Heiress Without a Cause

by Sara Ramsey

Published by: Spencerhill Associates

Heather’s Rating: 

One title to change his life…

A disgraced son with a dark reputation, William “Ferguson” Avenel is content to live in exile – until his father dies in the scandal of the Season. With rumors of insanity swirling around them, his sisters desperately need a chaperone. Ferguson thinks he’s found the most proper woman in England – and he won’t ruin her, even if he secretly desires the passionate woman trapped beneath a spinster’s cap.

One chance to break the rules…

Lady Madeleine Vaillant can’t face her blighted future without making one glorious memory for herself. In disguise, on a London stage, she finds all the adoration she never felt from the ton. But when she’s nearly recognized, she will do anything to hide her identity – even setting up her actress persona as Ferguson’s mistress. She’ll take the pleasure he offers, but Madeleine won’t lose her heart in the bargain.

One season to fall in love…

Every stolen kiss could lead to discovery, and Ferguson’s old enemies are determined to ruin them both. But as their dangerous passion ignites their hearts and threatens their futures, how can an heiress who dreams of freedom deny the duke who demands her love?

Book Savvy Babe’s Review:

I really enjoyed Heiress Without a Cause.  Madeline Vallient is a woman determined to make her own dreams come true, even if just for a little while.  She is a woman of the ton, a spinster on the shelf, but she breaks from that role to sneak off to the stage as an actress for a few weeks.  She excels in her acting, and the ton soon takes notice.  However, if the truth of her identity is found out, she will be ruined.  The only person who can help her is the newly returned, disgraced Lord Ferguson.  As Madeline’s fame ignites, so does her attraction to Ferguson.  With the threat of discovery, ruination and her heart on the line, Madeline’s double identity changes her and the course of her life forever.

I adore Madeline.  She is brave, smart, talented, and eager to experience new things.  When most women would have been ashamed, shy, or scandalized, Madeline plowed forward, determined to see her dreams come true.  Madeline was an orphan, and never really dealt with the array of feelings that came with being orphaned, until her new experiences caused her to look at herself and her circumstances in a deeper way.  I really felt for Madeline, she goes through many emotions throughout the book; anger, desire, heartache, betrayal, loneliness, and hope.  I came to admire her character and the risks she took.

Ferguson plays a huge role, and has his own emotions to work through as well.  Ferguson spent his entire life running away from his disastrous upbringing and his family.  He was very selfish through most of the book, and stubborn.  He sees something in Madeline that has him looking more closely at his own life.  He has sisters that he has wronged, and he begins to understand how his actions affect others.  Ferguson starts making changes in his own life and he determines to make Madeline part of his life.  The pair are a good fit.  They have plenty of obstacles to get through and lessons to learn, they make mistakes and I loved their story.

I really enjoyed Heiress Without a Cause.  The main characters are mull-faceted and intriguing, as well as the secondary characters.  Madeline and her friends, her fellow spinsters, each have a secret talent that is taboo for women and they call themselves the Muses of Mayfair.  Madeline loved acting, and the other women each have their own artistic/creative penchant.  Through the book, I became immersed in the entire story and invested in all the characters.

With intriguing characters, emotional depth, and a well-developed plot, Heiress Without a Cause is an excellent historical romance read.  This is the first book I have read by Sara Ramsey and I am looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.