The Stranger I Wed (The Doves of New York)
New York, the Gilded Age. After the death of their biological grandmother, the three Dove sisters learn that they stand to inherit, despite being the illegitimate daughters of the late woman’s son and mistress. There’s only one problem. The girls must first marry “suitable” men. Since everyone in New York social circles knows of their scandalous parentage, they must go bachelor-hunting across the pond. The eldest sister, Cora, who secretly pens feminist essays under a false name, quickly decides that she must marry then secure a divorce, allowing her to live off her inheritance in peace and ensure the security of her sisters, even if they fail to make suitable matches. Her kindness and focus on improving the world made her especially relatable and easy to root for. She naturally plans to avoid falling in love.
Soon after arriving in England, she runs into the dashing, golden-haired Devonworth – in the most literal sense, in that he tumbles into her while playing a game of football. He’s intelligent, loves his family despite their faults, and is in need of money to repair the damaged roof of his lovely home. Despite his mercantile motives, he’s undeniably sympathetic and appealing – to both Cora and the reader. He agrees to her terms easily. This perfect match doesn’t seem so ideal after all, though, as finds herself falling for him, despite her determination to keep aloof and divorce him after a few years. They are drawn together by their mutual interest in various social causes, such as the plight of the poor.
A solid historical romance sure to thrill fans of the genre.
