Margaret Stredwick is off on holiday with her aunts-by-marriage, but first they make a stop at the country home of Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton. The reclusive duke is suspicious to her presence in his home, especially when a family heirloom is stolen. Lucien is determined to get his property back, even if it means following the ladies across the continent! Meg's declarations of innocence fall on deaf ears, so she decides to play along in a grand flirtatious adventure that has unexpected consequences.

This is the fifth book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. Margaret is the sister of book three's hero, Brandon, Marquess of Hullworth. I would recommend reading book three where Meg's family is introduced, as well as her sister-in-law Ellie's fliratious, recipe-stealing aunts.

I loved that Meg got her own book, and that the aunts made another appearance to bring in some fun. I struggled a bit with the hero though, who was a dry character that I don't think got enough character development. There were some abrupt moments that gave me a "wait, what?" feeling and I had to reread a few spots. There was meant to be a cat-and-mouse element, but it lacked punch and was really just Lucien following Meg and hurling accusations. This book was a bit of a roller coaster but, in the end, I did enjoy it. Give it a try if you like grumpy/sunshine pairings, couple that spend a lot of on-page time together, and a little bit of legend sprinkled in.

Tropes: Jilted, Opposites Attract, Road Trip, Revenge, Mistaken Identity, Secret Baby

Steam: 2

I think this is my favorite case of mistaken identity ever! Lucian and Meg are playing this strange cat-and-mouse game across France, Germany, and Italy. Lucian wants his book back and intends to follow Meg and get her to tell him where it is. Meg while not telling him the whole truth about who she is, tells him at every opportunity that she doesn't have it. This causes them to start spending a whole lot of time together and we know where that will lead! I loved Meg's and Lucian's interactions, every time she cleaned his glasses and made him bend down so she could put them on him made my heart melt. I loved their arguments and how much chemistry they had with each other. Lucian is very stubborn and analytical and matching him with Meg was perfect!

Lucian has found that the recipe book that his family has been guarding for generations has gone missing with a note from the notorious thief Lady Avalon, he knows it can be no other that the mysteriously alluring woman he found sneaking around his house.

Meg isn't Lady Avalon and has no idea what happened to the book, but Lucian is determined to get her to tell him where it is, so since she will be firmly on the shelf when she returns from her vacation, and Lucian seems to be the only man to see her as an adult woman who is alluring she decides to play along a bit... Neither one of them intends to catch feelings for one another, but of course, they can't help but do exactly that!

The ending got a little bit crazy but I loved every moment, and has definitely a new favorite! I can't wait to see who gets their happily ever after next!

Meg grew up on the tales of King Arthur. Her family also believes in one true love. Lucien grew up scientifically and needed everything proven to him. He is also the keeper of the family recipe book supposedly belonging to King Arthur. They meet by chance. The book has been stolen. Thus begins a chase across Europe.

This was mediocre at best and infuriating at its worst. It wasn’t awful but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like King Arthur lore

This was a major disappointment for a Vivienne Lorret novel. The entire story is based on misunderstandings, and not simply one big misunderstanding, but two. It especially doesn't help matters that our hero, Lucien, is so utterly thick that he refuses to believe the truth no matter it staring him in the face and directly saying that he does not know what is really going on. Because of this, he spends the entire book seemingly not falling for Meg, but falling for some sort of alter-ego that he has made up and assigned to her. Everything Meg believes and is, he seems to find ridiculous until the very end of the book, and yet this is the love story that is meant to be invested in.

Meg is also somewhat baffling because she is into him despite him constantly not believing her and belittling and insulting her. It's actual madness. These two people seem so ill-suited towards each other and I can't fathom why they like each other.

The structure of the novel is also disappointing because there's really no major need for a two year time jump in the middle. These characters do not evolve or change in that time, they simply move on to a different misunderstanding.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel could have been a more enjoyable read than it was. I liked the spunk and humor of the heroine but the Duke was so dry it sucked the romance out of the story. He was too nerdy and awkward I just couldn't get into the story.

I had a great time with this book! The elderly aunts who steal recipes were real scene-stealers, and the entire premise was somewhat silly and very fun, but Lorret layers real feelings on top that keeps the romance plot really moving. I feel as though big time jumps can often go wrong in novels, but this one really worked. I've read some, but not all, of the rest of this series, so it can definitely be read either in conjunction with the others or independently.

