I always love Vivienne Lorret's books and this was no exception!

Fake Engagement! Enemies to Lovers! Family Rivalry! I thoroughly enjoyed Verity and Magnus's story and I can't wait for more in this new series!

Thank you for the early copy!

It Had to Be a Duke was a delight! I started it and was completely enamored with Verity and could not stop reading. It was a true enemies to lovers tale that I could not get enough of. Ugh, the tension was so good and I never knew exactly where the story was going next. This was a great start to a series and I can’t wait to read more!

Enemies to Lovers✅ Witty banter✅ Fantastic story-PRICELESS!
What a delicious romp this is! For being the sensible sister, Verity manages to get into enough scrapes to last a lifetime. Magnus is a stuffy , revengeful duke, who is trying to be the dutiful son and brother. Put the two together and you have a wonderful, messy, mischievous romp! I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a long time!
The author does a great job of keeping the banter going, the hard things well written and the ending adorable. I especially loved little Miss Nell getting her just rewards! The off page issues and Verity’s response to them are so very real and I felt her pain. Wonderful characters, wonderfully plotted story and fantastic ending.

I received this ARC copy for free and these are my own opinions

Vivienne Lorret is one of my favorite romance writers and “It Had to be a Duke” is one of her best. Verity and Magnus have great chemistry and banter, even as Magnus persists in thinking badly of Verity and her family. Speaking of Verity’s family, they are a highlight of this book. They have survived scandal and tragedy and still have an abundance of love and good humor. And the sock puppets! IYKYK.

Both Verity and Magnus are self-sacrificing, often more than others expect them to be (with the exception of Magnus’ mother). Yet they are not annoying, though Magnus continued commitment to his proposed path towards the end of the book borders on frustrating. The female relationships in this book are also lovely. Verity and Anna’s friendship is beautiful as are Verity’s relationship with her sisters. Not as steamy as some of Lorret’s works but it works here.

4.5 stars rounded to 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

This was such a fun read. Verity was a great character full of quirks and didn't see her own value. Being a non-theatrical person in a family full of performers was daunting and she always saw herself as an outcast, preferring to watch birds. She had a fun series of mishaps placing her in the path of the duke. Their chemistry was entertaining. I would read more by this author in this series.

When I first started It Had To Be A Duke, I had difficulty staying focused. After some time apart, it seemed like a completely new book in the best way. It felt like a refreshing sprig of lavender under my nose and I was utterly enchanted. I must have paused the book exactly before the plot began to reveal itself. It was a charming historical romance that "bewitched me body and soul" at every turn. It Had To Be A Duke felt like a perfect love letter to the cinematic masterpiece, 2005's Pride and Prejudice. It's not very often when a book's spectacular writing gives me chills.

It Had To Be A Duke was a phenomenal piece of fiction and I was enraptured for the majority of the book. The P&P references were such a delight and I'm glad I managed to catch them. Hand tingles, heroes silhouetted by the sunset, and a Georgian match made in heaven all culminated into the perfect homage. Verity and Longhurst had a wonderful dynamic and I adored watching it evolve throughout the novel. As soon as they overcame their "pride and prejudice", it was heavenly.

It Had to Be A Duke was lovely novel and I felt utterly rejuvenated from the comforting pages. I hope to read more Vivienne Lorret in the future because this book was the equivalent of a fluffy pillow. I even caught her cheeky Disney cameo when she named a side character Fitzherbert Eugene. Don't think I didn't see it, pal! I enjoyed this sweet romance and I'm eager to explore her catalog if they're similar to this story. It doesn't have to be a marquess or an earl, but all I know is It Had To Be A Duke.

For some reason, this book was hard for me to get into. I like a quirky heroine but something about her awkwardness, plus the fact that this whole town is quirky, just wasn’t clicking with me. The pacing in the first half of the book sort of dragged and made it hard to get through. Fake engagement is a really fun trope, though, and I think this is probably a good recommendation for a lot of people who are looking for a fun opposites attract/enemies to lovers story.

I ADORED this one. The banter was infectious. The romance was real. I felt all the flutters. Now I have to read Vivienne's entire backlog!

Fun, quirky, delightful.

This one is just a good, old-fashioned fun. Don't over think the plot and you will love this one.

At first the sisters annoyed me with the quirky family act. But, it works well to set up the plot.

