My Dear Miss Dupre

 

I have to admit that I have watched a few seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and I still don't understand how someone can meet the love of his or her life through such a convoluted method.  

Willow Dupre has been running her father's sugar empire since he had a heart attack, but she has been thwarted at every turn by the board of directors who believe a woman can't have a good business mind.  So her parents put together a New Year's Eve party different from any other they've ever thrown before.  They have invited thirty-one bachelors from the New York Four Hundred families setting up a Bachelorette season to end all seasons.  Instead of a rose, Willow gives out laurel crowns to the contestants she wants to know better.  She has to winnow out the ones who are just in the "game" for her money and not for her.  There are a few keepers in the group.  

Willow's parents have set it up so that the men she chooses stay in their mansion until the list is pared down to the final two.  While there are too many similarities to The Bachelorette to ignore, there are some compelling reasons to read the book.  One of the contestants, Cullen Dempsey, has connections to a man who is for all intents and purposes a mob boss, Heathcliff Wellington.  Wellington wants the sugar company and will go to any lengths to insure the cooperation of his "man inside."  In a fit of conscience, Cullen goes to the Pinkerton detective agency to let them know what he knew about Wellington's practices and feeds the Pinkertons information about Wellington, but at the same time he feeds Wellington information about Dupre Sucre. When Willow finds out, she feels betrayed, but it takes several people to help her figure out what the truth is.  

This is my first Grace Hitchcock book to read, and while My Dear Miss Dupre has its moments, it's not one I truly enjoyed.  Three stars. 

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.