Spies? Plot to assassinate the queen? Crazy guy named Lucifer pulling the strings? Yes, please!

I loved this story. Our hero was going to be a duke, but his father was part of a plot to kill the queen. Needless to say, she wasn't a fan of that plan, so she had him hung and striped his family of their titles and wealth. Now, Marcus is a nobody on a mission to get back some of his family's honor.

Esme was Marcus's father's mistress, or so everyone thought. Turns out, she is a spy and was working to protect the queen. Marcus comes to her for information while she is also learning what he knows and if he can help her as the plot to kill the queen is ongoing.

Eventually, they pair up and learn how well suited they are as a team and couple.

This has some good plot twists, lots of steam, and a great retribution story. I highly recommend it!

I rate this book 5-stars.

I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Return of the Duke
By Lorraine Heath
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Marcus Stanwick, a broken man who has lost everything he holds dear, is a man on a mission….Revenge! Vowing to regain his family’s honor he has a difficult choice to make… so he begrudgingly works with Esme Lancaster, who has her own agenda. Their hunt for the truth is dangerous and filled with trouble and mystery. Trying to overcome all the obstacles in their path leads to a passionate romance and just maybe, a forever love. Lorraine Heath is a master at historical romance, this is a great read!

It's been a year since Marcus lost everything, and he's still on a mission to find his father's co-conspirators to bring some honor back to the family name. He visits his father's former mistress Esme to gather any possible information. They're drawn to each other, and both feel the other is hiding something. What unfolds is an uneasy alliance, espionage, and undercover operations.
Esme is self-sufficient and inherently mistrustful, and Marcus is as well. They begin working together to uncover a plot to assassinate Queen Victoria, and it becomes impossible to fight their attraction to each other.
This was a good story and finished off this trilogy well, but quite frankly was my least favorite of the three. The Duchess Hunt was really great, and this did not quite live up to it. I think the main issue was that it felt a little too long, so the subplot got a little tedious. The relationship between Esme and Marcus was very compelling, as two people who did not trust each other but just could not keep their eyes and eventually hands off each other. There were a few funny moments, and I've included two of them in this review.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Lorraine Heath for this ARC for review!
"He'd approached quietly, his stealth paying off as he stood in the doorway studying her...
'It's rude to stare, Stanwick.'
He deflated. 'How long have you known I was here?'"
"'I don't feel quite right keeping it, but I shall be honored to do so and will treasure it as I treasure your... friendship.'
He suddenly grinned wickedly. 'Is that what you're calling my cock? Friendship?'"

This is the third and final book of the Once Upon a Dukedom series, and it didn't disappoint.

I don't think I've read anything like this before when it comes to the dukedom. An heir to a Duke is stripped of his title after his Dad is charged with Treason. I really liked the MMC and I liked how he went from being on the top of the world to the bottom overnight, and his quest to move forward.

I also really liked the FMC, and didn't know what to expect from her. I really appreciate strong FMC, especially those ahead of their time. I also liked how she was 33 and was older than the MMC.

I didn't know what to expect with this one, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much and it was a great close to the series.

It was a great read and I overall enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this book.

A thoroughly wonderful romance that is perfect for any adult collection. I was completely invested in it from start to finish, and can see it circulating well!

Kendra coming in with a historical romance! A historical romance for me is always a happy genre, where I know I will finish reading it feeling content with nice, clean and complete stories. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc for my review!

This is a historical romance that immediately opened in mysterious and dark circumstances. Definite mystery, murder, espionage vibes.

Esme and Marcus bring enemies to lovers to a whole new level, not only was their first meeting negative it was incredibly awkward. Esme is mystery, self-assured, strong, but also vulnerable and caring. I loved that we truly had a heroin who stood on her own and not only didn't need to be saved, but instead did the saving. Marcus is paying for the sins of his father and trying to gain back his good name for himself and his family. Marcus' investigations eventually bring him to Esme's door where they form an unlikely alliance. Their tension and chemistry had me rooting for their relationship immediately.

This book provided such a great side story to the romance, I really enjoyed the plot along with the characters. This book was SO close to five stars, but the beginning was a little slow and awkward for me.

Overall, this was an exciting, mysterious and action filled historical romance. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a more exciting kick to their average historical romance selections.

