Review - The Return of the Duke by Lorraine Heath

The Return of the Duke by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book by Lorraine Heath, as always! The Return of the Duke is the third book in this series, centered around the sons of the former Duke of Wolfford who was hanged for treason. Marcus Stanwick was the heir, and had spent his life preparing to be a duke. For the past year he’s been trying to find the people who led to that future being taken. That search leads to his father’s former mistress, Esme Lancaster, who he quickly realizes is much more than what he assumed.

I really enjoyed this book; Marcus and Esme are both very well written characters who just can’t keep their hands off each other. Esme is a spy, so if spy romances aren’t your thing you might want to skim this one, but honestly I didn’t feel like she got much in the weeds. One thing this definitely has is competence-both Marcus and Esme are extremely capable, and each admires that in the other. This wasn’t quite a tear-jerker for me the way some of the others have been, but I still really liked it and will definitely read whatever she writes next!

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Review - The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath

 Oh, Lorraine Heath. I don't think it's possible for her to write a book I don't love immediately. The Duchess Hunt, the second in the Once Upon a Dukedom series, is no exception to that. 

Hugh, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of an heir, but has no wish to waste time trying to find a bride. He's placed an advertisement for a duchess, and set his faithful secretary, Penelope, to work to sort through the candidates and choose him a wife. The most important talent she must possess: to be quiet. Kingsland is devoted to investing and making money, and as a genius has little time for conversation. Penelope Pettypeace, his secretary, sets out to do the job the very best she can - the only problem is that she is in love with the duke!

This book is wonderful. The mutual pining between Hugh and Penelope, the attraction they both try in vain to fight, all of it is perfect. The plot moves pretty slowly until the second half, but the characters are developed so wonderfully that it hardly matters. 

As always, Heath tackles subjects with aplomb that in the hands of other authors might have fallen flat. The way she deals with female agency and female sexuality in this book is spot-on. Penelope is strong and fearless, while still being feminine and vulnerable.

Overall this is a wonderful book and I'm only sorry I have to wait to read the next one!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Review - Scoundrel of My Heart by Lorraine Heath

Scoundrel of My Heart is the first book in Lorraine Heath's new Once Upon a Dukedom series. The hero of this book, Lord Griffith Stanwick, is the brother to the heroine of the last book (Beauty Tempts the Beast) and this book does overlap somewhat. However, I believe that this book can be read without having read the other books first.

Lady Kathryn Lambert must marry a titled gentleman in order to claim her inheritance: a lovely cottage by the sea, where all of her fondest childhood memories take place. Lord Griffith Stanwick, her closest friend's brother, is a second son and so will never inherit. Raised as a spare, Griff dreams of making his own way in the world. When he learns of Kathryn's trouble, he sets out to help her achieve her dream of her cottage: by convincing a duke to court her. Finally with her future in her sights, Kathryn should be overjoyed, but can't help but miss the younger son who understood her so completely.

As always, Heath does an amazing job of creating characters you just can't help but love. In Beauty Tempts the Beast, the Griff that we saw was surly and unreliable, however here in Scoundrel of My Heart we get to know him much more intimately and you can't help but fall in love with him, too. Kathryn is fiery and headstrong. There is a scene where she is trying to make an impression on a man who is looking for a quiet bride who won't bother him, but she can't hold her tongue at all, and I found myself cheering her on. They are a wonderful couple, and though the road to their happy-ever-after is difficult (is it ever easy in a Lorraine Heath book?) the payoff is so completely worth it.

I loved this book, would highly recommend. I can't wait to read the next one!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager.

Review - Beauty Tempts the Beast by Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath is a master storyteller, and Beauty Tempts the Beast underscores that decisively. The final book of the roller coaster that is her Sins for All Seasons series, Beauty Tempts the Beast is an absolute gem of a story.

Althea Stanwick, previously of Mayfair, has found herself living precariously in Whitechapel, and perilously short on options. When Benedict Trewlove, known as Beast, proposes to hire her to train the women under his protection etiquette, she pushes the deal farther: he must teach her seduction, so that she can become a courtesan and master her own destiny. Against his better judgement, Beast agrees, but will the lessons prove to be too much for them both?

There are so many things I love about this book. All of the Trewloves come back and we get to spend time with all of them. A self-righteous lord gets put in his place. A snobby lady gets a big snub. Heath excels at building atmosphere - without using over-the-top descriptions, you still get such a sense of place, as if these were actual places you could visit, and in fact miss after you're done reading.

The characters are just amazing in this book. I've been looking forward to Beast's book since When a Duke Loves a Woman (book 2 of this 6-book series) and it was definitely worth the wait. Althea is wonderful - very clear-headed and yet still optimistic. I really enjoyed that Beauty Tempts the Beast didn't have a "big misunderstanding" - the characters were open an honest with each other through it all. 

I'm so very sorry to be done with the Trewlove family, it has been a wonderful series that I know I'll be rereading again soon! I would absolutely recommend this book! 

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you to HarperCollins/Avon and NetGalley.

Beauty Tempts the Beast is available 29 September 2020!

Review - The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath

The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In The Duchess in His Bed, the fourth book in the Sins for All Seasons series, Lorraine Heath weaves a masterful story of desire, deception and love. While reading the previous books in the series will help the reader to understand more of the side characters and events in the book, it is also able to be read as a stand-alone novel.

