Review: The American Heiress

Summary
The American Heiress is the story of Cora Cash, an entitled, beautiful, charming, and vivacious young woman from New York at the turn of the 19th century. The granddaughter of a man who made his fortune through a flour mill, Cora has the best of the best. As entitled as she is, Cora's mother thinks she is in need of one more thing: a title.

After heading to England at the end of the social season, Cora meets and quickly marries the Duke of Wareham. However, Cora is unprepared for the drastic difference between the New York and English societies. Struggling to be the perfect American Duchess in a society of betrayals, Cora must impress her mother-in-law the Double Duchess and her new husband's colleagues and peers. Cora also has to learn how to handle the secrets her new husband has been keeping from her.

Review
The American Heiress was an intriguing novel at first. I'm always drawn towards historical fiction, especially anything in the Victorian era. I was able to look past the almost tongue-in-cheek name Cora Cash (Really?  Why not just name her Filthy Rich McBimbo?) and enjoy parts of the story. Cora was not my favorite character. She is snobby,  stubborn, and has very few redeeming qualities.
I did enjoy the novel as a quick read. Some of the characters were fun, especially Teddy, Cora's New York man friend (for lack of better term.) Throughout the novel I hoped she would get together with him, as he is clearly in love with her and the best thing that could happen to her. The Duke's secret, which is unraveled bit by bit throughout, kept me reading until the very end (indeed, at some points it was the only thing that kept me reading.) Although it turned out to be somewhat disappointing, it still kept me going.

Verdict
This book is probably not one I would pick up again. If you are interested in reading it, get it from the library. I liked the time period, a few characters, and examining the differences between New York and London society. It was an easy read, but an almost forgettable book.