#AMERICANHEIRESS  Oh you trivia friends of mine (and you know who you are), I got some major ammo out of this book. It's crazy. I lived during all of this. I knew the girl was kidnapped and that she said she was brainwashed. I had no idea it went on as long as it did. I remember the picture. I remember she married her bodyguard. I remember Squeaky Fromme trying to kill Ford, but not Sara Jane Moore just 17 days later. Creepy I know more about the Manson case than this one.

Well, now I know a LOT about this one. It's amazing the connections that are involved in all of this. At first, I thought I was going to be bored, as it started out a little slow. There was also a little redundancy. However, for the most part, I thought this was a great book. I can also see how she was just bored with her life and hey, here comes something new and different. She is a year or two older than me, so yeah, I can totally relate to what she did. The big question - didn't a lot of us do that? Did all of us get that second chance? I think this was be a great debate book for a book club.

There's also a lot of researched information in here and I definitely recommend it for those who love to absorb and learn interesting facts!

Thanks to Doubleday Books and Net Galley for the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

July is here and I am ready to hit up a new month of reads.

Courtney Milan Challenge

1. The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister #3)

Regency Box Set

2. His Jilted Bride (Banks Brothers Brides #3) by Rose Gordon (left over from June)

3. Next book

Classics Challenge/John Steinbeck Reader

4. Tortilla Flat

Non-Fiction Challenge

4. Sisters in Law by Linda Hirschman

5. Bourbon: An American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge

6. Tomorrow-Land by Joseph Tirella

7. Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss

8. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

TBR Pile Down

9. Killer Run (Tourist Trap Mystery #5) by Lynn Cahoon

10. Hearts of Gold by Phoebe Conn

11. The American Bride by Karla Darcy

12. Emily's Vow (A More Perfect Union #1) by Betty Bolte

13. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

14. Gold Rush Brides: Beginnings by Cassie Hayes

15. Easter 1916 by Charles Townsend (Finish)

16. At the Duke's Wedding (Anthology) (Finish)

Happy Reading.

This book was given to me as a gift a couple years ago for Christmas. I had put it on my list, needing to give my family some ideas. I think I had fallen for the "Anyone suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal..." line on the cover.

Yes, there was a Downton Abbey feel, mixed in with some Upstairs Downstairs. But no, it was not a good substitute for either one.

Overall I liked the story and the direction it took. There was never any real 'drama' that played out beyond the usual for that time period. In general, I liked most of the characters for their individual differences. I felt that much of it was true to that time - the mother who wanted to purchase a title for her daughter, the spoiled rich heiress, the Duke who married for either money or love, the conniving mistress, the disapproving mother-in-law, and the awkward sister-in-law.

While the cast of characters was what you'd expect, I was a bit pleased that Cora wasn't exceptionally weak. She was naive and spoiled, but I do think she showed tremendous grace in some truly awful situations.

One of the issues I had with this book was the relationship between Cora and Ivo, the Duke. He proposed marriage in less than a week - which I'm OK with given the time period. However, we're never given a reason why he married her. We know that Cora agreed to marriage as a way to get away from her mother. As the story progresses, we're told from Cora and others that they are in fact in love with each other. However, I never figured out why she loved him other than his kiss made her weak in the knees. We also never see why Ivo asked Cora to marry him or that he actually loved her. His one 'proof' that he gives Cora near the end of how he was publicly declaring his love for her (at least to one person specifically) is, in my opinion, complete crap. That's not a show of love - just the opposite. Yet Cora believes him without hesitation. It was all just a stretch for me.

This book is told through multiple PoV's. In general, I'm not a huge fan of more than 2 PoV's in a book, but I have read some where it's done very well. This is not one of them. It was too many, resulting in my inability to become attached to any of the characters. It could have been so much better had it been limited to the perspective of Cora and her maid Bertha. 

Finally, this book was way too long. A good 100 pages could have been cut. Way too much descriptive detail about dresses and couches and tapestries.

