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.

4.25/5⭐️

Vivienne Lorret is a happy discovery for me. Even though this is only my 2nd book from her (and the start of a new series), she’s proving herself to be one to watch.

Verity Hartley (at 26) has accepted her fate as a spinster. She is outshone by her flamboyant theatrical family including her two beautiful younger sisters. When a revenge lie lands her in hot water, she and the staid (family enemy) Duke of Longhurst must pretend a betrothal for a short time to save their reputations. The duke (Magnus), in an effort to replenish his family’s coffers, is planning to secure the hand of a wealthy heiress. But as Verity and Magnus are pretending, their attraction and understanding of the other is kindled. But heartbreak awaits as the obstacles mount against them.

I really enjoyed this story as the slow burn but ultimately combustible romantic tension between the leads was very well done. While both her family and even Verity at times were a bit frustrating, the need for and discovery of understanding and shared commiserations between her and Magnus was sweet and nicely developed.

Enjoyable outing and anticipate further delights as the series continues.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing the free early arc of It Had to Be a Duke for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Verity is not a good liar. That's why she is surprised when her one lie gets her into so much trouble. Magnus is taking the brunt of the problem from the lie. She is also surprised when people start giving her attention. She is pretty plain and not as interesting as the rest of her family. I applaud Magnus for trying not to fall in love with Verity. There were too many forces trying to get them together for that to work.
I enjoyed reading, It Had to Be a Duke. It had a few twist and turns that I didn't expect that made it very interesting.

I really love Vivienne Lorret's writing, she always does a fantastic job at establishing her characters and setting a fun concept for the two leads to build from. This is a very classic enemies-to-lovers trope, following Verity and Magnus, who thanks to a lie from Verity, must pretend to be engaged for a week before they can officially call off things in a way that doesn't show either of them to be at fault.

My main problem is that the pacing of this book feels really off. The week of their engagement is about the first fifty percent of the book, and then everything that happens afterwards is kicked into overdrive with a lot thrown onto the page all at once.

Magnus and Verity have a really fun dynamic between the two of them, you really get why they have issues with each other. Magnus is extremely stern and straight-laced while Verity is every inch wild and unwilling to bend. They're both as stubborn as each other which leads to many problems and fights, but the moments where they're vulnerable with each other show why they're drawn together. But it takes a while for this to click fully, especially because of the very short time that they're initially engaged.

I'm excited to see what the next book brings about, I liked all of the set up for the characters that will inevitably be getting their own books, but this one didn't quite get me.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. At times charming, at others plodding, still at others deeply emotional, altogether a pleasant historical romance. I do wish the hero had a group of friends, but I understand the author has queued up the series to follow the sisters.

Special thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This was a very enjoyable enemies-to-lovers story. Magnus and Verity each had their own burdens to bear--Magnus and his sense of duty to family and Verity, who was the sensible fixer in her rather outlandish family. The whole story starts with one little white lie--Verity was being bullied by her nemesis, Nell, and she suddenly blurts out she's engaged to the Duke of Longhurst just to shut her up. That started a series of unfortunate encounters with a very angry duke who had been courting an heiress to save his family from ruin.

There was some lively banter between Magnus and Verity with a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, although Verity did suffer from panic attacks being in closed spaces. It rounded out her character nicely that she just wasn't perfect. I liked that although it took most of the book for her to realize that she wasn't the ugly duckling, she always believed herself to be. Magnus was always striving to be perfect and do the right thing for his family, but you can't always control everything. I loved that he learned a little bit of chaos, and looking after one's own interests once in a while was a good thing. There were a couple of good twists and turns in the story before Magnus and Verity got their own happily ever after. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I liked watching Magnus fall in love, but Verity’s melodramatic family and all of her clumsiness to get them to touch was a rough pill for me to swallow. I wish we had a clearer and stronger buildup to their backstories and the convoluted ending dragged out.