I forgot how much I like Maya Rodale's writing. I've never really liked American-set historical. I'm still not a fan, but I wasn't bothered by it.

This is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. There's also a class-differences aspect which I also like reading. Oftentimes second chance romance will have a "past and present" set up. I like that and seeing the first moments of the characters falling in love along with the reunion. This story didn't have that and I definitely missed it. I still believe Wes and Beatrice's romance but I would've liked more. They have good chemistry and the romance is well-paced overall.

Bea is a very strong and independent woman, but that doesn't mean she doesn't experience self-doubt. This is influenced by how people have spoken to her and treated her. That felt very natural and believable. But sometimes the story felt like an agenda. Ms. Rodale based a lot of her characters and plot points on real people and events. That's awesome and a lot of women historically were overlooked. But it felt like a huge preachy PSA. You can have a valid message, but I don't like feeling like I'm being preached to, especially in my fiction.

I liked being in the world of department stories. It really is a fascinating thing in history. Wes and Beatrice are so passionate and involved in their stories. It was so natural for them and I love a competent character. I especially liked when they talked about their stores with each other. Mutual respect is sexy.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Young and in love with Wes Dalton, Beatrice Goodwin makes a decision that changes her life and sets Dalton on a journey to gain revenge. Years have passed since Wes asked her to run away with him and she has barely thought of him in the sixteen years she has been gone – but now she is back in New York, a scandalous divorcee who threw over a duke and dared to be her own woman. She is stunned to learn the poor boy she loved is now one of New York’s richest men and is trying to buy her family’s store – the store she has come back to run – the store that is to be her dream, her mission, her independence! Former love or not, there is no way Beatrice is going to surrender without a fight!

For sixteen long years, Wes Dalton has devoted his entire life to revenge against the woman who broke his heart and her family. He took the payoff her mother offered when she got engaged to the duke and turned it into an empire. He is now the third richest man in New York City and has a department store that is so well known, he doesn’t even have his name on the building. His crowning achievement is at hand – Edward Goodwin (Bea’s brother and current President of Goodwin’s) wants to sell the store and Dalton is going to buy it and destroy it. But his grand plans are thwarted when Bea sweeps in and says that she will not let Edward sell the store – she checked with a lawyer and it was clear in her father’s will that both she and her mother have to agree to a sale. She then takes things further and has her brother committed to get treatment for his drinking and takes over as President in his absence.

Dalton finds himself exhilarated by the prospect of going up against Bea and welcomes the competition. But soon he realizes that revenge was never what he really wanted and he needs to decide what he is willing to pay to get what he really wants. For her part, Bea will find herself and hopefully realize that her dreams and success won’t keep her warm at night or ward off loneliness before it’s too late and she is left with nothing.

I really enjoyed this story, I loved that they didn’t have a misunderstanding in their past – they both made choices and stood by them. I loved catching up with the Ladies of Liberty and I thought some of Bea’s stunts were awesome. I was rooting for her at the beginning and loved that she didn’t give up on her dream. And Wes – OMG – LOVED HIM, he was funny, smart and pretty much perfect. The book has a lot of emotion, a little intrigue, a villain I didn’t see coming, some steamy love scenes, some serious girl power and a very sweet HEA. My only complaint is I felt Bea held onto her past experience a little too long and had an all or nothing attitude – like there is no compromising when you love someone – it made her come off a bit selfish – but it all works out in the end. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I am happy to recommend this book and hope there are more installments to come!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

This was fun, fast read. This is a second chance romance, with some enemies to lovers thrown, both of which I love. I really liked the fact that the heroine was older (relatively) and divorced and that the hero was a self-made man. I also really liked the Gilded Age setting and the discussion of the issues faced by women at the time.

This is the third book in the Gilded Age Girls Club. I read the first two books before I read this one (because that’s just the way I am), but you could read this as a standalone. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Life is pretty scary right now, and diversions can feel few and far between, but don't despair! Maya Rodale's An Heiress to Remember, the third installment in her Gilded Age Girls' Club series, made me smile pretty much from start to finish. On the surface, it's a light-hearted love story, but if you dig a little deeper, you'll find a ton of female empowerment, something I can't get enough of these days.

I've read and loved the previous two books in the series, but it's okay if this is your first foray into this world because An Heiress to Remember stands very well on its own. If you've read the other books, you'll recognize a few of the supporting characters, but the plot of this novel doesn't hinge on the books that came before it.

