CW: Panic attacks; bullying; confinement; child abuse; gun violence; references to drowning; child death

I don’t even know, man. This book left me so…confused? I think I liked it in the end, but I also really struggled with it? I feel like a giant shrug emoji when it comes to my feelings on it.

This review may be a bit rambly, so bear with me.

I really, really struggled with the first half of this book as things just weren’t clicking for me. I didn’t buy their intense hatred of each other in the beginning. We know Magnus hates her family because of some scheme that Verity’s father was allegedly the ringleader of that ruined Marcus’s father. But we don’t get the full details until way later, so it’s hard to understand WHY that hatred ran so deep.

The setup for them having to fake an engagement felt a bit flimsy? I wasn’t buying why they had to stay engaged for only a week. There was also clear scheming and matchmaking from his grandmother, but neither seemed to notice.

Now, the pacing was wild, leaving the book feeling disjointed and lopsided. The first half of the book took place over a week, but in reality, we only saw 3 or 4 separate days of that week play out. That made everything in their early relationship feel very sudden and rushed. And then the second half of the book took place over the course of a few months, which I felt worked better as it let their relationship develop and grow over time. There were also many weird and abrupt time jumps throughout the book where I kept finding myself going, “Oh, that was fast,” or “Oh, so like three have gone by now, okay.”

Shockingly, my feelings on the romance are complicated. I love the trope of lying that you’re engaged to a Duke you don’t know, and then falling in love. But I'm not sure this was necessarily the best-executed version of that.

Now, this is also an enemies-to-lovers book. But…the animosity didn’t make sense to me until about 60% into the book. There’s a scene that reminds me of the “I LOATHE YOU” scene in front of the fountain from Princess Diaries 2, where my feelings started to turn in a very positive direction. After that scene, I began to LOVE the romance and was really buying it.

From around 60% to 90%, I was jiving with the romance, having a grand old time reading it. I loved Verity being forced to escort Magnus with Miss Snow on outings. I loved the feelings they were having towards each other, but her hurting a bit because she thinks he’ll do his duty and forgo love to marry the heiress. BUT. Then Verity learns something related to Magnus and blows it a bit out of proportion, in my opinion, which soured me a bit on the ending. He does a grand gesture to win her back (very entertaining), but I thought she at least needed to apologize for her actions.

This book also didn’t have an epilogue, which confused me so much as it felt like it ended abruptly. I would have liked an epilogue to wrap up Magnus and Verity’s story since we didn’t really get to see them having their happily ever after, as their reunion and resolution to the drama all got wrapped up quickly in the final chapter.

Plotwise, things took some weird turns a few times.

First, I was not expecting so much trauma behind what causes Verity’s panic attacks and fear of closets and being trapped inside. While I appreciated how her panic attacks were handled, I was a little blindsided by what started them, as it felt way more serious for a book that feels pretty light-hearted overall.

Second, when Verity’s father shows up in London, things go in a wild, but very fun, direction. I was not expecting such high-stakes drama connected to the big scheme that caused the schism between Magnus and Verity’s families. Still, I really enjoyed watching that play out, even if it was very unexpected.

When it comes to the main characters, I think I liked both Magnus and Verity. Verity’s name is very tongue-in-cheek, which fits well with the tone of this book. She’s a bit impulsive, that’s for sure, as she doesn’t always think things all the way through before acting. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, which I loved. I could also empathize with her. She feels like the odd one out amongst her family and sisters, and she’s internalized that. Her biggest fear is abandonment, which I could relate to. I also thought the depiction of her panic attacks felt very real.

Magnus was very much a stern, stuffy Duke, determined to do his duty for his family to make his mother happy. (As an aside, I kept wanting to call him Marcus the entire time I was reading, so there is that). He’s very good at holding a grudge and driven by revenge, which makes sense as he wanted to hurt those who hurt his family. But I was a bit confused as to why Magnus needed to sacrifice everything so his brother could get everything promised to him? What about your feelings, Magnus, and what you deserve? That was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. He keeps his feelings buttoned up inside, but once he unleashes them, it’s game over as he’s all in.

