It was ok. I think I would have liked it better had he fought his feelings harder and she actually have some competition. Overall it was a solid read though. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath is the second installment of her Once Upon a Dukedom series. The novel is a solid historical romance with lots of chemistry and secrets. Although this was not my favorite Heath novel, I always recommend her to readers that haven’t discovered her and love historical romance. If this novel is not for you—don’t give up on Heath—try her Sins for All Seasons and Texas Trilogy series—they are both wonderful.

Full disclosure, I received an ARC of “The Duchess Hunt” from NetGalley to read and provide my unbiased feedback and thoughts on.

While Heath started her ‘Once Upon A Dukedom’ series strong with “Scoundrel Of My Heart”, she took it to a completely different level with “The Duchess Hunt”.

We learned that Kingsland had some hidden depths to him at the end of the “SOMH”, but ‘WOW’ Heath really did outdo herself with the complexity of this hero (it all the right ways, sigh…) Then add in Pettypeace, a heroine with secrets and hidden depths of her own and you end end up with the most delicious story of two stubborn individuals fighting their attraction tooth and nail, playing right into the ‘just once to get it out of our system’ trope so perfectly for the lovers of that one. 007 fans will also love the nod to ‘Moneypenny’. Added bonus: we have more Chessmen sightings, but still no insight into when more will be revealed about these mysterious men.

There really is so much to love about this one, and I definitely think it deserves a high 4 stars.

I love Lorraine Heath, and I especially loved this book! It was super enjoyable and I just couldn’t wait to pick it up and find out what happened.

Penelope Pettypeace is the secretary for the Duke of Kingsley. He treats her like an equal, hiring her instead of a man, asking her opinion and even taking her to his men’s club for business meetings. He’s also trusting her to find him a Duchess after his last attempt failed. As the search for his Duchess continues, the two become closer and closer. Unfortunately both have secrets that might keep them apart.

Penelope was a very refreshing heroine. I loved how independent she was! I also was very curious about her secret and I thought it was well done, and not something I had read before. I also loved the epilogue! Overall this was probably one of my favorite Lorraine Heath books I’ve read so far.

Penelope Pettypeace is the independent, efficient secretary to the Duke of Kingsland. She’s on a mission to find his duchess. King is the headstrong Duke of Kingsland set on finding a duchess who will provide heirs but otherwise be out of his way.

Heath does an amazing job of weaving this story in such an unexpected way. I knew there was the promise of an HEA but getting there was so interesting. I had no idea of the secrets held. I found myself slowing to enjoy this book.

I’m already looking forward to re-reading this book….this series. I could predict parts of the book but that really lured me in and set me up for the expected.

I loved this story and Penelope and King and…everything.

I love, love, loved this book. The first book in this series was kind of wild, but this book has everything I love: mutual pining, workplace romance, repressed feelings, trauma recovery, all the good stuff. Penelope is amazing and just a great heroine. King has awesome character development and the book is very satisfying.

Oooh so I love Two Weeks Notice, the film. I even watched a Chinese version. This book gives a similar vibe, so I could not wait to read it!!! I was not disappointed. Our heroine is Penelope Pettypeace. She is all that we like--smart, strong, making her way in the world. She is a secretary that has some tragedy in her past though, which has its tentacles in her present. She is also nursing a hidden tendre for her boss. Due to her efficiency, she is indispensable to him. He asks her to solve the minor problem of finding him a bride. He is clueless, but we are not!

Our clueless but lovable hero is a Duke of Kingsland, aka King. He thinks it's a great idea to overstep the professional boundaries and have his secretary find him a wife. Golly. It's just a matter of time for him to realize the value of what he has in Pettypeace. He has his own secrets. So when a blackmail note shows up... the adventure/mystery begins.

I have to say I was waiting to see what these secrets were, but did not anticipate what they would be. Wow-no spoilers but this book does not lose steam as it heads to the ending. I loved it! I loved how King slowly becomes aware of his true feelings for Pettypeace and moves heaven and earth for her. Yums!!!


