The Heiress He's Been Waiting For is the first book in the Hamilton Cousins series by Kaitlin O'Riley.

"In Victorian London, the Hamilton sisters are known for their bookshops—and for finding their happily ever afters on their own terms. Now, much to their chagrin, their offspring are following in their unconventional footsteps—in life and in love"

Twenty-year-old Sara Flemming lives in America and is the daughter of a rich shipping magnate. She is in love and expects a proposal from her beau any day now. Unfortunately for her, she finds herself tricked onto one of her parents' ships and kidnapped by them. It's all very dramatic. Her parents know that the man courting their daughter is trouble and a fortune hunter. They also know that with how headstrong she is there is no way they could keep her from the man. So convincing her to take a quick sail on the ship, and then leaving New York far behind is the only way they can think of to keep them apart. They head home to family in England. Sara loves her family there and despite being taken against her will, she enjoys being back with them. There is no harm in enjoying herself while she waits for her beau to follow and in her eyes, rescue her.

Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton has an upsetting past that he tells nobody about, not even his best friend who happens to be a relative of Sara's. He is at the family home when Sara arrives and it's practically lust at first sight when they meet. Christopher has a lot of worry on his plate, not least keeping the family estate and looking after his sisters. His father died leaving nothing but debt, so much so that Christopher is coming to the conclusion that he will either have to sell the estate and take up a job or marry an heiress. Both options are abhorrent to him, but he has to make a decision sooner rather than later.

The more time Sara and Christopher spend together the more they find themselves in each other's arms. Sara has told Christopher about Alexander (her American love) and how she is waiting to be rescued by him. Christopher has told Sara that although he is deeply attracted to her, he will never be able to offer for her (he doesn't know she is an heiress). Despite that, they can't keep their hands and lips off each other. It's a passionate relationship that they have but for me, it is marred by the fact that Sara is supposedly so in love with Alexander and is still determined to marry him, and yet she is all over Christopher.

A lot of the time Sara comes across as a spoilt brat. Christopher, on the other hand, is a sweetheart and at times I wish that Alexander would hurry up and fetch Sara, be the fortune hunter she refuses to believe he is, and have her live in misery for not listening to her parents and for not choosing to be with Christopher. But then I realise her age, how much she has been pampered, and of course how smooth Alexander has been with her. It's no surprise her head was turned. As for her relationship with Christopher, I put that down to her heart knowing what or who it wanted even though her head hasn't caught up with that.

I adore the Hamilton family, the sisters, the cousins, all of them, and I love how close they are to each other, how much they are willing to protect each other. I think the author did a great job of introducing us to Sara and making her a brat, but one that with some help could see the error of her ways. I am very much looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

The Heiress He's been waiting for is quite the "feel-good" romance a person can expect in a novel from Kaitlin O'Riley. Sara and Chris's story is sure to charm its way into a reader's heart. I recommend this romance novel.

I like historical romance and this book didn't disappoint. There is something so romantic about earlier times. I don't know if its the way they talked or what but to me they just seem more romantic. The concept of a man having to marry a woman of "means" to support his own siblings obviously doesn't happen now. It was a good read I thoroughly enjoyed it

Raised in New York, shipping heiress Sara Fleming was ready to elope—until her disapproving parents tricked her on to a boat heading to England. Her only consolation is getting to see her beloved aunts and cousins. Even the start of London’s Season—and a strikingly handsome earl—can’t make her forget the man she left behind. Considered one of London’s most eligible bachelors, Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton, is not what he seems. Having inherited his father’s crushing debt, he must choose a wealthy bride to save his family’s estate. Though rumored to be penniless and committed to another, Sara takes his breath away—and makes him question what he truly needs to be free of the past. But he’ll have to win the headstrong beauty’s heart one kiss at a time.
I was pretty much split on this book. I really liked Christopher, but couldn’t stand Sara. She acted like an immature spoiled little girl at every turn. DNF
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Such a beautiful and fun novel, I love historical romance and The Heiress He's Been Waiting For transported me back in time, to a time where love was a battle and a game to be won!

