In Never Seduce a Duke, we see a return to the spotlight for two of the series' most hilarious, beloved side characters-- the recipe heist masters, Maeve and Myrtle. Just because they married off their niece with an epic showstopper of a wedding breakfast doesn't mean they're through with scheming. Their next targets are recipes of literal mythical quality, passed down and locked in a family vault on illuminated pages since the time of King Arthur. But oh yeah, this is a romance story, so let's get into it. Meg always thought she'd marry Daniel, the boy next door. Those plans went up in smoke when he married another, and now she has spinsterhood in her sights. Before she settles into her new reality, she agrees to one last hurrah, a trip to the Continent with the beloved Maeve and Myrtle as chaperones. Before they can even leave England, the lure of the recipes combined with a matchmaking scheme derail the whole affair.

Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton, takes his family duty to protect the Arthurian recipes dead seriously. Thieves intent on capturing the pages murdered his parents before his eyes as a child, and he's spent his adult life in experimentation, trying to prove to himself, if no one else, that the legends are true-- making his parents' sacrifice legitimate. Lucien has big neurodivergent energy. He needs step-by-step instructions and prefers literal communication. The allure of the unknown eludes him until a certain lady captures his imagination.

A cat-and-mouse chase ensues when the very same day that Meg visits the castle, the ancient book of recipes goes missing. Sure, that had been Maeve and Myrtle's intent, but their usual antics had no chance against a literal vault. Convinced that Meg must be the infamous thief, Lady Avalon, Lucien gives chase all the way to France as the ladies embark on their tour. He follows her relentlessly in his goal to retrieve the book and with a side of enthusiasm for locking horns with a witty femme fatale. Meanwhile, Meg finds she likes being mistaken for a world-class seductress-- a true upgrade from her last would-be-lover treating her like a child. And so she lets him continue to think her a master thief and chase her across Europe.

Their romance is a whirlwind, tied up in their respective schemes. Ironically, the one scheme that Lucien expects from Meg is the one that isn't real. In addition to their little games, their adventure is riddled with moments both sweet and spicy. Meg's always at the ready with a handkerchief when Lucien's glasses inevitably get too smudged to do their job. Lucien jumps into a lake to save a child, and Meg ogles him shamelessly. A cherry festival in Germany turns steamy after Meg beats a carnival game that Lucien was sure must be rigged after his own dismal failures.

If you think all this sounds utterly delightful, you'd be right. Here's the thing, though. The book gives a new spin to the final act breakup... because it comes about halfway through. With a secret pregnancy. And a two-year time jump. And a miscommunication that lingers that entire. Time. Their misunderstanding comes not only from the initial lie between them but also from ruthless outside forces. And while that fact could have lessened the blow from all that pining and running in circles, the fact is that I found Lucien inexcusably pig-headed. While Meg does her fair share to muddy the water and retain her secrets, it's the man of the hour, the king of logic, who refuses to see reason if it doesn't suit his decided narrative. So while I enjoyed the front half well enough because the lying was mostly fun at that point, the consequences are drawn out and more than I could handle. For fellow readers who are frustrated by extended final act nonsense, give this one a pass. If you're the type to love angst and melodrama, however, this one more than delivers. While Vivienne Lorret still reigns supreme in the genre, this one just wasn't to my tastes. Thanks to Avon for my copy to read and review!

3/5 Stars

This was honestly just a fun quick read for me. It honestly didn't blow my sock off but I had a great time. I had fun reading the first meeting between Lucien and Meg. I will say it did give Pride and Prejudice vibes, only in the way of them visiting the house and interacting a little. This does have a lot of traveling as part of the story since Meg and her aunts are essentially on a road trip. It was a fun quick read.

This story is about a man who is looking for a prized possession that was stolen from his family, and a woman who, after being jilted, decides to become a spinster. He mistakes her for a thief and she plays along because of an attraction they have for each other.
I really want to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. The characters didn't seem endearing, and the plot made me just want to put this book down and not pick it up again. Thanks to net galley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the honor of reading this advanced reader's copy This review is my unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed reading this historical romance, and I liked the characters, too!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I thought this was a great addition to the series. I loved seeing more of the aunts, and the scenario of the contention between the hero and heroine was just bonkers enough to be fun but believable.