The overall plot, pairing, and supporting characters were great. While it was easy to follow, the pacing was a bit off for my liking. Very slow to "how did we get here" speed. I think with just a little tweaking, the story would have been more well rounded.

Never Seduce a Duke has such a fun concept.
A duke whose obsessed with Arthurian legends and his family's recipe book that supposedly has magic qualities in it gets stolen. The heroine is a on tour of his estate (think Pride & Prejudice when they are touring Darcy's estate). They have a meet cute that is actually quite adorable and hit it off right away. The heroine loves his glasses too! I hardly ever read about men wearing glasses, especially in historical so this was a quite unique and sweet. However, once his recipe book is missing, the duke believes the heroine took it during her tour of his home. The heroine has not stolen the recipe book but the hero does not believe her. Thus ensues a boatload of miscommunication.
This book was unexpectedly steamy! I was not expecting it but I am happy it was there.
Overall, a fun, wacky time with a lot of twist and turns and a fun romance too.

I loved this book. It has charming characters in a silly story. I would read anything from this author.

THE REVIEW
Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton is a scientist who has devoted his life to unlocking the secrets of an ancient recipe book passed down since the time of King Arthur. The recipes, if made correctly, gave King Arthur’s knight’s strength, courage and other qualities that made them the renown knights they were. Lucien is very smart and socially awkward.

Margaret Stredwick is the wallflower sister to the Marquess of Hullworth has had a very average life until she was jilted and devoted herself to becoming a spinster. When Meg and her sister-in-laws aunts head out on a holiday to the continent, they make a stop at the Duke of Merleton’s estate, under the aunts pretense of touring the beautiful property. They sweet talk their way into the house for a tour and as they are escaping after stealing a recipe from the cooks cookbook, Meg is caught by the Duke himself. When the Duke realizes that the precious recipe book is missing from his vault, he is convinced Meg stole it and follows her to France. He is convinced she is Lady Avalon, who is known for seducing men and stealing precious items from them! And so begins an interesting game of cat and mouse where Meg has no idea about the real reason Lucien is so interested in her!

This book took a while to take hold for me. I was excited for the unique storyline but I found it frustrating at times. But the second half of the book felt like a completely different story and made the pace pick up for me again. The plot twist was a complete surprise to me! Overall, cute couple and happy ending, even if it did waiver a bit for me.

TROPES
Historical Romance, Orphaned Hero, Orphaned Heroine, Titled Hero, Secret Identity, Enemies to Lovers, Starchy Hero, Titled Hero, Aggressive Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Wallflower Heroine, Sunshine/Grump, Forced Proximity, Secret Baby, Second Chance, Fated Mates, Secrets & Lies, Four Star, Three Flame, Road Trip Trope, Scientist Hero, Byronic Hero

3.5 stars

“You see, he thinks I stole something from him.”
“His heart?”


This was a fun read in such an annoying way.

📖 Lucien thinks that Meg stole his family heirloom from him.

📖 Lucien chases her across Europe.

📖 She denies stealing from him saying that she’s not who she think she is.

📖 He doesn’t listen (yes he’s the kind of guy who thinks he’s always write with his hyper analytical way of thinking and speaking) and kept on sticking with her till he could get his book back.

📖 She would think “fine I can’t change his mind.” “why even trying? Let him think what he want.” “why not have a fun holiday and enjoy flirting with him”

And you can guess the rest. All the miscommunication, annoying choices were made, the frustration, as I said, such an annoying fun time. Also, the thief was pretty obvious, for such a smart guy Lucien was so oblivious.

Huge Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.

Great story! I found the storyline and characters in this story hilarious. I loved that Lucian was so convinced that Meg had to be the seductress because he was so attracted to her. His very literal way of talking and dry humor were amazing to read. I do wish that there hadn't been a two year gap in the middle because it felt unnecessary. I also would have liked if there was a more completed feeling to the end especially with the villain. We find out who it is and then nothing. Overall I found the story entertaining and the first half a 5 star book. Because of some frustrating parts towards the end I'll give the book 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

With every Vivienne Lorret book I read, the more I fall in love with her stories and she is easily becoming one of my favorite historical romance writers. While I did not like this book as much as I liked the others that I have read by her, I still enjoyed it very much. the issues that I ran into is the hated 'miscommunication' trope, but with an added intentional miscommunication. A lot of the problems and issues that the characters had were have been easily solved if they had just been honest and listened to each other. This caused the story to get a little convoluted towards the end.