Loved loved loved this!! I had so much fun reading this book. I enjoyed seeing all the cameos from the various series by the same author. I love when authors do this.

I love everything Lorraine Heath ever writes. I love the twisting, surprising plots and complex, swoony characters. I love how she is able to make each and every one of her 8 million books feel new and fresh and real and I love the way her books seem to not only respect but also celebrate the genre and the readers.

This book is great. It's twisty and compelling and jam packed with both romance and action. It's good for the soul It wasn't my favorite of hers, but that's only because she has so many fantastic books.

If you have ever loved a Lorraine Heath novel, pick this one up. You won't be sorry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC.

CW: discussion of execution and assassination, gun on page

I loved this book! Such a great story and satisfying ending for the Duke. Esme was perfect as the home office agent and solving the plot that caused Marcus to lose his dukedom. This was one of my favorite Lorraine Heath's books! Not only was the mystery complicated and well done, but Marcus and Esme had fantastic chemistry and made the ending absolutely believable. I am looking forward to the next in this series!

I enjoyed this so much. Especially loved Esme and Marcus' interactions. They were smart, courageous, and behaved like adults.

After his father, the Duke of Wolfford was hanged as a traitor in an assassination attempt against Queen Victoria, Marcus Stanwick sought to clear his family's honor by hunting down the leaders involved in the conspiracy. In desperation, he confronts Esme Lancaster, his father's paramour. Chemistry immediately bubbles between them, and the two transform into a fearsome team. I was fascinated by their adventures.

Lorraine Heath doesn't just add obstacles and solutions by whim. Everything was well thought out. While there was a bit of a second act slowdown, the last 30% was riveting. The satisfying epilogue capped a most pleasurable read.

ARC provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Marcus Stanwick is the former heir to the Duke of Wolfford. His family’s titles and land are stripped from him by Queen Victoria after his father is implicated and hanged for an assassination attempt on the queen. Marcus sets out to clear his father’s name and meets Esme Lancaster, his father’s former mistress and a master of disguise. Esme and Marcus begrudgingly work together to unravel the mystery of the assassination plot which extends further than both first imagine. Along the way they discover secrets about each other that develop into genuine feelings.

I was pleasantly surprised by Return of the Duke. While it was not as steamy of some of Heath’s other novels, the overall mystery of the assassination plot was very entertaining. I did guess the identity of the leader of the “bad guys,” so it wasn’t entirely surprising, but I wasn’t expecting incredible suspense in the first place. I LOVED the character of Esme. She is strong, intelligent, and confident. She takes initiative and doesn’t need a man to protect her. She knows self-defense and how to wield a sword and a gun. Marcus is also a refreshing take on an historical romance hero; he trusts Esme, doesn’t question her intelligence because she’s a woman, and lets her take the lead in their sleuthing. This is a great read for people looking for plots outside of the main characters’ relationship as well as fans of “wallpaper historicals.” The characters have very progressive opinions for the time period and their technology and some of the medical techniques were cutting edge for the Victorian era.

Lorraine Heath is my “I trust you” author. I love seeing how she can make bananas, borderline implausible storylines just have me swooning by the end. Seeing her pull it off is half the fun.

With “The Return of the Duke”, the hard sells for me were that espionage intrigue is not my fave in romance plus the heroine is known to have been the hero’s now-deceased traitor father’s mistress🥴 Ahem. Certainly for me a new enemies to lovers set-up: to him she is the scarlet woman who was part of his mother’s shame, heartbreak and subsequent death. Don’t want to tread into the spoilery, so I’ll just say: things are not what they seem, and I could breathe easier.

Now a disgraced ex-earl/ underworld citizen after his father’s hanging took away everything from his family, Marcus is obsessed with discovering the assassination plot his father had been involved with. He shows up at Esme’s, the aforementioned ex-mistress, to find out what she could know of his father’s involvement. They mutually hate each other and themselves for the insta-lust/connection that ensues as they find themselves reluctant allies. So then, of course, competence kink galore. Ok, more like “I don’t trust you, but dammit, you’re good what you do and that’s hot”.

