ANyone who was following this series has been waiting for the elusive new duke to show up! I know I was. This is another Sophie Jordan classic! Filled with lots of spice and drama. The new duke has a scandalous past because of course, he was not expecting to become the duke. His new housekeeper adds to the push and pull of doing what's proper or not and we get a love story of class differences.
You can never go wrong with Sophie Jordan! I am so happy to have gotten a chance to read this book from the publisher. Thank you to Avon and Sophie Jordan!

3.5 stars? Overall I enjoyed this for what it was, but I do wish the story inside was as incredible as that cover! I felt really invested in the romance at times, but at other times I found myself getting bored 🤷🏻‍♀️

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I have to say this cover is telling a particular story that does not match up with the actual book. I don’t hold it against Jordan, but I do wish a cover with a clearly dominant heroine matched a book with a heroine that actually takes a dominant role.

That being said, the book itself was fine. It felt like there was a little something missing in the relationship, but otherwise not much to complain about—but not much to rave about either. Just…fine.

Susanna isn't exactly happy with her life, but she accepts that her situation is as good as it can be given her history. She works for the Duke of Penning where she serves as the housekeeper, and she plans to keep that job until she retires. When she learns that her current employer is a phony and that the new (and rightful) Duke of Penning is a grump, she reconsiders whether she wants to stay on. Lucian never expected to become the Duke of Penning but now that he is, he takes the job very seriously. So, finding himself attracted to his housekeeper is a great big no no. He wants her gone so he can concentrate on being the duke and finding his sisters good husbands. Unfortunately, the universe wants them together. Can they avoid acting on their attraction to one another or will they eventually give in? Can two people with checkered pasts find lasting love?

Susanna has a time-tested backstory of being a woman who is deemed soiled by society because she gave into passion with a man, she thought she would marry. I like that the author chose to give Susanna a fake identity so she could have the job of housekeeper. It allowed the bad guy to torment Susanna with threats about revealing her past indiscretions. Susanna is smart and capable and very serious about doing a good job. The author allowed the character to slowly let down her walls and learn to love. It made perfect sense why she would be reluctant to take a chance. Lucian has a really great backstory. I don't think I've even seen that as the background for a male character in an historical romance. The way the author revealed it to readers was good but the way she revealed it to Susanna was excellent. Lucian gets the chance during the story to learn that he needs to trust people and that love is possible. There are lots of smart little bits added to the story that help it make sense. For example, Susanna has all of the education a proper high-born woman would have because she was hired to be the companion of a high-born girl. It means that she would be an excellent housekeeper but also be an excellent duchess.

I was confused by the end. Yes, they end up as a couple. I would think that the duke suddenly deciding to marry his housekeeper would be a scandal but none of that appears in the story. I guess I went into the story with expectations and that's my problem but not really a problem with the story itself.

This is an historical romance set in England. The characters are both adults grappling with their sordid pasts. I would recommend this story if you like historicals but I think more romance readers would enjoy this story for it's creativity. I will read more from this author in the future.

The Duke Starts a Scandal is the fourth - and final - book in the historical romance series The Duke Hunt by Sophie Jordan. I really enjoyed the first book, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to get my hot little hands on this final installment. Like the first, this one stands alone, so you won't be lost. This volume is steamy, too. When the world is going to hell in a handbasket, sometimes you need a little guilty pleasure to keep you sane. This book fits the bill!

Lucian is the new Duke of Penning, and he will do everything he can to be respectable. You see, he has a secret from his past, and he wants to keep that secret so he can provide good lives for his two beloved sisters. In order to do this, he must court and wed an aristocratic woman. That's easier said than done, however, when his beautiful and fiery housekeeper is such a distraction! Susanna Lockhart had been the housekeeper for the previous duke, quite an accomplishment for such a young woman. Susanna, too, has a secret that cannot get out. (Quite a lot of secrets going on in that house, aren't there?) She knows romance isn't for her, as she must be proper and efficient at all times. But the handsome, grumpy new duke is irresistible and makes her want to forget how things simply CANNOT be between the two of them. Or can they?

