I may have enjoyed the fairy tale Hoyt starts each chapter with better than the actual story! She's started a new series after completing her Maiden Lane series which would be hard to top. She does an admirable job trying. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

I've been excited for a new Elizabeth Hoyt series! I can tell this one is off to a great start!

The romance and chemistry between Freya and Christopher seem palatable. I love how we get insights from some of the secondary characters and hints of things to come.

This has Powerful kickass women and men who appreciate them, as you come to expect in an E.H. novel! It won't disappoint. But will leave you needing more of other characters.

❝He was a man, both good and bad and everything in between.
A man who made her very aware that she was a woman of blood and bone and wants.❞

Confession time ... this is my first, Elizabeth Hoyt book. I know, I KNOW. You don't need to tell me what a fool I've been. Or what I've missed out on, because this book was an EXPERIENCE. It was an adventure. It was a treat.

Historical romance has never been my go-to choice for reading, but as I get older, I find I'm enjoying them more. 'Not the Dukes Darling' was a time travel experience that delighted this notice historical romance reader.

I love Hoyt's voice, tone and writing style. She tempers her descriptions, providing just enough to paint a picture forcing the reader to envision the backdrop and experience the emotions.

❝For years he'd been exiled from these shores. Had lived in a country with foreign sights and smells and people and he had thought all that time -- thirteen years -- that when he returned to England, his birthplace, everything would be different.
That he would be home.
Except when he returned it was to a title too grand. To parents dead and friendships destroyed and turned to dust. To grand manors that echoed with his solitary footsteps when he walked through them.
England was no longer home. All that he could've built and loved there had been lost as he spent his youth in India. It was too late to find a home now.
He did not belong anywhere.❞

That is until Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe found Miss Stewart, Lady Holland's companion, (Freya de Moray). There was something familiar about the beautiful, understated woman that reminded Christopher of his childhood. She pushed him, fought with him, and yet, she excited him.

❝She glowed, a fire, burning brightly, luring him closer, appearing to offer him peace.
❝You drive me mad, little thief,❞ he whispered, and gave in to the constant, terrible temptation.
He kissed her.❞

He yearned to have her beauty in his life, for her to set at ease thunderstorm that brewed within him. He wanted her soft lips to only spit hatred at him and her green-gold eyes to gaze only at him.

With a guilt-ridden Duke who's being blackmailed and a beautiful, mysterious ladies companion who is not who she seems; 'Not the Dukes Darling', was a wonderful historical adventure with mystery, intrigue, romance, and humor.

I really enjoyed the first book Elizabeth Hoyt’s new series! I’ve been so attached to her Maiden Lane books and am happy to report I’m just as smitten with a new cast of characters.

Freya and Christopher are wonderful characters and their love story was a pleasure to read. Both characters had charm and hints of vulnerability. I love when an author creates two people who the reader can tell belong together and truly make each other better. The cast of siblings, friends, and neighbors make for a very promising future!

The book combines elements of mystery with a traditional romance. I won’t give any of the plot away but if you’re a historical fan, you should love this! The writing is smooth, the story moves at a great pace, and the amount of heat between Freya and Christopher is just perfect.

Definite recommendation!

I loved Freya and Christopher's story!

Freya is working as a chaperone under a fake name, but her real job is working as a Wise Woman. She is to attend a house party where she needs to learn the truth about a woman's death. It could mean the survival of her and the other Wise Women. While there, she runs into an old family friend. He used to be best friend's with her brother, but when tragedy struck, the friendship dissolved. Freya is worried that he will recognize her and blow her cover, luckily he doesn't.

Christoper is at the house party to confront a blackmailer. He is intrigued by the chaperone that attends but can't figure out why she can't stand him. As he spends time with her, he is more and more intrigued and determined to learn what he has done to deserve her ire. What will happen when he learns the truth of Freya's identity?

I throughly enjoyed this story! I loved all the bantering between the characters and I was often laughing out loud while reading. This was an excellent start to a new series and I can't wait to read the next book!

