cover image The Lady Tempts an Heir

The Lady Tempts an Heir

Harper St. George. Berkley, $7.99 mass market (336p) ISBN 978-0-593-19724-0

St. George’s passionate third Gilded Age Heiresses romance (after The Devil and the Heiress) kicks off when American Maxwell Crenshaw’s father demands he find a wife within a year. To appease him, Maxwell proposes a fake betrothal to British widow Lady Helena March, who needs a male supporter to gain investors for her fledgling charity, the London Home for Young Women. She agrees, but their fake relationship is complicated by the feelings they each secretly harbor for the other. Maxwell is Helena’s biggest supporter and his desires to help others is in line with her own. When their fathers object to their plans to aid the homeless and working class, they must band together to reach their goals. Along the way, they reveal themselves to be matched in loyalty, dedication, and ambition, and through witty banter, heated glances, and powerful chemistry, their true feelings are revealed. But their future could be jeopardized by Helena’s inability to bear children—a secret she keeps from Max, who wants to be a father. This conflict grows frustrating as it drags on, but the American-British culture clash works just as well here as in previous entries, and the central couple’s palpable devotion is sure to delight. Series fans will not be disappointed. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, the Seymour Agency. (Feb.)