Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter is the first book in Ms. Hunter's A Duke's Heiress Series. This book is well-written and quite intriguing. I was engrossed in the story from the very beginning. Heroine Minerva Hepplewhite and Hero Chase Radnor are both very likeable characters. They are both very intelligent, straight talkers and honest. Chase's uncle, the Duke of Hollinburgh has died and left a small fortuneto Minerva. This comes as quite a surprise to Minerva as she tells Chase she has never met his uncle and has no idea why he included her in his will and left her this fortune. This conversation takes place in Minerva's house after Chase has broken in and Minerva catches him and bops him in the head with a bedwarmer. He tells Minreva he broke in to check her identity. He didn't want to approach the wrong person. Strange way for our hero and heroine to meet but the attraction is there and much happens as they travel on their road to their HEA. This is a fascinating story and I totally enjoyed it!
By Marge for BOC

I really struggled with this book, I didn't hate it, but it was just dull. I had to attempt it a few times before I could fight through. It was lacklustre at best. There is very little character development, particularly with Chase he just seems to exist purely because the author wanted this to be a romance. 

Maybe it's me, but the current batch of historical romances are an inferior offering. Perhaps I'm burned out on the genre, but in my opinion, there is nothing new or exciting being written. This book was one of the better ones, and that's saying something. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Minerva Hepplewhite is a heroine's heroine. Now she is a strong, independent woman, but once was a physically and mentally abused wife. She found the inner strength to leave that situation along with her servants, Beth and her son, Jeremy, now her friends. When Minerva becomes a widow, she comes to London honing her skills for inquiries. She meets Chase Radnor, a gentleman who performs discreet inquiries for some very lofty clients. Unfortunately, they meet when Chase breaks into her house and also meets her frying pan. Frying pan to the head always wins. Chase was checking her out before he told her about her significant inheritance from his uncle. Curious because she never met his uncle. Why was she and two other ladies left so much of his wealth when his own family received very little? Did one of his disgruntled family push him from the roof of was it an accident? Chase has been given the job of figuring that out, along with finding the women who have inherited. One down with his finding Minerva. Who are the others? This was an enjoyable book to read with a slightly different story line. The characters are great, most likeable, although there are a few not so likeable. There was enough action to keep it interesting and fast paced. The teaser of the next book in the series raises more questions. Looking forward to reading it.

The writing is as usual good, and the plot held promise. However I felt it rushed through certain parts and couldn't sustain the readers' interest and therefore fell short on delivering up on a great read.

Great story by Madelyn Hunter!
It is about Minerva Hepplewhite and
Chase Radnor.
Minerva has received a large amount of money from a Duke that she has never met. The Duke’s family is outrageous about the settlement. Chase is the nephew of the former Duke and is trying to find out how Minerva knew his uncle.
This is a story that I would recommend!!

I have read a few Madeline Hunter books and like her writing style. However, this book just didn't work for me. I had a hard time believing Minerva and Chase's relationship. It grew to quickly. I would like to read the next book in the series to see if my feelings can be changed on this book.

This is the first book in a new series by the author, and while I enjoyed it overall, it fell flat in a few areas for me. The premise was good with the dual investigator main characters who overlap and team up, and the chemistry between them was solid, but the story itself seemed to needlessly drag in some places. And, for me, there wasn't quite enough romance (not as much as I tend to enjoy). Overall, okay but not my favorite.

This is a fun book about a brave woman who found love in an unexpected place. Together the hero/heroine worked together to help each other. This is the first book in a series that will build to a final overarching back story. I want to keep reading this series and can’t wait for the next story. I recommend if you like a bit of mystery and love you will love this story and series.

After a disastrous, abusive marriage, Minerva Hepplewhite has become quite good at self-sufficiency. Even so, her funds are dwindling so when she learns of a mysterious inheritance from a duke she never met, she’s shocked but rather pleased. If only the man who tracked her down wasn’t so attractive and distracting.

Chase Radnor is leery of Minerva, unsure of whether she’s just a woman scorned or is she could be a murderess. He knows Minerva changed her name and his inquiry into his uncle the duke’s death has Chase convinced it was no accident. Minerva would’ve had plenty of motive and she’s just as aware of that fact as Chase is so she sets up a discreet detective service to rival Chase’s, despite being woefully unqualified. Though rather annoyed, part of Chase can’t help but be charmed and wonder if Minerva is just who he needs to help him solve the mystery of his uncle’s death. But the more time they spend sleuthing together, the more intense their mutual attraction becomes and soon Chase wants much more than a partner in his investigation.

Sidenote: I’d like to point out that the blurb on this one is misleading in that it implies that Chase and Minerva were acquainted previously and he had investigated her before, neither of which was the case.