I really loved Magnus. He's is true book-boyfriend material.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you’re looking for angst, this story has it! This is a true enemies to lovers, with a tense plot that pays off so well at the end.
Some of the conflict was a little much for me, but overall it is so well written. Sparks fly around the main couple, and watching them fight falling in love is really fun.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Star Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, spinster
CW: Bullying

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Verity’s character right from the beginning of the book. She is witty, straightforward, and kind even when challenged and mistreated by the people around her. I loved Magnus too and the banter between Verity and Magnus was utterly delightful. I loved their enemy-to-lover romance. I am so curious about Hawk and Rowan. I also loved the easter egg about Honoria and I have so many questions. I highly recommend it and cannot wait for the rest of the books from this series. This is book one in The Liars Club series.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

For the beginning of a new series, this new novel by Vivienne Loret is quite good. Verity and Magnus work through a fake engagement that is all her fault. He’s trying to do the right things for family, but keeps being gobsmacked by the unyielding Verity.

I don’t think Verity was a match for me, but I liked ole grumpy Magnus. This one is steamy and angst in all the right places. Kind of a hurried HEA, but the novel sets up the series for he brothers and sisters of these two,

While this wasn’t my favorite novel by Lorrett, it was still a sweet tale of enemies becoming lovers amidst psychological healing and adventurous hijinks that historical romance fans will thoroughly enjoy.

Verity mistakenly spreads a rumor that she's engaged to a local duke. The only problem - he hates her family. When Magnus arrives to sort out the truth, Verity's not at all what he expected, and suddenly, Magnus' carefully planned life is coming apart at the seams.

Unfortunately, I didn't ever connect with Verity or Magnus. Her awkwardness seemed forced, and even unbelievable, at times, and as the daughter of a baron, I couldn't believe that she hadn't been married off to someone for her dowry alone. The first half moved pretty slowly, and then there were lots of new characters and information thrown into the last 50-100 pages, which made the pacing seem very inconsistent. I did enjoy Verity's side-plot with the vicar, and almost wished we could have seen more of him! While this book didn't really hit the spot, I am planning to read the next book in the series, previewed at the end of this book, where Verity's sister meets the real-life version of her make-believe viscount.

Oh my god. I absolutely loved this!!!

After recently dnf-ing a Vivienne Lorret I was nervous to dive into her newest novel because I wasn't sure what to expect. After seeing another book reviewer (I can't remember who sadly) call this heroine chaotic and gush about how much they were loving this book I knew I had to pick it up ASAP.

This year historical romances have been letting me down so when I was instantly charmed by the heroine and truly captured by the story within the first 10%? I knew this book was about to turn my historical romance luck around (spoiler it did).

There is simply so much to love about this book. The plot and the romance were perfectly paced and I never once found myself growing bored and there was so much angst in this book. We have enemies to lovers, fake dating, grumpy hero/stubborn heroine dynamic, a "I will murder the person who hurt you"/caretaking scene, and it was perfect. I love how they were both so alike yet so different. It doesn't help that Magnus harbors anger toward Verity's family because of a scandal that happened between their fathers which adds only to the angst!

Verity has always been known as the "plain sister" because compared to her sisters she is not considered as pretty. What makes it even worse is that everyone in the village is constantly commenting on it as well. So when it seems like she snags Magnus? Well, they are in disbelief. It was so cute to see Magnus getting upset and frustrated on her behalf because he was like "She is the most beautiful human in the world what is wrong with you people?".

Verity is also one of those heroines who is chaotic but charming because she is just such a mess by accident. She is always getting herself into trouble and it doesn't help that Magnus seems to encourage this chaotic nature of hers. I love how she was not afraid to be herself and fully embrace when she would mess up. She was so fun to read and I loved being with her. She was also just so sweet that I wanted to protect her at all costs.

Magnus was a stern hero who was in love with Verity but absolutely refused to believe so. I love how he was always there for her and couldn't help but always think "I must protect her" and even slipped and said she was his which made me swoon. I love how Verity helped him learn to unleash control and to be more carefree with life. They truly helped each other bring out their best traits.

The plot of this story was also well-paced and I enjoyed the mystery aspect that we had later on in the story. The first part is the fake betrothal and then the later part is more of discovering what the scandal was and how Verity and Magnus are going to get together. The pacing, plot, and romance reminded me of all the things I love about Kate Bateman's books, so if you liked this check her out or if you like Kate then check this book out!

Overall, I absolutely loved and adored this and it will be making my top books of the year.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book.
Verity and Magnus have been enemies since her Magnus's father lost everything in an investment that led to hid decline and death.
Now Magnus has to marry and heiress to restore the estate. Only Verity claimed that she was engaged to Magnus after her bully returned from London.
I liked the relationship between Magnus and Verity. I loved how he couldn't help himself around her but I didn't like how Verity couldn't see his attraction.
I look forward to Verity and her mysterious Viscount's story.

