Lorraine Heath

Once Upon a Dukedom

The Return of the Duke

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
 

  First Impressions

The Return of the Duke is the last in the Dukedom trilogy and I am so pleased with this book. This author in recent years has become such a hit or miss author for me. So I never know what I am getting into with this author. I am so happy to say that this book was such a WIN for me. Not my favorite of the series, as I think book one still wins that medal, however, I was so delighted with this book and everything that is delivered in this one here. I absolutely adored what Lorraine Heath delivers here, and it was so different and was still just as spicey as you would come to expect from her writing. Lorraine Heath has always been ahead of the steam when it comes to historical romance. This story was such a kick ass romance, and if you are a fan of spies and lovers ,then this one will totally work out for you. I was so charmed by this one, and I didn’t expect it. I went smart and tried it out in audio and so grateful that I did. It has a talented narrator and really made this book shine.


  Summary

In The Return of the Duke, we have a story where our hero, Marcus Stanwick, was the heir to the Duke of Woilfford, and is determined to find the culprits that worked with his father in the plot to kill the queen and the reason that he and his siblings were stripped of everything that had because of it. On his journey to get to the other involved, he comes across Esme Lancaster, who has secrets of her own and is on her own journey as she is a secret agent for the crown and has been working with the Queen for years now. She doesn’t know what Maccus’ angle truly is, but she doesn’t trust him. But as they come with a compromise in working together, there is a chemistry that builds between them and she doesn’t know that she can keep her resistance to Marcus much longer. But to Esme this is just a job, but soon it becomes so much more than that. As Marcus and Esme get closer to revealing the truth about the lies and secrets, will they find a way to their happy ending or are their worlds too different to find common ground?


  What I Loved

The Return of the Duke was such a captivating romance and I enjoyed it so dearly. In fact, I had the most challenging time actually rating this book, it wasn’t quite a five (because I did have a few issues) but I will say that this one truly worked for me in such beautiful ways. There is a sense of redemption in this story and we really get to see so much depth to a hero that has been so secretive in the past two books. I loved this side of him that we get to see in this one here. I truly found him so remarkable in how honorable and full of integrity he is. We see how his father’s betrayal really affected him and how he is wanted to redeem his family name. We see his good heart and sense of responsibility to his siblings. Then we have Esme, who is the “secretive” of the pair. Normally the hero comes off as being the secretive one in a romance, but Esme is the one that fits this bill. We don’t really know her intentions at the beginning of the story and I really admired her tenacity and strength. She is a vibrant woman that has so many capabilities, she has her own strengths and will to get the job done. She is a survivor and is completely loyal. I truly had a blast with the layers of chemistry that is built throughout the story. We see so much in their romance in how its deeply layered side by side with the plot that worked so well. Marcus and Esme make such a strong team and really balance out each other’s strengths in a synchronized manner. You see the level of attachment they have, but also their fierce level of protectiveness for those in their care.


  What I Struggled With

I will be honest inthat the heroine was a hard one at times, and she didn’t show any vulnerabilities or flaws at all. I don’t really want a perfect heroine, I want a character that is real and relatable and she felt so “perfect” and untouchable. I also wasn’t a fan of her actions in the end. The story built up into such a crescendo but the ending just didn’t harmonize with the rest of the story, and left me feeling so untethered. I want a “riding off into the sunset” and this one just didn’t quite deliver on that front.


  The Narration

I will say that Kate Reading has such remarkable talent, especially in how she narrates historical romances, there is something in her manner of voice and delivery that is so attractive and endearing. I really enjoyed the way she used the levels of her voice to display the hero and heroine and other gender of characters that we get faced with in the story. The accents were done just right and the way she delivered the sexual tension really built throughout the story so well. I do think that Kate Reading is a star out of female narrators and such a joy to listen to. Her voice is highly engaging and she immediately pulled me into the story here.


  Overall View

I found The Return of the Duke to be a remarkable listen and Lorraine Heath definitely delivered a solid finale that struck gold! Its a story of sacrifice, sizzling chemistry and a duty bound love that will warm the heart and bring such light delights to entertain!

Sheena

Are you in the mood for intense, sizzling chemistry? Heartfelt moments? Characters that you make you want to scream and yell at to just freakin’ kiss already? Look no further—“Return of the Duke” absolutely delivers. A fairly decent historical standalone with strong characters with such intense chemistry you can feel it bleed through the pages. It was a fun, swoon-worthy banterful romance novel that will have you come back to this author for more. 
 
Though it was a fairly enjoyable read, there were chapters in this historical read that dragged hence the three star rating. The pace fluctuated throughout and I wished it was a bit more consistent, especially in the second half of the series. Nonetheless, well worth the read and for obvious reasons, I will keep this author on my future reads radar.

The Return of the Duke Once Upon a Dukedom

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