Beatrice and Dalton were each others first love, but their romance ended horribly when Beatrice chooses duty over love. Years later, Beatrice is returning to Manhattan after securing a divorce from the duke. She is ready for her second chance at life and is upset to discover Goodwin’s, her father’s department store, is about to be sold after being run into the ground by her inept brother. Beatrice devises a plan to save the store, but she has an unexpected competitor in her former love Dalton. Dalton has had one thing on his mind since it was pointed out to him at a young age that he would never be good enough for Beatrice – revenge. He started his own department store and has dominated the industry. The last phase of his plan? Buying Goodwin’s and destroying all it stands for.

There are so many good things to say about this book. Beatrice is an amazing character who experiences so many relatable offenses as a working woman. Through her character, Rodale not only gives us the experience of a woman in power, but also what it is like to be a woman whose dream suddenly becomes other people’s dream too. Beatrice experiences the pressure someone feels when suddenly your failure means the disappointment of so many others. Luckily, Beatrice has the support of the Ladies of Liberty (the feminist club that has been featured in the previous books in the series). Never underestimate the power of women working together!

Dalton is also a great character and I often got nervous, because I didn’t want to see his store fail due to Beatrice’s success! Dalton is a pretty typical male in my opinion. I mean he is better than most and while he might seem woke to issues in the world, he still has a lot of work to do! (In his defense, I believe we can all be better!) The start to their love story is a product of the times, so it was great to see how they could resolve their long standing and new issues as adults.

I can’t end this review without discussing what I love most about Rodale’s work – her research. Rodale provides proof that yes, these characters she is writing are based on real women. They existed and we have a duty to learn their story. I teared up during the author’s note for more than one reason, but I applaud Rodale for providing proof that women like her characters existed. I know someone out there will deem this book “unrealistic”. News flash, it’s not.

Beatrice is a department store heiress who chooses a duke over a passionate young man without a plan. Sixteen years later, she's a divorced duchess and that young man is now the third richest man in New York who runs the best department store in New York. When Beatrice takes over the store, they become fierce rivals.

I was sold on Beatrice in the prologue. She wants so much to choose Wes, but he doesn't have a plan or anything substantial. And she just needs him to have a plan! Well, he learned his lesson. When Beatrice returns to New York, she identifies problems, finds allies, and solves her problems. I appreciated that when Beatrice did the hard things she had to do she had the same sort of reaction I might - she cried. Not during, but after, in the quiet moment where the hard thing has been done and the weight has been somewhat lifted. She builds her department store into something great.

I loved Beatrice and the network of supportive women she finds. And I love the first half/two-thirds of the book where she's building things and the tension between her and Wes is unresolved. I like the rest of the book, but the first part was really great.

There's a plot line where someone is sabotaging Beatrice's store that didn't feel adequately developed to me. When the villain is revealed, it's surprising, because I didn't feel like the groundwork was laid for it. However, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, just took me out of it for a minute.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Beatrice is great, the setting is new, and the tension is super.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.