Rating: 2/5

This is my first novel from this author and I was looking forward to how exciting her tale of a historical romance would be. I have always loved HRs and was so ecstatic when I got this ARC copy - but I was extremely disappointed with it :(

- Characters -
Sara is a spoiled little brat. I'm sorry but just because you don't get your way doesn't mean you get to act so childish and irresponsible and stupid. She was so blind to why her parents did what they did and so blind to how Christopher's feelings were for her. Stuck up on her "true love" she mistreated him horribly and frankly did not deserve that ending. I loved Chris' character more because it was one that I could understand his actions and I felt horrible with how Sara kept treating him. Here's what really pissed me off - after sleeping together, Sara ditches Chris to go off and be with her "true love" Alexander at his hotel! I mean talk about a slut! How cruel could she be?!? And when Chris still runs after her. she gets all huffy and mad at him! Like girl, you need a slap or 50 of them actually. Chris' feelings had him opening up to her in so many ways only to have that thrown back in face. And even after he realized she didn't feel the same way, all it took was an "I'm sorry" from her and boom marriage. UGH.

- Plot -
It started off on a good start, but then it just went downhill. At no point did I feel the epic love story. All I felt really was anger and frustration with who Sara is and how it worked out more to her benefit than Chris'. It was horrible to watch Chris' feelings get butchered and even more horrible to witness that happy ending. He deserved a helluva lot more than her as his wife. The ending of a story is supposed to make sense to me or to any reader and is supposed to be relatable at least in some aspect , but none of this did.

I was sad I couldn't like this book. There were some amazing quotes and very small tidbits where I actually enjoyed it but it just didn't feel right to have Chris' wind up being the loser in the end even if he saw it as a win.

Couldn’t finish, the heroine was too annoying, didn’t care for her attitude or whining. Don’t know why anyone would want to deal with her stupidity.

I really liked the H in this book. His family had issues but he wasn't written in the horribly damaged H who is an arse that gets saved by the love of a good woman kind of H. He acknowledges his feelings instead of acting like they don't exist. This was such a breath of fresh air as opposed to the MCs that run and hide from their feelings.

The thing that kept this from being a great read the character of the H could have made it is the h. The h was a bit immature at the start & that's not unexpected. She's from a wealthy and sheltered environment. But she really didn't seem to grow up over the course of the book. She was childish and didn't really develop much beyond her introduction. She's hung up on her 'first love' but is okay making out at greater and greater lengths with the H without any thought of his actual feelings and really looking at her own actions. She is hung up on being told "no" by her parents without asking why her parents would go to such lengths to keep her away from her great love. And it says something that her parents don't push this info onto her, either. There is even a line in the book from the mother "Sara, when you start comporting yourself like a dignified adult, we shall treat you like one." More than once I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good shake.

That said, this is a still decent read if you can overlook the h a bit. This is the first O'Riley book for and I would look for more.

The Heiress He's Been Waiting For by Kaitlin O'Riley is the First book in the Hamilton Cousins Series. This is the story of Sara Fleming and Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton.
Sara lives in America with her wealthy parents. When Sara becomes engaged to Alexander Drake her parents put a stop to that by tricking her into going on a ship headed to England. Sara is upset with her parents for taking her away from Alexander but does try to enjoy seeing her cousins and such while she waits for Alexander. When she meets Christopher she is attracted to him but works to stand her ground by saying she is engaged to Alexander and waiting for him. Christopher has inherited his family title that is heavily in debit along with the stress of making sure his sister are taken care of...knows he must marry into money. Thinking Sara is not wealth makes it hard to go forward with his feelings for her but they are hard to stop. Both flirt heavily with each other that does lead to series situation but Sara chooses to go with Alexander with Christopher not far behind.
This book does set Sara up in a somewhat different light then most of the heroines and she was somewhat hard to support but in the end she found herself.

First of all, how gorgeous is this cover? I want that dress, and the doggie.

Geez, nice parents she's got. And what is wrong with the young man she is in love with?

So dramatic.

Hot earl alert.

What is happening at his estate?

I guess her mother wants her to do as she says, not as she does, or did.

Her Uncle Jeffrey is good.

So sorry that her parents ruined your girlfriend's plan by taking her out of the country, Alexander.

She may be more adventurous than other young women her age, but she has still been sheltered from things like abuse and poverty.

At least she's a sleepy drunk.

Honey, Alexander is doing way more than kissing.

Mara's cousin doesn't know about her premonitions?

Mara is the only cousin with any sense.

