The Dove and the Rogue by Harper St. George
The Doves of New York #3
Historical Romance
May 26, 2026- self-published

Review by Melanie

I’ve long been a Harper St. George fan, ever since the cover of The Heiress Gets a Duke caught my eyes. While I was super excited for her most recent series, The Doves of New York, I must admit that the first two books, traditionally published through Berkley, did not captivate me. The premise had potential but the pacing was off and I wanted more romance, more tension and yearning and frankly, more sex. The series features the three titular Dove sisters and the second book did such a stellar job of setting up the final pairing that I was shocked to learn that Berkley had not picked up the final book in the trilogy. But Harper St. George decided to self-publish the final book and let me just say, self-publishing this book might be the smartest decision she could have ever made. 

This final Dove sisters book is glorious and sexy and full of secret pining that is initially one-sided but quickly transforms into mutual. It’s a contractual marriage and in return for his hand in marriage, Jenny promises David, heir to a wealthy dukedom, one night of passion in which he can have her any way he wants. And he wants, oh, boy does he want. The only stipulation she makes is that there’s to be no kissing on the mouth. (Can I just say I LOVE that niche little microtrope so much). 

After their torrid night of passion, the two go their mutually agreed upon separate ways, though David finds himself reluctant to let his wife go. When circumstances arise putting him back in her path, the two must decide if their marriage is to be a farce or something far too real. 

I adored this book for a variety of reasons. First, I loved the way she set these two up in the previous book and the reason for their marriage has more to do with the events of the second book. Jenny has been badly burned by love before and knows David is a rake of the highest magnitude. However, some of her ideas and preconceptions of him are colored by her previous life experiences, both her own heartbreak and that of her mother’s. I appreciated the way that both of these characters were developed, with flaws and strengths, complicated and multi-dimensional. 

When Jenny goes off to Paris the morning after they consummate their marriage, David decides to distract himself in the only way he knows, by attending a sex party. There are readers who might be offended by this choice or by the fact that David had relations with another woman the morning of his engagement ball, but I think both of these choices are important in showing David as he was before Jenny and how he changed after falling in love with Jenny.  

Ultimately, though, it’s Jenny who fears giving her heart and trust to David and she must grapple with her past heartbreak in order to find the strength to forge a new path with the husband she has unwittingly fallen in love with. 

This author also has a habit of shedding light on societal inequities in her books and there was an interesting commentary on how Jenny’s previously signed contract with the opera is null and void once she’s married and can only be made official once her husband signs off on it. Jenny’s fierce determination to stand on her own two feet and not rely on any man, not even her husband works in direct contradiction with David, who, when he realizes the depths of his feelings for his wife, only wants to protect her and take care of her. 

I am just so glad that Harper St. George was able to publish this book herself – the Dove sisters’ stories needed to be told in its entirety and quite honestly, this last book is by far the best one of the whole trilogy. The sex scenes were steamy and fun, the romance packed an emotional gut punch and we got to see all three Dove sisters find their HEA. 

Grade: A

Content Notes: parental abandonment, parental death off page, horse riding accident, betrayal by a former lover