I’m so glad that Verity and the girl Magnus wanted to marry, Miss Snow, ended up having a friendship. It would be so easy for Verity to hate her, but I adored that Verity immediately liked her. Their friendship felt incredibly genuine, and I’m happy Lorret didn’t pit them against each other.

Despite all these mixed feelings, I ended up liking the book in the end. I think. I’m still not sure. I think the writing and style of this book were entertaining, and parts of the romance worked really well for me. But it did drag in the beginning, and I had some issues with the relationship conflict towards the end. Do I recommend you read this? I think so, but I would get it out of the library over buying it.

I am excited for the premise of the next book as we see Lorret setting that up in the final pages. I’ll be checking that one out as it looks like it will have one of my favorite tropes that we don’t get enough of in historical romance, and I’m excited about it!

“Because her grandson, the Duke of Longhurst, and I are engaged to be married.”

Verity is the serious, plain, and at almost twenty-six years of age, spinster sister of the Hartley family. Her two younger sisters are beauties and with a scandal that had her father accused of masterminding a swindling deal and older brother that was forced to leave his architecture apprentice job to join a merchant ship, her prospects don't look too inviting. Which is why when her neighbor nemesis is mocking her again, Verity, the staid, responsible one, lies convincingly for the first time about being engaged to the Duke of Longhurst.

“But it will still be a lie, all the same.”
“Not for this week. I fully intend to treat you as I would if we were betrothed. Therefore”—his lungs expanded and contracted on a resigned breath—“Miss Hartley, for the next seven days, will you consent to be my betrothed?”

Magnus is on the brink of finally righting his family's fortune after his father lost it all in the Hartley swindle with a betrothal to the Button King's daughter, Anna Snow. When a rumor reaches London that he is already engaged, Anna's father is, rightly, upset. Magnus promises to get things sorted out within a week and travels to the village that his grandmother and former bestfriend, Truman Hartley's family live. With his grandmother's advice of not looking like the jerk that breaks off the engagement that everyone seems to believe, when he confronts Verity about the lie, they both agree to act engaged for one week, before Verity will break it off.

He wasn’t drawn to her out of a need to tame her. For some inexplicable reason, she had unleashed something wild inside of him.

It had to Be a Duke is the start to the new Liar's Club series and with it's light angst and back and forth couple, it was a fun start. When Verity and Magnus are together, which was wonderfully for most of the book, they had an amusing chemistry with Verity pushing Magnus to his brink with either her word play with him or his protective nature over all the scrapes she gets herself into. They pretty much banter throughout the book and while I can see some thinking it goes on too long, I liked how each banter session had Magnus cracking just a little more. He can't let go because he thinks he needs to marry an heiress to refill his estate coffers and allow for his younger brother to come back home and “live the life he was promised” by their father. Magnus is pressured and guilt tripped by his mom and there is still that lingering animosity Magnus has for Verity's father.

Verity hated the Duke of Longhurst. He was the most maddening, vexing man she had ever had the misfortune to know.

After the week together in Verity's village, they shared a kiss, Magnus kind of hightails it back to London, still determined to marry his heiress. With some maneuvering by his grandmother, she and Verity go to London and there Magnus can't seem to get away from her, especially when Verity and Anna become good friends. Magnus has his issues and we get a better look at how Verity has her own, feeling like the always forgotten plain one due to men paying more attention to her sisters and a governess who liked to lock her in closets. Verity can't quite believe that Magnus would want her, it's a little comedy of errors when every time they're together Magnus is fighting his attraction and Verity thinks he's fighting the urge to throttle her.

But, perhaps, he just didn’t want her to feel alone.

The latter second half has the mystery of what really went down with the swindle deal and we get some danger, suspense, and mystery characters revealed and explained. There is an open door bedroom scene and an ending third act breakup that felt a little forced but I'll accept it because it did eventually lead to a pretty big grin inducing move by Magnus.