Vivienne Lorret's "Never Seduce a Duke" is a delightful historical romance, securing a commendable 4.25 stars in my heart. Margaret Stredwick, our adventurous and witty heroine, takes us on a fast-paced journey filled with unexpected twists and second chances, coupled with the element of an unexpected bundle of joy, adds a layer of complexity that had me hooked. The flirtatious dance between Meg and Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton, is both amusing and endearing, creating a palpable romantic tension. The surprise baby trope is skillfully handled, adding depth to the storyline without overshadowing the humor and charm. Lorret weaves a tale of mistaken identities, stolen heirlooms, and the irresistible allure of love. "Never Seduce a Duke" a highly enjoyable read for fans of historical romance and those who appreciate a skillfully executed "big misunderstanding."

Lucien (our H) believes Meg (the h) stole his family heirloom from Arthurian times... and the love story grows from there. I liked both main characters, and the steamy goodness was steamy, but this was not my favorite book by this author who is one of my favorites. If you go in with mid-range expectations, it would be a good read for a rainy day kind of thing.

I really loved this one! I don't usually read historical romances but this one was so good!! I highly recommend it!

Although books with misunderstanding, and in this case, many, many misunderstandings are often frustrating to me, this one hooked me pretty quickly. I had to find out what happened ASAP, and devoured this book in just a few hours. It was good, and I was rooting for our hero and heroine the entire time. Well written, and I am looking forward to going back and catching the rest of the series.

A romance with a mystery twist. In a case of mistaken identity, Lucien, Duke of Ambrose, believes Meg to be a notorious thief and seductress. And when a family heirloom goes missing, Lucien is sure Meg has stolen it. Meg goes along with it for the excitement, until she discovers there are repercussions to her last ditch effort to live life before becoming a spinster.
Quick read and fun.

This book was not for me. I didn't like the characters. I don't like stories that revolve around lies and misunderstandings. I also realized that I don't like books that have a King Arthur element to it.

Vivienne Lorret is one of my absolute favorite authors. The matchmaking of scoundrels is a favorite series of mine as well, especially the first 2 in the series. Unfortunately, this 5th book, fell flat for me. It was a bit over the top and really was not an enjoyable story. I can handle hijinx that wouldn't usually happen, but some of the stuff in this book, it was just to far fetched. I dislike having to say I didn't like it, especially being a big fan of her other work, but it's my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This one was so disappointing and noone could be sadder than me about this because I loved the other books in this series, and I was looking forward to reading Meg's book! The meet cute between Meg and Lucien is quite hilarious and involves some fun shenanigans as her sister-in-law's aunts try to steal a recipe from his estate. But, at the same time a family heirloom goes missing and Lucien is convinced that Meg must have stolen it and follows her as she goes around the continent for a tour. And as Meg is also looking to have some fun so she doesn't deny it outright. They strike up a flirtation of sorts that soon turns into something more.

So up till this point I was having fun. After reading the blurb I had an inkling that we would have an unexpected pregnancy so I was prepared for that. But what I was not prepared for was the dreaded trope that came after it, the bonkers plot and sooo much miscommunication. Like after 50%, the characters started behaving uncharacteristically just for the sake of the plot.

Also, another thing that annoyed me was how Brandon's character was changed too. He was my favorite from the previous books(still is) but you're telling me that this overprotective brother who was hovering around Meg in the previous book would have let Lucien get away with all of this if what they were thinking was true? I can't believe that. Even if they hadn't revealed the secret, Brandon would have punched him atleast lol. And at many times the plot and some scenes were rushed in order to reach a certain point later - especially for the time jump. The villain was also quite obvious and very one dimensional. Like I can't believe that for two MCs who were very clever at first, they ended up being led around by the nose. Also, the grovel at the end was just not enough and made me feel very irritated because almost all of this was his fault.
Anyway, this one was a huge disappointment for me and is probably the only Vivienne Lorret book that I've disliked. I'd still recommend the other books in the series as they're amazing!

It was a fun read. Although there was misunderstanding or twist in the story line it was a good book. I liked the main characters and felt their attractive toward very early on.