I just couldn’t really get into this one. I didn’t care much for or about the characters and they felt a bit flat to me. Minerva annoyed me with her insistence on butting into what was really more of a family matter for Chase, even if there was a slight chance of it affecting her in a fairly roundabout way. I was a bit confused by the relationship between Chase and Minerva here simply because they had a slight attraction one minute and the next there was love. Their relationship was shown more than told, which I do like, but in this instance it felt rather one-sided. I never could quite figure out what exactly was so fascinating about Minerva that had Chase making all these concessions for her when she really treated him rather badly and used him for her own purposes. I enjoyed the mystery aspects of this book and will likely continue the series to keep up with that. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one but after reading it I’m looking forward much more to the stories pertaining to the heroes of the next books. This had the potential to much more ‘unputdownable’ but fell a bit short of that for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a real treat, Madeline Hunter is an excellent HR writer, with a sure grasp of the period she writes in and the ability to write an interesting plot, and a compelling love story/ main characters. So refreshing, when so many that attempt Historicals do it so poorly.

Chase Radnor’s uncle the Duke of Hollinburgh has died, and although Chase’s cousin Nicholas is going to inherit the title and the entailed properties, The late Duke has made 3 substantial bequests to 3 women who didn’t know him. Chase’s extended family are all going to be cut off as a consequence, and they are all up in arms about it. When Chase, an ex-soldier, and now private investigator tracks down one of the beneficiaries, Minerva Hepplewhite, the former Mrs Margaret Finley, he breaks into her house and finds himself hit over the head and hogtied in an instant.

Minerva has escaped a difficult marriage and the suspicious circumstances around the death of her husband, and is busy making a life for herself and her friends in London, With a resilience borne of enduring and escaping her marriage, Minerva is determined not to be a victim any more, when she hears of this generous bequest, she is wary, but hopeful that it could help her establish her household and help them to support themselves.

Chase is immediately drawn to her, but is also suspicious of why his uncle has left her so much money, and is she implicated in her husband’s death. As Chase, who never expected a bequest, observes his avaricious family fight amongst themselves over the terms of his Uncle’s will, Chase realises that his uncle died in mysterious circumstances, as the government asks him to investigate, he starts to bump into Minerva who is conducting an investigation of her own. They start to work together to try and find the killer, and despite her earlier experience, Minerva is surprised to find herself attracted to Chase too. As they work out why Minerva is a beneficiary, and try to uncover the killer, they succumb to their feelings and we get a very satisfying HEA.

I really.loved the way Madeline wrote Chase in particular. - in her older books we had heroes who were very autocratic- Chase was equally competent and sexy hero, but a lot more reasonable and less likely to ride roughshod over the heroine. Minerva was also a competent and sensible heroine, with a lot of fortitude. I loved it, and also loved the way not all the ends were tied up to lead us into the rest of the series.

Highly recommended.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

“Heiress for Hire” by Madeline Hunter is the first book in the series, A Duke’s Heiress Romance”.

I found the premise of this story rather interesting. It seems that a duke’s passing has brought to light mysterious bequests which bring a fortune to three women. These women have never heard of the duke, nor met him and know nothing about him or why he might have targeted them for his heirs.

In this novel Minerva Hepplewhite has started a detective business that caters to women who have no way to conduct investigations, nor seek help from other detectives (men) since their gender prevents them from conducting such business.

Chase Radnor is a detective, and the duke’s nephew, who has found Minerva to let her know of her inheritance. Minerva has secrets and is petrified that those will come out if she accepts the inheritance. She is being followed by an unsavory person who is trying to connect her with her previous husband’s death. Chase and Minerva join together in finding his uncle’s murderer and Minerva’s skulker. This makes for a delightful read.

I received a Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley.com in return for my honest review.

Heiress for Hire is a romance that features three women and how their lives change with the unexpected inheritance of a lot of money. I loved the way the story unfolded in this book. There were so many different secrets to uncover, and it created a fun mystery intertwined with the romance and steamy scenes!

Minerva's character was really interesting. I liked watching her overcome her fears from her past and find a way to love again. I look forward to reading more!!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this book though I am not sure what stands out to me. I liked the characters and the way their lives entwine. Generally, Hunter’s writing style suits my tastes.

Chase is the grandson of a recently deceased duke and is investigating the circumstances of his death and trying to locate the unanticipated benefactresses the Duke left much of his non-entailed fortune to. One of those benefactresses is Minerva, who is living under an assumed identity due to the suspicious circumstances of her deceased husband’s death several years ago. She starts out as a possible suspect but the problem is that she has never even met the old duke. And of course, the potent attraction between Minerva and Chase would make it very inconvenient if she was a murderess. Minerva is also an investigator and she ends up pairing up with Chase.

