Lorraine Heath's "The Duchess Hunt" is a fantastic Victorian romance that's got it all. The alpha hero and brainy heroine make for a captivating duo with a dash of grumpiness and overprotectiveness. The "I've loved you for years" theme adds a sweet touch, and the sickbed bond moments are heartwarming. The surprising humor throughout keeps things light, and the "get it out of our system" angle adds authenticity. The groveling moments are satisfying, and the chemistry between the characters is swoony. The working relationship between our two leads brings an intriguing dynamic, and the Victorian setting is vividly portrayed. Plus, that cover is absolutely stunning. Heath has crafted a delightful historical romance that's a must-read for fans of the genre.

This was such an enjoyable Lorraine Heath book. I absolutely love the relationship between Penelope and Kingsland. And I love how much of a foundation these two had together which made their relationship all that more exciting. And the “secret” that Penelope was running from was really interesting as that is not one I’ve read in an HR before.

3 Stars!

This was a cute one but not my fave by this author. To be honest, this book left me feeling rather 'meh.' It felt more like a contemporary novel than a historical romance, with modern characters donning period clothing. At times, I even contemplated giving up on it. However, it did manage to hold my interest, thanks to the unexpected twists and turns that kept cropping up. Just when I was on the verge of quitting, something intriguing would happen, urging me to continue. I must acknowledge that Ms. Heath is an accomplished author with an extensive body of work, so she clearly knows her craft.

One aspect that didn't quite work for me was the fact that the main characters seemed to be mentally lusting after each other right from the start. I personally prefer the hero to have that 'Aha!' moment when he realizes he's been in love with the heroine all along, much like in And Then He Kissed Her. The constant mental longing between the characters made me impatient, wanting them to just get on with it.

While this wasn't my favorite book by Ms. Heath, it was decent enough to see through to the end. I'd recommend it to those who don't mind a blend of modern sensibilities in their historical romance. However, if you do mind, you might want to stick to the tried-and-true oldies.

ok, none stop ruminations and then at the 70% part some twists.
overall, ok. Not my favorite LH.
The ending was great... personally I think that if all the topics spread out at the end were evenly distributed throughout the story it would have been better. But overall, enjoyable, and I Lorraine Heath remains one of my all-time-favorite.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary – most of the focus is on the main couple. BUT the hero has a decent amount of page time in the prior book (Scoundrel of My Heart) so I’d read that first, and that one is really a continuation of book Beauty Tempts the Beast, which is book 6 in the Sins for All Seasons series and they really flow together (and some couples are mentioned here) so you might as well go back 50 books and just start at the beginning of Heath’s chronological works lol. (I kid! But if you are a completionist, Beyond Scandal and Desire is the first book of the Sins for All Seasons series where I think all of this starts

Basic plot:
Penelope has been in love with the duke for a number of years. Handling his affairs as his secretary, her hardest task is to be helping him select a wife to be his duchess when it’s the one place she longs to be.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period (1874)
- London setting
- a touch of road trip – they travel for a small section of the story
- class difference – hero is a duke, heroine working class
- work place romance feel – the heroine is the hero’s secretary (and has worked for him for 8 years or so)
- unrequited love (from both!)
- Celibate hero (it’s been a year)
- hero nurses heroine back to health
- consent is established
- medium steam – there are 4 full scenes, one is a bit short. Some of Heath’s prose is on the poetic instead of the explicit
- heroine has a secret

Ages:
- Heroine is 28, hero is 34

My thoughts:
I wasn’t in love with this one. I generally thought most of it was okay – I liked Penelope and I liked King. But I think I struggled a bit with him looking for a different wife almost the whole book. Being romance I knew it would work out okay but it just left me with a bit of a grossed out feeling as their relationship moved forward. It just didn’t tug on my heart and I felt lukewarm about the whole thing. I knew I was reading (listening) emotional things...I know. My heart is dead and I’m awful. I also didn’t like some of his reactions and thoughts when we find out the heroine’s secret towards the end.