Love this heroine and love her name. Esme is clever, cold and calculating, closed-off and complex. Marcus, our hero? I’d been waiting to have something distinctive from him grab me and set me on fire since he felt a bit one-dimensional, only motivated by revenge/justice. But slowly he’s revealed, and I was won over and feeling for him. Plus he falls so hard, gotta love him. He freaking helps her dog. I’m not even a pet person, and that part got to me.

Other highlights among this espionage romance caper: Kiss-me-so-we-dont-get-caught, both verbal and literal sparring (ok, fine, yes, tongue sparring too) Thirty-something MCs (she’s older than him), gun and knife wielding heroine, Victorian spy gadgets, fake marriage, first non-self-stimulated O for her, seventy minus one, “Ride me”, affair with a countdown, no kids HEA.

Once again, I’m glad I trusted LH, she hasn’t ever let me down so far. She truly writes couples that complement each other in such swoony ways. If you love some secret agenting in your romance, this will do it. If you just like a steamy, enemies to lovers HR, yep, same.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Full review to come but Lorraine is as Lorraine as ever here and I owe her a life debt. The gist of this book is that these two absolutely don’t trust each other but they’re absolutely horny for each other and that’s my new favorite thing. From the initial premise, I was absolutely in for it all. His father’s mistress???? And I was into it????

Every book in this series is five stars from me (a first!) and I had super high hopes for this one because book 2 was absolutely everything I wanted… but I must admit that Marcus was the hero I had the weakest attachment to (from a series perspective). Lorraine even said it herself in her authors note, she didn’t know where his story was going to lead.

So knowing that, I am absolutely worshipping at the altar of her mind because I cannot begin to describe just how perfect this book was for me. BOTH main characters were perfect and heartfelt and SWOONY. I need more jaw-breaking heroines thank you very much.

Oh, I did enjoy this conclusion to the series. I had been waiting for Marcus's story, and it turned out to be one not of angst but adventure.

Once the heir to the Duke of Wolfford, Marcus Stanwick loses everything in the blink of an eye when his father is arrested and hanged for treason. When he and his siblings, Althea and Griff, are stripped of their titles and wealth, Marcus launches a mission to hunt down his father's co-conspirators. Most of this we learned first in Beauty Tempts the Beast and Scoundrel of My Heart; now that his siblings have their happy endings, Marcus is more determined than ever to regain his good name and honor. Having hit dead ends in his investigation, he goes to the last person he ever hoped to meet: his father's presumed mistress, Esme Lancaster.

Of course, Esme is so much more than she appears--an agent of the Crown rather than a duke's mistress, and more complex than Marcus could imagine. She is bad-ass, period. And together, they are wonderful partners. They combine their investigations into the plot to murder Queen Victoria, and face potential assassins, shadowy threats, and underworld criminals as they search for the truth.

Marcus really could have gone dark and brooding after his life-altering circumstances, yet while circumstances hardened him, his story really was one of hope. Smart move by Lorraine Heath in a novel that was a real change of pace for her, as her books tend not to be spy capers. This book has all the hallmarks of an amazing Lorraine Heath book save one: deep yearning between the main characters, which she does so well. There was room for it here and I would have liked to some of it here; it would have given Esme in particular a welcome vulnerability to complement her bad-assery. Still, this was a fun, well-paced adventure with rich, memorable leads; steamy bedroom scenes; and a satisfactory resolution to the Stanwick siblings' saga.

Looking forward to the next series that was teased here, which will take off from the second book in this series (The Duchess Hunt).

Return of the Duke is the 3rd novel in the Once Upon a Dukedom series by Lorraine Heath. Marcus Stanwick is the exiled son of a Duke trying to exact revenge on those who took everything from him. After his father, the Duke, is hanged for trying to kill the queen, Marcus is out for blood to clear his families' name. He spends a year in the underbellies of London honing his skills to help him reclaim what was rightfully his. After he confronts his fathers mistress, Esme Lancaster, he quickly finds that there's more to her than meets the eye, and wonders if he can put his future in the hands of the woman who helped ruin his family...
I am a huge fan of the author, Lorraine Heath, and have read all the books in the Once Upon a Dukedom series (well, honestly, I've read all of her books) and enjoyed this one as much as the first two. There were several differences in this storyline that I thought made the story very unique and intriguing. I loved that the heroine, Esme, was older than the typical heroine in HR novels. I loved the medical issue that the author gave to her character. It was so refreshing to read an HR novel and not have it be about a woman who's only goal in life was to marry and breed and I thought the way the story addressed the issue was very sensitive yet interesting. Marcus Stanwick was your typical dashing, exiled Duke, and while there wasn't anything super interesting about his story, he was a likeable enough hero to the story. If you're a fan of HR, make sure to get your hands on this one for an enjoyable book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinions.