And when she smiled up at him without the slightest degree of maidenly shyness, he knew he was too far gone to resist her.

There were times where I really enjoyed this and times where I thought it started dragging. I just felt like the story wasn't quite shored up right, this did have a lot of little and big elements outside of the romance and I'm not sure they were structured or laid out cohesively, probably first in a series syndrome. There were plenty of series baiting characters, Anna and revealed mystery character and the story ending with Verity's sister's supposed to be made up betrothed viscount showing up at their house.

It was just that, somewhere along the way, she had stopped hating him quite so much. And all this not hating him was making her heart ache.

There was also a desk scene I don't want to forget to mention (Pushing back the chair, he stood in front of her. “You’ve made me waste a lot of ink, I hope you know.”) that was sweet with it's finally dawning on Verity what Magnus' feelings truly are when she finds some of his keepsakes and then steamy when he shows some of those feelings, very smile inducing. Even with some of my complaints, I did just plain enjoy the lighter angst relationship of these two, I'll always love a lead slowing breaking down for another lead.

The Viscount Who Loved Me meets Pride and Prejudice in this new enemies-to-lovers novel by Vivienne Lorret!

very solid three stars! this was my first introduction to Lorret and I can definitely see myself reading more in the future, especially in this series! I'm intrigued to see who the next book is about as it foreshadowed a bit at the end but I would be interested in reading other couples, like Anna and Mr. Dashing, if Lorret decided to write outside of the Hartley family.

I enjoyed Magnus and Verity's story although I think it was a bit too "will they or won't they" for me. this made me feel kind of ambivalent to their love story overall, but i did love Verity's family and the behind the scenes mystery. the ending was cute and satisfying however it felt a little rushed which left more to be desired. I would recommend though as I think the witty banter and angst would work for other readers!
definitely check it out if you like a ton of angst, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/ grumpier, and a fake engagement!

Accidentally saying you are engaged to a duke.. one who hates your family, and who happens to be almost engaged to another woman... then that leads to a fake dating scenario, where those antagonistic feelings become chemistry and grow and turn into something more, are really a whole bunch of tropes that really just work for me.

I loved Verity and while I thought in the beginning that I wouldn't like her family I actully really loved them as well. I thought Verity and the Duke made a great couple, I loved how Verity came out of her shell when he was around and that led her to feeling safe enough to tell others her real feelings.

I had a lot of fun reading this! I laughed out loud, my heart melted, and felt all the emotions. I flew through it didn't want to put it down.

And that ending! I can't wait to see how it will all play out in the next book!!

I would actually probably rate this a 3.5. It was a 4 star for me, except that much of the book felt really repetitive, leading to a slow paced book. If all of the extra bits were removed, I would have flown through this, as I thought the couple had very good chemistry and I was giggling/kicking my feet at parts.

I was quite excited after seeing that blurb(a fake engagement because of a small lie?🤣) and I enjoyed it so much!
The only thing that I love more than fake dating/fake engagement stories is probably a book where the protagonist lies about being engaged to someone she doesn't know well and gets caught in that lie😆 and the other person is like I have a fiancee?🤣 Which is basically what happens here!

Verity Hartley - the daughter of a baron, usually tells the truth(just like her name😆) and isn't that good at lying. But when she's bickering with a neighbor(who's kinda mean girl-ish) she lies that she's engaged to the Duke of Longhurst, thinking that it's a harmless fib and noone would find out. But, unexpectedly the rumors spread like wildfire and the duke himself shows up at her door asking for an explanation 😂
Magnus had everything planned out and was planning on marrying an heiress to save his estate but now he seems to be engaged to a woman he barely knows - and who's the daughter of the man he blames for ruining his father's life. Talk about awkward 😶😂

I had so much fun reading this one! Verity thinks she's the plain spinster when compared to her sisters, but she's quite chaotic and adorable too. It was hard not to love her and while Magnus might be her opposite - a bit stuffy and overbearing - he felt the same way😆 They bicker a lot but it was so funny 😂 And I loved watching these two fall for each other - they're quite clueless but cute😂