So yeah I think it was just me with this book – if you are a fan of unrequited love especially, I think you will adore this novel. There’s so much pining for each other and they spend a lot of time together and thinking about each other.

This is a charming and sexy historical romance. I loved both characters and their chemistry was great. The story flowed well and is entertaining.

I’m convinced that there is no one out there in historical romance doing it like Lorraine Heath. While Scoundrel of My Heart was fabulous just in terms of the narrative chances it was taking — that time jump! — The Duchess Hunt is so deeply romantic and satisfying. Penelope Pettypeace has been in love with her employer for about the eight years she’s worked for him, but of course it takes Hugh much longer to see what’s been right in front of his nose. One of the things I love most about romance is when the characters are so oblivious to their true feelings while we, the reader, could pick up on all the signs from the beginning. Bonus points for Hugh manhandling Penelope’s blackmailer and also eventually being willing to get on his knees to propose to her after swearing up and down he’d never kneel to anyone again(!!!). Looking forward to the third book here to round things out, and Heath’s newest upcoming series is about the Chessmen, which is EXCELLENT.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super sexy and jolly good fun!
I have been a fan of Lorraine Heath's books for years now, each one I read is just as good as the one before and this is no different.
Like all of Lorraine Heath's books, this one is full of good-natured banter between the characters, an abundance of sexy scenes and a scorching hot, hot, hot hero who will make any woman drop to their knees in a lustful tizzy.
This is the second book in the Once Upon a Dukedom series, I do think you can read them as a stand-alone but why would you want to miss out on the first book?
The characters are fantastic, especially the heroine; Penelope she is a super smart sassy and willfully woman who doesn't put up with anything and gives as good as she gets and definitely puts the hero in his place.
I really enjoyed this one, it has everything a historical romance reader would want in a love story!

I have absolutely loved this series and was so happy to see Hugh really see Penelope! The tension is well written and the development of their new relationship feels natural. Lorraine's dialouge is fantastic and makes it very difficult to put down.

Wow i loved this!! I loved their working relationship, their friendship, and eventual romance. Everything happened so naturally. And this was a very unique backstory for a heroine, and i really appreciated it, the conflict was not frustrating at all, and wrapped up pretty quickly. and the proposal at the end ! was just the best!!

Another wonderful read from Lorraine! She’s such a beautiful story teller! Always a go too read from me! The romance in this was amazing, sweet, emotional, and steamy! King and Penelope are perfectly matched! They had chemistry off the charts & the build up to the first kiss was everything! Both King and Penelope have secrets that worry will affect their futures and love. King is such a swoony hero who works really hard for everything. He’s also a Duke. King doesn’t want love just a wife who will provide heirs & do her duties. That’s why he asks his secretary Penelope to help him find a wife through letters. But, of course, as time goes on and these two spend time together that’s more personal, sparks fly! I seriously loved this book! The slow burn was worth it for these two! I really enjoyed how they both overcame their pasts for a loving future! I’m ready for the next one!

FINAL DECISION: I absolutely loved the hero and heroine of this book. The slow-burn nature of these two, who are so obviously in love with one another from the start, just made my heart happy. I was a little disappointed by the dark moment at the end of the book, but not enough to diminish my overall love for this couple.

THE STORY: Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, failed in his first attempt to choose his own duchess as she was in love with another man and married him. He decides to try again, this time putting the choice to his most efficient secretary, Penelope Pettypeace. Penelope intends to pick the best match for Kingsland because she has been in love with him for years and wants him to be happy. But the duke can't seem to care more about his possible future duchesses than he does for his secretary.

OPINION: Kingsland is a single-minded serious man. He is determined to be responsible for his legacy and his family. At his side for eight years has been his secretary, Penelope. The two have had a professional relationship. Kingsland doesn't really believe that he has love in him and is determined to find a wife who is quiet and won't disturb his life and work, and won't expect much from him in terms of emotional connection. He prefers his business work with Penelope.