The Duchess in His Bed focuses on Aiden Trewlove, the enigmatic owner of the Elysium Club, an exclusive gaming and entertainment club for women. Aiden has a strict policy of not engaging any of his club’s patrons in anything beyond harmless flirtation - until Selena Sheffield, Duchess of Lushing walks in and asks him to bed her. Aiden is captivated by Selena and together they embark on a series of lessons in seduction, where her growing feelings for him may unravel her secret plans.

Heath, as always, does an outstanding job of taking circumstances that seem entirely foreign to modern readers and making them personal and immediate. Present-day readers will likely never have to worry about laws of primogeniture or observing proper mourning rituals, but Heath is able to make these issues seem as real as any issues that plague modern relationships. Through her intense characterization the protagonists come to life - they are not fictional historical characters but instead are real, living people. The reader can’t help but feel as though the lives of Aiden and Selena don’t end at the epilogue, but that they continue to live their lives in the world she has created, day after day.

Overall, a great story with excellent characters, definitely one to read!

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book from HarperCollins

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Review - A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath

A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lorraine Heath’s A Duke of Her Own, the first of the Rogues and Roses books, focuses on Lady Louisa Wentworth and the Duke of Hawkhurst. Louisa is an earl’s daughter, but the estate is impoverished. Deciding to take her life into her own hands, Louisa begins a career as a social chaperone for a pair of American heiresses seeking titled husbands, Jenny and Kate Rose. Hawkhurst, himself desperately in need of funds, sets his sights on marrying Miss Jenny Rose. The only problem is her chaperone, whom he can’t seem to ignore.

In this book Heath tells a different story than she has in other novels. The protagonists honestly don’t seem to get along much at all, and neither seems very likeable. Both are very flawed individuals. Louisa is far too judgemental and Hawk is too secretive. Although both overcome these traits, that doesn’t come until the end of the book and feels rather rushed. The end of the story leaves many characters’ arcs unconcluded, and feels a bit unfulfilling. Overall it felt the book was lacking in true emotion, which is a vast departure from many of Heath’s other works.

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Review - The Scoundrel in Her Bed by Lorraine Heath

The Scoundrel in Her Bed by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Scoundrel in Her Bed is the third book in Lorraine Heath’s Sins for All Seasons series, and tells a much different story than the previous two books. The focus of the series is the Trewlove family - a group of individuals who were sold to a “baby farmer” in infancy. The practice was common at the time as a means to rid the nobility of unwanted illegitimate children. For a fee a woman would take in the child, and often the child perished soon after. This book focuses on Finn Trewlove and Lady Lavinia Kent. The two fell in love despite their very disparate social positions, until circumstances separated them. Now, eight years later they have reconnected.

In this book the main characters have to deal with the issues that caused their separation and the repercussions from it. After eight years they are both very different people than the young couple who fell in love without a care. Can they rebuild on that, do they even want to? At one point the heroine muses “They’d changed once, and they would change again, and she didn’t know how one remained in love when people constantly changed.” This is an question that is not exclusive to a historical setting, but all relationships everywhere.

Amidst the relationship issues there are other, darker themes in the book that are dealt with as well. The other books in the series have touched on the issues of baby farming in more roundabout ways, but this book tackles it head on. The book is good, but heavy. Parts of the narrative are definitely tearjerkers, and while of course there is a happily-ever-after, Heath takes us on a very long route to get there.


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Review - Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath

Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Surrender to the Devil, the third book in the Scoundrels of St. James series, Lorraine Heath focuses on the characters of Frannie Darling and Sterling Mabry, Duke of Greystone. The book sits in the middle of the series, and while it is possible to read it alone, much of both the central, as well as peripheral characters is influenced by the events of the previous two books in the series.

The protagonists of the story, as in the previous two books in the series, are of very different social classes - Frannie grew up on the streets while Sterling has always been the heir to a dukedom. While it would be easy to think that this difference would be the key to the story, it is in fact relegated to a back burner of the romance between the two. Although omnipresent, and in many ways shaping their romance, it isn’t the cornerstone, which is refreshing. Frannie, as with the the others of “Feagan’s lads”, who grew up on the street, makes it a goal to help others less fortunate. She opens an orphanage to try to help the children, and it gives her drive and passion. Sterling has spent his life in pursuit of his own pleasures, and gives little thought to others needs, until he meets Frannie. The conclusion is somewhat predictable, yet altogether satisfying, as is the book as a whole.


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Review - The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath

The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Earl Takes All, the second book in Lorraine Heath’s Hellions of Havisham series, tells a singularly unique story that is at once tense, romantic, and heartbreaking. It is truly deserving of the phrase “emotional rollercoaster”. While Edward Alcott’s identical twin brother is dying in the jungles of Africa, he begs Edward to “be me”, in order to protect his wife from the grief that could cause her to miscarry their baby. Upon returning to England, Edward must pretend to be his brother, the Earl of Greyling until his brother’s wife, Julia, gives birth. Edward and Julia have never gotten along, except for one stolen kiss in a garden years ago that neither can forget.

Heath does an exceptional job of dragging readers through ups and downs throughout this story. The emotions and actions of the characters felt completely utterly believable, even in the middle of an unrealistic situation. Heath did an excellent job of letting the readers into both the hero and heroine’s thought processes throughout the story, rather than telling a more one-sided story, which helped flesh out all the currents running through each scene. Even knowing that a romance novel must have a happy ending, I was seriously doubting that things could ever work out for the protagonists. Overall, a great read that you won’t be able to put down.


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