I have seen Madeline Hunter's name around and her books and I can't recall reading anything from her. Then, I look at my trusty Goodreads tracker and see I have but rated the book a 'meh'.

I gave this a try via NetGalley. Even though it's meant to be standalone, I figured out I came in on #2 in a series from the start when the opening did not grip me. Instead, I felt sort of baffled with what was going on and who was who and why should I care. Things got better once it became clear who were the hero and heroine and who were likely in #1 book and who would likely be in book #3.

Overall, I enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down... I mean, my other option was to do my day job, so I was tempted to stay in the reading bubble. I'm sure I would've liked it more if I started with #1.

There is usually a catch if something is too good to be true. Rosamund Jameson is a hat milliner and has never expected a handout. All of a sudden she is told that someone has left her a business and money. Then she finds out she owns half the business with one Kevin Radnor, arrogant and has no clue how to associate with people.

Sparks begin to fly and rumors are starting to emerge on how the Duke died and this makes Rosamund very nervous especially after Kevin proposes that the two of them marry for the sake of the company.

The book starts out slow ,but it does pick up and the witticisms that are spouted will have you laughing! The steamy scenes are not bad either!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Madeline Hunter is an auto-buy for me and Heiress in Red Silk did not disappoint. Rosamund and Kevin are well-matched and well written characters. A delight from start to finish.

Highly Enjoyable - A must read
This definitely a page turner. The dialog was feisty, sarcastic, witty and sometimes downright rude. Yet through it all the characters stayed true to their personalities. They just became more sensitive to each other. Kevin was not used to sharing and now he had to share his life's work with a woman. Not just any woman but Rosamund. I really liked Rosamund. She may not have spoken eloquently but she was sharp, discerning, relied on her gut impressions and she did not play games. She liked things out in the open and liked being politely direct. Kevin on the other hand was semi-eccentric. He was obsessed with his invention and felt that no one would understand his dream nor his drive on an unproven invention. He was desperately wrong and each time reality slapped him in the face he became more humane. A great story. A must read. I do recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining
Page-turner
Realistic
Steamy
Unpredictable
Witty
Wonderful characters

There is a lot to like in this book. The heroine is a milliner who genuinely wants to better herself and the life of her sister. When she gets a surprise inheritance, she takes the opportunity and does her best. I found her language issues distracting, though I like her character overall.

The hero is an inventor who finds himself dependent on her as she inherits half of his company. I wanted to like him, but I found myself annoyed with him for much to the novel.

The writing is good, and it is worth reading, but it was not a page turner for me. I liked the friendship elements in the book much stronger than the romantic chemistry.

This romance is the second book in the Duke’s Heiress series, and I think it suffers a bit for that. I really enjoyed the first book, and this one continues the overarching plot to set up the next one.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

When least expected, something great happens and it seems your dreams have come true. That is the case when Rosamund Jameson met the Duke of Hollingburgh, who gave her a generous bag of coins for helping him. What is more surprising is when she finds out he has left her money in his will and part of a business!

Kevin, one of the Duke's nephews cannot believe it when he finds out his uncle has left half his company to a total stranger! But when he tracks her down, the sparks fly!

Another great addition to this enchanting series, full of mystery (what happened to the Duke?) and humor and of course a chance at true love!

Heiress in Red silk is the second book in the series A duke's Heiress and it's my first one that I've read in over 6 years by the author. After so many thrillers and contemporary romance, it was time for a change and this historical romance book sounded very good.
Rosamund Jameson is the milliner that receives a large inheritance from a duke she barely knew.
Kevin Radnor is a scientist and he always looks for new ways to improve his inventions and he's immerse in his research so much that he doesn't want to accept the new challenge that Rosamund is proving to be.
While the banter and their interactions were very on spot and entertaining, I personally couldn't feel or see any attraction or chemistry between the two of them.
Some twists and mysterious turns, more of what happened and what's to come next, this story packs most of the elements for a great romance but unfortunately it didn't live to my expectations as I've hoped it would be.
That being said, I'm sure many readers will enjoy it more and I will be giving another try to future books by the author.

Netgalley arc

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

The cover of Heiress in Red Silk is what originally drew me to this book. This is the first Madeline Hunter book that I have read, and won't be the last. I really enjoyed the characters and their stories in this book. This is a London regency story of a couple, Rosamund and Kevin, who each come from totally different backgrounds but find their lives intertwined after Quinn's uncle passes and leaves part of his inheritance to each of them. Rosamund is a strong and admiral female character and I found myself routing for her throughout the book. Overall, this is a story of love, family, and surviving the curveballs life throws at us. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a light, escape in a book. I look forward to more books from this author.