Series: An American Heiress in London (Book 2)

They had a deal . . .

From the moment she met the devil-may-care Duke of Margrave, Edie knew he could change her life. And when he agreed to her outrageous proposal of a marriage of convenience, she was transformed from ruined American heiress to English duchess. Five years later, she's delighted with their arrangement, especially since her husband is living on another continent.

But deals are made to be broken . . .

By marrying an heiress, Stuart was able to pay his family's enormous debts, and Edie's terms that he leave England forever seemed a small price to pay. But when a brush with death impels him home, he decides it's time for a real marriage with his luscious American bride, and he proposes a bold new bargain: ten days to win her willing kiss. But is ten days enough to win her heart?

Very good book. Edie had come to England five years earlier, escaping a bad situation back in New York. Unfortunately, she hadn't found a husband during the season which meant returning to America, something she really didn't want to do. When she discovered that Stuart needed a rich wife, she proposed a marriage of convenience - she would pay the debts, care for his estates, and provide him with the funds he needed to return to Africa, as long as he stayed there. 

Stuart is more than happy to take the deal, as it gets him exactly what he wants. He spends the next five years busily exploring various parts of Africa, leading safaris, and even discovering a new species of butterfly. But when a close encounter with a lioness nearly results in his death, Stuart decides it is time to go home. He's spent a lot of time over the years thinking about Edie, and he's ready to make something different of his life.

Edie is horrified when Stuart shows up, expressing his intention to make their marriage a real one. He makes his case quite eloquently, but Edie is blunt in her statement that she has no desire to live with him or have a family. She likes her independence, her charitable works, and raising her younger sister. The thought of living with him sends her into a panic. Consulting with a lawyer gives her only one option that is acceptable to her -  a legal separation, leaving them married but living apart.

Stuart is surprised by the feelings of desperation he gets from her whenever he tries to talk to her about their marriage. He's certain he can win her over if she will just give him a chance. So he makes a bargain with her that he can get her to willingly give him a kiss within ten days. If he succeeds, she will give up on the idea of a separation. If he loses, he will grant her request. But she has to give  him a fighting chance.

I loved Stuart. He really is a very nice guy, who just wants a chance at the marriage he thinks he can have. He starts out quite gently, wooing her with picnics and conversation, and some mild flirtation. He senses that there is passion under the cold attitude, so he begins a subtle form of seduction. But Edie's resistance is strong, and eventually he figures out why. I loved his reaction and how angry he was on her behalf. He became even more determined to show her that what she experienced isn't the way it should be.

I was a bit frustrated with Edie at the beginning. She was so determined to keep Stuart away from her that she wouldn't listen to what he was asking for. For a woman who had been so independent and good at what she was doing, seeing her run away just didn't seem to fit. But as her fears were revealed, I felt more sympathy for her, and couldn't wait to see how Stuart was going to overcome them.

There were some pretty amusing scenes as Edie used her prescribed time with him. I loved tea with the vicar, and how much amusement Edie got from Stuart's discomfort. Of course, Stuart would get his revenge by using his time to tell her all the things he wants to do to her. I loved seeing the effect it had on her as she slowly began to look forward to their encounters. There is a scene at the end where it looks like it's all going to work, until a flashback ruins it. I loved Stuart's reaction and what he does with his time while he gives her the time she needs. When he returns to her, though the time for their bet is up, I loved seeing how he made his case for their future. He really bares his soul to her, showing her his deepest vulnerabilities. Even more satisfying was Edie's reaction to his return. She was able to speak of her own feelings in ways she never had before. I loved the realistic view of her expectations for the future. The epilogue was fantastic, and a wonderful lead in to the next book.

It may be wise to read the previous book in the series, How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days, before this one. 

