Wow! I couldn’t put this book down! I absolutely loved it. Margaret Stredwick believes in fate and love and her family legacy of marrying one’s soul mate. So when her childhood sweetheart and who she believed was her person marries another, she’s crushed. She decides to go on holiday with her quirky recipe swindling aunts to get over him. One grand adventure before she goes home and lives the life of a spinster aunt…but fate has other plans.

Lucian, The Duke of Merleton is logical, literal and brilliant, annoyingly so. He is the keeper of a legendary recipe book that fed King Arthur and the Knights of the round table. It is his family legacy and he will do anything to protect it. When he finds Meg lurking around Caliburn Keep he is convinced that she is up to something, he’s drawn to her and doesn’t know why? Is it a magical pie he ate from the he recipe book? Is it fate? Being a man of logic and reason he must find out!

When the magic recipe book goes missing, the chase is on! He follows Meg around Europe, but when she disappears after a passionate night in Italy along with his book he’s furious and stops at nothing until he finds her!

I ABSOLUTELY recommend! Fun story, incredible HEA, kooky meddling aunts, fate and Arthurian legend, the male main character perspective was so unique and fun to read because of his logical brain, I laughed so many times reading Lucian’s perspective! The ending was so romantic it ruined me and I have a book hangover.

Men who wear glasses are always superior. This book was such a good read. The way Vivienne gave importance to every character and described the beautiful relation between LucienMeg is so good to read.

MegLucien are two sides of coin in regards to their personality and the way Meg brings best out of Lucien, Lucien make sure he respects Meg's thoughts despite thinking she is theif is really good to see. The banter and wittiness in this book is such a entertainment to read. I saw the plot twist coming from 50% and I couldn't be happy to be proved right.

The only thing I felt lacking was the ladies friendship. While it appeared at the end, I wish it would be more. Overall If you're looking for a historical romance with sexual tension and plot twist then you need to read this.

I love historical fiction romances! I like how the author includes references to King Arthur and the round Table throughout the book. Definitely recommend reading this book!

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.
A nice easy read.

✨Glasses stay on during sex 😤✨

At the end of the last one, this book was teased with this iconic poem and I swear I JUMPED on NetGalley:

When a debutante makes passes
at a duke who wears glasses,
she just might end up with more
than she ever bargained for!

First, Dorothy Parker is a queen I love the reference. Second, truly the book delivered on everything promised. Not only was our heroine obsessed with his glasses, but also this was truly more than I bargained for. It was weird and definitely unhinged, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had to fight the urge to share quotes. The book was entirely cooky but that’s my brand so I’m going to give you a brief overview because while I did love it, I was very much confused about what I got myself into.

✨

So the book summary says a family heirloom was stolen from Lucien but it’s so much MORE. Basically Lucien’s family was obsessed with Arthurian legends and believed this recipe book they had was filled with legit magical recipes (to make you stronger, live longer etc). Lucien is desperately trying to feel connections to his ancestors so he’s testing a bunch of recipes. Meanwhile, Meg is on a grand tour with her sister-in-law’s cooky aunts, who happen to be in the business of stealing recipes.

WELL Meg ends up at Lucien’s estate and runs into him—quite literally. He’s wearing an apron and his glasses are totally dirty, as he’s just been testing recipes. As soon as she’s all pressed up on him, he’s like “GREAT SCOTT the recipe WORKS because I’m feeling all strong and my senses are heightened.” Of course, he was just horny. They way I laughed.

Then after their meet cute, he realizes that the recipe book has been stolen and follows Meg around on her tour, slowly winning her heart and quickly winning mine. He thinks she stole the book and she’s like no but also if I say yes he’ll keep following me and he. is. hot. so I see only pros here.

The second half of the book takes place two years post their summer affair. The end was dramatic and I greatly appreciated the chaotic medieval vibes.

✨

Okay was I absolutely obsessed with Lucien’s hyper-analytical way of speaking? Absolutely. He felt like a historical romance version of Bones. I just could not get over how he was like I must understand and excel at everything so let me go become a sex god real quick 😭 I was expecting him to be a bit bumbling in the bedroom but LORD was I wrong. He had urges and he knew what to do with them.

Meg was honestly just so relatable. She just wanted to find her soul mate and have a little summer loving before she accepts her spinster fate and if that isn’t me… I also loved when she shifted to just full on trying to flirt Lucien into her bed. I really liked Meg a lot. She stood up for herself many times and knew what she deserved. I liked seeing Brandon’s cameo since he was her brother (I also love some good overprotective sibling vibes).

✨

Lorret did such a great job proving that Lucien and Meg were meant to be together. There was so much more to Lucien’s character than I first thought, and Meg was my relatable queen. Their first time together was intense and whenever there’s a non-missionary losing one’s virginity scene, I give bonus points.

My favorite thing about the scene was when Meg was ready to get mounted because that’s what she’d seen som NSFW horses do, so she started to bend over and offer up her hindquarters 😭

Their sexual tension throughout the book was marvelous and there was a very good hate sex finger-bang scene. However, I do think we needed a final se scene after his last proposal.