I also liked how Verity ended up becoming friends with Anna/Miss Snow and the lack of drama in that aspect. There was also an interesting sub-plot with the scandal/scam that both of their fathers had been involved in. In the end, this was a fun read with lots of romance, humor and some emotional moments too! I'm also very excited for the upcoming books in The Liar's Club series as the characters and stories seem promising(hoping the next book is about Honoria and 'Viscount Vandemere'?😆)❣️✨

This was such a fabulous, entertaining read! It was laugh out loud funny and emotional at the same time.
Verity, who is different than the rest of her funny, dramatic family, tells her rival a lie that she is engaged to Magnus, the duke of Longhurst. When he finds out, he decides that he has to go along with the fake engagement for a while to save Verity's reputation.
There was great chemistry, banter, a bit of a mystery and many funny moments in this enemies to lovers story.
It is definitely a 5-star read!

4.5 stars

This was such a fantastic read! I’m a big fan of Vivienne Lorret’s writing and she brought all the emotions out of me with this one. It Had to Be a Duke had me laughing so hard thanks to the lively Hartley family and all of the disastrous interactions between Magnus and Verity. The book also had me in tears though, as painful pasts and heartaches were revealed. Please check CW’s prior to reading.

Things I loved:
- the meddling families and friends! It’s clear to everyone except Verity and Magnus what’s happening LOL
- awkward and embarrassing meet disasters/encounters that had me laughing so hard (the vicar!)
- a protective starchy hero and delicious "who did this to you?" vibes
- a hero and heroine who have no idea what feelings are and instead ask questions like: what is this tightness in my chest? What’s this strange and peculiar sensation? It's probably indigestion LOL
- the tropes! Soooo many of my favorites were featured in this book, including: fake engagement, starchy grump, forced proximity, he falls first, idiots to lovers, who did this to you?, caretaker, slow burn etc
- the build up! Things progress gradually between these two (mainly because they’re such idiots LOL), but it’s so worth it in the end
- how the story came full circle at the end (though I always want more grovel)
- a hilariously unique birds and the bees talk thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Hartley
- wonderful secondary characters! I already can’t wait for Honoria’s story with her viscount, as well as Miss Snow and perhaps a certain Mr. Dashing. I also would love to see a book for Truman <3

The story flowed well for me overall, but it did stall a bit in the middle, as Verity and Magnus continued to deny their true feelings. I wanted more time with them happy and together. I also wish that the drama in the final 10% could have been avoided, but given Verity’s fears and heartbreaking past, I can see why she reacted the way she did. The book ends rather abruptly and I would have loved an epilogue, but the viscount bombshell the author drops right at the end has me so excited for book 2!

CW: financial ruin/scandal (past), death of parent (past), anxiety and panic attacks, comments about spinster/age, claustrophobia, locked in closet as a child and adult, death of child/sibling, fear of abandonment/being forgotten, bullying, the FMC is insulted (unintentionally) by the townsfolk

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

With this new book, Vivienne Lorret, has solidified a place as one of my favorite HR authors. Her last series was so great I was sad when it was over. Now after reading It Had to be a Duke I know that this next series is going to be amazing. This book gave me all the feels. I can’t believe it’s over and I need the next one asap! I have so many questions!

Verity Hartley and Magnus, Duke of Longhurst, families use to be friends but then people made really dumb choices and everything fell apart. Now Verity has told a little white lie about the Duke and everything has spiraled out of control. I loved the Hartley men so much, their willingness to forgive and move on from the hurt of the past was touching. There there was Verity who was going to hold on to her anger and not forgive and I feel seen 😬

Fav quote:
“Some of us are so pathetic that we have to invent a great romance out of thin air. We risk people laughing at us. But we hold on to the dream, no matter how fleeting, that someone might look at us and believe that we are more precious than any fortune.”

It Had to Be a Duke is the first book in The Liar's Club series by Vivienne Lorret and I can't wait to read more from her in this series as I loved this book!

