I received advanced review copies (ARCs) of two historical romance novels this summer, The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe and Gabriela and His Grace by Liana de la Rosa. Of the two, I enjoyed Gilded Heiress more.
The Gilded Heiress is about a young con man who’s made his living on the streets so he can take care of his family. He’s had to put money before everything else, which is fine with him until he encounters a young woman singing in the streets. He comes up with a plan to not only make a fortune but also revenge himself against the family that ruined his father. It’s an “Anastasia” retelling, though that didn’t mean much to me, so it didn’t influence my reading of the book.
The Pendeltons are a wealthy New York family. In 1880, their baby was kidnapped and never seen again. Josie, who bears a resemblance to the family and is just the right age, is trying to make her way as a singer. Leo offers to get her into some auditions and claims he can make her famous. Really, he just wants to set her up as the missing heiress and claim the reward.
Of course, romance ensues. What I enjoyed about this story was the growth of the two characters. In this book, the “innocent meets rogue” trope works. Josie isn’t completely innocent and Leo isn’t a total rogue – but he’s enough of one that the alteration of his character was fun to read. A lot of “rogue” stories (Gabriela included) take a guy who’s basically perfect and isn’t really a rogue at all. This book demanded much more character growth from Leo, who has to reckon with all the bad behavior in his past.
It’s sexy and romantic, and while completely predictable, was a fun read. I would have liked more of the history of the time, and occasionally the dialog felt immature, so it won’t go down as a favorite, but I did enjoy it and would be interested in reading more by Shupe (if anyone has suggestions).
Gabriela and His Grace is the third in a trilogy by Liana de la Rosa. I read the first and third books in the trilogy, and I had similar issues with both books.
I really enjoyed the historical parts of the story. The sisters are daughters of a powerful man in Mexico, which is currently under occupation by the French and fighting for freedom. The daughters are sent to London for safety, and also to build support for Mexico’s cause.
The characters of the three sisters are well developed. Ana Maria, as the eldest, had the burden of trying to meet all of her father’s demands and restrictions. Gabriela, as the youngest, is used to being seen as frivolous and immature. The three sisters had to compete with each other most of their lives, but in London they have a chance to develop their personalities and assert their independence from their father. Gabriela wants to impress her family but she also doesn’t want to be married off to further her father’s career. She’s torn between her love of Mexico and her parents and her new life in London.
Gabriela and Sebastian’s story is an “enemies to lovers” plot. From their first meeting, Gabriela decides he’s arrogant and promiscuous. Sebastian enjoys the sparks between them so doesn’t try to correct her impression, until they are thrown together on a ship voyage and begin getting to know each other.
I liked the development of their relationship, but a few things about this story bothered me. First, it felt entirely too convenient that the three sisters just happen to fall in love with three best friends in London. Second, Sebastian really isn’t a rogue at all, he just appears that way sometimes while being basically perfect. Gabriela’s disdain for him felt forced. Third, the conflict in the later part of the story felt ridiculous and out of character. I also didn’t care for the way they were forced together, both on the ship and then later. I wanted to see Gabriela make her own decisions.
This author is really good at character and relationship development, and great on historical details. But once her characters get together, the writing felt kind of wooden and left me feeling disappointed.
Note: I received advanced review copies of these novels from NetGalley and publishers Avon and Berkley. Both books were published August 26, 2025.