Penelope is efficient and strong and is definitely a match for the duke. She doesn't have subservience in her, and I loved her. She has experienced such a difficult life, and I liked that she wasn't hard and bitter, but instead clear-headed and had a good sense of herself.

The book handled well the "office romance" aspect of the book, and I thought that Kingsland had a modern (but completely appropriate) view of women's roles and abilities.

This couple would definitely get five stars from me. I loved their interactions and so much of their behaviors make complete sense in the context of the novel. My only negative in his book was the "dark moment" at the end of the book that seemed somewhat contrived based on what went before. Indeed, the easy emotional resolution made it seem more like an excuse. Perhaps on a re-read, I might have a different feeling. This is definitely a book I will be re-reading!

WORTH MENTIONING: The book discusses childhood physical abuse.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DUCHESS HUNT is the second book in the Once Upon a Dukedom series. The book can be read as a standalone although the hero has a significant role in the first book. The book also introduces the men in The Chessmen series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Penn has worked for the Duke of Kingsland for the past eight years and she’s made herself indispensable.  She is his right hand and he’s not sure what he would do without her.  King hasn’t ever seen Pettypeace (as he calls her) as anything but his secretary, but suddenly he’s seeing her in a new light.  He wants to make a move, but how can he when he knows that it will change their working relationship?

Penn has been in love with King forever, but he’s very closed off and is constantly stating that he doesn’t have a heart.  She knows this to be false.  When he suggests that maybe, after dark when they are no longer working, that she might come to him and they can explore the attraction, Penn goes for it. Everything is great and they are pretty much able to separate their two lives together until their secrets start coming out and then their relationship is tested.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way that Heath writes, and her books always keep me engaged.  In this story I didn’t love King, but I didn’t dislike him either.  I liked that he knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it (he grew on me eventually).  Penn was pretty open as well and not scared to speak her mind.  Together they were a good couple.  They talked to each other and communicated and I loved that.

The secrets were what annoyed me.  I really wasn’t expecting King’s secret, so that was a nice surprise.  It was Penn’s that drove me bonkers.  I dislike when the secret is kept from the reader.  This is a romance, not a mystery!  In a mystery I expect it and that’s part of the anticipation.  With romance it makes me nuts. Just tell the reader already! We finally find out Penn’s secret about ¾ of the way through the book and it was much more devastating than expected.  I felt for Penn and her past and loved that King got over his shock and continued to love her anyway.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Duchess Hunt is book #2 in Lorraine Heath's Once Upon a Dukedom series but you don't have to read the first book to enjoy this one!

If there's anything worse than choosing a bride for the man she loves, Penelope Pettypeace hasn't found it. She has been the secretary to Hugh Brinsley-North, the Duke of Kingsland for 8 years, and has been in love with him for most of those. He treats her like any other male secretary - taking her with him to his men's club, talking over his investments over breakfast - but until his friends start commenting on more than her competence as a secretary, he doesn't seem to notice that she's a woman. She knows there's no way a woman with her humble, slightly scandalous beginnings could ever be more to him than a paramour, but if she could at least have that she's willing to consider it.

Known to his group of friends, the Chessmen, as King, Hugh has come to depend on the efficiency of his secretary, Pettypeace. When his friends begin to insinuate that he must be sleeping with her as well, he's a bit taken aback. They further point out that it's obvious to them that she's in love with him, a fact he can't believe. His heart has been frozen, beaten out of him by his cruel father, so he's tasked Pettypeace with selecting a bride for him, one that suits his specific list of criteria. The more items he adds to the list, the more he sees that he wants a woman just like her. When danger knocks at his door, he's ready to protect her with his life but what happens when she's the one who brought the danger? Can he see past the high wall she's built around her true self, to the broken, scared girl she used to be?

I love a good Regency, and this one added more than one mystery to the mix before it concluded. The friendship between Hugh and Penelope is well-established at the start of the book, and only takes a bit of a nudge to send it over the edge into passion. He treats her as an equal, something highly unusual for the time period, and she cloaks her passionate nature in efficiency, and in secrecy. Each has a heart-breaking story to tell, and each fears losing the other if they tell it.

