Lorraine Heath

New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath continues her Once Upon a Dukedom series with this lush love story of a duke who discovers what he desires in a wife may not be what he needs… 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 Duchess Hunt

Lover of Romance 

First Impressions
The Duchess Hunt is a story that I was highly anticipating so much. In the previous book, “Scoundrel of My Heart” really built up the focus of the hero for this book. By the end of Scoundrel of My Heart you just want him to find his happy ever after. So I was so excited to delve into this book and get his story. It has a mix of unrequited love, forbidden love, class difference, and Boss and Secretary tropes. So pretty much some of my favorite tropes to read in romance but most especially a historical romance. I was really intrigued with the setup of the story and seeing the slow-built chemistry that is developed between Hugh and Penelope. I knew from the first chapter that this book would be rough on the emotions as we see how much Penelope has fallen for Hugh and he is kinda blind to it for quite a while. But I was also intrigued to see how this would work out for them. It definitely had the depths that you have come to expect from Lorraine Heath but it was a slow-paced read which I wasn’t expecting especially after the first book “Scoundrel of My Heart” kept me on my toes. So be aware before moving forward.

Summary
Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is looking for a duchess. After what happened the last time, he is going to make sure he finds his duchess and someone that will fit the role perfectly and won’t get emotionally attached as his pride was hurt losing the woman he started to care for to another. He puts his secretary in charge of finding his duchess and will make his decision on the night of the ball he has in the plan for. Penelope is determined to find the perfect wife for Hugh, she may have been loving him from afar but if she is anything, she is efficient at her job and will prove herself to Hugh despite having secret yearnings for his touch and his heart. Hugh starts to take interest in Penelope but as the chemistry builds slowly between High and Penelope, there is a threat to them both. Someone that knows a secret and will blackmail them with it. As both High and Penelope have secrets in their past they would rather stay hidden, they aren’t ready for what is to come or the hidden desires that erupt between them. Will Hugh find that the love of his heart has been by his side this whole time or forsake it all for the sake of keeping up the pretense of being a proper Duke?

What I Loved
There was so many things to actually really enjoy about this book. The first I want to mention is the depth of the character growth. I just loved both Hugh and Penelope individually. They had such distinct personalities, and both are so efficient and capable at what they do which is also makes them a great team. They are so sync with each other and its pretty interesting to see how despite the practicality of their relationship in the past, there is something more deeper which is building between them. I did find that the this took some twists and turns I actually didn’t see coming. I do love how this author developed the plot in this book. It definitely keeps the interest of the reader to see where the story will take Hugh and Penelope. I was fascinated by how secretive they both are of their pasts, but especially Penelope. She is tight lipped about anything personal about herself. But when she starts to be more open with Hugh, this is were the relationship really takes its delightful turn into something deeper between them. I was intrigued b the complexity of their bond and seeing the intricate layers that form. Lorraine Heath has such a talent in developing these type of aspects within her stories and it really is evident within this one here.

What I Struggled With
so I had ONE major issue with this book, and the pacing is just so SLOW! I am not sure if this is just me, but in some of her books especially her more recently published works, the writing just doesn’t engage me like her writing used to for me. I wanted so much to enjoy this one more because the romance was so delightful but it took me days to actually read this one, and i just wanted to get through it and I never like that feeling especially from a favorite author. After the first book, and being so engaged, I was expecting this book to completely blow me away, and the pacing really affected my true enjoyment of this one here, unfortunately.

Overall View
The Duchess Hunt is a sweet softly built romance that develops a class difference romance into a complexity of emotion and passion that will curl your toes and leave you eager for more delicious treats from this author. You won’t be disappointed upon the reading of The Duchess Hunt.

New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath continues her Once Upon a Dukedom series with this lush love story of a duke who discovers what he desires in a wife may not be what he needs... 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?

Arianna M

I liked this one a lot better than the first—and I liked the first a lot!

Preye

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Did I just lose four hours of sleep to finish this book? Yes I did. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. This book is perfect and sweet and I fell in love with all the characters (aside the nasty numbskull that tried to blackmail the female protagonist). Lorraine Heath is lauded as an excellent novelist and I see why she deserves all her flowers. I'm now a proud fan. This might be my first book from this excellent author but it won't be my last.

Ever read a book that gave you chills? This was IT for me. I smiled like a freak and practically willed my bladder to stop functioning so I wouldn't miss a minute of this gorgeous story. I love Hugh and Penelope and with the very opinionated helpers, I was gearing for this to be a " "beauty-and-the-beast-esque" story but it wasn't. 

Is it obvious I really loved this book??

