There's a reason Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite historical romance authors, and THE RETURN OF THE DUKE is why (pretty much just like every other book she's written). I loved this one!

The Return of the Duke by Lorraine Heath is the third book in her Once Upon a Dukedom series. A great historical romance with wonderful characters. Enjoyed this book.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this title.

I loved the political intrigue in this. A female spy, a missed of heir, and even a queen. It was so much fun and had a wonderful romance.

As a devoted fan of Lorraine Heath, I found "The Return of the Duke" to be a somewhat disappointing conclusion to a previously enjoyable series. The novel lacked the emotional depth and character connection characteristic of Heath's works. The pacing felt rushed, and though the book had its strengths, it fell short of the high expectations set by the author's previous successes. Despite its flaws, the engaging writing style and well-researched historical details still make it a decent read for historical romance enthusiasts, albeit with a less-than-satisfying ending to the series.

Lorraine Heath stories always deliver what I love most in HRs -- a solid plot, characters you want to get together, fun banter, and steamy goodness! This story was a spy thriller with a hero eager to clear his name and restore his family's titles and estates. I enjoyed and would recommend!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. I greatly enjoyed this entire series from Lorraine Heath and highly anticipated the story of the Duke of Wolfford, who had appeared in several books throughout the series. The Return of the Duke provided to very passionate mcs who are entrenched in their beliefs. Their situation seems impossible and learning how it will be resolved is what keeps you reading.

This cover is so stunning yet I was so bored. The plot dragged on way too much. I was bored in many scenes and just want to finish this asap. Overall, this wasn't anything special I didn't feel connected to the other characters. I also think not reading the first two books in the series put me at a disadvantage

This book missed the mark. I usually love Lorraine Heath and I loved the first two books. This however just did not do it.

Lorraine Heath is the queen of romance and intrigue! Her novels never disappoint and The Return of the Duke is no exception. I couldn't put this book down. I love the little hint of taboo with the heroine being the mistress of the hero's father. Such a brilliant bit of tension. This entire series is phenomenal and on that I constantly recommend!

Lorraine Heath is one of my fave historical authors and when I felt the urge to read a historical romance after abstaining for a while, I knew that she was the lady to look to to welcome me back. It was a smart decision on my part because The Return of the Duke did not disappoint. I loved Esme and Marcus’ story and the suspense and intrigue were perfect. I also really loved the cameos from the Trewlove crew. I can’t wait for the Chessmen series and I really enjoy how interconnected her series are - it makes you feel immersed in her world when you read and that’s the ultimate escapism.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt like the mystery overwhelmed the romance. It was refreshing to see characters that are not the norm in historical fiction and, as always, Lorraine Heath proves an excellent storyteller.

An exciting story of mystery, intrigue and a great passion. Falling for his father's mistress was never what Marcus expected, he expected to be a duke but that was lost to him when his father was stripped of his title for treason. In a bid to find some justice for his family's loss, he embarks on a journey to find the others his father must have been working with. This led him to Esme, his father's mistress and they reluctantly begin to work together in this quest. What results is a wild ride because nothing is as it seemed and one truth after another are slowly unveiled. Passions quickly build, mysteries unravel and even more questions are uncovered. This story will keep you guessing and glued to the page.

Once Upon a Dukedom remains one of my favorite series with the latest installment of The Return of the Duke! Lorraine Heath writes such compulsively readable historical romances. I'm always hooked into her plots and characters while also rooting for the romance. Esme is a strong heroine and sets the standard for what I'll be looking for in future historical romance reads. This has angsty, so much swooning, and two delightful characters.

Marcus Stanwick spent his whole life preparing to be the Duke of Wolfford, but when he father is found guilty of plotting to kill Queen Victoria, everything is stripped from him. Since his father was hanged and his mother died shortly after, he has been seeking to uncover the others involved in the plot. After a year of chasing leads, but still no resolution, Marcus turns to the last person he ever wanted to see, his dads mistress.

Esme Lancaster couldn’t wait to leave her mother and step-fathers home, so she was elated to gain a position as a consort to the Queen. She formed a close relationship with Victoria, but, unfortunately, a close friend of hers at court started rumors that she was pregnant by one of the Queens guards and so she was dismissed. Without giving away the rest of the plot, I’ll stop her back story there. Esme went on to be the Duke of Wolffords mistress. But Marcus soon finds out that things aren’t always what they seem and they join forces to ferret out his fathers accomplices.

