Eliza Dove is an American heiress who knows love is out of the question. To claim her quarter million dollar inheritance and secure her family’s fortune, she must marry an English lord. But when she sneaks away from a dinner party and meets the mysterious Duke who is far below her class, everything she thought she knew turns on its head. The Duke—Simon—offers her everything she never thought she’d feel, but as the time ticks down to claim her inheritance, can she risk it all for love?

Harper St. George continues her mastery of writing Gilded Age romances that feel new and exciting while remaining true to the period. Each detail she includes in the High Society she constructs is fascinating and heavy with history. Eliza and the Duke was different from the other novels in this universe in that the love interest is from Whitechapel rather than London high society. The author did an excellent job balancing the realities of the Victorian lower class while balancing the high society heroine’s understanding of the world.

Eliza was a heroine with just the right amount of curiosity and common sense. She did things that were certainly scandalous and dangerous, but she also considered the consequences of her actions on those she loved. Her struggle to pick her heart or her head was realistic and well-developed. I especially liked her relationship with her sister Jenny and I’m now more excited than ever for Jenny’s book (but that is a topic for another time—hopefully).

Simon (aka the Duke) was a great brooding hero who had to balance wanting the heroine and wanting to protect her from his world. I like his moments of vulnerability and that he kept the Whitechapel parts of himself, even as he learned to adapt to the upper-class world.

Watching the side characters who starred in St. George’s other books flit in and out of the novel was one of my favorite parts. That being said, this book can be read by veterans of the series or new readers alike. While I enjoyed most of this book, I didn’t give it a full five stars because the author wrote out the accents (which is a style choice I respect but dislike), and the conflict resolved a bit too easily. Still, Eliza and the Duke is a must-read for historical romance fans who want a little more danger than your classic Regency romance.

After I started reading this title, I went back to see what I thought about the first in the series. And I ... didn't love it. It was fine, but not nearly as good as her Gilded Age books. This series is a spin-off.

This second title was just not to my taste. It's fine, but I didn't much like either Simon or Elizabeth. This is completely me - I think the right readers will completely enjoy this title.

Harper St George is an auto buy for me and an auto-recommendation to library patrons. Her heroines are smart, flawed, complicated, and real, despite being set 100+ years in the past. I adore her books and this one was no exception. I hope she is able to find publishers in the future who welcome her historical romances and that we see more of her in this genre, because she is one of the best in the game.

This is my first ever read by this author, and I was drawn in right from the start.

Even though this is the second book in the series, I read it as a stand a lone and it holds up extremely well. It does make you want to read the first one and I am so excited for the third one!!! I feel in love with Eliza and the Dove women, and then Simon with the different sides of him we see throughout the book. I enjoyed the dual DOV and feel that it brings more depth to all the characters through the story. The spice is there, and I was surprised how close in age both main characters were, because they felt older than they are (this was wonderful!). The twist and turns throughout the book kept me hooked also.

Adorable Victorian Romance with lovely characters and spicy scenes. Being the second in a series does not mean you have to have read the first tho, it’s quite good as a standalone. Actually just bought the first on kindle because I enjoyed this one a lot!

When an American heiress finds a secret passage to a gentleman's club she meet the Duke, a bare knuckle fighter from the depths of Whitechapel who fascinates her. Her inheritance, and the future of her beloved sister, are in peril if she doesn't marry a titled lord. This spicy gilded age romance will satisfy readers who love three dimensional characters, accurate settings and detail, as well as a good story well told. I will definitely be looking for other titles by Harper St. George.

This book knows how to layer complexity into its characters. Simon’s tough exterior hides a past he’s desperate to leave behind, while Eliza isn’t afraid to go after what she wants whether it’s freedom, or, eventually, him. Their banter had me giggling and sighing in equal measure, and their journey was nothing short of addictive. The more they try to resist each other, the more I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It’s like this book gets you in all the right ways. There’s tension, passion, and a plot that doesn’t waste any time giving you exactly what you came for, and then some. And honestly, this is the kind of historical romance I live for; smart, sexy, and a little dangerous. If you’re into characters with depth, chemistry that practically burns the page, and a romance that’s as scandalous as it is swoon-worthy, this one’s for you. I couldn’t put it down.