Marcus Stanwick is determined to uncover all parties involved in the assassination plot that got his father hanged and his title stripped of him. He turns to the woman he despises for help and finds that she may be the one person who can help him uncover the truth.

This book was full of unexpected revelations. After reading the previous two books, I knew I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Marcus’s story and hopefully see him finally get some happiness out of his fathers betrayal. Marcus and Esme’s story started a bit slow but it was still very enjoyable.

Marcus is a changed man. He has hardened and became ruthless. His actions towards Esme in the beginning are very harsh because he doesn’t understand the truth behind Esme’s actions. I didn’t really like Marcus at first but he quickly grew on me as the story progressed. Esme was a fascinating woman. She has had a very interesting life. I really enjoyed how smart and sassy she was, and that she wasn’t afraid of danger. She was always ready to defend herself.

Marcus and Esme’s relationship starts as enemies but as they work together to bring down the other conspirators they quickly develop feelings. I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship, especially how Marcus always supported Esme and praised her abilities.

Overall, this was another great book from Heath. I enjoyed seeing Marcus find love and resolution in his life. This has been quite an enjoyable series. I do hope she writes stories about the Chessmen next because I really want to know more about those bachelors.

Trigger Warnings: Brief mention of unexpected hysterectomy. Abusive mother.

Set in 1874, after his father, the Duke of Wolfford, is hanged for an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria, Marcus Stanwick is stripped of everything. He seeks to expose the others involved in the treasonous plot and bring them to justice. His search forces him to turn to a woman he despises—his fathers former mistress known as the heartless harlot.
Harboring secrets, Esme Lancaster has her own reasons for wanting to discover who’s behind the conspiracy, but she doesn’t trust Marcus

I haven’t read the others in this series and I’ve only read one other book by Lorraine Heath. I was looking forward to this one because of the spy elements mixed in with the romance.

Marcus is obviously hellbent on revenge, so I was really surprised at how quickly he was lusting after a woman he hated for allegedly seducing his father. It was so outrageous and hate-filled that I was tempted to DNF in the first chapter. From her toxic childhood, Esme learned to be hyper observant and has her own agenda with the mysterious O. She’s confident and driven and was easier to relate to than Marcus’s anger and lusting, but I can’t say I really liked Esme either.

The espionage element was interesting if not fast-paced, but the romance fell flat for me. I didn’t see much growth in either of them and no chemistry between them.

Great finale to the series. Full review coming soon

Lorraine Heath writes full narratives and no short cuts, and I love the audio books too narrated by Kate Reading

The Return of the Duke is the 3rd installment in the Once Upon a Dukedom series. It lagged in a few spots but overall fairly enjoyable. It read more like a spy thriller with romance thrown in the mix. It had a little bit of everything. From an undercover Agent of the Crown, to street gangs, spying, and action packed sequences. The chemistry between the hero and heroine was sizzling and intense. Esme and Marcus are perfect for each other. Their love story is not conventional but they work together to save each other in the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This book went beyond the usual enemies to lovers trope. Marcus lost his inheritance when his father was executed for treason. Once he began investigating, he realized that Esme, his late father's mistress, was not what she seemed. Joining forces, due in part to their sizzling mutual attraction, the two of them work to solve the case. Characters from the earlier books in the series make an appearance, but the book can stand on its own. Marcus is an interesting character because he is trying to reinvent himself after being forced to start over. Esme is a very unusual woman for the era.
The treason being investigated is an assassination plot against Queen Victoria. The Queen herself even makes an appearance. I thought this was a bit awkward, but the Queen was portrayed like a regular human which was nice.
This story was steamy and action packed. I think that Lorraine Heath is an excellent author but I don't think this was her best work.
I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.