This is a very popular historical romance trope in which a character rises from humble beginnings to wealth and status, often finding love along the way. It can also involve someone losing a fortune and regaining it.
I tend to like this story arc because it can take so many directions. Often, we have the male main character, our hero, growing up in poverty or having been expelled from his family. He not only makes it on his own but becomes enormously wealthy in spite of all obstacles. Of course, then you have the female character who appreciates his ambition and courage and falls in love with him despite his wealth.
We sometimes find the female main character receiving a vast inheritance, then struggling to protect it from family and potential suitors who would go to any lengths to get their hands on it. And, of course, the male lead character is the one to save her from swindlers and rakes.
I just finished a Regency Romance in which the hero must marry for money and is engaged to an appropriate candidate for that purpose. Unfortunately, he falls in love with an impoverished wallflower instead. They both resist, but in the end, he breaks off his engagement to marry for love. Only then do they discover that she is really an heiress. Yes, it was predictable, but it was sweet and engrossing nonetheless.
I suppose that’s the nice thing about historical romances that follow certain tropes. You know what you will get, and that’s an HEA every time.
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DEE HARPER LEWIS 