It took me a bit of time to get into this book, as I was horribly distracted by terrible current events. To keep my sanity, I made myself turn off the television and dive into my book instead. I am so glad I did! This story was charming, witty, heartbreaking, funny and steamy, exactly what I needed. I loved both Lucian and Susanna. Lucian was rather off-putting at first, but as his past became known, it was completely understandable. (Don't worry, I won't ruin the secrets of either one of them; I don't want to spoil the story.) He loved his sisters and wanted to find good matches for both Mattie and Evelyn. He was surly after his first meeting with Susanna, before he knew she was his housekeeper. He began to court two women at the house party he was hosting, but they both paled in comparison to Susanna. Susanna left home at a young age and worked very hard to become a trusted housekeeper. She couldn't let word of her past come out, lest she lose her hard-earned position. (However, a man named Billings arrived at the house party, and he recognized her and was trying to blackmail her!) Lucian threatened to fire Susanna at first, but he came to see her for the special woman she was. They both fought their attraction, but it was useless. When they came together physically, it was quite steamy! (A special thanks to the author for only using the word "weeping" - and I don't mean crying - once this time around!) There was a small secondary romance between Lucian's sister Mattie and his valet Carter, which was very sweet. I absolutely loved Lucian's two sisters and their attempt to throw Lucian and Susanna together. It was very sweet and funny. I'm glad I have the two middle books I missed to catch up on, and I'm truly looking forward to the next series by Sophie Jordan.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I liked the two main leads and it was an enjoyable book and love story and also felt rushed towards the end.

from what i understand, this book cover was based on the poster for johnny flynn film cordelia, a film that i haven't seen because the poster looked VERY much like a historical pegging film. i was told that film didn't deliver on the coverly promise. i don't especially think that this book did, either.

here's the deal - new duke lucian, duke of penning, has come to collect on his estate. he really feels the need to prove himself to his peers and that means finding an agreeable wife. unfortunately, when his housekeeper walks in on him in the bath, his eyes begin to wander elsewhere.

housekeeper susanna is just trying to keep a low profile, running from something in her past that would ruin both her and her reputation. this proves to be a hardship with the new duke lingering around, but even harder still when a sleezeball who recognizes her from her past tries to, yes, manipulate her for sex by promising to keep her secrets for his part of the exchange.

frankly, the whole plot felt a little icky to me on top of being thoroughly cliched. i'm really disappointed that the cover wrote a check that the book didn't deliver on in any capacity.

i like the occasional historical romance but those issues on top of this book not being particularly memorable meant that this read wasn't for me.

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨


First Impressions
The Duke Starts a Scandal is the fourth installment in the "Duke Hunt" series. This is a book that I had been highly anticipating and I will admit that I grabbed this one due to the cover. So I did have some expectations but I know this author has gone a bit modernist so I was more apprehensive and I will admit the first half of the book threw me a curveball because I didn't expect in what I got in the second half. There will be some readers where this book will really work for. And if that is the case, then I am really happy for you. However, I am really tired of all this modernism in historical's and what we get in this book turned me off in the end and really affected my overall enjoyment of the story. There are some positive aspects to the story other than some issues I had that kept me invested in the story.

First Line
It was her own fault, she supposed.

Summary
The Duke Starts A Scandal is about two people who couldn't be more opposite from each other. We first have our hero, Duke of Penning, who doesn't get off on the right foot with his housekeep, Susanna Lockhart. Both Susanna and Lucian tolerate each other at first, and even though there are most definitely sparks between them, there is also a huge class difference which only adds to the forbidden to any kind of relationship that they could ever have. But when Susanna is forced to take the duties as his valet, they are forced into a more intimate setting with each other and having to face up to their hearts....but will they end up fighting for each other or letting their love go due to the scandal that would ensue?

What I Loved
There were most definitely fabulous aspects of the story that I truly enjoyed here. The "Meet Cute" that happens between these two was just delightful. It honestly had P&P vibes to it. I really loved their bantering and how they help each other even when they aren't getting along. And then we have the whole mistaken identity aspect with Lucien which was a bit glossed over, but wasn't really needed to be further explained. It wasn't the focus of the story of any of the conflicts that build. However, I can see this aspect being an issue for some readers. Then we have the bickering between Lucien and Susanna and its highly entertaining. The way that they interact is just delightful. They are both so proud in their positions and have such strong spirits and it creates for some fun atmosphere. Then we also have the side story with Lucien's sister falling for his valet who gets injured. And yeah the fallout of that was so lively and had me laughing all over the place. The humor that is placed within this story is magnifique and you can definitely feel this author's witty style that has been there since she started writing.

