Willow Dupré never thought she would have to marry, but with her father’s unexpected retirement from running the prosperous Dupré sugar refinery, she is forced into a different future. The shareholders are unwilling to allow a female to take over the company without a man at her side, so her parents devise a plan–find Willow a spokesman king in order for her to become queen of the business empire.
Willow is presented with thirty potential suitors from the families of New York society’s elite group called the Four Hundred. She has six months to court the group and is told to to eliminate men each month to narrow her beaus until she chooses one to marry, ending the competition with a wedding. Willow reluctantly agrees, knowing she must do what is best for the business. She doesn’t expect to find anything other than a proxy . . . until she meets a gentleman who captures her attention, and she must discover for herself if his motives are pure.
Grace Hitchcock is the author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Dakota, son and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcock.com.
My Impressions:
My Dear Miss Dupre´ is something of a Gilded Age Bachelorette. Author Grace Hitchcock takes a modern idea and gives it a historical twist. While the premise sounded good, I just don’t think it came off on the page. I did like main character Willow Dupre´ and her marriage dilemma — find a husband to help her run her family’s business empire, since women of the day were seen as emotional and fit only to raise children. Turning those notions on their heads was a good thing, but I felt the way the suitor competition was carried out was a bit far-fetched. I found the various competitors endearing and annoying, just as I was supposed to. But the whole competition didn’t ring true to me. Not a fan of the modern-day TV version, I am probably not the target audience for this book anyway. 😉 Besides the romance, there is a bit of suspense as one character changes his mind on his motive for marrying Willow. Please note that reviews are very subjective and based on the reviewer’s likes and sometimes biases. My Dear Miss Dupre´ has 76% 4 and 5-star reviews, so I urge you to find out for yourself. I have enjoyed other books by Hitchcock, and my experience with this one will not keep me from picking up more books by her.
(Thanks to Bethany House for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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