The Duchess Hunt

TITLE: The Duchess Hunt

SERIES: Once Upon a Dukedom #2

AUTHOR: Lorraine Heath

RATING: 

STEAM: 

THE SYNOPSIS

Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of a duchess. However, restoring the dukedom—left in ruins by his father—to its former glory demands all his time, with little room for sentiment. He places an advert encouraging the single ladies of the ton to write why they should be the one chosen, and leaves it to his efficient secretary to select his future wife.

If there exists a more unpleasant task in the world than deciding who is to marry the man you love, Penelope Pettypeace certainly can’t imagine what it might be. Still, she is determined to find the perfect bride for her clueless, yet ruthlessly charming employer.

But when an anonymous note threatens to reveal truths best hidden, Kingsland has no choice but to confront the danger with Penelope at his side. Beguiled by the strong-willed, courageous beauty, he realizes he’s willing to risk everything, including his heart, to keep her safe within his arms. Could it be the duchess he’s hunting for has been in front of him all along?

THE REVIEW

Penelope Pettypeace has been the Duke of Kingsland’s secretary for nearly eight years and secretly loved him for most of that time. She was an efficient and faithful secretary doing his bidding to perfection. But she harbored secrets from her youth that haunted her still and made her weary to get to close to anyone.

Hugh Brinsley-Norton, Duke of Kingsland is a handsome, intimidating man. We saw him in the first book of the series when he announced Lady Kathryn Lambert as his choice for duchess but we only got to see a glimpse of the emotionless man he presented to the world. But it did leave an impression that he was more than he showed to Kathryn. While he has always appreciated Pettypeace’s opinion about investments and work related duties, it wasn’t until recently that he started to think of her in a more romantic way.

Watching them uncover feelings for each other and explore what that meant was just so special! Their banter was so fun and I loved that Penelope wasn’t intimidated by him and that he appreciated that! They were so sweet together! I also loved that Kingsland realized he had some sort of feelings for her because he couldn’t imagine not having her there every morning at breakfast or interacting with her throughout the day when he did marry. He would miss her presence and was reluctant to give it up!

Because the plot twists really play into the storyline, I’m refusing to give too much information in my review. Just read it; I never would have guessed Penelope or Kingsland’s secrets that keep them apart!

TROPES

Historical Romance, Victorian Era, Country Life, Season/Marriage Mart, Alpha Hero, Damaged/Tortured Hero, Protective Hero, Possessive/Jealous Hero, Starchy Hero, Titled Hero, Bluestocking Heroine, Damaged/Tortured Heroine, Independent Heroine, Matchmaker Heroine, Spinster Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Wallflower Heroine, Working Heroine, Class Difference, Fling to Love, Unrequited Love, Workplace Romance, Hidden Identity, Secrets & Lies, Caught in the Rain, Oblivious to Love, Carriage Steam, Outdoor Steam, Wall Steam, Five Star, Three Steam

HistoricalRomance, VictorianEra, CountryLife, Season/MarriageMart, AlphaHero, Damaged/TorturedHero, ProtectiveHero, Possessive/JealousHero, StarchyHero, TitledHero, BluestockingHeroine, Damaged/TorturedHeroine, IndependentHeroine, MatchmakerHeroine, SpinsterHeroine, VirginHeroine, WallflowerHeroine, WorkingHeroine, ClassDifference, FlingtoLove, UnrequitedLove, WorkplaceRomance, HiddenIdentity, SecretsandLies, CaughtintheRain, OblivioustoLove, CarriageSteam, OutdoorSteam, WallSteam, FiveStar, ThreeSteam