Steamy, tense, twisty and engaging, The Wayward Duke is a gripping amalgamation of romance, sex, danger, angst and intrigue.

London, Julian, Duke of Hastings, and his wife, Caroline, have been estranged for eight years when he surprisingly returns, sparking a flame of desire in them that they thought long-dead. Society is ablaze with talk of their reunion, but can they overcome the hurt they’ve caused each other to really reunite? Meanwhile, Julian’s work for the home office embroils them in a dangerous hunt for a terrorist. Can they learn to work together to catch them before he kills them first?

Though this book is the fifth in the series, it was actually my introduction to both the series and author. Despite this, I never felt confused about what was happening and think this was easy to read as a standalone. I was very much in the mood to read a romance when I started this book, but I was unprepared for the turns it would take and was surprised by how steamy it was from the start. The sexual tension is evident and I was relieved not to be reading this in public. But this is more than just a spicy book. Katrina Kendrick expertly moved between the shifts in tone of this book, making me blush with the sex scenes, almost cry with the emotional ones, and keeping me on the edge of my seat as they are caught up in espionage. We don’t initially know why they have been estranged, but their heartbreak and grief is palpable, and you can feel their fear of again trusting the person who broke them to pieces from the inside. As we learned more about the reasons their relationship broke down, Kendrick’s writing flourished, expertly conveying their loss, devastation, and Caroline’s mental health struggles in a real and relatable way.

I liked that this couple weren’t your average Duke and Duchess and that there was more to them than meets the eye. Caroline is a linguist and Julian a code-breaker, the latter working with the home office to secretly decipher codes and hunt terrorists. I loved this aspect of the book. The danger escalated, adding an extra layer of tension to the story that had me on the edge of my seat. I have to admit that although I enjoyed both characters, I did favour Caroline a little. I felt like I really understood her and loved that she was someone who didn’t need a man to rescue her. And very different from what you’d expect of a woman in her position in society at that time.

So if you're looking for a historical romance that will make your heart race, your cheeks blush, and keep you guessing, then this steamy and suspenseful book is the one for you.

For the past nine years, Julian, the Duke of Hastings, has kept his distance from the only woman who he has ever loved, Caroline Hastings, his duchess. He has buried himself in his work as a top-secret government codebreaker. For years she's masked her pain over her husband's abandonment behind a poised facade. Yet when Julian unexpectedly returns and sweeps them into a dangerous, covert mission, Caroline realises that she needs to meet him halfway if their marriage is to have a chance. As they embark on a dangerous chase through London's glittering ballrooms and dark back alleys, Julian and Caroline must catch a killer-before he catches them first.
This book never slowed in its pace, keeping me enthralled from the first page. While I initially struggled to understand what led to Julian and Caroline’s estrangement, the story is cleverly revealed with chapters alternating between their past and their present lives. Despite the heartbreak behind their romance, I enjoyed seeing how they faced their past whilst finding themselves immersed in catching the killer. A great read.
This book I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do like a spy thriller where the Duchess is very involved in foiling the dastardly plot. Especially if she is mathematical. After all, the first computer creator was female and a brilliant mathematician.

A nice twist or two to the traditional HEA as well with a time lapse and tragic deaths, though the death of Tristan was rather obvious as a plot twist.

Enjoyable. Well written. Good style. I'd read more by this author.

I love spicy historical romance and this book was perfection!

So many amazing tropes including second chance romance, political intrigue and code breaking, and so much spice!

These two had such a heartbreaking start, a married couple estranged for 8 years, and it made their reconnection that much sweeter. 🥹 Time didn’t make a dent in their chemistry, these two were real for each other! 🔥😍

Great parts spice and plot, this book was a great read

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the arc 🫶🏻

Deeply moving, poignant and sweet, The Wayward Duke was such a surprise with its depth and character development. Julian, Duke of Hastings and artist Caroline were childhood friends along with Grace whom he confides to Caroline he will ask Grace to marry him. When he offers to nude model for Caroline, sparks fly and the two marry in bliss, until tragedy strikes and the two become estranged for eight years with Julian travelling the world working for the Home Office and Caroline painting under a man's name.

I was hooked from start. Both Julian and Caroline have a chemistry and banter but are nursing deep hurts while secretly pining for each other. When we find the reason why they're estranged, my heart broke for the two of them. I loved the dash of mystery with Caroline using her cryptography skills to help Julian solve whom the letters. I could and would LOVE a series with the two solving crimes.

My only quibble is the issue of Grace is never fully resolved. Julian never satisfactorily explains why he was going to ask Grace to marry him. He just says modelling for Caroline made him fall in love with her. So why was he planning to ask Grace if he wasn't in love with her?

Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC.