This book gave me head-scratching moments. I just found myself confused about Freya, Wise Women and the Duke’s blackmailer. Like many readers I don’t like “info dumps”, especially in first books of a new series and I’m sure Ms. Hoyt knows that and avoids it, but we are left in the dark for long periods and I would have welcomed some more information about the mystery of Aurelia’s death and also other issues. Coincidences abound, Freya jumps into the Duke’s carriage while out-running bad guys in London and then they are both at the same house party along with another person from their past.

Even though Ms. Hoyt writes well I can’t give this book more than 3-stars. I will read the next in the series because this is a terrific author and I think future books will be better.

(Review to be posted on Dec. 6)

Not the Duke’s Darling kicks off Elizabeth Hoyt’s Greycourt series, which revolves around three aristocratic families whose lives were completely upended after a tragedy hit them 15 years ago. Freya de Moray’s life completely changed after the Greycourt tragedy and she partly blames Christopher Renshaw, now the Duke of Harlowe, for destroying her brother and contributing to her family’s downfall. Freya is now a member of the Wise Women, a secret group of women with ancient history, whose goal is to help women who are failed by society. When Freya attends a house party to investigate a matter, she’s surprised to find Christopher there. But what better way to plan and execute her revenge?

For the fans of Hoyt’s Maiden Lane books, Not the Duke’s Darling is also a dark read, but in a different way – it feels more gothic, with family secrets and imposing country estates. I think the author did a fantastic job setting up the series and the characters who will most likely be getting their own story later in the series. She does all of this without taking anything away from the primary romance. The story was a little slow-moving, but it wasn’t boring because Hoyt knows how to craft a compelling story. The first half of the book was especially addicting. Hoyt does a fantastic job laying out the history surrounding the three families affected by the Greycourt tragedy. She gives us hints here and there to lead us in one direction, only to pull something out that takes you aback, but at the same time, makes sense. I love the way she slowly unravels the threads tying this tragedy – the pacing was just right and it kept my attention. I love the scene where Hoyt reveals everything that the hero and heroine remember about the incident that ties so many wounded people together. It was brilliantly done. There was enough mystery to engage the reader and lots of emotions to make the reader feel the pain these characters have kept inside themselves. I am eager to read about this incident from the other characters' perspective in the future books.

My main problem with this book has to do with the heroine. I started this book disliking the hero and cheering for the heroine. But…I ended the book disliking the heroine and loving the hero. I don’t actively hate Freya (she has her awesome moments), but I feel she was very hypocritical at times. I don’t like the way she quickly dismissed the hero and made assumptions about the reason why he offered her help. I understand that her level of independence is high, given her upbringing with the Wise Women, where she was secluded and lived in an entirely different world. I get why she made certain decisions, but I had a hard time understanding why she got prickly when the hero offered her help. He wasn’t even condescending about it. In fact, Christopher is practically the perfect hero who's fair and kind. Accepting a man’s help doesn't make a woman any less independent and it took Freya a little too long to realize this. I’m honestly a little tired of historical romance heroines who think their independence is threatened because of love, desire, and most of all, the hero. On top of that, Freya was super cynical about marriage, which I got tired of real quickly. Her moment of epiphany was great, but it wasn’t enough for me to love her. I think she should have grovelled, but that’s just me.

Speaking of the Wise Women’s world, we got a lot of background information on it, but I wish we got to explore that world more deeply, with Freya living there. And I am super curious about the other characters who were affected by the Greycourt tragedy and how they would react to the events in this book. But I think my curiosity will be assuaged in the next few books because that's how Hoyt usually sets up her series.

As per Hoyt’s signature move, we are given a glimpse into the next book’s couple and I. AM. SO. EXCITED. OMG. I honestly think the next book is going to be awesome, given who I think the hero and heroine will be. Now…I just have to wait an entire year. Sigh.

This novel is a confusing mess. I liked the principal characters and that's about it.