At this point, Sara looks like an idiot claiming to be in love with this guy.

Oh boy. He really should have kept his pants on.

I told you Mara is the smartest one.

Well, Sara. You have finally stopped acting so spoiled.

Sara Fleming is a poor little rich girl. An ultra-wealthy American heiress, her parents have whisked her away from New York and off to London to prevent her engagement to a man they consider unsuitable. Sara, of course, thinks it's the end of the world. She even contemplates jumping off the ship to drown ‘because then they'd be sorry!’ in the ultimate bratty gesture.

Despite Sara being spoilt, naive and more than a bit of a brat, I felt sorry for her. Nobody would dignify her very legitimate questions with a straight answer, treating her like a young child instead of a woman of twenty. Which pretty much predisposed her to fall for Christopher, since at least he was willing to treat her like an adult.

Told largely from Sara’s point of view, there is an intriguing tonal shift throughout the book. At first, the tone seems breathless, silly and excitable, prone to chattering excitedly about shopping sprees and glittering parties, but as Sara matures and comes to understand the world is much less black and white than she thought, the writing becomes steadier and more thoughtful, Sara taking the time to pause and self-evaluate honestly. Not much caring for what she finds she becomes much more likable as she makes the effort to change.

I have to admit that the breathless style of narration at the beginning of the book got on my nerves, and had it continued throughout, I would definitely have been knocking off a star for it. However, recognising it as a deliberate writing technique designed to mirror the maturation of the heroine throughout the book, I'm more inclined to appreciate the cleverness of it.

There's a rather awkward fact about this book, though, in that there are ‘good poor people’ (from aristocratic backgrounds and it's not their fault they have to marry for money) and ‘bad poor people’ (from common stock and desiring to marry up). It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Sara's cheating, thieving suitor, but there's also two women who are both ‘bad poor people’ which left a nasty taste in my mouth. Especially since in effect, the only three people in the book without aristocratic connections were also the only three ‘bad' people. It came across as very classist, really something to avoid in supposedly egalitarian late Victorian romances. Classism is pretty rife in historical romance in general, but with an American heiress in the mix, I was disappointed to find it here.

Four stars for an enjoyable read, but I wish the classism had been better managed.

I liked Christopher and Sara's story. However I found it a little predictable and Sara was very spoiled. Not a strong heroine. I found myself wanting to know more of Mara's story.

Had a hard tie liking Sara. She's willful, which is fine,but also very selfish. Her family is quite rich and has allowed her to be a bit of a brat. Christopher is a nice man. His father died, leaving him with a stack of debt. Without giving away too much...Sara is in love with a thief, but she doesn't know he is...her parents take her to England to get her away from him. She meets Christopher and really likes him...but still wants the thief...but is compromised with Christopher...you get the picture!

When her parents force her to go to England, how can a spoiled American heiress marry the man she is in love with in the United States? Not too easily and unfortunately Sara does not understand he is after her money. Staying with family in England, Sara continuously plots how to marry her beau in New York. Then she meets Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton, who has to marry for money to save his family. He does not know Sara is a heiress, but finds himself very attracted to her and has to battle with himself to keep on tract. As their attraction grows though, will Sara continue to pine for her love in America or give Christopher a chance?
This is the first book I have read by this author but I really enjoyed it. Wanted to knock Sara out at times and tell her to wake up, but it kept my interest until the end.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Heiress He’s Been Waiting For is the first book in Kaitlin O’Riley’s The Hamilton Cousin series.
This series is about the children of the sisters in the 7 book series The Hamilton Sisters. It is not necessary to have read that series to enjoy this one but I did enjoy reading the first series and do recommend them. Sara Fleming’s parents tricked her into leaving New York and whisked her off to London to save her from an unsuitable suitor. Upon her arrival at her Aunt and Uncle’s house she is introduced Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton her cousin’s best friend and sparks fly, but she’s still in love with her New York suitor isn’t she? Plus Christopher needs to marry money and he’s been told that her father has lost all of his. Sara is impetuous, headstrong and quite melodramatic, most of which I attribute to her youth, so there are a few TSTL moments but overall I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading about the rest of the cousins. Medium Steam. Publishing Date August 28, 2018 #NetGalley #TheHeiressHesBeenWaitingFor

1894

Sara Fleming, age 20, has just realized that her parents have tricked her. Thinking they were taking her to see her father’s new steamship, The Captain’s Daughter, they all end up sailing from New York harbor for London England. Sara was being courted by Alexander Drake who does not meet with her parents’ approval and now she has been torn from him. Sara’s parents have learned that Alexander is unfit for their daughter and is only after her money.

