The Husband Hunters

A deliciously told group biography of the young, rich, American heiresses who married into the impoverished British aristocracy at the turn of the twentieth century – the real women who inspired Downton Abbey Towards the end of the nineteenth century and for the first few years of the twentieth, a strange invasion took place in Britain. The citadel of power, privilege and breeding in which the titled, land-owning governing class had barricaded itself for so long was breached. The incomers were a group of young women who, fifty years earlier, would have been looked on as the alien denizens of another world - the New World, to be precise. From 1874 - the year that Jennie Jerome, the first known 'Dollar Princess', married Randolph Churchill - to 1905, dozens of young American heiresses married into the British peerage, bringing with them all the fabulous wealth, glamour and sophistication of the Gilded Age. Anne de Courcy sets the stories of these young women and their families in the context of their times. Based on extensive first-hand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs and letters, this richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England - and what England thought of them.

Where they came from -- The 'buccaneers' -- Jennie -- The first duke captured -- Living in the country -- Mrs. Paran Stevens -- Alva -- Newport -- The 'Marrying Wilsons' -- The call of Europe -- Virginia -- Maud -- Royal connections -- The Bradley-Martins -- Fitting in--or not -- Tennie Claflin : the odd one out -- The river of gold -- It was all too much

Towards the end of the nineteenth century and for the first few years of the twentieth, a strange invasion took place in Britain. The citadel of power, privilege and breeding in which the titled, land-owning governing class had barricaded itself for so long was breached. The incomers were a group of young women who, fifty years earlier, would have been looked on as the alien denizens of another world - the New World, to be precise. From 1874 - the year that Jennie Jerome, the first known 'Dollar Princess', married Randolph Churchill - to 1905, dozens of young American heiresses married into the British peerage, bringing with them all the fabulous wealth, glamour and sophistication of the Gilded Age. Anne de Courcy sets the stories of these young women and their families in the context of their times. Based on extensive first-hand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs and letters, this richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England - and what England thought of them.

A surrogate mother’s unborn baby may be the key to claiming her inheritance in this classic romance by a USA Today bestseller. Race to the altar—Maxie, Darcy and Polly are The HUSBAND Hunters! The terms of the will: Maxie, Darcy and Polly have each been left a share of their godmother’s estate—if they marry within a year and remain married for six months . . . The hunter: Polly became a surrogate mother to pay for her mother’s life-saving operation. Now she’s discovered her pregnancy was fathered by handsome Venezuelan businessman Raul Zaforteza . . . The husband? Raul will do anything to keep his baby—he’ll even marry Polly. But will she give in to the desire that burns between them to make this marriage more than in name only? Originally published in 1998

Read this classic romance by USA Today bestselling author Lynne Graham, now available for the first time in e-book! Race to the altar—Maxie, Darcy and Polly are The HUSBAND Hunters! The terms of the will: Maxie, Darcy and Polly have each been left a share of their godmother’s estate—if they marry within a year and remain married for six months… The hunter: Maxie is faced with paying her father’s gambling debts. Her godmother’s bequest could be the answer to her prayers… The husband? Greek tycoon Angelos Petronides has waited three long years to bed Maxie, and mistakenly assumes she will be his the instant he asks… Only, Angelos finds that marriage is the price he must pay to make Maxie his! Originally published in 1998

Advertising for a husband reunites a single mom with a former one-night stand in this classic marriage of convenience romance by a USA Today bestseller. Race to the altar—Maxie, Darcy, and Polly are the Husband Hunters.The terms of their godmother’s will: Maxie, Darcy and Polly have each been left a share of her estate—if they marry within a year and remain married for six months . . . The hunter:Darcy Fielding, a single mom, decides she must ADVERTISE for a husband! But the consequences of one night of unforgettable passion are about to return to haunt her . . . The husband? Gianluca Raffacani has finally traced the mysterious beauty who disappeared from his bed. She is advertising for a husband—his perfect opportunity for revenge . . . Only, Luca finds he’s married the mother of his secret child! Originally published in 1998.

The hunt is on for the perfect husband . . . Beneath Livy Monteith's icy blonde exterior beats a passionate heart, a heart that will not abide by society's rules. No, Livy will simply not marry the proper young man her parents have chosen for her husband. She'd rather die! But even her friends at Miss Debenham's Finishing School are shocked by the man she desires. Lord Dominic Lacey, the man they call Wicked Nic, is quite handsome, even more notorious, and every bit a scoundrel. Nic thinks he knows all about Livy. She's a proper young lady from an upstanding family, the kind of woman any respectable man would be thrilled to take as his bride—but Nic is not a respectable man. For Livy, even being seen with him would lead to certain scandal. So why is the ravishing innocent doing everything in her power to seduce him? Bedding her would be a delight. But a sinful night with a man like Nic would lead a girl very far astray indeed . . .

From the author of the critically acclaimed biographies Diana Mosley and The Viceroy's Daughters comes a fascinating, hugely entertaining account of the Victorian women who traveled halfway around the world on the hunt for a husband. By the late nineteenth century, Britain's colonial reign seemed to know no limit—and India was the sparkling jewel in the Imperial crown. Many of Her Majesty's best and brightest young men departed for the Raj to make their careers, and their fortunes, as bureaucrats, soldiers, and businessmen. But in their wake they left behind countless young ladies who, suddenly bereft of eligible bachelors, found themselves facing an uncertain future. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, some of these women decided to follow suit and abandon their native Britain for India's exotic glamor and—with men outnumbering women by roughly four to one in the Raj—the best chance they had at finding a man. Drawing on a wealth of firsthand sources, including unpublished memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, Anne de Courcy brings the incredible world of "the Fishing Fleet," as these women were known, to life. In these sparkling pages, she describes the glittering whirlwind of dances, parties, amateur theatricals, picnics, tennis tournaments, cinemas, tiger shoots, and palatial banquets that awaited in the Raj, all geared toward the prospect of romance. Most of the girls were away from home for the first time, and they plunged headlong into the heady dazzle of expatriate social life; marriages were frequent. However, after the honeymoon many women were confronted with a reality that was far from the fairy tale they'd been chasing. With her signature diligence and sensitivity, de Courcy looks beyond the allure of the Raj to tell the real stories of these marriages built on convenience and unwieldy expectations. Wives were whisked away to distant outposts with few other Europeans for company. Transplanted to isolated plantations and remote towns, they endured heat, boredom, discomfort, illness, and motherhood removed from familiar comforts—a far cry from the magical world they were promised upon arrival. Rich with drama and color, The Fishing Fleet is a sumptuous, utterly compelling real-life saga of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the heyday of the British Empire.