I can understand the need for world building when launching a new series, but the opening sequence is completely disorienting and I couldn't figure out what on earth was going on. Things did not improve as the novel progressed. Ms. Hoyt tells too much and then when we want to know more, she assumes readers can fill in the blanks. I couldn't get into the rhythm or flow of the novel, and I was lost for most of it.

The romance is sweet although there's much too little of it and I liked the nicknames.

I am a big Hoyt fan; I'm not a fan of this book.

Childhood friends, a feminist heroine, blackmail, secrets and some dangerous mystery drive this story forward, while introducing a new setting and set of characters. Freya de Mornay is a feminist through and through, with her determination to right the wrongs done to her family, disgraced by the man whom she was friendly with as a child. She’s living a lie right now -with hiding her feminist tendencies that are far more progressive than would be acceptable in society, and she’s hiding behind an alias – the family disgrace would leave her without options to pursue her interests and agenda – and being able to act as a chaperone allows her access to events that her own name would leave her out of. Christopher Renshaw is now the Duke of Harlowe, and is being blackmailed for secrets from his past – spotting Freya, who knows everything about him from his early years – he thinks he may have found the culprit.

From an amazing set up, with plenty of questions to be answered and the promise of some truly dangerous machinations for both their physical well-being and the emotional connection between them, the story quickly was mired in multiple subplots that were vaguely concocted and overly simplistic, I never truly felt connected to the relationship as it developed between Freya and Christopher. Additionally, the plethora of name choices from actual to family, fake to real, kept much of the connection that should have been built in a sort of ‘watch and see’ zone: with a constant need to remind myself of who each character is, let alone what other ‘traits’ they attempted (in Freya’s case) to change for their alias. What stood out was Christopher and his own struggles with a PTSD-like set of reactions to varied situations, and his willingness to believe that the Freya of the current day is the same one he knew as a child. He was solidly developed, and utterly honorable, even with secrets, that made him the standout in this story, even with the feminist approach to Freya and her stubborn (and frequently annoying) determination to view everything in an us v them, man v woman mode that just didn’t allow what character was there to develop in ways that would make Christopher’s fascination and admiration plausible. When the climax should have happened and felt more ‘threat’ from the mystery promised, the story fell rather flat and wasn’t helped by the simple feeling race to the end, few red herrings or actual tension just didn’t make that pan out. Yes, they had a connection that felt very one sided and seemed to have Christopher making most of the effort, but I just wasn’t overjoyed with this story or the characters introduced, and don’t see myself continuing the series.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-acy/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I really <i>love</i> this series concept. The first book was great, and I'm crossing my fingers that <spoiler>Messalina and/or Ranulf</spoiler> get their own book(s).

<b>Pros</b>: TESS, so much Christopher, sexy feminist <spoiler>role reversal first times</spoiler>, female friendships ftw, spiraling family tragedies, and secret feminist cabals—<spoiler>thank you especially for the awesomeness of the "feminist political activists" and "female midwives and medical practitioners" accused of being witches but nothing paranormal's going on. It's just the "better than the norm" factor of women being amazing and kicking ass. (How is that plot line not used ALL the time? It's the best.)</spoiler>

<b>Cons</b>: The mystery plot was good, but I was expecting a little more to the resolution considering how much build up went into it.

<b>Diversity rep notes</b>: Christopher shows PTSD symptoms and you can definitely see Tess functioning as a therapy dog for him in a really awesome way. A white & (presumably) het & cisgender default beyond Freya noting that non-specific women have romantic relationships with women within the Wise Women in passing when considering a relationship with Christopher. There's a non-WASP side character whose 'possibly Jewish or Spanish' physical features are mentally described from the POV of one character in a less than flattering way and who's portrayed as potentially villainous; but that's a TBC/TBD thing, I'm guessing.

<b>tl;dr</b>: Seriously, sign me up for the sequels.