This had such a promising premise that I was hoping for more than I got. The story was good, but I found it often became stilted, bogged down with too many unnecessary details. And honestly, while I'm not one to shy away from sex scenes if they are well done and move the overall story forward, I do not feel as though this was the case here. It seemed once they fell into bed, they lost their heads entirely. She offered him money he needed as a loan, in bed. They seriously contemplated marriage, in bed. In fact, I found myself skipping these scenes altogether because I didn't see where they added to the plot other than upping the word count.

I enjoyed Rosamund to a point. I liked how she put her sister above herself, and how she refused to give up her hat shop and designs even while she worked hard to "better" herself. I was annoyed at how naïve she was, especially where Charles was concerned, although I will give the author credit for handling that whole story-line better than I thought she was going to.

Kevin was an infuriating character to say the least. He was stubborn to the point that I started hoping someone else WOULD steal his designs out from under him just to spite him. Even after their marriage, he was still quick to anger and jump to the wrong conclusions (and really is it any wonder he was for a time accused of killing the old Duke)? Time and again he not only tries to convince Rosamund to turn her share of his enterprise back over to him, but he later laments signing documents that allowed her to keep her share once they had married. He was often rude to her, to the point I would have slapped him stupid and walked out on him.

Once again, it was little things such as that that made it clear this was not a love match no matter what the author would have us believe. Even when he comes to her to admit that he was wrong, he still doesn't come across as sincere, at least not in my opinion.

I wish there had been more about the old Duke's death, but it seems that particular story-line will continue on in future stories. I am particularly interested in the next installment as it seems to feature Nicholas, aka the new Duke. I would definitely read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I suspect readers who enjoyed the first book in the Duke’s Heiress series (me!), will have mixed feelings about this second novel. I didn’t feel the same connection to the principal characters or their relationship (which isn’t very romantic), and the mystery surrounding the death of the eccentric former Duke of Hollinburgh goes nowhere. Hunter fans will still find things to like in Heiress in Red Silk, but it’s an underwhelming follow up to the terrific Heiress for Hire.

After the sudden death of the Duke of Hollinburgh, his family learns he bequeathed the majority of his wealth to three unknown women. In Heiress for Hire, Chase Radnor, the duke’s nephew, is tasked by the new duke with finding the women and investigating his uncle’s somewhat suspicious death. Chase finds the first woman, Minerva Hepplewhite, living in London, and unaware she’s received a life changing legacy from a man she never met. Chase initially suspects Minerva might have killed the duke, but by the end of the novel he’s eliminated her from his list of suspects, and they are deeply in love. Chase still isn’t certain what happened to his uncle, but he advises his cousin, Kevin Radnor – who lied about his whereabouts the night Hollinburgh died and was seen arguing with him days earlier, to be ready to leave the country if necessary.

Rosamund Jameson grew up on a tenant farm in Oxfordshire before going into service for a London family. She was dismissed without reference after her employer discovered she was involved in an affair with their eldest son, Charles. Desperate and hungry, Rosamund found work as a chambermaid at Mrs. Darling’s, an upscale brothel – a brothel, we later learn, the former Duke of Hollinburgh frequented. After two years, she left Mrs. Darling’s and apprenticed with a milliner, and she now owns her own millinery shop in Richmond. Rosamund has dreams of one day owning a shop in Mayfair and is determined to provide a better life for her younger sister Lily. She also sometimes fantasizes about finding Charles and marrying him. When Minerva Radnor enters Jameson’s Millinery and asks to speak with Rosamund Jameson, it’s been five years since Rosamund was thrown out of the Copley home. When asked by Minerva if she knew the duke, she nervously admits she once met him, but declines to elaborate on the meeting. Minerva doesn’t probe, but informs Rosamund that the duke left her a legacy of many thousands of pounds and fifty percent ownership of a business. She encourages her to come to London as soon as possible.

Kevin Radnor is an inventor and businessman, and something of a black sheep amongst his family members. He’s rudely dismissive of most of his relatives, single and content to gratify his sexual needs with prostitutes, is quick to anger, blunt in his opinions, impulsive and often distracted. After an acrimonious final meeting with his Uncle Frederick wherein the duke refused to give him additional funds for their business partnership, Kevin was further devastated to learn Hollingsworth left his stake in their fledgling manufacturing company to a complete stranger. When he finally meets Rosamund, his new partner – after a stern admonishment from Minerva to behave – he’s caught off-guard by her beauty. But much to his dismay, his attempts to intimidate her with rapid fire questions about the enterprise don’t work. Rosamund stubbornly refuses to give up her share of the partnership or cede control to him. Kevin eventually realizes he’s misjudged and underestimated her. Rosamund won’t be bullied or cajoled and insists on an active and equal partnership. So Kevin decides to try a different approach: Seduction, followed by a marriage of convenience.