Verity Hartley is our mfc and she might be a favorite of mine. She is a bit of an odd one out with her family (or so she thinks) and when she is trying to escape her sister's plans for a play one day, she finds herself falling out of a window and face to face with her nemesis, who has just returned from London to brag about all the things she did while there. So Verity tells a lie and claims to be betrothed...to a duke. Who also happens to be her family's sworn enemy due to some bad investment history. But who would ever truly learn about her lie and what could it truly hurt...

Enter Magnus Warring, the Duke of Longhurst (and Verity's fake betrothed). He has almost accomplished the one thing he has been trying to do for a while - that is getting himself officially betrothed to an heiress to save his estate from financial ruin. At least, he was. When he hears (from his future father-in-law) that he is already betrothed, and to the daughter of the man who lied and cheated his father out of their fortunes, he decides to figure out what is really happening and heads to the country to get things straightened out.

When Magnus and Verity come face to face, she asks him to lie for her and while he goes along, Magnus decides to do it but mainly to save his own reputation. What he didn't count on was that when he said goodbye to Verity that she would show up with his grandmother to stay with them in London and become the best friend of the woman he is trying to become betrothed to.

I loved how the relationship built for Verity and Magnus. Both were determined to just make it through the week but as they started to get to know each other things slowly changed. Nevermind that what they both thought happened between their families isn't exactly what happened...there's an underlying piece of this story that weaves through the book and eventually comes to a head.

I thought this was a really well done story. Well developed characters, engaging banter, and a story outside of the relationship bit that makes things interesting. If you're looking for a new historical romance series, consider picking this one up. I'm looking forward to the next one in this series from Lorret!

Verity is the oddball of her family, being sensible and plain, rather than an outrageous actor. Faced with an embarrassing situation with her catty neighbor, she makes up a lie that she’s engaged to a duke. When Magnus hears a rumor about this from the father of the heiress he means to marry, he hastens to the village where Verity lives to settle this issue. Magnus and Verity are longstanding family rivals from a time when Magnus’ father lost a lot of money in an investment and Magnus has blamed Verity’s father for the swindle. He definitely does not want to be associated with Verity or her family, but he seems to need to rescue her from her own clumsiness and daring. He’s also annoying stiff and proper and sometimes even mean to her. Of course, he’s only mean to her because he’s attracted to her when he doesn’t want to be. They continue a temporary fake engagement so that he doesn’t appear outwardly cruel, and he slowly starts to soften towards her. There’s definitely a lot of grudge-holding and angry bickering in this story, so it’s interesting to see how these two find common ground.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this e-book. Magnus and Verity’s story was sweet and funny. This book is full of your standard historical romance goodness with true enemies to lovers, a unique take on a fake relationship, plus a side of mystery.

Spice: 2/5

Summary:

When Verity Hartley lies about being betrothed to Magnus, Duke of Longhurst, she doesn't expect him to hear about it, much less show up and agree to go along with her scheme and pretend to be her betrothed for a week. Magnus is deeply unhappy about having to feign affection towards the daughter of the man that swindled him years ago, at least, until he gets to know Verity better...

Review:

This is the first book in Vivienne's new series, The Liar's Club, and the book did a good job of balancing the main plot with introducing a new cast of characters and setting up future couples. I'm particularly looking forward to the hot blond vicar (who Verity spied on while he was bathing naked, and later the man did try to court her but was rejected HARD lolol) getting his own romance.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It featured classic Vivienne Lorret hijinks, complete with a spunky heroine, a grumpy hero, small-town shenanigans, and a old family mystery.

Verity is a messy gal— she definitely falls on the klutzy, quirky end of the spectrum but she was endearing enough, particularly in her moments of vulnerability, to make up for any over-the-top physical comedy (see: the time she fell out of a tree and ended up getting accidentally groped by the hero). A lot of her vulnerability stems from feeling like she's second best compared to her sisters, and even Magnus's sort-of betrothed. That being said, I appreciate that most of these women (barring Verity's nemesis) ended up being solid friends who are very supportive of one another. I also liked how Vivienne portrayed Verity's claustrophobia and corresponding panic attacks— it's one of those things I imagine a lot of modern readers can relate to.