I am all for an independent heroine but the strong focus on this trait made Freya de Moray come off as obnoxiously stubborn. It took away from the belief she could form a romantic connection with Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, At one point I really enjoyed Harlowe's infatuation with Freya but when she constantly argued with him (much as a 3 year-old old would do in the middle of a temper tantrum) he started to come off as a door mat. I loved every single Maiden Lane book and I hope as this series continues it can get back to the writing i have come to love and expect from Elizabeth Hoyt.

This book was just okay for me. There wasn’t a lot of conflict, even though Freya considered Christopher her enemy. She blames him for her family’s ruin and her brother’s fate, and wants to get revenge on him. Now, she’s a member of a secret women’s society that aids and protects women in need, and though she’s the daughter of a duke and sister of a duke (I never figured out who was who), she masquerades as a lady’s companion. But she’s also on a secret mission to bring down a lord who plans to introduce a new witch law to prosecute witches presumably by burning, etc. Meanwhile, Che

Through various coincides, Freya and Christopher, her brother’s childhood friend and now a duke himself, they cross paths. Their first meet was cute and funny, their clandestine trysts were hot, the sex scenes were well-written, and the banter was witty and fun. They verbally sparred a lot because she had that spitfire personality that made Christopher feel alive again. They liked each other because of they challenged each other; intellectually and sexually they were equally matched. They were also both aristocrats.

Despite having enemies, I never felt like their lives were in real danger. I didn’t feel like their relationship was in real danger either. Neither she nor Christopher were very complex characters. Though Freya had progressive views about marriage and women’s rights, I didn’t feel like she had much to lose. She had more luxury and freedom than most women, and didn’t have worries about her quality of life. They were bother very privileged and acted like it, especially Christopher, who would snap his fingers at servants.

There wasn’t as much tension between them as I expected from the book description. She forgave him rather easily IMO. And I didn’t quite understand why she changed her mind about marrying him. This book also didn’t have the emotional highs and lows, all the feels I look for in romance novels. This wasn’t one of the author’s better works, and I hope the next one improves the series.

This book started off strong for me, and then kind of went downhill. I loved that the main character Freya was super feminist and part of a secret organization of women that helps women. At the beginning of the novel Freya runs into an old family friend turned enemy, and finds a way to put herself in his path so she can get revenge. Putting herself in his way means attending the same house party as the Duke of Harlowe. While there, she realizes she has other business to attend to for the Wise Women, the secret organization she's a part of.

Halfway through the book I forgot what the main plot of the story is. Freya is supposed to get revenge on Harlowe, but they're pretty cordial (if a little snappy) to each other. She's also supposed to get information on someone else, but nothing happens with that until the end of the book.

There was also one part of the novel that really lowered my rating of the book. I don't want to give too much away, but there's a neurodiverse character who wasn't introduced and was used more as a twist and a way for the story to progress. The few times this character was mentioned, she was described as a helpless person who doesn't know any better.

Unfortunately I did not get what I wanted with this book, and am not sure if I want to continue with the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, but things started to go downhill after that and I couldn't enjoy the story anymore.

The only thing better than a new Elizabeth Hoyt book is when it’s the start of a new series. If the rest of the Greycourt series is as good as this first book, readers will be in heaven. Especially if you’re like me and love a little mystery and suspense with your romance.
What was unique with this story was that usually either the romance or the mystery is key in the story with the other taking a back seat. For example, a romance with some mystery or vice versa. In Not the Duke’s Darling, I felt both romance and mystery were tied together. One doesn’t take away from or overshadow the other. In other words, both the mystery and romance are perfectly balanced to tell a wonderful and captivating story.I loved all the revelations, twists, and turns. The mystery of Lady Randolph and the even bigger mystery of what really happened 15 years ago kept me riveted. Freya and Christopher’s romance wouldn’t have occurred without the events of that fateful night. A night that had altered everyone touched by it. A night where friends should have turned to one another for comfort but instead had turned away. A decision that haunted them all for 15 years.
There was much to love beyond Freya and Christopher’s romance as well. The Wise Women, the secret society established to right the wrongs of a man led society was fascinating. I adored all the strong women in the book. Freya and all the women had backbone and were capable of handling themselves in difficult situations. I’m especially anxious for Messalina’s story next. I worry that she may underestimate the evil of her uncle. Even the animals were wonderful. Every dog lover will fall in love with Tess. A loyal friend, a trusted companion, and a perfect emotional support dog.
I’m so excited for the rest of this series. Leave it to Elizabeth Hoyt to deliver a heart thumping love story, intriguing plot, and incredible characters you love rooting for. This author hooks me every time and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Freya de Moray is a woman with a mission. As a member of the Wise Women, she is tasked with putting an end to a bill that is about to pass that will basically make it open season on anyone believed to be a witch. In order to achieve her goal, Freya has been living under an assumed identity as a chaperone. Things are going almost according to plan until an old friend of the family turned enemy, the Duke of Harlowe, shows up at the same house party she's attending. Freya will just have to kill two birds with one stone.