I did not get to read the first book in this series. There were a couple of references that I understood, such as that whatever newspaper ad he took out in the first book... didn't work out. (I want to know what happened). You can easily read and enjoy this one as a stand-alone. I did! I have read so many of Ms. Heath's books. Not sure how I missed this series' beginning, but I will be fixing that now. Don't miss this or any of her other books. I would love to see what happens next with some of the characters I met in this story.

This was a fun read! Not too surprising, although the secret in Penelope's past was not what I would have guessed, so that was one nice turn. If you like a boss/secretary trope, this gives it a Victorian twist. It's made me interested enough to want to find the first book in the series, which I haven't read, and to keep an eye out for the rest as they come out.

The second book in Lorraine Heath’s Once Upon a Dukedom series, The Duchess Hunt focuses on the Duke of Kingsland and his secretary Penelope Pettypeace. For eight years their relationship has been strictly professional. However, when the duke tasks Penelope with finding him a wife, Penelope knows she will do what she must to find him the perfect match, even if it breaks her heart. When a blackmail note threatens all they have worked for, Penelope and Kingsland must face their pasts and decide if they should risk revealing their feelings for each other.

Penelope is fantastic! She is smart, independent, and secure in her position as King’s secretary. I love her confidence and her fierceness. She is not easily intimidated, and, much like King, she excels at her job. King is a man who likes to be in control. He is hugely successful and powerful, but he struggles to let people in. Both have secrets from the past that threaten to ruin their well-controlled and structured lives. I like how their secrets are slowly revealed throughout the story. They are tortured by their pasts, but the closer they become, the more willing they are to trust each other with their innermost secrets. I found this part of the story really interesting and unpredictable. I was surprised when their respective secrets were revealed and didn’t expect either.

Penelope and King respect and admire each other, and they have worked together for eight years. They know each other well, but solely on a professional level. They both love each other, but their reluctance to cross the boundary that has been in place for almost a decade stops them from expressing their feelings. This leads to a lot of angst and sexual tension, which is fantastic. There’s so much yearning, since Penelope has loved King for a long time, and King is so unaware of and confused by his feelings. It takes him a long time to realize just how much he’s taken her for granted, but once he does, he does everything in his power to change. I adored their love story and how their relationship deepened and changed, and I wholly rooted for them even though social expectations, arranged engagements, secrets, blackmail, and more stand in their way.

You know those love stories where the characters always refer to each other by their last names as a way to keep each other at a distance and maintain some semblance of formality? Then, when they finally use each other’s first names, it’s an epic moment – passion-filled, explosive, romantic and completely swoon-worthy? This book does that so well! It’s the type of romance that I find myself sighing deeply when reading because of the sheer beauty of it. I felt myself swooning a time or two, and the first time Kingsland said “Penelope,” I definitely fell in love with this couple a little more. The depth of their feelings and their longing for each other is lovely.

Other characters in the story are equally interesting, and I’m hopeful that some of them will be featured in upcoming books in the series. King’s friends The Chessman and a couple of the women that King and Penelope meet are intriguing, and I’d love to learn more of their stories. Something else I really like about this series is the epilogues, which take place years after the conclusion of the story. I always wonder what happens to my favorite characters after the story ends, and Heath provides us with the answers in these books. It’s wonderful to see how their stories, and other characters’ stories, progressed and changed.

This is a wonderful historical romance with dynamic characters and strong messages about love, trust, and forgiveness. Plus the love story is swoon-tastic! Even though this is the second book in the Once Upon a Dukedom series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Of course, Scoundrel of My Heart, the first book is also fantastic, and I highly recommend it! Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lorraine Heath, and Avon for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

SWOON. Lorraine Heath does it again. There is very little I love more than a starched, uptight hero completely UNRAVELING when he realizes what’s right in front of him. This book is positively delightful and gives me some real “Two Weeks Notice” vibes in a way that is so delicious. 4.5 stars for sure!