Magnus is just the right amount of stern and grumpy to be endearing. Reading him slowly crack and come to terms with his attraction towards Verity was a joy to read. Really, my only (very minor) complaint is that for all the author went off about how biiiig and jacked and "swarthy" he was because he works the fields (since he can't afford a lot of workers), we never got a scene where he was actually laboring in the fields. Shirtless, preferably. But this mostly goes to show he's very duty-bound and intent on bringing his estate back to life, which is why he tries So Hard to resist Verity... buuuuut he doesn't, even as he continues to insist he's going to marry another woman.

What's interesting to me is that despite Magnus thinking Verity's father was responsible for cheating his own father out of a significant amount of money, he shows relatively little animosity towards Verity, and even Baron Hartley himself. The second half of the book delves deeper into the mystery surrounding exactly what occurred all those years ago, and it concludes in a way that sets up the rest of the series.

The sex:

Listen, because of how clumsy Verity is, I expected nothing less than a sex scene that's initiated by her basically falling on top of Magnus, and Vivienne absolutely delivered. Plus, I'm a sucker for a study scene. By the time they have sex, their feelings for each other have settled even if they're unwilling to admit it, so the sex itself is very tender with a dash of desperation.

Also, shoutout to Lady Hartley for providing a comprehensive sex education to her daughters, complete with sock puppets.

Overall:

This is a great historical romance for anyone looking for a light read that's sure to make you laugh, and also has solid sex scenes. I adored the easy (if unwilling at first) affection that grew between Magnus and Verity, as well as their banter, and I look forward to the following books in this series!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher's for this Advanced Readers Copy of It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret!

I want to scream I loved this book so much! I just finished and I still have those swooping butterfly feelings. It was just so so so so good! Like I do not think that I have the words to articulate just how much I adored this book.

Now this is what I call an enemies to lovers story! The fact that the families grew up being close until a scandal broke and decimated both sides, only to create an unfixable rift, that is until Verity's lie! Oh and what a lie it was! This was such a fun twist on a fake engagement trope especially when one of the parties reluctantly and I mean RELUCTANTLY enters it. Reluctant might not be the right word - honor bound and furious about it. Goodness Magnus's fury and Verity's inability to back down regarding the way he was towards her just had the chemistry and sparks flying between them. Their heated banter was PERFECTION and more than one time I was giggling it was so good.

OH and I cannot forget to mention the tense moments leading to what Verity believes is Magnus wishing to throttle her but all he wants to do is kiss her! And is desperately holding himself back until he can no longer. *Insert swoon here* And the part with her note, her ribbon and his ledgers made me actually tear up. Even thinking about it now, makes me all emotional.

I also adored their initial awkward encounters and how it just fueled the flames between them. And there were some hilarious moments with Verity in the tree, a vicar who is a sight to behold, and the ridiculous scrapes Verity finds herself in via trees and trellises, etc.

For me It Had to Be a Duke is probably one of my favourite reads of 2023. It has the perfect amount of animosity between the MCs, those perfect family antics which may or may not be in attempts at matchmaking, those wonderfully awkward moments which lead to bickering and banter and then spice. I have loved every book of Vivienne Lorret's I've read and this one is no exception. It gives the perfect Jane Austen vibes with the added MMCs POV and the steam we all needed. Honestly, if you have yet to read a Vivienne Lorret, I would say if you like enemies to lovers, (ex) brother's best friend, and fake engagement, definitely start here.

By the end of chapter one I had already pre-ordered a physical copy!

Verity Hartley never meant to tell such a lie but, when her snooty neighbor brags about the London season, Verity accidentally blurts out that she’s engaged…to a Duke! Magnus Warring, the Duke of Longhurst, is about to propose to an heiress and stabilize his estate…until he hears an unbelievable rumor that he is already betrothed! Now he and Verity must fake an engagement until they can extricate themselves, but they can’t help the electricity that crackles whenever they are together.

