A review by gamz
Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey

3.0

3 Stars

I wanted a historical romance and found this as a freebie on iTunes. I'm usually unimpressed by freebies, but this one was pretty good.

It tells the story of Lady Madeline Vaillant, a spinster, who has decided to have a little adventure by disguising herself as a widowed French actress to star in a production of Hamlet. If caught, Madeline would be disgraced and shunned by the Ton. Madeline meets Ferguson Avenel, the Duke of Rothwell. Ferguson has recently returned to London after being banished by his father, the late Duke. He has only returned to see that his young twin sisters are debuted and find good marriages for them. At his aunt's suggestion, he meets Madeline, known for her honorable life, to chaperone his sisters.

From the first meeting, there is a connection between them. Ferguson realizes that there is more to Maddie than most people sees and is intrigued. Then he learns of her acting career and finds himself protecting her from scandal. As they spend more time together, he develops feelings for Madeline, but she is resistant to his advances. Because of her parents abandonment, she does not trust easily. Their relationship develops into a physical one and still Madeline refuses Ferguson's offer of marriage. It isn't until she learns what he is willing to do and has done to assist her in hiding her acting, does she finally trust him and relent.

While I enjoyed this book and will probably read the rest of the series, I was a bit frustrated first, with Madeline's inability to see what was obviously in her face. Ferguson loved her and she just kept denying her feelings for him, even though they were obvious. I was also annoyed that a lot of questions I had about Madeline's parents, Ferguson's parents and his brothers were not answered. The story could have been much richer with a bit more back story. Even the letters that Ferguson found from his father were just brushed aside and not addressed. I wanted to know, dammit!! Finally and most importantly, the big scary villain turns out to be Ferguson's ex with a need for revenge. She really wasn't that scary. She just wanted him back and was holding out for him. Yes, jealously and anger could be vicious weapons to wild, but Caro was not that. She was a sad, sad woman with a chip on her shoulder. That was really anti-climatic.

All-in-all it was a good book and I liked it. I just felt it could have been much more and I hope that the rest of the series is better.