This is my favorite Vivienne L. book to date. This was the perfect enemies to lovers book that I’ve read, one of the top ones anyway. This had the witty banter that I love, a grumpy hero, a heroine that gets stomped on but always manages to get pull herself up, great side characters, & the sexual tension was off the charts. I freaking loved it!! And, of course, it had a cliffhanger that makes me want the next book immediately!

This isthe first book of Vivienne Lorrets that i have read and i can say with utmost certainty that it will not be my last. Verity was a spinster and Magnus was a penniless duke.. sounds perfect, right? WRONG!!! I was thrilled with this book and loved that the resolution wasnt found too quickly as sometimes is the case with historical romance. I was stunned by the ending and ill be reading Vivienne Lorrert's entire backlog immediately!

I. Can't. Even.

Hands down one of the best books I've read so far this year. I discovered Lorret's writing last year with the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series and inhaled it fairly quickly. I ended up adoring every single book in that series. I am so excited that her new series, The Liar's Club, has come out with such a strong start.

Verity Hartley is a spinster. After one short lived season (and two short lived courtings) she's resigned herself to running her brother's household; whenever he comes back to England. A family scandal quickly ruined her prospects and shunned her family from polite society. The Hartley's retreated to the country and have stayed there ever since. Verity, tired of being bullied by her nemesis, ends up lying about being engaged to the Duke of Warring. There is a big problem with the fake engagement; the family have been rivals since the scandal.

The Duke of Warring is in dire straits. He needs to marry an heiress in order to keep the family estates afloat and bring his brother home. Rumor has it that he's already engaged... to a Hartley. He agrees to keep up the fake engagement with Verity for one week in order to save both of their reputations.

When a book claims to be enemies to lovers I usually scoff a bit. The feuding tends to end pretty much immediately. Not with this book! Another reviewer compared the water scene to Princess Diaries Two and I wholeheartedly agree. These two were at each other's throats 90% of the time and I was here for it. Lorret's writing is so witty and had me laughing out loud with a smile on my face the entire time. It was just such a fun read. The way the "other woman" drama was presented was such a good plot choice. I'm glad Anna and Verity ended up having a genuine friendship and not a bunch of cattiness.

I loved how this book set up the series. I kept thinking the next book would be a particular pair but then it was like a bombshell on the last page. I'm so excited for this series to continue. It's going to be such a long wait since this one doesn't even come out until the end of November. Brava, Vivienne Lorret! I can't stop gushing about this one!

Tropes included: enemies to lovers, fake engagement, spinster heroine, the "plain" sister, betrothed to someone else (sorta), family rivalries, meddling grandmothers, witty banter, penniless duke, tree climbing heroine, spicy dreams, kiss it out of our system, family theatrics, violet eyed heroine, naked reverends, monkeys on leashes, and a duke who can't tell a lie.

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager, Vivienne Lorret, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #netgalley #viviennelorret #ItHadToBeADuke #TheLiarsClub #AvonHarperVoyager

When Vivienne Lorret writes a “who did this to you” romance she goes ALL IN

Vivienne Lorret is one of my favorite historical romance authors because her writing is consistently good, her characters are complex, and her setups are really unique.

This book features Verity, a wallflower who has been overshadowed by her theatrical family her whole life. One day, she is fed up and lies about being engaged to a duke, who so happens to be Magnus. Magnus is a grump whose only goal in life is to fulfill his duty (I love this trope!). He travels to Verity’s town in the country to rectify the mistake, and their relationship starts out on the wrong foot.

The way these two banter and get under each other’s skin was HILARIOUS. They are both so clearly fascinated by one another but don’t know how to handle the strength of their feelings. The angst was REAL with this one, folks. But through their circumstances, of course they become so much more to one another, and by the end of the book they’re both so protective of one another it’s ADORABLE 🥹.

If you like a grumpy hero, a wallflower heroine, forced proximity, fake engagement, or enemies-to-lovers, I’d recommend picking this up!

My one piece of feedback would be this: I feel like I needed an epilogue for this book! The ending is a bit chaotic (which was fun, don’t get me wrong) but I felt there wasn’t enough time to relish the ending, and adding a calmer scene to cap it all off would have amped up my satisfaction!

3.75/5! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC to read and share my honest thoughts about!