🌈 Second chance romance
🌈 Historical romance

🌶🌶🌶🌶

Julian, the Duke of Hastings and his wife of 9 years, Caroline, have been estranged since early in their marriage. Loss and grief has tainted their marriage along with misconceptions about their importance to each other.

But when they are forced to cohabitate again and join forces to take down a threat to the country, they find that their passion and love for each other has not been lost.

This was a quick and angsty read - the language is easy to read and I got through this story quickly.

I've actually read other books in this series and was looking forward to reading this one - it was an enjoyable read and I finished it in one sitting.

I received an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Perfection!!!

I’ve been waiting impatiently for Caroline and Julian’s story since we met them in His Scandalous Lessons. And this was absolutely everything I wanted and more. I’m completely gone for this couple!

This has a somewhat similar setup to Sherry Thomas’s A Private Arrangement, with husband and wife separated shortly after the wedding and estranged for years. While I hated the Thomas book (sorry not sorry—everyone in it is awful), the separation and reasons here are absolutely heartbreaking. But there’s so much angst and love and secret pining and I ate every bit of it up. PLUS we get some codebreaking and spying that really ups the stakes. Both Julian and Caroline are brilliant, and I love how he relies on her and gives her credit.

Katrina Kendrick can write some spicy books, and this might be her spiciest yet. I love that despite the years of heartbreak, these two are still feral for each other.

There’s a lot packed in here, so it’s a fast paced, high stakes historical romance that leans heavy on the drama. But I read it in almost one sitting and loved every single second. HIGHLY recommend!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview.

Definitely a different romance with lots of drama alongside. I loved the main characters and the intense drama between them. Beautifully written.

An absolutely brilliant read.
Caroline and Julian the Duke and Duchess of Hastings have been estranged for eight years.Caroline has carved out a life for herself when Julian reappears in her life saying he is staying in the marital home for a month. Although not happy she agrees only if they appear to the ton that they are living as man and wide.
Julian has worked for the government for years as a cryptologist and is quickly getting involved when a serious of bombings take place which have killed several members of the ton.
Caroline who is a cryptologist as well helps to crack codes in order to prevent more deaths and it is during this time they begin to fall back to n love again but can she trust him and will it last.
Great story can’t recommend it enough

This is a strong addition to a well-written series, with two captivating and original main characters. The story of Caroline and her estranged husband has been hinted at in previous books, and it does not disappoint: the chemistry between her and Julian crackles from the start, and their verbal sparring is delightful. Interspersed with that is the heartbreaking story of how their love went wrong in the first place - although I'd have liked the flashbacks to have been a little more developed because there was plenty to explore there. I enjoyed the ways they re-connected through their shared love of art and code-breaking, and the ongoing intrigue was cleverly teased out and not predictable at all.

I requested this after enjoying "A Touch Wicked" by the same author, but this one really didn't click for me. The writing is high-quality, so this is very much an "it's not you, it's me" - this is a very angsty book with an actiony subplot, neither of which are things I enjoy in my historical romance.

I have really enjoyed the books I have read from this series! I sometimes feel that historical romances become stale as they all follow such a similar story arc. I was pleased to see this one offering up a little mystery and intrigue to keep the pacing up and hold reader interest.

Our hero Julian, has much in common with the brooding, grumpy MMCs we love in a lot of contemporary romances, and let me tell you, the spice was spicing 👌

I only wish we had been able to explore the characters budding romance a bit more deeply. I didn't feel as connected to their friend Grace, which made the events of the story a little less impactful. There were also a few mentions of a fire that had taken place several years earlier. Since we ever got to witness this first-hand, it felt a bit throwaway and perhaps could have been struck from the story without any impact.

The reason why caroline and julian were estranged broke my heart. The plot was good (and no 3rd act break-up🙌🙌), but something that kinda pissed me off was the fact that caroline didn't say 'i love you' back to julian, even in the epilogue.

5 stars

A great addition to the series. We have seen the Duke & Duchess through some of the earlier books. Both are linguists and code breakers and Caroline is an artist. They have been estranged for 8 years and with this book we learnt why....it did seem particularily poignant that all the writing was focused on Caroline's loss and mental health issues whereas the Duke would have been suffering badly as well. It was good that they got their HEA.

I'm wondering if this is the end of the series. I have gone back and read the others and wonder if Mr O'Sullivan and Sofia will also get a book. I thoroughly recommend these books, especially if you like passionate encounters,

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Absolutely stunning! This book might just might be most favourite favourite book in the series, blending sizzling romance with an intriguing mystery. The marriage-in-trouble and second-chance elements are handled with such depth and passion that every page crackles with intensity. The writing is superb, capturing both the heat of the romance and the twists of the mystery. A standout read that showcases why Kendrick’s books are simply unbeatable.