I like that the author didn't skimp on the details or neglect to give her characters any sort of development. She explored neglected topics and treated them so delicately it burned to be a witness. Even more brilliant was the way human fraility was portrayed in the book. She depicted the fraility of man and how prone he is to take the wrong path for a just cause(or with a sensible justification). 

I didn't know this was a series before I read it and I'll be reading the first book fasho.

fransarylibros

It was sooo good! Looking forward for Marcus now 😍

danielle bush

I. Loved. This. One. So. Much! I have loved all the books I've read by Lorraine Heath, especially in this series.. But I think this one is my favorite so far..I was so happy that this book followed Hugh the Duke of Kingsley I really wanted him to get his HEA after the events in the last book.. . 
Kingsley and Penelopes relationship has been built upon years of Penelope working as the Dukes secretary.. She knows him probably better than he knows himself.. I love that she is smart, knows shorthand, and is fully capable of taking care of herself.. She has invested her money and could frankly go where ever and do whatever she wanted.. If only she didn't want Hugh.. 

Hugh is an amazing buisness man and Penelope is his right hand man for everything he does.. At the moment he has given her the task of finding him a wife.. He has always had an awarness of her, how she looks in her clothes, how her hair escapes her bun when she removes her glasses and rubs her nose.. Its all really sweet.. However he wouldn't want to do anything that could make her want to leave his employment.. He knows he will never find another person like her, who will do the job as well as she does.. 

The whole time they are falling for each other, Penelope is still trying to figure out who Kingsley should marry and plan the ball where he will reveal the answer to the Ton.. When a blackmail letter lands on Penelopes desk that could be ment for her or the duke the stakes get raised, and the tension builds even higher.. 

I don't want to get into all the things I loved because I would spoil the whole book since I loved all of it.. So Ill just say if you love historical romance, Lorraine Heath, Dukes who don't think they can love, and the strong women who bring them around, any or all of the above you should absolutley read this book.. After reading the end and the epilogue I just got all the feels and couldn't stop smiling.. This is a wonderfully written book, with amazing characters I can't wait to see more of.. So what are you waiting for? preorder this book now, or read it as soon as it comes out. you wont regret it!

Amanda J 

The Duchess Hunt is the second book in Lorraine Heath's newest series, Once Upon a Dukedom. While it can easily be read as a standalone, you would do yourself a disservice not reading the previous book. 
While the book starts out with a bit of an outlandish plot, a duke putting an advertisement in the mail for a duchess and his female secretary choosing the lady, it quickly evolves to something more substantial. The marriage plot acts as a thread weaving the story along and providing anchor points, but it is not where most of the novel's attention lies. The story is more about the recognition of the love between Penelope and King. While Penelope is aware of her feelings, she is resigned to them being unrequited. King discovers his feelings for his secretary during the book. The camaraderie and chemistry between King and Penelope are apparent and a testament to the writing. It was a believable romance. I found the mystery behind Penelope's past well-done; hints were dropped along the way but I could never guess it exactly. I loved that the disagreement between the two didn't fall into the classic miscommunication trope, but was reasonable for both parties to feel the way they did. 

Overall, I highly recommend the book to any historical romance reader.

Alexis 

4.5/5 Stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** 

I completely enjoyed my time reading this book. I adored Penelope and Hugh. I loved watching the back and forth, and seeing them show their affection but also deny it. I liked how everyone could tell they had feelings and they liked each other except them. I enjoyed the other side stories of finding a bride and the revealing of dark secrets. Overall I honestly had a great time and completely recommend this book.

b.andherbooks

Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland has tasked his steadfast secretary Penelope Pettypeace with finding him his future Duchess, but increasingly becomes distracted by Pettypeace as he realizes what finding a wife will do to *their* relationship.

Pettypeace herself has secretly loved the Duke for most of her employment with him, but has kept it carefully hidden away like the leather notebook in her secret pocket. She'll find him his duchess AND will start considering finding some companionship of her own, even if it is just anonymous liaisons at the new club for second sons and commoner women.

But when a secret blackmail letter reveals both Pettypeace and King have secrets, their search for a Duchess is put on pause and gives them an opportunity to try a short term arrangement, for just giving into their sexual tension.

This was fun and swoony, the secrets bit was a little overwrought but I enjoyed the character development!

CW: exploitation of a minor (view spoiler)[Pettypeace, to pay the bills and take care of her family, agrees to pose for nude photos when she's very young, a child. She is threatened by the villain in the story to expose her secrets to the Duke and society. (hide spoiler)], drinking, fighting

The Duchess Hunt

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