out the companion books!

Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy is a stumbling block to their life in New York. An unexpectedly generous, guilt-induced dowry sends them to England to fulfill the requirements and to start fresh. Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, is in need of a rich wife. So Cora and Leopold strike a bargain and marry a stranger. But does living together always lead to love? And should they gamble on each other and stay?

Why I started this book: Looking for more romance authors and St. Goerge was mentioned in a romance podcast I listen to. So I requested an ARC from Netgalley.

Why I finished it: Solid historical romance, where the heroine needs to strike a bargain with her husband to maintain as much control as she can. I haven't read that many modern historical romances and its interesting to see what current issues are being explored and reflected in this genre.

I. Love. Marriage of convenience. You throw in a little strangers to friends to lovers and some “me?? In love with my spouse?? Prepostorous” and I’m all in. Sold. Stock lock and barrel. Add in the fact that Harper St. George does phenomenal historical detail like none other and I devoured The Stranger I Wed.

The whole American heiress needs a title/British aristocrat needs funds is one of my favorite historical romance set ups. It’s a time period we don’t talk about as much in favor of the glamorous affluence of the Regency period. But I love what the mutual exchange brings to the relationship. The way it’s handled by different authors is always so different. And St. George took the up front, we know what each other wants, marry get what we both want, and divorce or separate in two years and everyone is happy.

It’s all fine until someone knows Cora is illegitimate and she can’t let anyone know. Until Leo and Cora become friends and yearn for more but don’t want to ruin what they have. Until they realize they don’t want to separate but how do they tell each other that. Two humans that have more in common than they originally thought (no spoilers but my HEART) and both staunch protectors of each other. I just. Ugh. This is why I read romance. The squishy feelings they don’t know how to handle. The gentle fall into friendship and the headlong crash into love. SIGN ME UP. They’re both so stupid in love with each other and pine so hard. And since the marriage is early on, there’s ample time with them just…learning each other. They’re also just like….super h*rny for each other and I was kicking my feet over it. (Plus historical condom use!)

And obviously, we get awesome historical detail (the author’s note is great!). There’s a little political intrigue (very light), some jerk face MPs that will go to some lengthy means to squash women’s rights, and there’s some right to clean water + critique of industrialization that was absolutely fascinating.

Loved. Adored. Highly recommend. Need the other Dove sisters’ books in my hand yesterday.

Cora Dove has always lived on the outskirts of society. Being born out of wedlock, her father never truly claimed her or her sisters as his own. And yet, her dying grandmother has left Cora and her sisters an inheritance. There's only one catch - they have to marry in order to receive the inheritance. Cora sets her sights on England to find someone who will be suitable to marry her but also be willing to be married in name only. Cora wants a quiet life of her own - away from prying eyes. Will she be able to find such a match in London?

Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth isn't looking to get married, but he has his own reasons to marry. After considering Cora Dove - he decides to marry her. He hears her proposal for a marriage in name only and agrees. They will both benefit out of the agreement. But their forced proximity has both of them longing to make this an actual marriage - will they agree to their terms of try for something real?

The first part of The Stranger I Wed was so fun! I loved the "meet cute" between Devenworth and Cora. Their relationship was always upfront and honest and I appreciated that. But the slow burn was sooo slow and a good chunk of the middle part of this romance fizzled out for me. I found myself putting it down and not wanting to pick it back up again.

I'm looking forward to reading the stories about Cora's other sisters!

An absolutely wonderful and compelling start to a new series! I have loved all of St. George's previous titles and was so eagerly anticipating where she would go next and I can already tell that I love this new world of characters she is bringing us into, Maybe this one didn't have quite the same spark between our couple, but definitely still worth reading and I will be keeping my eye out for the next one in this fun new series.

Unfortunately this turned into a DNF for me at 40%. I've been at 40% for over a month. This is a me problem and not a book/author problem. I think I've outgrown this genre currently and am interested in reading other types of books lately. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

If you love historical romance with characters that are strong, resilient, resourceful, and when they fall … they fall hard this book is for you!

This is the first book in the new series The Doves of New York and is connected to her Guilded Age series. However, it can read read as a stand-alone. There is also plenty of time to dive in and discover Harper St. George’ backlist before this book releases in April.

A marriage of convenience that’s unconventional.
Two strangers will discover that you can be friends, lovers, and more with your spouse.

How far would you go to save those you love, protect your name, and find a love that can stand
the test of time.?

I can’t get enough of Harper St. George and I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait to find out what happens next!

Thank you Berkley Publishing for this advance reader copy for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this novel! I’m a big Harper St. George fan, and she outdid herself on this one. There’s just something about her male leads that will have any historical romance reader swooning. Leo might be my new favorite! And Cora was an intriguing and powerful heroine. I loved the slow burn between them and the drama and the danger along the way. Can’t wait to read her sisters’ stories!!

Cora and Devonworth. Such a good pairing, such a funny meet-cute. She's got some unexpected ripostes that genuinely made me smile and he's pretty hot, mostly because he's just a straight-up decent guy (didn't really come across as the reserved so-called Ice Prince to me, though).

The marriage of convenience. I really like it when romance couples have an early negotiation scene, where both parties are as up front as they need to be in order to close the deal. You know some of the backpocket secrets are being kept, just so they can pop out at the most inopportune moment later. But you also recognize them for the promise they are: cutting angst and a slooow-burn.

What didn't I like? The final, super late bit of angst, which crested and then receded as fast as a sneaker wave. It wasn't needed. Also, it's unbelievable that there isn't a scene where Camille and/or the Crenshaw sisters say, "This story looks familiar..."