The Duchess Takes a Husband

St. George’s saucy fourth Gilded Age Heiresses romance (after The Lady Tempts an Heir) finds American Camille, the 23-year-old Dowager Duchess of Hereford, worried that there’s something wrong with her because she’s never enjoyed sex. To understand what all the fuss is about, she propositions her friend, Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of the Montague Club. Jacob, whose reputation precedes him, is used to being propositioned by beautiful women, but he worries that such an arrangement with Camille, whose best friend is married to his brother, would get complicated—and that he might not be able to control his emotions. When he finds himself in need of a fiancée to secure a business deal, however, he gives in to the tempting duchess. Camille survived one awful husband and she’s not looking for another, but if faking an engagement gets her into bed with the handsome object of her physical attraction, then she doesn’t mind. Inevitably, love blooms outside of the bedroom, but with conflicting goals­­—Jacob is set to move to Paris, Camille is active in the suffrage movement —they worry about their future together. Tantalizing sex scenes and high emotional stakes enhance this story of exploration and acceptance. Readers will be fanning themselves throughout. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (May)