What I Struggled With
Alright so this is the difficult part because this was a ARC copy so I really struggle with delivering the negative elements, but it needs to be said. So first off the first 60% of the book is AWESOME and will really engage the reader. So no worries there. However, the last 40% of the book is a huge flop and I am not sure where the author was going with this second half of the story. But the romance just fell apart when it didn't need to. There were other factors that come into play that I truly think affected the quality of the relationship being developed. This is also where some of the "modernists" aspects get placed and I don't think authors realize that when they get a bit preachy in these topics in their stories, how much it affects their stories and it completely turned me off. But lets be frank, the romance fizzled completely out and it was so disappointing. This couple had such promise and it faltered and it made me so sad because of how much I fell hard for the first half of the story and the two couples. Now also, I do think Lucien's sister and the valet could have had more focus in their parts. It felt a bit too vague and not enough focus. There could have been more attention brought to them without detracting from the primary couple of Lucian and Susanna. Now also there was no satisfying end to Lucian's sister. None at all. All we see is that they end up married. So we go from him wanting to kill his valet, to suddenly being happy. There was no evolement or storyline on the progression of that change. We also had a weird scene with Susanna's aunts who are in a f/f relationship. Now I don't have problems with this other than the fact that it didn't felt evolved with the story. It felt like it was placed there for diversity points and nothing else. There needs to be more connection with characters and a story and not just one scene and the focus of that scene being their sexual preference. It just felt so oddly placed and didn't fit with the rest of the story at all. I would have liked to see more connection of the aunts to the rest of the story so that it was a smoother transition but also would have delivered more dimension overall.

Overall View
The Duke Starts a Scandal was a story that although not perfect, delivered on the humor, fun situations and easy characters you can get behind and want to cheer for. A solid finale to the Duke Hunt series.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance/ Time-Victorian England
Character Types: Dukes, Housekeeper(Servant)
Themes: Class Difference
Tropes: Rags to Riches, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix of both

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

This reminded me a lot of the enemies to lovers trop. Lucian is a new Lord with a new title and little knowledge on the going abouts of actually being one. Susannna precedes the Lord and has been running the Household for the previous Lord for quite some time. At the turn of events and as Lucian enters his new residence with sisters, Susannah is faced with the fire threat kindles between them.

I loved the storyline and the characters were both unique with their own backstories. I felt that depth come through in their interactions with one another. They have been shaped by their experiences but really want love and acceptance,

My favorite quote was that Lucian wanted Susanna to “unravel”. I felt like this was a fun read and would rate it a 4 out of 5. I think my only wish is that it was longer so I could enjoy this couple. I felt like I just wanted to tag along in there journey together longer. Netgalley provided this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

On a dark and stormy night, the new and true Duke of Penning, Lucian Ross, and Miss Susanna Lockhart met in the double romance “The Duke Starts a Scandal” by Sophie Jordan!

This book is well-written and a quick read! Both main characters have a well-hidden and highly scandalous background that unfolds suspensefully and seamlessly. The delicious tension between the duke and his housekeeper keeps us wanting more and we find ourselves on a roller coaster of emotions. Amongst the seriousness regarding a dirtbag villain and the status of her job position, Jordan weaves in comedic relief.

If you enjoy a story of love and woe then love again, then I highly recommend this book! If you love charming heroes who show admiration through surliness and meddling siblings who scheme for the better, then what are you waiting for? *wink*

Thank you to Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager US for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I was disappointed by this book. I LOVED The Countess but found this book to be too short, a bit boring, and lacking Jordan’s typical combination of emotional wallops and humor.

The book starts off with a mistaken identity. A man claims to be the new Duke of Penning. Susanna, the Duke's housekeeper calls him a liar. An imposter had set up in the manor (see The Scoundrel Falls Hard, Book #3). The new Duke takes over and decides to throw a house party with the goal of finding husbands for his sisters. And maybe a wife for him if he is lucky. Lucian has been taking care of his family thinks he has everyone's life planned. Of course nothing goes according to his plan. I love that even though he is now a Duke, this book is about normal, working people. Very steamy with lots of emotion.

I wanted to love this, but in the end, it was just okay.

Jordan has always delivered in two areas: conflict and steamy historical romance. If you’re wanting more of the same stuff that makes her books great, this definitely hits the mark in steamy but falls a little flat everywhere else.