The Duchess Hunt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️By Lorraine Heath

I have read several by Ms Heath and I can say she never misses her mark. The stories are delightful and absorbing at the same time. Her characters come to life and you find yourself concerned about their lives and decisions.
It was a case of love from a far hoping the Duke would see what was in front of him. Penelope carried her secrets as did the Duke but I was not prepared to read either of there hidden pasts.
I enjoyed this book and kept engaged in the novel right to the end.

Love love LOVE this book. Penelope and Hugh were so good together. Good tension, great sexy time lol. Heath truly knows how to write an HR novel and I look forward to reading the rest in this series

Duke of Kingston is practical, efficient, and is in search of a wife, still. His secretary, Miss Penelope Makepeace is his equal in every way and now, she is tasked with finding him an 'efficient' duchess. This is your historical take on the Boss/secretary romance. I love a good upper-crust/commoner romance ( i can't find a better word for it) but I wasn't as engrossed as I thought I'd be. Both of these characters have secrets and we don't get to learn what those are until 60% of the book. Thus, I really couldn't fall in love with the characters. The ending felt too rushed and I wanted to see King aka Duke of Kingston groveling more. However, I loved the chemistry between King and Penelope so much!

Overall, The Duchess Hunt is a good addition to the series but it's not my favorite.

cw: revenge porn, abusive parent, death of parent(off-page)

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book in the series and was completely ready for book 2 to be a dud, as usually happens, but boy was I surprised. The Duchess Hunt was just as amazing as book 1. There were some lulls that held it back but not enough to ruin the story or my enjoyment of it. I really liked both main characters and thought the romance between them was well thought out which can not be said for every romance I’ve read. I can not wait for another book in this series, hopefully about Wolf.

I usually like and enjoy reading Lorraine Heath books; however, this book was a struggle for me to finish. The beginning was promising but in the end I really did not like it.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The first half of this book was cruising toward 4.5 stars. I loved our setup and our characters — King was a cold, but never ruthless, Duke (I haven’t read the first in this series, but I hear he’s kinda a dick in that one). Penelope was his dedicated secretary, trusted with selecting him a wife. A task made all the harder by the fact that she’s in love with him. Excellent all the way around.

Both of these characters are keeping massive secrets from the other. As long as the reveals are handled well, I don’t mind that. The problem arises when those secrets are also kept from me, the reader. From practically the first page, Penn’s inner monologue goes on and on about how she has this massive secret — the nature of her secret isn’t revealed until like 82%. The hero, who is not nearly as vocal about the presence of his secret, reveals his at around 69%.

What is the point of being in a character’s head if we aren’t going to find out their secrets and thoughts and desires until they vocalize them to the other character?

These sudden and delayed reveals made the end feel massively rushed. The tension didn’t have any time to build up. I was never worried about what would happen to the characters if their pasts get out, because I was mostly just annoyed I hadn’t been told what was going on.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. Certainly enough to go back and read the first one. But be warned — don’t read it if you have a low tolerance for being kept in the dark.

CW: child abuse (past, described but not depicted), revenge porn

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book; my review has been left voluntarily.

While I am an avid reader of historical romance I have to admit that this is my first Lorraine Heath, however, it will certainly not be my last. The cover and the blurb that included a pining heroine tasked with finding her employer a wife sold me right away and the contents of the book did not disappoint. I very much enjoyed the mutual respect that they had and seemingly built their relationship on. My only frustration came from the hero at the end, I wish we could have seen him realize that he could marry her earlier than the very end and I would have liked to see that play out on page.

This book reminded me of what a beautiful writer Lorraine Heath is. I really loved all the time she dedicated to making the historical part of it realistic . I was learning AND reading romance.

I wish there was a bit more slow burn though. From the very first chapter you see that he is clearly enamores with her, so it became a game of WHEn rather then if. So I felt like I was just rushing through to the inevitable because they obviously wanted each other.

