Born into a wealthy family, India would prefer to stay at home, open a schoolhouse, and avoid the social obligation of a Gilded Age family. Instead, her mother and grandmother launch a plan to marry her into a titled family.

The plot of this book was fairly straightforward, there were not a lot of twists and turns. India was a bit boring, she tried to defy her parents and rail against her lot in life, but it all seemed lackluster. The characters seemed a bit stereotypical and most were hard to like. Overall 3 out of 5 stars. ( )

Thank you to Black Rose Writing and LibraryThing for the oportunity to read and review this book.
I enjoyed reading this historical fiction story. I am a fan of the early 1900s and this was a very descriptive, well written story. I enjoyed characters, even the not so likeable ones. There were several plot twist that keep me turning the pages. The story stayed true to the time periodand was very discriptive which helped my imagination see this so clearly like a movie. ( )

One of the thoughts I had a hard time getting around with this book was that it seemed very much like a take-off of Downton Abbey. It did not have the same plot line, but some of it was there. I also saw some similarities with the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, which is next to Pisgah National Forest. (Indeed, the forest land came from the Biltmore estate.) I liked the main character, India, but found her mother to be something of a caricature of the proverbial evil mother. India's search for independence before women could vote was admirable, and along the way, I think she managed to find a balance between her desire for women's equality, being a wife and heiress, and dealing with the family scandals that puzzled her for so long. She did not seem to let her immense wealth or social standing influence what she knew was right. This is an interesting time in history, and I enjoyed reading in this setting. I am guessing there may be a sequel to this book; I can see enough hints to indicate it. ( )

The Last Dollar Princess by Linda Bennett Pennell was a mixed genre - historical fiction, early feminist and romance which works pretty well. The heroine, India Ledbetter, was the wealthy American from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, whose family had fallen out of social favor due to a scandal before she was born. Charlie, Lord Kilnsey, was the British hero whose family had a title but no money because his father had squandered it. That was the kind of situation that resulted in a number of marriages in the Gilded Age but it didn’t always lead to happy marriages.

I have gotten tired of strong, young feminist heroines who are very sure of themselves. There were a couple of unfinished plot lines which was somewhat unsatisfying. The fact that I enjoyed the book anyway is due to the romance that develops between Charlie and India. I felt India got the better deal in their eventual marriage because she was annoyingly strong-minded compared to Charlie’s more caring nature, but it was a happy ending. ( )

“The Last Dollar Princess” by Linda Bennett Pennell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Historical Romance. Location: USA and England. Time: 1910-1911.

Dollar Princess: An American heiress whose family marries her off to a titled but poor British nobleman. Her money saves his failing estate. His title confers social status on her family.

India Ledbetter (19) will inherit a fortune. But only if she marries-and a board of trustees must approve her choice. Against her wishes, her formidable mother and grandmother intend to find her a titled British husband. India faces a stark choice: Allow her relatives to “sell” her to the highest title, or marry Lord Kilnsey, a titled nobleman in love with a farm girl.

Who will win? The manipulative mother and grandmother determined to marry India off to nobility to regain their social standing? Lord Kilnsey and his sister determined to gain India’s fortune so they can restore their estate? India, determined to be her own woman despite social and class restraints? It’s not completely straightforward because much of the book seems to be about an early feminist, but near the end it changes into full-blown romance mode.

Author Pennell clearly did her research. She takes us on an historically accurate and fascinating journey from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to Manhattan, New York, crosses the sea on the Lusitania to London, and then north to Yorkshire.

A couple of ongoing themes are left unfinished: Her grandmother Jane’s life, and whether India will continue to support the suffragettes. I wish there was a map of the Kilnsey Castle main rooms. It’s hard to follow the route to various rooms.

Pennell has written an interesting and descriptive historical journey, and it’s 4 stars from me.🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ Thank you to LibraryThing and Linda Bennett Pennell for this e-copy. ( )