The set-up to this affair doesn’t sound very appealing does it? Kevin is scheming for control of the enterprise, and Rosamund – busy establishing herself in London – spends the first half of the novel pining after someone else! Hunter attempts to show us the best and worst parts of her principal characters via their relationship to each other, but I was never invested in either of them, or their hot/cold relationship. Rosamund is smart and tough, and beautiful; Kevin is mercurial, brainy and handsome. He’s initially enthralled by her beauty, but dismissive of her ability to contribute meaningfully to their enterprise. Bitter and frustrated, he behaves like a toddler with a toy he won’t share. And he also has a terrible habit of mansplaining things to Rosamund. You can see his appeal. Ahem. Reader, I wanted to like them both! But he doesn’t improve on knowing him longer, and she makes choices at odds with her initial characterization.

I won’t spoil how or why Rosamund finally decides to embark on an affair with Kevin, but it’s an abrupt change of heart precipitated by a predictable plot development. The author attempts to convey passion and abandon in their lovemaking, but each time they’re together it mostly feels like she’s checking off a list of scandalous sex acts. When the pair agree to marry because it makes practical business sense, it’s simply another reminder that this romantic affair feels anything but. Friends, I’m not here for practical love affairs! I want the swoony, crazy in love feels! And I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s strange that Rosamund is totally fine with Kevin proving his prowess in the bedroom with tricks he’s learned from his liaisons with prostitutes. Am I?

Anyway. Once Rosamund and Kevin agree to marry, the family predictably freaks out, but the couple does it anyway, and find they rub along well enough during the day while steaming up the sheets with inventive lovemaking at night. Kevin begins to trust Rosamund’s business instincts, and Rosamund marvels at Kevin’s quick mind and willingness to do whatever hard work is required to make the enterprise a success. The novel shows us snapshots of the contented pair (and surprisingly little of the downside or negative repercussions of their union) until Rosamund meets with a potential business partner without asking Kevin for permission first. Uh oh. Trouble in conveniently married paradise.

I was intrigued by Kevin Radnor after Heiress for Hire, and I had high hopes for this second book in the series. But with the exception of how Rosamund knew the duke (which is a supremely underwhelming reveal), the blurb pretty much sums up this entire story. Unlike the clever and moving Heiress for Hire, Heiress in Red Silk is mostly a story about two attractive strangers with very little chemistry trying to make a go at a business partnership who also have a lot of sex on the side. She’s not as innocent as she looks, and he’s not nearly as unaffected as he pretends. We still don’t know anything new about the duke’s death; the extended Radnor family are still a bunch of unlikeable, bitter snobs; and the principal couple seemingly only fall in love as a side effect of spending time together! Not even entertaining cameos from Chase, Minerva, and Nicholas (the current duke who’s featured in the next book), can save this one.

Heiress In Red Silk isn’t as good as Heiress for Hire, and it’s a shame. Based on the strength of Heiress for Hire, I still have high hopes for The Heiress Bride, and I’m hopeful it will feature a more compelling story and romance, and answer our lingering questions about the death of the Duke of Hollingsworth. I

This is a second book in the series and here the mystery about the dead Duke continues while we have the story of Rosamund and Kevin. I really liked Rosamund as a character. In particular, I liked her realism, frankness, competence, and truly enjoyed her character. Kevin who was an inventor was also fine but I felt he was a tad too paranoid in some instances.

Where I think the story faltered was in the crafting of the romance. The two leads were great together as business partners, I never quite felt that same connection in them as romantic partners unlike Minerva and Chase (from first book in series).

The book was solidly written and I look forward to reading the next in series.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC

What an absolutely thrilling series. An eccentric Duke leaves his fortune to three unknown women. It's clear that the Duke did not die of natural causes even though the crown has closed the investigation marking it as accidental.  Is the murderer one of the beneficiaries of the Duke's generosity? Only time will tell as this regency romp continues with Rosamund's story.
How and when did the Duke meet Rosamund is a mystery but more disturbing to Kevin Radnor, the duke's nephew is that she now owns a half share in his invention. Kevin had secretly snuck back into England from France to try to get more money from the Duke and might even be a prime suspect in his uncle's murder. Not to mention that the entire Hollenburg clan is an interesting challenge all by itself.  Rosamund's first meeting with them will leave readers amused, horrified and agog.
Determined to regain full control of his invention, Kevin is wiling to seduce, offer marriage do whatever it takes. Rosamund however is not buying it. She has a long term plan to settle her sister and find her childhood love and live a respectable life as a member of the ton.  Sparks fly between Kevin and Rosamund and  the lines between who's the seducing whom become blurred particularly when the two make a trip to France and their relationship turns sexual.
I absolutely loved this intricate plot and couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Minerva and Chase from Book 1 play an active role as secondary characters and it's great to catch on what's going on with them. Readers will love the critical role of the red silk dress in the plot.

