What happens when a carefree, disreputable, stone-broke bachelor is forced to find a wife in a hurry? He hires a matchmaker, of course. What happens when the matchmaker doesn’t want to help him? Well, that’s when the fun begins…Nicholas Stirling, Marquess of Trubridge, loves his life just as it is: dissolute, scandalous, and deuced good fun. His father, the Duke of Landsdowne is not amused, and when he cuts off Nicholas’ trust fund, the fun-loving marquess is forced to find an alternate source of income—in other words, he has to marry an heiress.Every new-money American heiress knows Lady Belinda Featherstone is the key to social acceptance. Once a new-money nobody herself, Belinda discovered first-hand how heartbreaking the game of love and matrimony could be after a reprobate British earl married her for her money. Now a respectable widow, Belinda has become England’s most successful matchmaker, guiding young American heiresses through the hazards of the London season and helping them to find husbands worthy of them. To her mind, the Marquess of Trubridge is nothing but a fortune-hunting scoundrel and she has no intention of allowing him to charm his way into any American girl’s heart, including her own.
An American Heiress in London. Book 1
After reading I realized that I actually haven't read this series, simply mixed it with another one. But actually I'm happy, more of her books left to read. Even if I have enough books to read, but I try not to reach out for them often, simply because Guhrke is only one of few authors I even read in this genre of historical romance. So I read books sparingly not to run out of material.
Finding a new beloved author in this genre is a task I say. When I was younger I read a lot of HR, but only a name or two stuck with me till this day.
And I'm being sentimental for a reason, I truly adore how Guhrke writes and sets her characters. She is one of those authors that prove to me that HR can be a good book.
Lady Featherstone is a prominent matchmaker in the London society, she is now widowed and it's her craft to help American heiresses to find an appropriate match.
What other may not know is that her own marriage was a disaster that left her scarred for years and this became her motivation in leading young and impressionable girls. She was once swept away by passion and was seduced, but when the marriage was set in stone her husband showed his true side, that he was only after her money and was not going to spend his time on her and after paying off all his debts he started to live lavishly with Belinda's money, until he died of heart attack on one of his mistresses.
Her current task is to pair her close family Rosalie, but one person threatened the matching.
Nicholas appeared in front of her with a simple goal, he is after money after his trust fund was cut off. He wanted to ask for help, thinking that Belinda will comply wih his request, but instead found the biggest opposition from her side.
They did not start well, although like in many HR books they feel that thread of attraction and admit the handsomeness of another person, but it does not change what they think of one another.
Belinda simply spread the news of what he is going to do and why he came back from Paris and joined the season. But instead Nicholas used Rosalie as means of blackmail, he won't touch the girl (though he'd never would anyway) and Belinda helps him find a wife.
At first it's just a joke from her side, like she lets him meet one that is a chatterbox emptyhead, another is too serious about being intelligent.
In the meantime Belinda realizes the devilish charm of her client, while Nicholas was always honest how attractive her finds Belinda, this unwanted passion became quite an obstacle between the two and their goal.
What I truly adore is that setting, seemingly impossible situation where they have to stick together.
What I adore more that in the process they find more about each other and bare what's inside.
Belinda's prejudice is based solely from her failed marriage, this is why she is so opposed to Nicholas and his main goal, although she admits she is passionate about him, but she does not respect him as a man.
Nicholas shared his life being manipulated by his own father, like his first love was bought off, his famous scandal is nothing more but a fram-up from his father etc. he never even entered university he wanted and living in constant need to oppose and dig at him. Thus his reputation was notorious and not ideal among the bride market. But Belinda's words actually woke him up, even if they were truly hurtful. He indeed lived a life under influence of his father. When he realized he'd like to do something he knew a gentleman actually knows nothing outside of managing the estates, which was not helpful in any type of work.
It was fateful that at the end of the story he found his goal, since his estate that belonged to him always produced beer, but for his own family and not commercial purpose, he decided to change that. yet again his father came in to create troubles for him, but this time Belinda rushed in to save the day, like a knight in shining armor to save the beauty. After all she was also a wealthy lady all along. And she could invest into business and she will, because she loved the man, she saw his changes because of her.
In general it's such a nice story, with great character development and great romance.
RATE: 5/5