✨

Overall, Lucien and Meg together really solidified my five stars. The last half of the book kind of threw me, but I embraced the chaos and ate up the drama. Lorret is such a fun and clever writer. Her humor is so great and I don’t think she’s talked about enough in the histromcom sphere. I can’t wait for the next book and hope we get Pell’s story too!


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5

Received a copy for review.*
This book had a little bit of everything: 2 families with very specific legends; a grumpy science minded Duke, a bit of a scoundrel heroine, a missing family heirloom, an accidental pregnancy, a mystery, a second chance, & a bad guy hiding in plain sight.
I loved how convinced of the family legend Lucien is even though he is a man of science.
Meg is delightful. Her aunts are interesting.
This book is a really easy read with a lot going on.

I almost screamed when I got approved for an ARC on Netgalley. Ever since finishing the previous book I have been anxiously awaiting this one. I started reading last night and finished this afternoon. I had to pause the book to go to class and it almost killed me. Meg is such a great heroine and I really enjoyed her story. Lucien is a mixed bag, but overall a positive. He's also the epitome of a genius idiot. So smart, but so so dumb. I found it slightly odd that something that was in the back of the previous book didn't actually come up in here until over halfway through. This made it so I was waiting for that moment to happen and kept being surprised when it wasn't here yet. I felt that Lucien could have had a slightly stronger grovel, given how long he didn't believe Meg about some things. All in all, I really enjoyed it!

“What is the point of doing anything if it doesn’t feel natural?”

An adventurous Arthurian love story that is also way too long and frustrating.

This book was weird. I enjoyed it, yet I didn’t. Honestly it could have been two separate books. The first half of the book was a fun escapade over the continent, and then suddenly it was a second chance romance two years later and everything was falling apart.
The main characters were so sweet and had strong voices. I especially loved that Lucien’s point of view really sounded like a scientist. The supporting cast was amazing. When a book opens with two old ladies matchmaking and stealing recipes, I’m sold. And Pell, Lucien’s cousin, was hilarious and deserved his own book.
But then we come to the most frustrating villain. I can’t say that calling Morgan bad is a spoiler, because you can tell from her first words, and also because in a book with heavy King Arthur overtones a character named Morgan is bound to be a villain. The way NO ONE realizes she’s behind everything is incredibly frustrating.
But then, the whole second half of the book is frustrating! He doesn’t get her letters, she doesn’t tell him who Guinevere is, he doesn’t believe anything she says. I wanted to pull my hair out! It was even more upsetting because I had enjoyed the first half of the book so much. When he had only known her a few days I understood why he didn’t believe her, but when so much time has passed it just didn’t logically make sense that this smart man hadn’t pieced anything together.
So I can’t really tell you if I enjoyed this book. The writing was awesome. Vivienne Lorret treats us to some truly beautiful word choices, like flibbertigibbet, fuddling, and deliquesce. The main couple was also really sweet and actually made me tear up. But the second half of the book made me anxious and antsy. Overall I think it’s a good book if you’re ok with some edge of your seat, slightly unbelievable shenanigans.

TW: Death, illness, vomit, toxic relationship
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, second chance?

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. Opinions are all my own.

Meg goes on a European adventure with Ellie’s aunts and is mistaken for a famous thief by the Duke of Merleton. Wanting a grand adventure and flirtation, Meg plays into Lucien’s belief that she’s Lady Avalon and the two develop a relationship even as they bicker. This is really a two part book, which chapter 19 starting the second part with a time jump.

What I liked:
-Ms. Lorret’s signature wit and character banter, which is always a joy
-The aunts, as usual, make me snicker
-Lucien’s exacting manner of thinking and speaking was so endearing even when it got him in trouble with Meg
-The cat n mouse games of the first half was a nice change of pace for an HR novel and lent an exciting vibe for the book.
-The last pages with the other woman, discussing their book and Meg’s realization haha
-“Wooshen”
-Cousin Pell and how he was always on Lucien’s case about Meg and seemed to realize their connection before they even did.

What I didn’t like:
-The book the book the book. We have at least 5 chapters establishing the aunts and Meg’s trips and Lucien’s family’s cookbook and it just felt like too much upfront.
-I did not like the time jump in chapter 19; I would have rather seen Meg deal with the fallout.
-The friend group was only in the last few pages and that was disappointing. I know Meg was away for 60% of the book but it would’ve been nice to see the other women help her through her “unexpected souvenir” issue. As the (I’m supposing) last book of this series, I would’ve liked more past characters to pop in and close out the entire thing.
-The villain was easily spotted as soon as they were on page. I didn’t know why they were doing what they were doing right away, but pegged them as “it” quite easily.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it fell short in comparison to the 5 star quality of the other 4. I would recommend it to any HR lover, especially for someone looking for something slightly different than the normal HR. I am wondering if Pell and/Honoria Hartley have their own book coming? They felt like too strong of side characters not to get their own.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up
Spice:: 🌶🌶

*I received this arc via NetGalley and HarperCollins. All opinions expressed are my own.*

In USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret’s latest romance, a young lady engages in a steamy flirtation with a bespectacled, studious duke while on holiday, only to return with more than just memories...