The Fleming family is heading to Sara’s uncle’s home, Devon House, in London. There, Sara is to have her come-out. Her cousin, Phillip Sinclair, introduces her to his friend, Christopher Townsend, age 23, who is the Earl of Bridgeton. Christopher and Sara become friends and he learns that she has left someone very dear to her in New York and is very sad about it.

Christopher’s father left very little funds when he died due to his gambling debts. Unless he marries a wealthy woman soon, he will have to sell the family home. He has two younger sisters to care for and a mother who was always neglectful of her children as well.

Christopher is very taken with Sara and she is attracted to him as well, but still professes to love Alexander. Christopher thinks Sara’s father has lost his money when indeed, he is quite wealthy. Since he knows he has to marry a wealthy woman to save his home and family, he realizes he must pursue a rich, but obnoxious, young woman for his wife.

This story really had lots of promise and there were some really well-written parts, but Sara’s flighty ideas of “love” are a real turn-off. But since Christopher is a good man, I decided to be more generous in my review rating.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an enjoyable read although I fluctuated between liking and feeling annoyed with Sara. She did act very impetuously at times without thought of the consequences of her actions. Christopher was likeable and was prepared to make sacrifices for his family. I liked the family closeness between Christopher and his sisters and also between Sara’s relations. I did wonder about them working in a bookshop, given their connections to the aristocracy. However, it was an entertaining story. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story of Sara and Christopher takes place at the turn of the 19th century which made it an especially interesting time. Travel between England and America was faster and there were a lot more wealthy people. This story explores the positives and negatives that came with all these changes. Sara and the other characters were wonderful and whimsical. I am especially interested in seeing a story about Mara.

This book was a DNF for me - I got to 65% and that is all I could take.

Sara Fleming is sent to England by her parents to get her away from the man she "loves", who is a fortune hunter and has charmed Sara. Sara is a whiney, bratty, spoiled rotten twit who can't believe her parents are ruining her chance at love.

Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton is penniless and must marry a heiress to save his estate. He is courting someone, but when he meets Sara, he is captivated.

I was not really enjoying the book, I found Sara immature and unlikable and didn't understand why Christopher was so smitten. But, I was prepared to keep reading and hoped it got better. And then this was dropped and that was it for me - WARNING SPOILER-

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Christopher sleeps with Sara (because she was crying?!?) and then proceeds to get engaged to the other woman - Yes, he took her virginity and then got engaged to someone else - THE SAME DAY. Then when Sara's father insists that he marry her, he breaks the engagement with the other woman - NO, JUST NO - that was it for me, I didn't care if they married and I didn't care if they were happy.

I read historical romance because I like the bygone era - the pomp and circumstance of it - so while I am OK with a little artistic license - I can't deal with contemporary ideals/morals being used in a historical setting as if they are acceptable - unmarried ladies did not go around with alone with men, if they were caught (which they were) they got engaged (which they didn't). Honorable men do not take a lady's virginity without being prepared to marry. Honorable men do not break off engagements,

Sara Fleming is an American Heiress who is distraught when her parents whisk her away to England away from the man she loves. Her family while part of the aristocracy are also known for the women being savvy business women. Sara is anxiously waiting for her betrothed to come for her. Her family are suspicious that this man is a conman and agree with a plan to pretend to have lost all their money to test the man.
Christopher Townsend, the Earl of Bridgeton, is in need of a wealthy wife. His father left him with mounting debts and he must marry to protect his family. He tries to resist his desire to Sara because for one she is not wealthy, and she has promised herself to another.
I loved Christopher as a main character, however you know your in trouble when you hope for him to marry someone else. Sara is a childish immature girl who is undeserving of him. She throws temper tantrums and is willing to be intimate with Christopher all while planning on running away with her betrothed. She drew my disgust from the first instance of meeting her. She was contemplating throwing herself off the ship rather than be without her love. It sickened me. Suicide is not something to be trivialised. She is not reprimanded in anyway by her parents and did not give it a second thought.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:
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