Jack Featherstone's father and brother were shameless gamblers and fortune hunters, marrying rich and squandering their wives' money with no compunction. As the unappreciated second son, Jack swore he would never marry unless he could support his family in a proper way, and certainly never stoop to fortune hunting to secure himself a life of luxury. Never being able to rely on his male relatives meant he established closer bonds to his Eton chums instead. So when his best friend Stuart, the Duke of Margrave, gathers all his friends and asks them for assistance in a scheme that will directly lead to the ruination of a man, Jack doesn't hesitate, even if it means moving to America for a year, pretending to be close to a man he despises, in order to orchestrate Stuart's revenge.

As the plan is in its last stages, and Frederick Van Hausen, the man who did despicable things to Edie, now the Duchess of Margrave, is getting desperate, Jack is watching the man like a hawk, worried that he's going to find some way of escaping personal and financial ruin. When it looks like Van Hausen is preparing to elope with Miss Linnet Holland, who is both beautiful and comes with a staggering dowry, Jack has to think fast. Interrupting before Van Hausen can propose, and kissing the young lady in front of her own mother, accompanied by one of New England's chief gossips, is the first thing that pops into his head. Linnet, wary of fortune hunters and outraged by Jack's heavy-handed behaviour, refuses to even countenance having her reputation saved by marriage to someone so arrogant and presumptious. While she previously refused to consider marriage to a British peer, she is now determined to find one, who is willing to marry her, despite the tarnish to her reputation. Anyone, except Jack Featherstone, that is.

Linnet and her mother travel to England, where Linnet engages the services of London's premier matchmaker, the Marchioness of Trubridge. Jack follows, determined to do right by Linnet and persuade her to accept his hand in marriage. As the matchmaker was formerly married to his scapegrace of a brother and now to one of his closest friends, she's aware that he's not the unscrupulous cad his brother was, and hopes she'll at least consider him a worthwhile candidate for Linnet's hand in marriage. He has a week, at a houseparty with several other eligible and eager suitors, to convince the proud and distrustful Miss Holland that while their first meeting was less than ideal, he will make her the perfect husband.

While I understand Linnet's wish to marry for love, and escape the social ambitions of her mother and the financial ambitions of her father, she also has appalling judgement when it comes to men. I respect that she feels aggrieved and upset that Jack accosted her, but she also should have had some suspicion when Van Hausen, a man who wouldn't give her the time of day before she went to Europe for a year, suddenly declares passionate love for her and wants to propose marriage to her in a secluded location on the same night she's back in America. While she's fairly innocent, it's clear that she's quite savvy in rooting out fortune hunters, and some alarm bells should have been going off. She also develops a very knee-jerk hatred for Jack and stays obstinately unwilling to listen to him, even after he explains the motivations behind his rash act. I get that she's supposed to be feminist and independent, but a lot of the time she comes off as abrasive and shrewish.

Jack, on the other hand, we are told is a much better man than his father or brother was, but he also surprises and kisses a very unwilling woman, then seems to be surprised when she doesn't want to immediately become his wife. See, despite Jack's rakish ways and long life in Paris consorting with all sorts of women, just kissing the unprepared Linnet just the one time is enough to convince him that she is the woman he must spend the rest of his life with. One of the popular tropes of romance is the "magical hoo hah", which means that after sleeping with the usually virginal and inexperienced heroine once, the sexually experienced and previously happily promiscuous man is ready for monogamy. Linnet clearly has magic lips, because she unwittingly accomplishes this with one single liplock. Jack keeps losing his temper and either orders Linnet around, or physically overpowers her (he actually carries her off at one point), which is naturally not the best way to woo an already skittish and suspicious-minded woman. He's a lot more likable when he calmly uses his words and affectionate nature to woo her.

This was an ok book, but nothing more. I didn't particularly like Linnet or Jack and didn't actually care all that much whether they got together or went their separate ways. Laura Lee Guhrke is an author whose books I often enjoy, but she's pretty much on my "borrow from the library" list, not even qualifying for "buy when on sale" status. This book passed the time, but I doubt I'll remember it clearly come next month, let alone ever want to re-read or own it.