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is only at the party to retrieve the letters his blackmailer is holding. It is there that he encounters a woman he knows, but cannot place. Harlowe is captivated by her, but it is obvious that Freya cannot stand him. Still, something about her is familiar and Harlowe can't let it go. When Harlowe learns her true identity and the dangerous circumstances that she is in, he only wants to protect her. Showing Freya that he is not the villain she believes him to be is going to take a whole lot of faith and trust on her part.

Author Elizabeth Hoyt's first installment in THE GREYCOURT series is sure to be a hit. Who doesn't love a good story about a man redeemed?! Harlowe has secrets, but so does Freya. They have so many obstacles to overcome, but desire is not one of them. Despite their dislike of one another, the attraction is undeniable. Learning to open up to one another and trust is a whole new struggle. Love for Harlowe and Freya will not come easy, but when it does, both of them can start the process of healing. NOT THE DUKE'S DARLING will keep you up late at night.

I did not like this book as much as I hoped I would. I felt that the plot was just too busy for my taste and there was too much telling and not enough showing.

Elizabeth Hoyt is a master storyteller and her historical romances are some of the best in the business. So it came as no surprise to me that this book was fabulous! I was taken back to a time I never thought I would be able to experience and was able to live vicariously through the characters. I cannot wait to see what else Elizabeth does with the series. I am so excited to continue on!

Full review to be published online in late December.

NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING is the first book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s new “Greycourt” series. This was well written as always with a Hoyt book, and the last part was enjoyable; but I just didn’t find myself gripped by the storyline. It was a bit simplistic, I was not overly engaged with either of the leads, and the story was often rambling and with too many vaguely drawn subplots.

I got confused with all the names. Sometimes it was the character’s first name, other times the family name. Add to that the titles and the fake names, and I was often lost as to which character was which.

NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING was a good book; but not quite the great read I’ve come to expect from Hoyt.

The Story in a Nutshell: After her family was disgraced by a terrible tragedy, Freya de Moray found a life as a member of the secret order of Wise Women and as a chaperone living under an assumed name. But when one of the men she blames for the destruction of her family shows up at a house party she’s attending, she begins planning her revenge. Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe is haunted by memories of his past and when a reminder of that past appears with revenge on her mind, he realizes he can’t hide from his troubles forever. Especially once he realizes Freya is in danger and he wants more than just forgiveness from her.




Overall reaction to the book? As the first book in a new series, Not the Duke’s Darling has a pretty big job, it has to set up the entire series while still giving readers a solid romance. So how does Not the Duke’s Darling hold up?


Pretty dang well even with the few issues I had. For starters there is quite the character dump in the first quarter of the book. There are 3 separate families involved in what is referred to as The Greycourt Tragedy, there are the Greycourts themselves who were 5 but only 4 survived, the Renshaws who only had Christopher, and the de Morays who along with Freya are 5 grown children. That’s quite a bit right there even though all 10 don’t actually appear in this book. But then you toss in a rather large number of supporting characters into a house party and suddenly my head was spinning trying to keep track of who is who and how they are connected to Freya and/or Christopher. It was a lot to unload on a reader in a series starter. I think that with the involvement of the three families that the inclusion of a country house party full of active guests was a bit over the top. Personally I would have liked less supporting characters but with Elizabeth Hoyt you never know if a “background” character will one day appear as a leading character in a future book. I hope there was a reason for so many characters running about in this book.


