The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Heiress Bride (A Duke's Heiress, #3)My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Barbara’s rating: 3.3 of 5 Stars
Series: A Duke’s Heiress #3
Publication Date: 5/23/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 320

This is the third, and I believe final, book in the series. We find the third and final heiress as well as identify and punish the villain(s) who has plagued the dukedom by murdering the previous duke and making several attempts on the life of the current duke. So, most of the mysteries are cleared up – and those that aren’t – well, I had to wonder why they were ever in there in the first place. I have read all of the books in the series and my actual ratings have moved down with each book. I rated the first book as a solid 4 – the second book as a 3.5 – and now this one with a 3.3 – so maybe it is good that the series is finished.

I have loved Nicholas Radnor, the new Duke of Hollinburg since the first book. He is handsome, charming, and honorable. He was unprepared to be the duke, but has stepped into the role as best he can and is making strides to become the duke he has never trained to be. His uncle, the previous duke, left the dukedom in a mess by bequeathing most of his personal fortune to three heiresses he didn’t even really know. So, of course, without any funds, the dukedom flounders and Nicholas would be required to find a loveless marriage with an heiress to keep it afloat. While Nicholas isn’t happy about the state of affairs, he has more or less accepted it and is settling into being the best duke he can be. He’s hoping the third and final heiress won’t be found because not having to give out that portion of the inheritance will at least give him a little breathing room to get the dukedom on an even financial footing before he has to make decisions about what to do long-term.

Iris Barrington has absolutely no clue she is an heiress when she knocks on the door of the Duke of Hollinburgh. She’s only there to try to find the truth about a long-ago wrong that was done to her grandfather – and to set it right and rehabilitate her grandfather’s name. She is totally shocked to learn of her potential inheritance! Still, her goal is to right a wrong, the inheritance is just the icing on the cake.

I just didn’t love Iris and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between her and Nicholas. For me, the book got off to a slow start, and spent a lot of time in libraries and talking about the book trade, etc. I know that time was supposed to show them growing closer to each other, but for me, it just dragged along.

Aside from the overarching mystery that has run through all of the books, this one had a couple of additional mysteries pertinent to Iris and Nicholas. The first one is the mystery of why and how Iris’s grandfather was wronged. That was basically solved and the beginnings of a solution were set in motion. The second mystery had to do with some factories Nicholas had inherited. We got a quasi-answer, but no real final solutions, so I had to wonder why we would include them in the story at all. All of that page time could have been devoted to more character-building and interactions between Iris and Nicholas.

I believe the best scene in the book was when the three heiresses, who had become fast friends, decided to have an adventure and went to a women’s entertainment venue. It wasn’t exactly a brothel for ladies because it did have other entertainments there – but it was close enough to one. They were listening to bawdy songs and dance routines, etc.

For me, this was a bit disappointing as the wrap-up for a series and it was in desperate need of an epilogue to show how their futures evolved. I mean, we didn’t even get a wedding in this book!

I am glad to have read the book as it completes the series, but I wouldn’t read it a second time, nor would I purchase it for a friend. For me, it just wasn’t the book Nicholas deserved and I was disappointed. Should you choose to read it, I hope you will love it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Four Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Four Weddings and a DukeFour Weddings and a Duke by Michelle McLean

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Alexander Reddington never expected to be the Duke of Beaubrooke, he was born the second son and had dedicated his life to botany – specifically grafting to create hybrid plants. But when his father and brother die close to one another, Alex finds himself the new duke with a host of obligations and duties he never planned for, especially marriage. But a promise is a promise and while attending the wedding of his cousin, he is to make the acquaintance of the Wynnburn sisters and choose one to be his bride, but it is the woman hiding in the back of the church reading that piques his interest when they chat. But it isn’t until the next day that he learns his wallflower is the middle Wynnburn sister, making his decision much easier. She is perfect for him, she is smart, and pretty and hates the social whirl as much as he does, so she will not expect him to socialize, leaving him with plenty of time to prepare his research for the Royal Society, what more could he want?

Lady Lavinia Wynnburn is the middle child of the Earl and Countess of Abberforth, she is often overlooked and feels lacking when compared to her two sisters Harriet and Kitty, who are both lovely and socially sophisticated, while Livy never feels like she fits in. She too is surprised to learn that the mystery man she met at the wedding is the duke and hides during the wedding ball. She is joined by her dearest friend and pseudo-brother Lord Nigel Bainbridge, who has known Alex for years and shares his interest in botany, they are rivals of a sort, but more like frenemies. Livy is thrilled when Alex wants to marry her, and for a while, it seems like they are well on their way to a love match, but obligations, expectations, and assumptions halt their HEA before it even begins. Can they find their way back to each other or will theirs just be another society marriage in name only?

What a delightful read, I found this story to be not only well-written and nicely paced, but the story felt original and fresh, even though it utilizes more than one commonly used HR trope. I really liked Livy and Alex and was frustrated for them each time they wronged each other, it was obvious to me that they were “meant to be” which made their setbacks a bit heartbreaking. The story has so much going on, a former wallflower finding her stride, a brilliant botanist, steamyish love scenes, great secondary characters, lots of plants, careless words, hurt feelings, grand gestures, collaboration with the “enemy”, and finally a hard-won HEA. I don’t know if this book is the start of new series or a standalone title – I am hoping it is the beginning of a new series, because there are several characters that I would love to see get their own HEAs. In any event, this is a fun story that I am happy to recommend!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*