After being jilted, Margaret Stredwick has sworn off men and marriage. What she needs is a holiday. But a detour along the way takes a surprising turn that leads Meg to him. And soon she starts to wonder if she should indulge in one grand flirtation before she’s firmly on the shelf.

The instant Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton, finds a strange woman touring the halls of his ancient estate, he knows the minx is up to something. So, when a family heirloom is stolen, it’s clear who the culprit is. She may tempt him beyond reason, but he isn’t about to let her get away, even if he has to chase her across the continent.

Meg never imagined that anyone would mistake her for a notorious thief, known for seducing men to distraction. It’s the most thrilling thing ever! She eagerly plays along. . . until she finds herself falling in love with a man who has no idea who she really is. And by the time she returns to her ordinary life, she discovers that her grand flirtation won’t be a secret for long. Apparently, she brought home an unexpected souvenir...

Book 5 in this series and yet another wonderfully written book. Broken down into two parts, i enjoyed part one more, but it was still a great book overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It seems silly that I started this series with this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher offering an ARC, but I'm so glad I did! I fully intend to go back and read the other 4 in this series. The writing was brilliant (of course, knowing Lorret) and the characters were delightful. From the meddling aunts to the hero/heroine each character was developed and felt like a full person. Though I am often irritated by h/h pairs who keep things from one another, this book made it very clear from the start that they were keeping just as much from themselves as each other and made it a treat to unfold the mystery with them. A few fabulous twists take us on this journey and I could not be more pleased with it. Bravo!

Lucien and Meg is love story is angsty and full of tribulations. At the end, love wins out. They have to learn how to trust each other and care for each other. Finally, the learn that although they had to surpass many different obstacles they were each other soul counterpart.

Meg is on vacation with her aunts and wants one last bout of fun before becoming a spinster. It's never that easy or fun. They tour a house, steal something and continue on with their fun. Until its not fun anymore and they keep encountering a certain Lord. Things go awry. I'm a big fan of Vivienne L. and she did not disappoint. Great read!

I want to start by saying I love Vivienne Lorret. She always gives me the dopamine boost I need to make it through the day. With that said, I am not sure this book worked for me.
In my head, this book is broken into two parts. Part II begins in chapter 22, and I can reveal the turning point because of spoilers, but it is a big one for me.
Part I is fantastic! It was a 5 star read for me. I understand that it might be too kooky for some people, but it was a nice change of pace as someone who reads a lot of Historicals. It had everything I love in a story, a witty couple, some wild side characters, and chemistry that made me believe this couple would fall in love.
Part II had some real consequences and it just saddened me for everyone involved; for that, part II is a 3-star read for me. The writing was still engaging, and the characters were still witty, but I almost hated the storyline, yet I still read it in one sitting.

I got to enjoy this book thanks to NetGalley and author Vivienne Lorret.

This book was pretty good thank you for the arc and letting me form my own opinion on it. I liked how she was getting recipes and it was like from King Arthur's recipe book. I also like her relationship with the Duke. Enemies to lovers slow burn type of Trope. I like how their chemistry was. i loved even in the beginning when they described the book as a gothic estate, it reminded me of spooky even though it wasn't about that in the story. Great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed Vivienne Lorret's NEVER SEDUCE A DUKE! It has two things I love: a mystery and a cross country chase.

Lucien and Meg were such phenomenal characters, both together and individually. Their chemistry was off the charts, even with a time skip. My face lit up even more when Pell and Morgan were on the page! I cannot wait to read their stories if they have future novels.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this novel!

I loved the book until around chapter 22. Then I was beyond frustrated with the intentional withholding of information and no communication. This went on and on until around chapter 32, then the story picked back up. This book would have been fantastic without those 10 or so frustrating chapters. The aunts and their recipes were hilarious just like in the previous books. I found it quite unrealistic that the mc’s body didn’t change in the two years between them seeing each other naked, and on that note that he didn’t realize she was a virgin the first time they were together. The couple was very hot together. I could feel their connection from the beginning to the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Vivienne Lorret for the arc via Netgalley.

I never thought I’d complain of this in a book review, but this book was simply too kooky. I really wanted to like it, because I’m a fan of Vivienne Lorret’s work in general. But while I was intrigued by the jilted, love-wary heroine and the nerdy, glasses-wearing duke at the heart of this tale, there are just so many other wacky fringe characters and unnecessary, almost surrealistic plot machinations to wade through to get to that heart. It’s hard to track their romance, much less grow enamored of it, as that plot line fights to breathe beside a centuries-long search for (magical?) historical recipes, convoluted culinary experiments, a pair of eccentric meddling aunts who for a while have more lines than the main character, more than one potential secret identity, and a pattern of robberies, among other distractions. For much of the book’s beginning, our duke spends significant time muddling through multiple theories regarding Meg’s true identity, and there are just so many layers to navigate that I never got attached enough to the characters and their relationship to care very strongly about them at the book’s close — and this despite a surprise plot twist later on of a category that normally brings me great joy in a romance read.