We have Lucian, our duke, who is an unlikely heir and is now forced to be respectable for the sake of the dukedom and his sisters’ future. Of course, he has this unwanted attraction for his housekeeper, Susanna. Susanna herself has a past that she doesn’t want revealed. She’s cultivated a life of propriety, but Lucian tempts her beyond all reason. Add in a house party and two match-making sisters, and things are bound to get out of control.

There was plenty of opportunity for grade-A conflict, but the reality is that both hero and heroine suffer from severe lust and little else. The conflict felt forced rather than natural, with barely any interactions that didn’t move quickly to the physical. Add in a villain that is there to fill page space and secondary romance to take up the remaining, Jordan seems to have no love lost for Lucian and Susanna’s story.

Overall, this book felt a bit all over the place. While all the elements were present, great characters, fabulous setting, trope heaven, and plenty of conflict opportunity, it left me unimpressed. It should really only be 2.5 stars, but I’m giving it 3 because it still has the author’s voice.

~ Landra

I took one look at that cover and couldn't wait to dive into this book. Steamy romance up against the wall with our housekeeper heroine taking charge? Yes, please! Unfortunately, what the cover promised the story didn't deliver. The scene on the cover did not make it into the book and though there was a bit of steam (one love scene near the end of the book), the overall heat level was quite low for a Sophie Jordan book. That's actually something I don't mind if I know to expect it going in but, in this case, my expectations were quite different.

Does this mean I didn't like the book? No, it's an enjoyable story, one worthy of four stars but I was hoping for more complexity. More character development. More connection. More emotional depth. Especially with the hero. Maybe I was just in the mood for some meaty angst. Others may feel differently but I wanted these two to yearn for one another...and I wanted to feel it. I didn't.

Sophie Jordan is one of my auto-buy authors. I love her books but this one fell a bit short for me, one of those "I liked it but I really wanted to love it" books. Still, if you enjoy mild angst, low steam (except for that one scene), and cross-class historical romance, it may be the perfect fit for you.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased review

I really enjoyed reading this exciting book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Jordan writes an exceptional story about two people from different stations. Even though this is the last of the series, it can be read as a stand alone. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
Lucien, the new Duke of Penning, is trying hard to become the best man with his new life. He wants to be respectable and needs a life free of scandal. But there is on drawback to his thinking. His housekeeper Suzanna is one particularly lovely woman who he can't stop thinking about. Lucien knows he should think about his family and keeping his sisters from having to deal with the demons of his past. But sometimes it can be the touch of a hand or a look from one person to another that binds a love. Lucien knows that wanting Suzanna for herself is all he needs in his life.
Suzanna knows her place and loving her employer is not to her advantage. When they show their true feelings for one another it will be forever. So when the Duke starts a scandal, it will be for love which was meant to be.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Finally, the Duke of Penning has arrived at Penning Hall! The Duke Starts a Scandal is the fourth in the series in The Duke Hunt series, and I've enjoyed all of them and have been eagerly awaiting the inevitable Duke story! It was well worth the wait-- I really, really enjoyed The Duke Starts a Scandal!
Lucian, the new duke, has an unfortunate problem. He has some secrets in his background, and he thinks that his housekeeper can sense that he is not the person he is supposed to be. He also is inappropriately attracted to her. Susanna, the young housekeeper of Penning Hall, thinks that the new Duke cannot abide her, and she's worried that he's going to fire her at any time. Susanna has come to Penning Hall to hide from her past, and there's a threat that is hanging above her head that is using her past to blackmail her. And very inconveniently, Susanna is fighting an attraction to the Duke... and shenanigans begin!
This book is great and I loved reading every moment of it. No matter my enjoyment, it was not a five star for me. It was a bit slow to start for me, but once it got going, I was in! I loved the Susanna, her below-stairs coworkers and friends, and the duke's sisters. The duke was also a slow start for me, and I wasn't fully sold on him. The chemistry was there, however-- a credit to Sophie Jordan's great writing. I wish the book had less of the two main characters denying their chemistry and at odds with each other, and more of them falling in love. It was like going up a roller coaster-- rolling up slowly and waiting for the romance-- and then when the romance pops up, hurdling down the slope so fast and screaming because you want to slow down. I wanted to slow the roller coaster down so I could enjoy the romance more! It just came so fast (it was like 80, 85% of the book), I just wasn't ready for the book to be done. Then the book and conflict is wrapped up. It was almost like the author didn't know how to get her duke and the housekeeper to get together in a morally/policitically correct way (in modern times) and spent a lot of time writing around that, and then when they did get together, just wanted to get to the finish line of finishing the book. Despite how I enjoyed this, I wish that Lucian and Susanna's story had focused more on them falling in love, than them fighting it secretly because it is not what they're supposed to do and then boom!, they're in love and don't care about anything else. As I was reading, I was wishing Sophie Jordan had made Susanna someone who lived in the village or one of his house guest's ladies maid, rather than his housekeeper-- it just felt like the author was holding back because of the power-wealth/employer-employee dynamic, and did not know how to overcome it until too far in. I get it, I would not know how to write my way out of this dynamic whatsoever! For that, it was a four-star read for me, but I still really enjoyed the book and really enjoyed the series! I'm just sad maybe it wasn't a few chapters longer and had more of our two main characters not resisting their attraction, but being put in situations to getting to know each other more.
The Duke Starts a Scandal has great dialogue, characters and there is a lot of chemistry, and has a lot to offer a HR fan like myself. if you too are a HR fan or a Sophie Jordan fan, I would highly recommend.

