Ravishing the Heiress

Starred review from May 21, 2012
The second in Thomas’s Fitzhugh romance trilogy is set against the realism of 19th-century English arranged marriages. To fill the empty coffers of his family’s estate, Lord Fitzhugh must marry Millie Graves, a prosperous manufacturer’s daughter. While neither Millie nor Fitz has much choice in the matter, Fitz bemoans the fact that he cannot wed his childhood love, Isabelle Pelham. Millie, mature beyond her teen years, is aware of her fiancé’s aversion and proposes a marriage of convenience for a term of eight years. But Millie does not anticipate that, after eight years of friendship with Fitz, her unrequited love for him will deepen. Fitz and Millie’s romantic tension grows as they renegotiate their marriage terms, while newly widowed Isabelle returns to England, forcing Fitz to make some life-changing decisions. Millie’s intellect and selflessness make her a standout among a cast of memorable characters in this expertly plotted and emotionally wrenching love story. Agent: Kristin Nelson, the Nelson Agency.

Starred review from June 15, 2012

Literally sold into marriage as a teenager to a destitute nobleman, Millicent Graves, the daughter of a wealthy cannery owner, has understood her "marry well" role completely. But when she realizes Lord Fitzhugh is in love with another, she makes a bold proposal--they will wait eight years to consummate their marriage, and once they have produced an heir, they will live separate lives. Gradually, Millie and Fitz become true friends. Now, eight years later, Fitz's old love arrives on the scene newly widowed, forcing Millie and Fitz to come to terms with their own feelings for each other. VERDICT Soul-searing, heartrending, and intensely romantic, this late Victorian historical takes the classic marriage-of-convenience theme to a refreshing new level, making effective use of alternating time periods, as the characters struggle to reconcile duty and loyalty with personal desire and to understand what love really is--and is not. Another exquisitely rendered, insightful romance from one of the genres stars. Thomas (Beguiling the Beauty) lives in Austin, TX.

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