Heiress in red Silk by Madeline Hunter is book book 2 of A Duke’s Heiress series and was just the fun read that I need post Covid recovery. The story’s premise is that the Duke of Hollingburgh changes his will just before his rather suspicious demise leaving very generous gifts to three women and his immediate family that stood to inherit the bulk of his wealth is in an uproar. Enters our heroine, Rosamund Jamieson who’s a milliner in Richmond that’s about to have her life and dreams comes full circle. To say that Rosamund is shocked to learn that the duke left her not only a fortune to manage but also half ownership of a business with the head strong and immovable Kevin Radnor makes for fireworks is putting it mildly Kevin is literally attached at the hip to the business and though she clearly has a head for business he can’t easily reconcile with himself to the partnership.

When on top of that sparks starts to fly, one find themselves rooting for her as she stands her grounds, attraction and finally love notwithstanding. You will laugh, get frustrated at Kevin and be agog at his family members as secondary characters. I won’t spoil the story by saying what they do, but trust me, family members can be a headache and a trial. I cannot wait to read the stories of the other two ladies who will get the Duke’s bequests.
This review was given on the ARC copy received from the Publisher via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.

Okay, an new Madeline Hunter is always something to look forward to. She excels at making you root for tricky heroes. This is the second book in the series, featuring mysterious shared bequests made by the late Duke of Hollingsworth, to three women unknown to his family. The portion of inheritance Kevin Radnor was expecting has been split between him and a Rosamund Jameson, who at the start of the book remains unfound. Kevin happens to be present when a hat made by Rosamund is delivered to her friend, and he manages to track her down to her millinery in Richmond.

Rosamund was a delight. She has made her way up from a tenant farmer's daughter, to the owner of a successful business. when she inherits this huge sum of money and a half share in Kevin's mechanical invention, she doesn't roll over and comply with his wants and desires. Rosamund has plans of her own. She is ambitious and hard working and wants to open a London branch of her business and set up home and make better provision for her younger sister, and perhaps a special someone.

Kevin is definitely a man slut, he doesn't really have lovers and mistresses, happy to confine himself to brothels because he isn't looking for entanglements. he is perplexed by his cousin Chase's relationship with Minerva, and is convinced she doesn't like him. He is determined to do things his way, and doesn't really know how to treat a women outside of the bedchamber. Kevin has a lot of hard lessons to learn. Immediately attracted to the very beautiful Rosamund, he underestimates her many times. When she suggests a different path or way of looking at things, he is quick to anger, and won't examine alternate ideas and pints of view, when he suggests marrying so he can acquire full rights to the invention, in return for elevating Rosamund and her sister, he cant believe it when Rosamund doesn't fall at his feet. As the penny slowly and painfully begins to drop for Kevin, Rosamund showed fortitude, resilience and a huge amount of patience with his prickly and obstinate character.

I did love the way Madeline wrote these two. It was really refreshing to have a proper anti-hero who isn't unbelievably perfect. I'm really looking forward to book 3!

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

I've never read any books from this author. I gave it a try. Already hated it at the beginning. Because this book actually started with Kevin, the male protagonist in a brothel. Wow! Way to attract a reader. Ugh! But I still started it despite my distaste. Guess what? I hated Kevin either way. He's a... I dunno what the right word is. Manipulative asshole? I guess I just didn't like him. And Rosamund was petty to be honest. I was expecting quite a strong character after reading the synopsis. But nope. She seemed more like gold-digger? I think it's not the right word tbh. I mean she just inherited money nonetheless from a duke? without any reason? It was really unrealistic. There was nothing in this book holding my interest. At all.

I absolutely adored Heiress For Hire, the first book in this series, so when I saw this one come up for review, I jumped right on it. And it’s got a lot of the elements I really enjoyed about the first book; a strong, self-made heroine with more than a little trauma in her background she’s learned to move past, more in the overarching mystery of who killed the previous duke and why exactly he left a large chunk of his fortune to three apparently random strangers and a hero who’s definitely not from the cookie-cutter mold of most romance heroes.