It was a solid read. I enjoyed it and I definitely
Recommend it. It just left me wanting more because the writing was so well done. But I am a slow burn romance kind of gal

I couldn't put this book down, you think you know where it's going than BAM! a twist.

This book is about the Duke of Kingsland (or King has he is called), and his secretary Miss PettyPeace. I'm not going to lie, I thought I knew where this book was going, but the twist on both King and Penelope's situations I did not see coming. I read this book in one day, and fully enjoyed the world building that is hopefully setting up for more in the series with that Chessmen (King's group of friends). The longing that both characters have for each other and how they fight in it there own way it great. The epilogue I had to read a couple times because it through me off, because it was so real. I loved this ending touch to the story and it made my heart soar. I am hoping for the next book to be about either the Chessmen or Lawrence.

What can I say about Lorraine Heath's writing that hasn't been said before? Nothing. Because she is AMAZING. She's an auto-buy for me. If she wrote a random book of street names, I'd buy it. I loved the first book in the series, but this book is my favorite so far. Heath is a master at plot and details, and to me, the little details make this book give it an extra something.

Hugh (Kingsland from the first book) and Penelope Pettypeace (his secretary) are the couple of this book, and BOY are they a couple. Having been jilted by Lady Kathryn earlier in the series, King outsources the finding of a wife to his extremely intelligent and capable secretary, Pettypeace. Problem is--and this is no spoiler--she's in love with him. Not necessarily the swoony, poetic kind-of-love, but a straightforward admission from the very beginning. First sentence:

"If there existed a more unpleasant task in the world than selecting the woman who was to marry the man you loved, Penelope Pettypeace certainly couldn't imagine what it might be."

Penelope is fiercely intelligent, business-savvy, hard-working, and no innocent miss. At 28 years old, she is worldly and practical, and that was a major selling point for me. I loved her no-nonsense approach to everything she did. This is why King hires her and has had her at his side for eight years. She is absolutely invaluable to him. And we are told this from his point of view MANY times. I never got sick of it.

I have been obsessed with King since the first novel, and Heath did not disappoint me with him. Here is his first sentence:

"King had the enviable skill of concentrating on more than one thing at a time, so as Lancaster waxed on about his invention--a clock that would emit an alarm at a particular time designated by its owner--he appeared to be giving his full attention to the inventor while out of the corner of his eye, he admired Pettypeace's new frock."

Y'all. That sentence got me. I was a goner from that point on. King and Penelope's story is so tender and beautiful, and at the same time, it is HOT. I have no idea how Heath writes such sexual tension, but WOW. This book is full of it. In fact, it might be the most I've ever read in any of her novels. She is a master at it. I got butterflies in my stomach more than once while reading this.

I'm not going to spoil the book, so I will wrap this up with a few thoughts:

1. Heath's attention to detail is incredible. Little things will tug at your heart. Quiet moments can be some of the sexiest in the whole book.

2. King as a hero is my catnip. Not emotional, super-practical, confident about EVERYTHING he does--he's the perfect grump. He left me a puddle on the floor. So sexy.

3. Penelope is unlike any heroine I've ever read. Not only is she a secretary, she is an extremely talented investor. In fact, she's pretty wealthy, and she made her money by her own hand. I also loved her no-nonsense approach to sex and pleasure. She wasn't shy at all, and was completely honest about her desire for pleasure.

4. There were three specific times that this novel stopped me dead in my tracks and surprised me. I wasn't expecting any of it, and it blew my mind.

5. The epilogue for this novel is EVERYTHING. Heath has always been the queen of epilogues to me, but she outdid herself on this one. Seriously. You won't be expecting a part of it. It's amazing.

If you love Heath, or just want a beautifully written, sexy-as hell historical romance, this is for you. You won't regret it.

*Given an ARC by NetGalley and Avon Books for an honest opinion and review.*