This story started out strong, with a big family that felt entitled to the fortune and suspicion in nearly every corner. It reminded of the movie “Knives Out” with the expectation of a good mystery unfolding. And while there are clues and intrigue explored, I did find the mystery portion disappointing. There is back story and resolution in each of the main character’s stories, but the only thing that really happens with the duke’s inquiry is more threads to investigate. I assume these will be explored further in future books in the series, and I understand the reasoning for this in a series, but I wish this would have had some resolution here, especially with two leads who are investigators.

Ultimately, the romance was good here but the complimenting mystery was a let down.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.

This one was a bit of a miss for me. The story was ok but nothing that wowed me.

I think the main characters chemistry was off for me from the start. It made it hard to really care about the falling in love.

I did really enjoy the storyline of a strong female looking to solve her own problems!

A great story of things not being how they appear. Minerva and Chase are entertaining in their interactions, and up can't help but root for things to work out between them.

Heiress for Hire is the first story in the Duke’s Heiress series, and it begins with a delightful tale full of intrigue, unexpected love, danger, suspects, and questions – some that will linger on throughout this series. I have long enjoyed this author’s stories for her heroines are strong, established in their own right, and usually take no nonsense from anyone, including the hero – you’ll find all that and more in this series’ first release.

Chase’s night and his investigation into his uncle’s unexpected beneficiary aren’t going quite as he intended – seeing as he’s been hit over the head, rendered unconscious, tied up, and set upon for some intense questioning by Minerva herself. He is certainly surprised at the results of his break-in since he considers himself a professional at snooping around and rather intrigued by the lady who is at the top of his list of women to find who have benefited from his uncle’s will, and possibly the very woman who sent his uncle to his death. He is equally surprised by the intelligence of the lady who has her own investigative business which can, and does, rivals his own. Chase definitely didn’t expect to be working alongside Minerva to discover who was involved in his uncle’s death, or the very strong attraction he feels for this woman full of secrets of her own.

Minerva has her own reasons for keeping Chase at arm’s length even while her attraction to this man who, unknown to him, has played a role in setting her on the path she’s taken with her life is raging out of control. Her past won’t stay there for long, and soon she and Chase will be deeply involved in not only discovering what happened to the Duke – but falling in love and fighting for their own future as well.

I enjoyed Heiress for Hire very much. There is worldbuilding, I expect that in the first story of any series. And we certainly have several suspects to consider, including the men in the stories to come. If you need full closure to all mysteries in any given book, then you’ll want to know that the Duke’s death is a thread that is woven throughout the entire series – we won’t get all the answers we seek right away.

I liked Minerva and Chase both together and individually. There is a chemistry between them from the start, and I enjoyed the journey of watching them work together and fall in love along the way. I would definitely recommend this story and I’m most definitely looking forward to the rest of the coming stories in this series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This is a fun Regency romp with two lively and intelligent protagonists, a large quantity of plot, plenty of humour, Dark Secrets, and excellent secondary characters. It’s enormous fun to read, and while it does go to some pretty dark places, and treats the traumas that the protagonists have suffered with seriousness, it is not an angst-driven story.

It is also a cosy mystery of sorts, though you need to be prepared for the fact that the principal mystery remains unresolved at the end of this book (I suspect we will find out whodunnit at the end of the third book in the series). Having said that…look, I am the sort of person who will check the last page of a book to make sure that everyone is OK, and I am VERY intolerant of cliffhangers, and I was engaged enough by this story that it was only the morning after my late night of reading when I woke up and went – hang on, we never found out [redacted]!

Full review at https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/heiress-for-hire-by-madeline-hunter/

Although the beginning was a bit startling, I enjoyed reading this story. I really liked Minerva. She was a strong, intelligent and independent woman. Like a phoenix, Minerva had risen from her abusive past and was starting to establish a business of investigations, which was almost unheard of in this time period. While Chase was not overtly alpha, he had a quiet strength that was a good compliment to Minerva. The romance was more a slow burn with intimate scenes quite discreet but full of emotion. I really enjoyed the mystery as well. While Minerva and Chase get their HFN, the mystery remains unsolved.

I've been a fan of Madeline Hunter for years, but I think she is blending some of her series together, in terms of plot lines, and characters. I'll continue to read her, but I feel like she is recycling some themes and not flushing out characters as she could. The books also seem to be getting thinner; books like the Protector and Lord of a Thousand Nights were much longer and had such beautiful detail that I wish she would take the time to do the same for her new releases.

An excellent sleuth mystery. I really enjoyed the story of two people looking for the cause of death of a well know Duke and enjoyed the rising, passionate romance. When I got to the end the h/H had a happy ending. But I was disappointed about the case of the Duke's death that had too many loose ends to come to a conclusive decision of how he died. This is a page turner and I loved everything about the book except how they settled the case.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.