But if you can just hang on a bit through all the character introductions, what follows is a carefully constructed plot that while independent, also contributes to a far grander story about friendship, betrayal, and loss.


Christopher Renshaw, the duke of Harlowe is a troubled hero, who suffers from not only his part in the Greycourt tragedy but from his experiences in India. He wasn’t a hardened man which came as a surprise to me given his past. He was the opposite, he had a caring heart and the determination to protect and help anyone who needed it. This gave him a vulnerability that made him both likable and relatable. Of course, it helped that he not only had a “common” dog but loved his dog. I will never tire of a man who loves his dog.


Freya though, she was the most interesting character in the whole book to me. She was a woman operating as a spy for an organization being hunted by the opposition. She lead an exciting life for a woman of her time! She had skills that helped her with her sometimes dangerous tasks but she was also a quick thinker, bold, and educated. However, because she was so used to doing things her own way and was holding on to her hatred of the Renshaws and Greycourts I found Freya to be proud and a tad arrogant at times. Her flaw was in her belief that she didn’t need help from Christopher or any man and that not even good men were worth her time or respect.


She didn’t see that the way she looked at men was almost the same way she accused them of looking at women. For such an independent and intelligent woman I found that she wasn’t very fair towards men nor did she consider that there were good men out there, men like Christopher and that a healthy relationship required give and take from BOTH parties. I loved that she was capable of surviving in a very male dominated world and that she wasn’t prone to swooning or hysterics but that did make way for her to be foolishly proud. However, I will not judge her too harshly for her pride and arrogance since both traits are commonly found and overlooked in the heroes of romance. It was different though to encounter a heroine with these traits and it gave her relationship with Christopher a different feel.


This might seem strange but I felt that the bitter antagonism and verbal sparring between Christopher and Freya added to the sexual tension. In a word, it was H-O-T. That’s not an easy thing to do and Hoyt managed to tread the line between lust and loathing very well. Later, through their conversations, I felt both characters started to see each other differently instead of found something to admire and care for in one another.


I am so excited about this new series by one of my all time favorite authors, even with the character dump in the beginning, Not the Duke’s Darling was a great starter book and I am wholly invested in seeing how the now adult characters handle being forced to go back to that day that their lives were shattered as children. It’s an Elizabeth Hoyt series so it won’t be an easy journey for anyone involved and it is sure to involve quite a few surprises along the way.


Click It or Skip It? Click it!!! Christopher and Freya are characters worth knowing and their pasts promise one heck of a series.



* Review will go up on the blog on Dec. 18

While this isn't Maiden Lane (which I loved, loved, loved), I still enormously enjoyed the start of Hoyt's new series. Hoyt manages again to create some simply awesome heroines and heroes. Freya is definitely not the typical female from 1760 London nor is Christopher the typical Duke.

It's always a treat to get to read a new book by Hoyt and it blew me away to realize that it was almost 500 pages long.(One of the things I love and hate about the Kindle is not getting a true feel of the length of a book. I always feel kind of shocked and sad when I realize the story has ended.) It was a weekend read for me that seemed to speed by much, much to fast. Presumably, I slept and ate this weekend (I don't recall) but obviously I must have had the Kindle attached to my hand most of the time as I did finish it so quickly. I love Hoyt's details of life from both the upper class point of view and the staff's. It's rather like getting a Downton Abbey moment with Hoyt's particular recipe for suspense and romance blended to produce a meal that is totally satisfying and filling.

One additional note that I just must add, if you haven't read the Maiden Lane series, it is now complete. Picking up this series for a binge read would be so awesome and I almost hate (nah, not really) I've already read it all cause I never reread a series. Just not enough time to indulge in rereading no matter how great it was.