At thirty-six, Beatrice Goodwin returns home to Manhattan in a cloud of scandal. She's recently divorced from an English duke, and her mother is terrified no respectable man will want anything to do with her. For her part, Beatrice has no intention of finding another husband. Instead, she dreams of saving her family's department store, a business her brother is currently running into the ground and is on the verge of selling.

Wes Dalton wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, he grew up extremely poor and has fought hard for the wealth and power he now possesses. When he was much younger, he fell hard for Beatrice Goodwin, but his lack of social standing made him a less than ideal marriage prospect. Ever since Beatrice turned her back on him in favor of a duke, Wes has been plotting revenge, and now, with her family business nearly decimated, he's ready to sweep in and buy it out from under her.

Beatrice is determined to return Goodwin's to its former glory, and if that means surpassing the success of Wes's wildly profitable store - which is located just across the street - that's all the better. She once loved Wes more than she thought possible, but now, so many years later, she's not sure love is worth the heartache it's been known to cause. To her way of thinking, it's far more sensible to focus on something practical.

What follows is a truly delightful romp through Gilded Age New York. Wes and Beatrice have pretty intense feelings for one another, and not all these feelings are friendly. Each has been deeply hurt by the other, and it takes them quite a while to work through those past transgressions. I worried I might get bored by their very slow journey toward a happily ever after, but Ms. Rodale did a fantastic job holding my interest. The principles are inherently likable and the angst that exists between them is easy to understand and relate to.

Things heat up pretty drastically about two-thirds of the way through the novel, and I loved the chemistry that blossomed between Wes and Beatrice. Their relationship is still fraught with tension, but both are working hard to figure things out. They each make mistakes, something I appreciated since perfect characters don't make for very interesting stories.

The rivalry between the two is just as entertaining as the passion. Both are smart and resourceful, and I wasn't always sure who would come out on top. I loved watching them work tirelessly to best one another, even though it was clear to me they were far stronger together than they ever would be apart. Watching them come to this realization made for one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in quite some time.

Beatrice is a woman far ahead of her time, and while some readers might find her historically inaccurate, I unrestrainedly adored her. She isn't always secure in herself, but she doesn't allow her fear to cripple her. She learns to trust her own judgement as well as that of the other powerful, resourceful women who make up her social circle. She knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid of doing whatever it takes to achieve her dreams. I was also pleased by the author's choice to make her older than a lot of the heroines who populate many of today's historical romances.

I could go on and on about how fabulous this book is, but I'd much rather you pick it up and discover it's magic for yourself. An Heiress to Remember proved to be everything I didn't know I needed this spring, and I'm so excited for the world to embrace Wes and Beatrice the way I did.

Buy it at: Amazon or shop at your local independent bookstore
Visit our Amazon Storefront

An Heiress to Remember is a second-chance romance with an enemies-to-lovers trope and is the third entry in Rodale’s Gilded Age Girls Club.

Twenty-year old department store heiress Beatrice Goodwin jilts her love, lowly store manager Wes Dalton, to marry the Duke of Montrose. Sixteen years later, Beatrice, now divorced, returns to New York City to find her beloved department store on the brink of failure. She forms “a mad scheme” to return the store to its former glory only to come face-to-face with her competition, and former love, Wes Dalton.

Wes has spent the last 16 years plotting his revenge against the woman who spurned him and he vows to destroy what Beatrice wants. But as the sparks between the two begin to burn, they find that feelings get in the way of both freedom and revenge.

The two characters share plenty of witty banter and the settings of their eventual trysts are imaginative and fun. This wasn’t my favorite in the series; though I appreciated the feminist historical perspective, it sometimes felt like it served the plot at the cost of the romance. However, it is a light, fun read that fans of the series should enjoy.

This is the third in series “The Gilded Age Girls Club” which all feature heroines inspired by extraordinary women who were innovators and industrialists of their time. It’s a fun concept and I enjoy the insight into an exciting time in our country’s history from a female perspective.
Wes and Bea were one another’s first love but both their hearts were broken when she did what her family expected of her and married the fortune seeking Duke instead of Wes, the penniless upstart. Now, sixteen years later after a scandalous divorce Bea has returned to take over her family’s department store empire and finds that her competition is Wes who runs the new, shiny innovative department store across the street and is committed to ruining her family’s store. Despite being “sworn enemies”, They have a light and flirty rapport which is fun to read. It was a little slow to start but picked up once Bea connected with her support group of women who advise each other on success in business and love throughout this series of books.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC. So that I could provide an honest review.