Another fabulous book by Lorraine Heath.

the mystery portion of this was pretty interesting and that kept me engaged in the love story as well.

Excellent book by Lorraine Heath, as always! The Return of the Duke is the third book in this series, centered around the sons of the former Duke of Wolfford who was hanged for treason. Marcus Stanwick was the heir, and had spent his life preparing to be a duke. For the past year he’s been trying to find the people who led to that future being taken. That search leads to his father’s former mistress, Esme Lancaster, who he quickly realizes is much more than what he assumed.

I really enjoyed this book; Marcus and Esme are both very well written characters who just can’t keep their hands off each other. Esme is a spy, so if spy romances aren’t your thing you might want to skim this one, but honestly I didn’t feel like she got much in the weeds. One thing this definitely has is competence-both Marcus and Esme are extremely capable, and each admires that in the other. This wasn’t quite a tear-jerker for me the way some of the others have been, but I still really liked it and will definitely read whatever she writes next!

Thank you @avonbooks for the eARC of Lorraine Heath's upcoming novel, RETURN OF THE DUKE (out July 26, 2022). It's the conclusion of both the Once Upon a Dukedom trilogy and the just book featuring the Stanwick siblings.

Let's begin with Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite historical romance authors. Members of Seasonally Booked Up will attest that I recommend her as much as possible.

I've read this book twice now, basically as soon as I could download it once Avon sent me the approval notice via NetGalley, and after Seasonally Booked Up read SCOUNDREL OF MY HEART as part of Spring of Scoundrels. Which was like two, two and a half weeks later! It's been about a month and a half since then, and I'm ready to read it again.

Where to begin without spoiling the story? I will say you get some trademark bonkers twist from Lorraine Heath, I think only one, and it's in the beginning. But I don't want to spoil it. (At least I think it's a twist, if you read the synopsis carefully it might not be)

You've also got some intrigue and espionage, as Marcus is determined to find out who else was responsible for the assassination attempt on Queen Victoria that led to his father's death. He's teamed up with Esme to find the others. There's some caretaking, and sparring practice. Some gifts against villains. Falling in love, repairing and strengthening family relationships. So much more.

It's definitely a satisfactory end to this trilogy, and I can't wait to meet the Chessman.

Maybe I'll find time to read it for a third time to come up with a more cohesive review. I have way too many highlights in the book that I just want to gush over. So if you've read it, or are about to read this novel, feel free to slide into my messages to gush.

Content Notes: talks of assassination, street violence, child abuse (past), hysterectomy (past)

The Return of the Duke follows The Duchess Hunt which was an absolutely amazing book. It is hard to follow a book that was so good. While this is not my favorite book by Lorriane Heath, I do not regret reading it. I wanted to know more about Marcus from the first time we see him in Scoundrel of My Heart. I was not disappointed to find Marcus fighting for survival, falling so far from grace and the Dukedom he was raised to inherit. He is following Esme Lancaster to uncover who betrayed his father and possibly framed him for being a traitor.

Some might call this book enemies to lovers but really, it's just Marcus who has a serious distaste for Esme as he assumes she is his dead father's ex-lover and brought about his downfall. Thankfully he is mistaken or else this book would have a completely different tone. Esme really doesn't care if Marcus likes her or not and is mainly indifferent to him except for the attraction they share. I found myself struggling to read Esme at times but then again that may be the point of her character because she is a secret finder and keeper for the ton.

This book is for the fans of Lorraine Heath or this particular series but not something I would pick up or recommend to someone newer to the genre. I don't regret reading the book but again, it's hard to follow book 2. I am very interested in where Heath is going with the Chessmen however and will keep reading.

If I could give fractions to my star count, I would give 3.5 stars or even 3.75.

Conspiracy theories to unravel... this is the perfect backdrop for our hero and heroine., Marcus and Esme. There are trust issues and secrets to overcome, but what a joy it was watching them work it out! Great, great story!

To say I’ve been excited for this book is an understatement. We finally got the Wolf’s story. After absolutely loving book 1 and 2 I was very excited but will say I was worried once I started reading! Esme was Marcus and Griff’s dads paramore so that completely threw me for a loop and didn’t know how I was going to like this storyline. Needless to say I’m so glad I kept reading! Fantastic love story, strong heroine working for the Home Office protecting the Queen, sexy times and so much more. Fantastic series! Can’t wait for the Chessemen!