The Duke Starts a Scandal is the fourth book in Sophie Jordan’s The Duke Hunt series. After reading The Scoundrel Falls Hard I was really excited to read this one. It did not disappoint. I definitely rate this at 4 stars.

First off, the secrets and backstories for Lucien and Susanna were excellent. No spoilers but I was really surprised by the direction this story went in and really enjoyed this tiny departure from the rest of the series.

Luckily, since there aren’t many tie-ins with the other books this can be read as a stand-alone (but you should really go read the rest of the series because it’s really good).

The trope of the housekeeper/boss dynamic gets me every time, but I do love that they took their time here. Overall I enjoyed this a lot and would absolutely recommend!

4/5 stars
2.5/5 spice

Thank you to Sophie Jordan and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have not had the opportunity to read the other three books in this series but I no issues following along in this book. Overall, I really enjoyed Susanna and Lucian story. Due to their class differences and their boss/employee status, their love story was definitely a slow-burn. But even with these obstacles they have a lot of chemistry and are drawn to each other. They both have secrets from their past which adds another layer that keeps them apart. However, with a little bit of help from Lucian’s sisters they have the chance to share with each other. When someone from Susanna’s past comes to cause problems, it does cause the dreaded “third-act break up” but thankfully it is resolved pretty quickly.

This was a pretty easy and fun read, I really did like the tension between these two and the push and pull was great and adding in the secondary romance was a nice touch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Lucian inherited the Dukedom, and on a rainy and storm-filled night on is way to his new home comes across a lovely lady who not only doesn't believe he's the new duke but also turns out to be his way to attractive housekeeper. From that moment on the tension between them builds. I loved the slow burn and rising tension between them. Susanna's past is horrible, she has gone through some traumatic things and I really wanted to see her get her HEA.
I thought Lucian and Susanna made a great couple, and their chemistry was great. I also loved the side romance we get from one of the side characters.
This is a great romance that was both fun and full of great depths. It made me smile, and there were parts that had me tearing up. I can't wait to read what Sophie Jordan will come out with next.

I've been a fan of this series from the jump, and I think Susanna and Lucien's story is a fitting ending. I love a good fish out of water story for a Duke who doesn't feel like he fits the role. He has secrets in his past that would scandalize many. So does Susanna, and I loved that they simply accepted each other when those secrets came out. The healthiest, most mature reactions possible. And while I hated how much Susanna had to endure in her life, I was so happy that even from the start of the novel she was in a good position, had found a good job and secured her safety.

Everyone can see that there are sparks between Lucien and Susanna, even as they try to fight it. As much as I wanted them to get over their hesitation, I really appreciated that Lucien refused to act on his feelings while he was her employer. I think those lines get blurred a lot in fiction, and I thought it was great to see him feel so strongly about it. Their chemistry is wonderful, and the strongest scenes are when they're alone together, just talking. Lucien's sisters provide a little drama and a little meddling, and they were a great addition to the story.

Some parts of Susanna's past might be hard for some readers. She was very mistreated and physically abused, and while the narrative doesn't harp on those details, they're not easy to read in the instances when they do come up. She's also propositioned by a disgusting man from the past, and while that doesn't go to far and she always stands up for herself, those were the moments when I truly just wished for happiness for her because she was dealing with so much crap. But those are a small part of an otherwise fun read, and I hope, with some warning, they won't deter people too much.