When I learned that Rodale was moving from Regency to the Guilded Age, I was excited as it seemed like a good move. Her Regency stories were by and large enjoyable, but to me, they always felt like they should be set 30 to 50 years later. Many featured an author’s note indicating that an event would occur at some point in the future, so it seemed like the historical events that inspired the author weren’t really set in the Regency. I enjoyed the first two in this series, but I loved this one.

Beatrice and Dalton are a well-matched pair. They had a chance to be together in their youth with impossible odds but the other options were too compelling. Sixteen years later, their paths cross again and puts them against each other running rival department stores. This sets up wonderful anticipation, as they challenge each other and are ultimately drawn to each other. Great chemistry here.

I really enjoyed this latest offering by Rodale. It’s a story where everything came together, great characters and historical context. This story does feature characters from the previous books but I don’t think it necessary to read books 1&2 before this one.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.

I had read the previous book in this series and was eager to get to this one.

I loved Beatrice and Dalton. I loved their backstory and how each has thought about the other while they were apart. I loved how dedicated and passionate she was for the store and how steadfast he was for her.

Plot wise it was good. I enjoyed the story of a woman building a store with women for women. There’s a lot of modern thinking and I was here for all of it. I will say that I wanted more of Beatrice and Dalton together and talking. They fell into the “rivals by day, lovers by night” sort of quickly and then it seems the conversation was a bit lacking.

Overall, it was a quick and fun read and if there’s more to the series, I’ll be reading it.

**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**

Beatrice is a department store heiress who chooses a duke over a passionate young man without a plan. Sixteen years later, she's a divorced duchess and that young man is now the third richest man in New York who runs the best department store in New York. When Beatrice takes over the store, they become fierce rivals.

I was sold on Beatrice in the prologue. She wants so much to choose Wes, but he doesn't have a plan or anything substantial. And she just needs him to have a plan! Well, he learned his lesson. When Beatrice returns to New York, she identifies problems, finds allies, and solves her problems. I appreciated that when Beatrice did the hard things she had to do she had the same sort of reaction I might - she cried. Not during, but after, in the quiet moment where the hard thing has been done and the weight has been somewhat lifted. She builds her department store into something great.

I loved Beatrice and the network of supportive women she finds. And I love the first half/two-thirds of the book where she's building things and the tension between her and Wes is unresolved. I like the rest of the book, but the first part was really great.

There's a plot line where someone is sabotaging Beatrice's store that didn't feel adequately developed to me. When the villain is revealed, it's surprising, because I didn't feel like the groundwork was laid for it. However, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, just took me out of it for a minute.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Beatrice is great, the setting is new, and the tension is super.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

The final book in the Gilded Age Girls Club series, An Heiress to Remember ends the series with pizzazz! The glitz and glamour are at their true height as dulling department store owners, Beatrice Goodwin and Wes Dalton fight for top billing. Underlying the business competition is the fact that they have a history. Beatrice and Dalton were sweethearts when she was 18 and he worked as a clerk in her fathers’ department store. Beatrice leaves him to marry a Duke, the Knickerbocker dream. Divorced and 16 years later she returns to Manhattan to find the department store, her legacy in shambles and their biggest competitor across the street, her former flame! Thankfully the feminist activist group, The Ladies of Liberty Club has sought her out to offer their assistance as she brings down the patriarchy.

This second chance, lovers to enemies to lovers story is heavily focused on Beatrice and her work and feminist view, but I thought the romance still held true. This story could have gone off the rails, but the hero, Dalton was always supportive and fair- never did he lie or cheat to gain his goals, even though he and Beatrice were business rivals.

This was a solid end to an absolutely delightful series that focused on women coming into their own and still being able to enjoy love and companionship. True modern sentiment.

An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale is scheduled to release March 31st, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Blog link: https://pinkcowlandreads.blogspot.com/2020/03/an-heiress-to-remember.html

#AnHeiresstoRemember #MayaRodale #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

The Duke of Montrose came from England to find a wife. Beatrice Goodwin was in love with Wes Dalton but now she is faced with a decision, the duke or Wes. She accepted the duke's proposal. Sixteen years later, Beatrice got a divorce from the duke and again was single. She went back to New York' Her brother had let her father's dept store go to waste and it was going into Bankruptcy. She could not let it go. Her mother helped put her brother into medical care and a treatment facility. He was also a drunkard. She took over and then saw Wes again. But this time he was a very rich man.
So now they had a competition going on between them.
I loved the fighting between them. The way the ideas came about. I enjoyed this story very much. It was also not a common tale. I thought that the end was not that satisfying. It seemed to just sort of end. But it was easy to read and the characters were wonderful. I do recommend this wonderful book.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I received an advanced reader's copy of An Heiress to Remember by Maya Rodale.

