Starred review from June 11, 2018
The best scenes in O’Riley’s Victorian-era series launch are not the passionate stolen moments, but the intimate conversations and lighthearted humor. Headstrong shipping heiress Sara Fleming is furious when her parents whisk her away from New York to London for an extended visit with their Hamilton cousins, who run a delightful bookstore. While resenting her parents for not accepting her American fiancé, Alexander, Sara still enjoys the glitter of London with her cousins and the intriguing Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton. The characters are refreshingly communicative, as Sara tells Christopher about her deepest feelings and Christopher talks about rescuing his sisters from abuse. Christopher needs to marry money to protect his sisters, but the way he approaches his future reveals his integrity and separates him from the fortune hunters. Sara needs to grow up, and though her personal development is rushed, it’s believable. Several tender moments take place in the bookstore, illustrating the Hamiltons’ close ties and setting up the shop to feature in the rest of the series. This charming romance with believable, charismatic characters is a strong start, and readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
June 15, 2018
A New York shipping heiress finds herself in the midst of a London season after her parents steal her away from an inadvisable engagement.Sara Fleming is in love with a wonderful, handsome man. Unfortunately, that man is back in New York, and she has been whisked off to London by her parents. While they don't reveal their reasoning, the rest of her extended family supports the decision and helps her get enmeshed in the season. Sara can't help seeking out her cousin's best friend, the Earl of Bridgeton, even as the Earl himself embarks on a path to gain a rich wife and save his sinking ship of an earldom. Unfortunately, thanks to efforts on the part of Sara's extended family to keep the fortune hunters at bay, rumors abound that Sara's shipping magnate father has fallen on hard times. So while Bridgeton would rather spend every waking moment with Sara, he must look elsewhere for a wife. While the plot is intriguing, O'Riley (His by Christmas, 2013, etc.) does not execute it well. Weak writing, historical missteps (gentlewomen in 1894 would certainly be wearing underwear, for example), and an unclear progression of the chemistry between hero and heroine leave the reading experience wanting. Add a cast of supporting characters with varying levels of usefulness to the story--including one with unexplained supernatural capabilities--and the novel feels a good 50 pages too long. The expected outcome does not leave a reader satisfied but merely glad it's over.An underwhelming historical romance.
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August 1, 2018
If Sara Fleming's parents think they can get her to forget the love of her life, Alexander Drake, simply by spiriting her away to London, they are sadly mistaken. It doesn't matter how many eligible Englishmen, including the delightfully handsome Christopher Townsend, Earl of Bridgeton, Sara encounters. Christopher is smitten with the lovely American, but marrying her is out of the question. The same mix of engaging characters and an emotionally compelling love story found in O'Riley's Hamilton Sisters books provides a solid literary foundation for the launch of her new Victorian-set Hamilton Cousins series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)