Lucien is such a loveable character and it was amusing to see utterly clueless someone so smart could be. Watching him try to be logical about falling in love with Meg was so humorous to watch. Meg was a likeable character but I will admit that she frustrated me a few times and had me wanting to scream "just tell the truth!" to her multiple times throughout the book.

The sexual tension and romance between both of them was perfect even if the pacing was a little rushed <spoiler> especially with the surprise time jump that came out of nowhere</spoiler>. The plot of the story was a bit darker than what I'm used to with this author but it was still a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to read what she writes next.

I love a book that seem,s resolved and everything seems great and then you realize you’re only half way through! This book was bananas. I did guess who the villain was correctly but it took me a while to get there, so that plot device worked well. So much about this book was surprising in a good way and I really liked it.

This felt like two separate books, I unfortunately haven't read her others so I feel like I was missing a few details. I wanted to love this but I couldn’t get past how all the problems they seemed to have was because of their lack of communication. I hate the miscommunication trope the most.

Light, witty and at times emotional. It’s the journey to that ending that makes this an enjoyable book. Overall, I enjoyed this story and, it was a good read.Love it

This story leads one on an adventure that starts in England and through the Continent where Lucien follows Margaret to find a family book that was stolen from him. This love story was a delightful read! I would recommend.

Never Seduce a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

This was my first book by this author and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this book especially after it picked up a couple of chapters into it. Margaret Stredwick was a smart, fun, and adventurous lady. She had no idea what she would find on a trip with her two "wild aunts". They traveled to Paris, Germany, and then Italy before heading back to England after the aunts had been caught. During that time Meg met Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton, there was an instant spark between them even if they both failed to realize it at that moment.

Meg stole a recipe from the Duke's home. However, someone had already stolen a valuable recipe book from the Duke, so, in the mix of things, the Duke assumed that it was Meg who stole the book. Since the book was very important to him (read the book to find out why) he took his cousin and they went after Meg (thinking she was the thief known as Lady Avalon). Lady Avalon was a seductress according to the Duke so he was very aware not to fall for her seducing ways. Meg eventually put things together and figured out that the Duke thought she stole the book but instead of telling him the thruth right away, she decided to have a little fun during the summer and have a 1 grand flirtation during her trip, so, she played the seductress and was able to capture the attention of the Duke. Unfortunately, like all great stories it doesn't end there and there is a BIG miscommunication that happens, and they get seperated. It was fun and nerve racking to see how they find themselves back together.

Lucien and Meg had a fun dynamic I enjoyed their banter, it was entertaining throughout the book. I love the passion they had for one another. Lucien was the scientific sort and did not believe in love and Meg was a hopeless romantic, it was amusing to see how Lucien fought those feeling until the very end until he realized they were meant to be. They were each other counterparts.

This was also my first book where the hero wore glasses. I kept imagining like a Clark Kent type of character., more like Christopher Reeve,

Loved the book! 4.5/5
Heat Level: 3/5 this book had like 3 very passionate scenes

This book comes out on February 21, 2023!!

Never Seduce A Duke is a sorry, I can't put this book down right now, I don't care if the diaper stinks, you change it. Lucky for me, I have no babies in the family. Vivienne Lorret has created a fun historical romance and populated it with a wild and lovable cast of characters. Meg is traveling with her two mischievous aunts hunting and tasting fabulous food and coming away with the recipe, by hook or by crook. When they talk their way into Caliburn Keep and steal a recipe, Meg is almost caught by the owner. Lucien is the Duke of Merleton and keeper of the family recipe book. When the book goes missing he starts following Meg believing she has the book. Lucien and Meg's story is loaded with drama, humor, spice, action and suspense. This book held me captive from start to finish and I look forward to my next book by Vivienne Lorret. Never Seduce A Duke is book 5 of The Mating Habits of Scoundrels Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.

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

To start I've loved plenty of Vivienne Lorret's books in the past, but this book was a bit of an outlier for me. As usual I enjoyed the writing; there is a lot of great banter between Meg and Lucien. I liked her Aunts and all the drama surrounding them. The first half of the book felt a bit slow, and I was curious where the book was going to go when you get a very dramatic time jump. It felt abrupt and I just didn't really enjoy where the story went from there. Throughout the book there is a lot of miscommunication between Meg and Lucien, lying or stretching truths, and then not believing one another. It just wasn't really my cup of tea. I'll continue to pick up Lorret's books, and perhaps if you were in the mood for a non-traditional historical romance you many enjoy this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide an honest review.