This romantic novel by Sharon Page reminded me how much I loved romance novels.

I hadn't touched a pure romance book for a while, and when I won this book and decided to read it, I was not let down. This book was beautifully written in a time period that reminded me a lot of "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald. The book battles some issues including loss, war, love, following your dreams and also focusing on being a time piece rather than a modern day piece.

Following Zoe, who is a headstrong girl who wants to do what she wants and not others was pretty stereotypical, but she was not the stereotypical character other than following the path of many other famous lead characters. She is not your typical lady, since she is willing to be both ladylike, and tomboy-ish and sarcastic.

I could not put this book down and I was glued to every page when I was reading it. The novel featured beautiful descriptions and had a lot of heart put into it. The emotional roller coaster I experienced while reading this book was possible only through the author's ability to make the characters feel real and have the situations seem realistic.

Beautiful book! Five out of five stars! I cannot praise this book enough!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

An American Duchess by Sharon Page is a vibrant story that has a nice mix of drama and light-hearted fun. This absolutely delightful romance takes place during the Roaring Twenties and the English countryside is the perfect setting for this incredible novel. But it is the charming cast of characters that brings this spectacular book vividly to life.

Zoe Gifford is an American heiress who needs to access her trust fund, but in order to receive the funds, she needs a husband. English nobleman Sebastian Hazelton needs a wife and a fortune to save his nearly destitute family from financial ruin. A marriage of convenience is the solution for both of their problems, but once Zoe meets her fiancé's older brother, Nigel, she is stunned by her unexpected attraction to the elusive Duke.

Zoe is a refreshing breath of fresh air and her arrival at her fiancé's home in England is just what the stuffy Hazelton family needs. She is outspoken, adventurous and fully embraces all of the changes that are taking place during the time period. She is an ardent supporter of women's rights and she refuses to give up her newly found freedom. Zoe is also kind, caring and quite perceptive and although she suffered some terrible losses, she believes in living life to the fullest.

Zoe is stunned to discover just how out of touch the Hazelton family is with the changing times and she immediately shocks the family with her forward thinking, fashionable attire and daring pursuits. Zoe quickly butts heads with Nigel when she encourages his sisters to do what is right for them even if it bucks traditional expectations. She is not intimidated by Nigel's standoffish attitude and she quickly sees past his gruff and rather cold exterior.

Nigel's experiences in the war haunt him and he keeps a tight control on his emotions. Both mentally and physically scarred, he has become a virtual recluse as he battles his demons on his own. Although Zoe initially irritates him with her bold, modern ways, he is also quite captivated by her enthusiasm and joie de vivre.

Zoe is shocked by the changes in Sebastian when she arrives in England. As she finds herself spending more time with Nigel, her attraction to him deepens, but she still plans to go through with her marriage to Sebastian. It is no secret that Zoe eventually weds Nigel instead and their marriage is a passionate love match. However their relationship is soon plagued by terrible losses but it is their different styles of handling their problems that drives a wedge between them.

An American Duchess is a very engaging romance with a fabulous cast of well-developed and likable characters. Sharon Page does an excellent job balancing the lighter aspects of this lively era with the lingering realities of war and the inevitable clashes between the older and younger generations. It is an all around entertaining and emotional novel that I highly recommend to fans of historical romances.
( )

1922: Adventurous and outspoken American heiress Zoe Gifford must marry before she can access the fortune left to her by her father. British man Sebastian Hazelton is part of an aristocratic family whose estate is crumbling around their ears due to lack of money. They both need a marriage of convenience which will suit their circumstances, result in money for both parties, and be followed by divorce. Zoe travels to England, but things become complicated and she falls for Sebastian's older brother, Nigel Hazelton, Duke of Langford. They have all been scarred by World War I, Zoe lost her fiance, Nigel is physically and emotionally scarred and both lost siblings. The result is that Zoe runs from her problems, and Nigel is suffering constant nightmares from shell shock. An interesting post-war time period, but unfortunately some portions just didn't seem to work. Also, the author seems unable to use apostrophe's for some reason, meaning the dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural, for example 'I am' instead of 'I'm' etc. ( )

REview to come on 10/5/2014 ( )

This was such a fun read and could have easily ended half way through and been a great HEA but the author did so much more with this story. It has a "Downton Abbish" vibe that had me missing the Grantham family but was so much deeper with the repercussions of the War affecting so many characters in the book in tragic ways. It wasn't all fun, lavish parties and beautiful clothes, but a combination with the loss and horrors of the war. I love historicals from the 1920's and you get to see England, New York and California during this era which is always fascinating to me.
My only fault with the book were the main characters, though I loved both Nigel and Zoe, I felt like both were a bit over the top. Nigel was deeply in love with Zoe but ended up hurting her time after time with his unbending upper crust British coldness when he was trying to "protect" her. Possibly as an American, I saw this as slightly abusive rather than protective. And Zoe was pretty unbending herself and rather selfish. Yes she was only 20 but I think the two of them could have compromised a bit more. But then alas, it is a story not real life.
Still, this book managed to captivate me over two days and ultimately one I'd definitely recommend. Off to snag a copy of book two, has a murder mystery with it. ( )