Blurb: When American-born Wesley Parker inherits a dukedom in 1890, he must be taught how to be an aristocrat. Assigned to the task is his attorney’s daughter, prim Belle Oakhurst. As they travel to England together on a luxurious ocean liner, their tempestuous relationship encounters more than rough seas. Neither Wesley nor Belle can foresee that their voyage across the Atlantic will be fraught with peril, and will cost more than one man his life.
Duke of a Gilded Age is available at GooglePlay and Amazon.
Paperback is available at Amazon.
What reviewers are saying:
Reviewed by the Historical Novel Society as “…an uncommonly fun and well-written novel.” – Historical Novel Society
The Romance Reviews Top Pick!
“Refreshing and enjoyable!” writes Linda Hays-Gibbs of The Romance Reviews (TRR). “There is unrequited love, really bad fellows to fight, and excellent balls and proposals. It’s a feast.”
Selected as 2014 Readers’ Crown Finalist and Rone Award Finalist for Young Adult literature!
Suzanne G. Rogers, Author 
Hello, Ms. Rogers. I enjoyed your book, “Duke of a Gilded Age”. It was well written, and I appreciated both your plot as well as your command of the Dnglush language.
I do, however, wish to point out an error of etiquette, which is especially egregious since the context was the heroine giving an etiquette lesson to the hero. Perhaps someone else has already pointed this error to you:
In chapter seven, as Belle and Wesley are about to climb the steps within the Statue of Liberty, he invites her to precede him up the stairs. Belle instructs him a gentleman should precede the lady ascending the stairs, and follow when descending. This is the error. The reverse is proper: unless escorting her side by side, on his arm, a gentleman follows a lady ascending (lest she trip and he not be able to help because he’s ahead of her); and he precedes her while descending (again, to protect her lest she should trip). Many people seems not to know this second part, preceding on descent, even though this etiquette rule remains in effect in the current age. Like many rules, there is some logic behind it.
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Thank you for writing, Laura! Golly, I got the information from “What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew,” by Daniel Pool. It’s on page 54, under Basic Etiquette:
4. In going up a flight of stairs, you precede the lady (running, according to one authority); in going down you follow.
I don’t doubt you have the proper authority for the point you cite, but I can only go on the research I have on hand at the time. I had presumed the gentlemen ought not follow a lady up the stairs since it wouldn’t be nice for him to stare at her behind. Maybe he follows her down the stairs just in case she trips and he is obliged to help? This is a conundrum.
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