Beatrice has returned home and has undertaken the task to save the family business. Dalton has risen up from poverty and is now one of the wealthiest men of the Gilded Age. Beatrice and Dalton become pitted against each other as each works to make their department store the best and most profitable. Despite the years they've been separated, the attraction between them hasn't waned.

There were aspects of Beatrice I wasn't fond of. Some gestures Dalton made in an effort to woo her, she took as an attack against her independence. In one instance, she used it against him. Since Beatrice is a feminist, much of the book revolves around feminism through the various characters and the actions Beatrice takes throughout. I liked that Beatrice was a strong character. I didn't feel Dalton was as strong a character when compared to her.

I like the story being set during the Gilded Age and the descriptions of the city during this time period was fascinating.

This is the final book in The Gilded Age Girls Club series, and I am so sad to see it come to an end! This story is about Beatrice and Wes - young and in love in New York City when Beatrice is about 20, but she ends up marrying a duke, and the story really starts when she returns from England to New York sixteen years later, divorced, free, and determined to restore her family's department store to the success it used to be. Enter Wes Dalton - former love of Beatrice and now her biggest department store competitor.⁣
⁣
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The conversations between Beatrice and Wes were simply lovely - flirty, fun, but they are both honest about how they are feeling throughout the story - sometimes confused, sometimes remembering the past, and sometimes just trying to enjoy the present. I will say this was a slow burn as far as the romance goes - there was a lot of story about Beatrice and how she started making her family's department store (Goodwin's) into a place for women. There were references to laws that actually existed, and my appreciation for the women who came before us and all they fought for just kept increasing. The story raised the issue of wanting to work and having a purpose, and wanting to have a relationship but wanting to still be your own person. "It doesn't have to be and/or, it can be and/and."⁣
⁣
I appreciated that Wes and Beatrice did not play games with each other, and although I would have loved a little more romance sprinkled throughout, this book was a balm for my soul right now. It was a great escape while still managing to be important, and the author's note at the end made me teary-eyed. ⁣
⁣
I highly recommend this series - the first two books are out now and this one comes out March 31st! ⁣

The previous two books in this series were so witty and wonderful. I was so excited to get the latest book in The Gilded Age Girl Club. Here is what I really like about the story – the women are so powerful and sure of themselves, Beatrice builds her family’s store back from the brink of ruin with the help of these wonderful and powerful women, and Dalton is lovely and even though he wants revenge he realizes that his love cannot be contained. Unfortunately, Beatrice also cannot let go of the past and does everything she can to put Dalton down which could have been made hilarious but it came off as petty. I also did not like that their interaction was not really seen until about halfway through the story. Was it a true romance? I am leaning towards no. It was more of a study of women asserting their rights. There is nothing wrong with that and more power to women. I think Ms. Rodale’s writing is impeccable and very easy to breeze through. This story was nice just not a romance for me.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gilded Age Girls Club is one of my favorite currently ongoing series, but An Heiress to Remember may just be my favorite for its way of combining elements I adore (a divorced duchess, a second chance at love!) with some elements that give me pause (revenge seeking hero) and leaving me absolutely stunned at the awesomness of how it all comes together.

Beatrice is another strong heroine out to change the world, and I adored seeing her succeed at doing it. When she met with resistance, whether it be a set-in-his-ways employee who thinks he knows better or an attractive rival store owner, she pushed back against them, and it was beautiful to watch that. And like with the others, I enjoyed seeing that being a “strong woman” doesn’t mean sacrificing feminity…in fact, instead, it can be the most radical thing, due to the way “women’s work” is dismissed.

Dalton is also a great, dynamic character. Throughout, there is always this question of his revenge and whether he might be only interested in her for that, just as he is suspected of being interested in her in the past for the store. But his growth to finding out that he wants her and making the shift to prioritize her wants and thinking about what he really wants to do for himself “after” attaining the goal of revenge against her and her family that he’d long fixated on, is wonderful. And while I did predict an element of his final choice, I still enjoyed seeing him get there and was in awe of the extent of his Grand Gesture.