Readers who love Regency romance will enjoy The Duchess Hunt. It does start a bit slow, but gets rolling fairly quickly. As I said, it is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I actually listened to it as a loan from the library, then finished it on my e-reader.. (I always like to hear the English accents of the narrators when the story is set in London.)

✨These urges have urges.✨

No this epilogue killed me. Leave it to Lorraine. Save for want of a little more dirty talk and adventure in the bedroom (or picnic blanket or carriage), this book was absolutely delicious and perfect and just what I needed, wanted, wished for on an obliging shooting star.

I’ve said before, Kingsland can get it. And what happened class? He got it. I’m such a sucker for a character that is so unbuttoned they bathe clothed. This book gave us TWO of those honeybuns. They were both so meticulous, uptight, and devoted to their work. Now if that’s not my kink I don’t know what is. I loved watching them start to realize that had feelings for each other. There was also a sick scene and King was DISTRAUGHT. Another kink? Check. Mate.

The tension between King and Pettypeace was perfection. Their urges had urges. The sex was a bit vanilla but the plot and characters won me over ten-fold. And there WAS sex, just not very long or graphic. Pettypeace did get herself off in a carriage which was great. Side note: there was a scene where King called her his right hand. To which she should have brought back up during a sex scene while getting HIM off like his right hand. Just saying.

Far in the future epilogues always leave me in shambles. I always think about these couples in romances as evergreen because they are (for the reader), but when the epilogue is like they’re old or they have ancestors, I get EMOTIONAL. Or more emotional. I’m always emotional. Therefore, this epilogue destroyed my sensibilities and I cried TWO times. Yes I’ve already read this book again. Another kink.

Overall, I can’t believe this book was so good! I mean I can but I’m still impressed by how unprepared I was. I do wish King would have handled her secret better but he groveled well. His disapproval and lack of steam were my only qualms but I’m already over them. I’m also probably reading this book again. Thus, this is probably a 4.75/5 but it made me cry so it wins back the .25 lost by his lack of sense.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5

Okay this was so cute! I loved it! It was a super sweet historical romance that featured a boss/employee romance! I loved reading about her longing for Kingsland, and there were times were I was longing so much for them to be with each other! It added so much sexual tension and sexual chemistry between both of them! It was great and it made their romance so much sweet in my opinion! And I thought it was interesting that both were hiding secrets from each other, and you spent the whole book trying to figure it out alongside both leads! I know it can be hard to not really know the secrets until the end, and it was honestly, but for me it kept me pushing to read more of the book and found out the truth. Overall it was a super fun read, and I loved the romance with both characters! I liked the slight mystery aspect with both their secrets, and the writing was really well done and kept the pace of the book going! I never felt like it was going too fast or going too slow, and I had a really great reading experience! Highly recommend checking this book, and this author out! It's so good! I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Just finished reading this book and it was just so good. Loved the working women's female main character tasked to find a wife for the male main character.

Penelope is in a position few woman are allowed to be in - secretary to a duke. Loved her no nonsense attitude and how she fit in with King and his friends (of which I would love to read their stories). Definite chemistry between the two of them. Bit of a mystery included with the romance. Story is steady paced and a very good read.

Loved the slow burn on this one…especially the dual plot story line, between the secrets the both are hiding and all the deepening intimacy, it was just wildly romantic. I also LOVED the epilogue, and any time an author is able to weave actual history into the narrative. Very, very cool.

4.5 Stars.
I did not read book one but I did not feel I was losing out.

This was such a different take on a your typical historical romance. I loved Hugh and Penelope. The fact that he treats her as an equal with brains is so refreshing! He trusts her opinion enough to let her choose his wife. Penelope knew she was not destined to marry a Duke so she took her enjoyment where she could. This book also throws in a few twists and turns but as always ends with a well deserved HEA.