Unfortunately, that last is also where the book fell down a bit for me, because Kevin Radnor is someone I struggled to buy into as a romance hero. He’s clearly written to be on the autism spectrum, with hyperfocus, extraordinary intelligence, failure to consider other people’s feelings and the obvious recognition by his family that he’s liable to unintentionally cause offence just by being himself. And in a lot of ways, I was really rooting for him, because people on the spectrum absolutely deserve to find love too. The problem was that Kevin’s inner dialogue was not only somewhat callous when it came to calculating how he could manipulate Rosamund to do what he wanted, he was downright derogatory towards her for a lot of the book. Even when he began to admire her beyond the physical, he was still completely dismissive that her opinion might amount to anything.

Rosamund had to put up with a lot from his family - including bullying leading all the way up to sexual and physical assault - and his inability to recognise that he was just adding to her burdens was too much. She had to go to extreme lengths to demonstrate that he’d gone too far, and I didn’t honestly have faith that he wouldn’t do exactly the same thing again next time he thought he knew best.

I loved Rosamund from the first time she met Kevin and pointed out to him that of the two of them, she was the one with experience running a successful business. Kevin had his moments, but for the most part, I couldn’t quite see why Rosamund would fall in love with him, and I genuinely didn’t buy that he even understood what love actually is.

You could definitely read this one without having read the first in the series; though Minerva and Chase do appear here (and I’m still delighted with them) it’s not necessary to have read their story. I’m looking forward to Nicholas’s story too in the third book, and I’ll be looking out for it… but I think this one was a bit of a mis-step, because despite some excellent storytelling and a great heroine, I didn’t enjoy the romance. Three stars.

What a wonderful story!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice historical romance novel to relax with! The story was interesting and I'm glad to see that there is going to be a series of this novel featuring different characters. I love seeing heroines stand up for themselves especially in historical romances and this novel provided that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the earc in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much. The story was interesting, the characters were likeable (at least those that were supposed to be anyway), and the steamy scenes were very well done. I would recommend reading 'Heiress for Hire' first as there's some back-story, but it could stand on it's own as well.

Definitely a must-read.

The first thing I’m going to say about this book is that I had a bit of a straggling the first few chapters. I had read some Madeline Hunter’s previous books years ago and I was excited to rediscover her work.
In one life-changing windfall, Rosamund Jameson goes from struggling shopkeeper to heiress—and co-owner of a new business. Not only will her sudden fortune allow her to move her millinery shop to fashionable London, but Rosamund will be able to provide her younger sister with a proper entry into society. The only hitch for resourceful Rosamund is her arrogant, infuriatingly handsome business partner...
Kevin Radnor is shocked that his late uncle, the Duke of Hollinburgh, bequeathed half his company to a total stranger—worse, a beguiling beauty who can only hinder his enterprise. But Rosamund insists on an active, equal partnership, so Kevin embarks on a plan: a seduction that will lead to a marriage of convenience, giving Rosamund the social status she needs, and guaranteeing him the silent partner he desires. Yet as this charismatic gentleman sets his flirtation in motion, he begins to wonder who is seducing whom—and if he can learn to share himself body and mind, without losing his heart.
I really enjoy this book even though I didn´t like Rosamund until the end of the story. It’s hard for me to understand her actions toward Kevin’s life work. She inherited half of the business so now she can do whatever she wants? She needs tutors for a lot of thinks but is an excellent business partner for something she doesn´t even understand how it works? I love the idea of women conquering the world. We are equals, we are smart, we can do whatever we set our minds to. But this was HIS business. It just not right to be able to destroy that, woman or man.
I didn´t like his attitude either, but at least he grows during the book. He is not the closed minded lord at the end of the story. It’s a supportive and loving husband. I don’t see Rosamund so changed in a better way.
The written is flawless of course and the sexy scenes steamy and really, really good.
For me is a 3.5 stars, so I'm going with 4.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
It’s been years since I read a Madeline Hunter book, but this one didn’t disappoint! A story of major class differences, marriage of convenience and a heroine who demands equality in business.

Our heroine is of the working class and milliner and has worked hard to open her own shop. One day out of the blue she finds out that she has been left a great sum of money by a near stranger and she is now a wealthy heiress. With her inheritance she also becomes half owner of a company. The owner however has no idea what this milliner could offer him, but the heroine refuses to sell and wants to become his true business partner- an equal.

I love this heroine- she is straightforward and shrewd with business, but also demands equality which I am here for 👏🏻👏🏻. Her relationship with the hero goes through many stages but at no time does she let him think that she is less because of her sex or her class. Throw in a little case of marriage of convenience (my favourite trope) and I was very happy with this book!