And while Beatrice’s mother is a mostly a minor character, I did like when she opened up to Beatrice about the parallels she observed between Beatrice and Dalton and Beatrice’s father and herself, in regards to both she and her daughter sharing similar ambitions prior to marriage. Someone had previously mentioned the story felt very Persuasion-esque, and the revelations of her end informing her reticence about Dalton also shows that influence.

This book is awesome, and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read it at the end of the month. If you’ve loved the previous installments in this series, or adore stories with lady boss heroines, I can’t recommend this highly enough.

An Heiress to Remember is the third book in The Gilded Age Girls Club series by Maya Rodale.A historical romance with an enemies-to-lovers romance that shows love is sweeter than revenge.

An Heiress to Remember is a second chance at love romance staring Wes and Beatrice. They both fell in love when they were very young, but both made decisions which drew them apart. Beatrice married and moved to England; Wes hasn't seen her in years, but her parting is what has driven him to success for many years. This book slowly builds their relationship back. Starting as rivals/adversaries to friends/business partners and then back to love. I really enjoyed this book. As always, Maya's writing is excellent and the book moves at a good pace, but does build the suspense. Highly recommend.

“All that mattered was this moment, here and now, and the promise of forever.”

His kisses were divine. The man of her dreams was holding her in his arms… Beatrice was in love… but there was a Duke waiting for her downstairs in the parlor. Good girls do what they are told. And, what they are told to do is to marry a Duke. They don’t marry the boy from the shop -especially the one owned by one’s father.

After 16 years, Beatrice is back in New York. This time as a divorced Duchess. Nothing she can do anymore is scandalous. Her whole life has been spent doing the right thing no matter the cost to herself. Isn’t it time she finds her own way to happiness?

Wes has found the girl of his dreams. Her kisses are divine. Unfortunately, there is a Duke downstairs. He begs her to run run away with him. But that’s not what good girls do, is it?

After 16 years, Wes has built the most successful department store in New York City. Even more successful than Beatrice’s family’s store. He has only one this on his mind. Revenge. He will buy the store and shut it down. Proving to them that he was worthy of her all those years ago. His plan is going brilliantly… until SHE walks back into his life. Then he must truly decide, does he want revenge or the woman he once knew.

I enjoyed the bits of historical detail sprinkled throughout An Heiress to Remember. The description of the department stores really helped to bring it to life. The late 1800s is such a magical era to read about. There was so much change and modernization going on that it creates a fun juxtaposition between the quaint old and the thrilling new. Carriages and cars. Women newly entering the working world. The opulence of The Gilded Age.

Overall, I really enjoyed An Heiress to Remember. There were a few lines that felt a bit contrived, but I was willing to overlook it for the sake of the story as a whole. I’m giving this book a 3.5/5

A big thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this advance copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

An Heiress to Remember
Series: The Gilded Age Girls Club-Book 3
Rating: 3 stars

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about a second chance at romance. Wes Dalton and Beatrice Goodwin were in love when they were young, but Beatrice was told by her parents to marry a duke. This broke Wes' heart and decided to accept the money her parents gave him to go away. Sixteen years later and they meet again as department store rivals. He built an empire and she is trying to save her family's legacy. He's determined to have his revenge against her family by buying her struggling store. Beatrice is determined to prevent this from happening, but at the same time old feelings begin to resurface between them.
I liked the story, but I felt that it was missing the romance of them falling in love again or is it for the first time? One of the things that stuck with me was that Beatrice mentions that during those years she barely thought about him. Why? Wasn't he her first love?
For Dalton, those 16 years were full of revenge plans to get back at her family. He was hurt by her leaving to become a duchess and hence his plans to get back at her family. So for Wes, feelings for her were always present. Wes a better character for me than Beatrice. When he realizes that his revenge plans are moot, he does his best to protect and support Beatrice. Sadly she sees this as a weakness if she accepts.
One of the things I liked about the story was Beatrice's ability to re-build her store with the support of so many women. These group of women were so smart and willing to help each other.
Overall I was more of a fan of the history of how women slowly began to build their own empires than the romance between Beatrice and Wes.

Full Review to Come:

An Heiress to Remember is a treasure, and I had the pleasure of finishing it on The International Day of the Woman. I loved all the little historical details that were included in this book as well as the descriptions of NYC.

This is only my 4th Maya Rodale book, but I look forward to reading anythibg else she publishes.