This is the first book in Lorret's new Liars Club series. Once family friends, the Hartleys and Warrings no longer speak after a business deal gone very wrong. Magnus is spitting mad about Verity's lie, but he can’t risk his reputation. He has to follow his grandmother's guidance and fake a relationship - and eventual break up - with Verity.

I really enjoyed this book, but I was a little skeptical at the beginning. There was a lot going on with Verity's quirky family, the swindle the started the bad blood with Magnus, and Verity's own insecurities. Lorret pulls it all together though with plenty of wit, charm, and magnetism between the leads. The next story is already queued up and I can’t wait to see what happens with Anna. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes books where there is a struggle between duty and desire, and in which the hero has big "touch her and you die" energy.

Tropes: Fake Relationship, Opposites Attract, Feuding Families, Ugly Duckling

Steam: 2.5

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Honestly? I don't remember a single thing about this story, even though I know I read it. There were mistaken identities, hidden truths, and an entirely unmemorable amount of steaminess.

It had to be a Duke is Vivienne Lorret at her best! This is a fantastic start to her new series, The Liar’s Club, which introduces the fantastical Hartley family. Magnus and Verity are perfect for each other in that he is a bit stiff and aristocratic; he will marry for his family’s sake to fill the family coffers; he is honorable in trying to do what needs to be done to protect his family and get his little brother home; and in an unusual way, he enjoys working his land and working with his tenants to help restore the family name and fortunes. Magnus becomes duke upon his father’s death which is laid at the feet of the Hartley family along with them being the cause of their family’s financial loss.

Sweet Verity, honorable, kind, caring and quite honest, except for that one time when she claims to be engaged to the duke, Magnus. He is just trying to marry well to adorable Anna who will, also, help fill the family coffers. Magnus had every right not to agree to the one-week engagement with Verity. After what her father did to his family, why would he help her? Again, he is just too honorable.

Thus, Verity’s one lie leads to their romance. I loved Verity’s personality. And, so does Magnus if he were honest with himself. Even though Magnus believes he has every reason to hate Verity’s family, he struggles against himself. And, struggles in his relationship with Anna the heiress. Magnus is totally overwhelmed with Verity, even when he is with Anna. Verity, although lovely, has sisters who are just more; more in every way. So much so, that she does not view herself as she should, but Magnus sees her.

So many funny situations and witty conversation make up this sweet romance. Even when Verity is sick with jealousy over Anna, she still considers Anna a friend and cannot fault her or Magnus for what they have to do – marry. I totally loved this romance and am looking forward to the next in the series. It looks like it will be Honoria and Viscount Vandemere. I do hope the vicar features in one of the Hartley sister’s lives. He is kind of adorable and handsome, too.

Vibes: lite enemies to lovers, fake engagement, he ~sees her~, some good old Regency grinding.

When Verity Hartley, famously passed over in favor of her younger sisters, is confronted by her nemesis--well, she simply has no choice but to pretend she's engaged to a local duke. Problem: local duke is the Duke of Longhurst, Magnus, whose family is feuding with Verity's. After his father lost everything (allegedly at the hands of Verity's father) Magnus must marry a rich heiress in order to set the estate to right. Verity is not a rich heiress. But in order to avoid a scandal that would jeopardize his prospects the two agree to fake an engagement. Temporarily. What could go wrong?

In terms of writing, this has all the hallmarks of a Vivienne Lorret novel. It's funny, it's sparkly, it is absolutely full of witty banter between the leads. In general, it's overall a successful historical romcom. But while I would recommend to Lorret fans in general (and I am one) I don't know that I would recommend it as an entry point to her work. Nor would I necessarily say it's her strongest book. That said, as the first in a series, it's solid, and I have a feeling that she's ramping up for more.