This book is a strange mix of high steam and ridiculous hijinks. The combination didn’t really gel for me in this case, but if it’s something you usually enjoy it might be worth a try.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was witty, romantic, entertaining, and kept me guessing!

I have really enjoyed this series by Vivienne Lorret, but I think Margaret and Lucien may be my favorite couple. I am a sucker for a well done grumpy/sunshine story!

When the story starts, Margaret is on a “grand tour” of sorts with her two aunts, who have a penchant for stealing recipes from different estates and restaurants. You see, they want to marry their nieces off and host the grandest, most lavish wedding breakfasts London has ever seen. They will do most anything to make this happen, even staging an “accidental” meeting at a duke’s estate while they are pilfering a recipe from his cook’s office.

There are definitely sparks when Lucien and Margaret meet, but not necessarily the romantic kind (at first). They are opposites and butt heads immediately. Lucien doesn’t believe Margaret was innocently touring his estate when she “ran into him” and this belief is solidified when a precious family heirloom goes missing at the same time Margaret and the aunts were there.

Lucien tracks Margaret down to confront her about her alleged thievery and this starts a cat and mouse game between them. Lucien doesn’t believe her that she is innocent and doesn’t know where his family heirloom is and Margaret doesn’t know how to convince him. Meanwhile, they are becoming more and more attracted to each other and their banter is becoming increasingly more charged as they fight their attraction.

I will warn there is a time jump in this story. Normally, those are not my favorite thing, but somehow it worked here. Vivienne Lorret convinced me the time jump both made sense and was necessary for them both.

I feel like I should have seen the twist at the end (both twists?), but I honestly didn’t! I loved the resolution, though, and found myself satisfied with how their story ended.

I would recommend this whole series!

I enoyed this a lot and really liked the two leads. I want to go back andread the rest of the series now.

Meg is on a holiday after being jilted by a man. She ends up meeting Lucien, Duke of Ambrose when she is on tour of his estate. Lucien is attracted to Meg but thinks she stole a missing family heirloom. Meg feels flattered to be taken for a woman that seduces men and then stealing from them. The two end up having an affair with Meg leaving for home with more than just memories. Will Meg end up alone or will Lucien find out who she is before things get to far along?

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Meg and her aunts are on a mission to collect the best recipes possible. One of those recipes belonged to Lucien, a duke who also has a collection of more priceless recipes that are his family’s legacy. When Meg happens to steal the singular recipe, a mysterious Lady Avalon steals the Arthurian book. Thus Lucian begins a pursuit of Meg and her aunts to Paris, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy where Meg makes the decision to play into his impression of her as Lady Avalon… seducing him and falling in love with him in the process. His suspicions of the Parrish women never fade, they just get muddled by his feelings, which always makes things messy. This was such a fun read, full of romance, travel, mystery, and mythology and I would recommend it to fans of the Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem series by Manda Collins!

So I will be honest that I wasn’t invested at the beginning of this book. It wasn’t until there was a road trip and a chase across Europe that I was like, “Hey wait a minute…” and paid more attention. Also apologies for a late review for this one, I was waiting to review HC titles until the strike ended.

The first time I started this novel, I actually couldn't get into it. I'm not sure what was going through my mind at the time but I was always distracted and I felt like I was missing integral parts of the beginning. So I set it aside and decided to come back to it later.

I'm quite glad I did! There are a number of tropes that I love occurring such as a Bespectacled Hero, Fated Mates, Road Trip Romance, and Secret Baby, in addition to a nefarious theft plot. By the second half of the book I was sucked in, and I actually started to feel a few different inspirations happening. From Practical Magic to The Mummy, little bits of characterization and dialogue jumped out at me. I didn't always understand some of the things the Hero said because he's so practical in what he says that it's almost scientific (actually it mostly is).

The most enjoyable parts of the love story was the push-and-pull between Lucian and Meg. The fact that in spite of the thievery and cat/mouse game they played, they still couldn't keep their hands off each other. It's one of the most appealing Fated Mates stories I've read in a while. Not to mention that Secret Babies are some of my favorite tropes because they add that extra amount of angst between characters.