Quick Takes:

--This is one of those books where they do have legitimate reasons to be enemies (to lovers) especially on Magnus's part. I mean, he thinks her family fucked his over big time. However, it's not heavy. This book is a lot of things, but heavy isn't one of them. Breezy, more like. It's a good palate cleanser. Yet you don't feel annoyed by his and Verity's sparring, because you get why they'd both have bad impressions of each other (though I was a little confused as to to why he kept going on about Verity being a liar--I mean, she told one fairly substantial lie, but she clearly didn't think it was going anywhere, and any other minor fibs just frankly aren't that big a deal).

--It's also one of those books where the two of them often end up in compromising positions, and it is fun. Verity sitting in his lap, an accidentally tit grab, a good old "oh no, now I am all wet [dual implication]" moment. And I did enjoy how unapologetically horny they both were. Verity, in general, is a really horny heroine. This girl is out here spying on a hot vicar as he takes a swim in a lake or whatever (sidebar: I need the hot vicar's book). I love a horny heroine, and I did love that a lot of her frustration read as "needs to get laid". Like, it's not an excessively deep book, but it is a fun book.

--That said... I personally don't know that Lorret went quite hard enough on either the depth or the madcap over the top insanity. To me, she is in her sweet spot when she hits either one (or both) really hard. The Wrong Marquess, for example (which I would recommend as an entry point to her work, as it's great, and it leads into two other great books) doesn't have the most insane plot, but it touched on some really tender, emotionally true feelings. And also, horniness. How to Steal A Scoundrel's Heart is more on the wild side, but it marries the daring plot with a heroine who really needs some healing, and an icy hero who needs to soften (not in THAT way, never THAT way). Never Seduce a Duke does have a soft gooey center, but it is full old school insanity, with a modern edge.

This one is on the lighter side, and I wouldn't say I felt an especially deep connection between Magnus and Verity. It's definitely romantic, the chemistry is definitely sparking, I love the banter--but it's not like they spend a lot of time having a dark night of the soul, and I wasn't sure I quite felt the intensity of the love as I do in other Lorret books. Like I said, it's a romcom, and that's valid. But if we're going to go a bit more surface level on the love story, I'd like a really rollicking plot to bring them together. And this is really largely fake dating, which, I'll admit, I'm generally tiring of. It needed a bit of extra oomph.

--I also will say, I don't know that Lorret went quite broad enough with Magnus and Verity in terms of character. He's a bit stern and grumpy, though he really doesn't go super far with it (he could've gone further). Verity is sassy and full of quips. She does a lot of "why YOU!!!" at him. It's fun. But it does get a little repetitive, at least to me--as does her tendency to fall into clumsy moments.

I will also say... I'm not a big fan of the "I'm plain, nobody notices me" thing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little more interested in Verity's hot sisters (I'm super excited about what I assume will be their books, hopefully one of them gets with the hot vicar). While Magnus, thankfully, never really sees Verity as plain--the repeating about how everyone else does, the implication that they're just WRONG. Like, I get it, he notices her when no one else does. It's definitely not Penelope Featherington levels of "woe is me and my meager looks", but it could have been a little... less.

--I do want to emphasize: I did like this book. It's a good book. I'd recommend this book to Lorret readers, for sure, and probably a lot of light romcom readers (though I'd recommend checking out a few of her other books before this one). But do I think it's the best example of her work? Not quite. However, that's because I think she's so talented, and I know she can just hit one out of the park. That said, I am pumped about the rest of the series, and I'm honestly not worried. A lot of authors take a book or two to warm up to the best output of a new series--I noticed this with The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, too, which overall I'd call a strong series for sure.

So yes. Do check this one out if you want something on the lighter side. But if you've never read a Lorret before, try The Wrong Marquess, How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart, and/or Never Seduce a Duke first--then come back here for something a bit simpler.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this read, Vivienne Lorret's writing is so lush and descriptive and she continues to write relatable and dynamic heroines. I enjoyed just how mischievous and fun the heroine was and how she was able to bring out the same qualities in the very grumpy and skeptical duke. I will say, I think the couple broke up and got back together a few too many times. At a certain point I found the Duke's protests of a relationship repetitive and unfair. But other than that, I truly could not put this book down.