Tag: Vivienne Lorret

It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

It Had to Be a Duke (The Liar's Club, #1)It Had to Be a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Liar’s Club, #1

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Verity Hartley, the eldest daughter of Baron and Baroness Hartley, is not a liar by nature, but when she literally falls at the feet of Nell Hunnicutt, her snobbish neighbor who is bragging of her recent season in London and of all the offers of marriage she has come home to consider, Verity blurts out a lie to end all lies when she tells Nell that she is betrothed to the Magnus Warring, the Duke of Longhurst. Which is completely ludicrous, considering the Duke blames her family for the death of his father and the financial ruin of their estate, thanks to a scheme he alleges Verity’s father dreamed up to scam his father. But that doesn’t stop her falsehood from taking flight and landing her in an even bigger lie when the duke demands that she pretend to be engaged to him, but jilt him so he can marry the heiress he has been wooing without seeming dishonorable. She agrees because one, she caused this problem, and two, jilting the arrogant, self-righteous, pompous duke will be her pleasure. Besides, it’s not like she would ever fall in love with him or want to marry him in truth, why even the thought of it is beyond ridiculous!

Magnus, the Duke of Longhurst is a man who believes in family, duty, and honor, and for the last seven years, he has worked hard to pull his family out of the financial hole his father dug with his impulsive and reckless investments. He has been offered an investment opportunity that will not only restore his family’s fortunes but will also secure a livelihood for his younger brother, something his mother constantly reminds him of, but to invest, he will need money, and so he has set his sites on heiress Anna Snow, the daughter of Phineas Snow, the Button King, an obscenely rich merchant. But when he meets with Mr. Snow to ask for permission to marry Anna, he is turned down, because it turns out he is already betrothed to Miss Verity Hartley, the daughter of the man who ruined his life! He assures Mr. Snow that this is a misunderstanding and promises that it will all be taken care of without a scandal. But to protect his honor, he has no choice but to go along with Verity’s lie, first by proposing (so he isn’t lying – unlike SOME people) and then by demanding she breaks off the engagement after spending time with him in public to convince people that they really are betrothed. Once she dumps him, he will return to London and marry Miss Snow and forget this ever happened. It is a great plan and there is no reason why it won’t work exactly as planned because there is no way he would ever fall in love with her or want to marry her in truth, why even the thought of it is too preposterous to believe!

I enjoyed this story, I thought it was well-written and nicely paced, with wonderful characters and even a bit of a mystery thrown in to provide an interesting dash of intrigue. I loved the interactions between Magnus and Verity, especially their banter! As much as I dislike the trope, I felt the love triangle was handled well and the emotional growth of both Verity and Magnus was particularly well done, I even found myself tearing up a time or two wondering how they would ever be able to have a happily ever after. The story is filled with duty, honor, family, intrigue, secrets, lies, nasty neighbors, steamyish love scenes, surprising revelations, naked clergymen, a mischievous cat, more than one twist, and the promise of HEA. I do wish there had been an epilogue because it did feel like a few things were left hanging, but nothing major. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful start to a new series that I would happily recommend, and will be looking forward to future installments.

4.5 stars, rounded up

*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.*

Never Seduce a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

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

Never Seduce a Duke (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #5)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Mating Habits of Scoundrels #5
Publication Date: 2/21/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages:

Mmm, mmm, mmm – who wouldn’t love a book with a genius duke who wears glasses and is socially inept? Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton is absolutely precious and the banter between him and Margaret Stredwick is absolutely priceless. While I think you’ll enjoy the book ‘as is’, I think you will enjoy it even more if you read the third book, The Wrong Marquess, before you read this one. The zany aunts and their penchant for purloining recipes are introduced in that book and I think it will provide better insight into the aunts and some of the situations in this book. You don’t have to have read it because it is explained in this book, but, not to the delightful degree it is in book three.

Lucien is a very brainy, scientific man who loves to analyze everything, calculate everything, and leave nothing to chance. Until a delightfully sunny lady enters his life and leads him on a merry chase across Europe – and then disappears on him. Lucien is a man who desperately wants to connect with his family’s past and when a family heirloom that connects so closely to that past is stolen, he will go to any lengths to get it back.

Lucien’s scientific and analytical way of speaking will certainly make you chuckle – if not laugh out loud. No, it isn’t staid – with the context and situation it will make you laugh – and love him even more. One example is when he is speaking of a rival for Meg’s hand – he says – “Prescott is welcome to apply the fixed, corded braiding of hemp fibers to his cervical vertebrae and descend from a platform at a rapid rate of speed.” (In other words – Prescott can go hang himself).

The book is basically in two parts – the first fifty percent is their “on the road” adventures across Europe and the last fifty percent takes place two years later. There is a major story shift within those two halves. Both halves are good reads, but the first half is more lighthearted and fun than the second half. That isn’t to say the last half isn’t good, the tone is just a tad different – and it needs to be.

There is an antagonist in the book – I mean – somebody actually stole the heirloom and it wasn’t Meg. I figured it out pretty early on and from that point on, I’d get so aggravated because all of the characters in the book couldn’t see it too!

And – last but not least – there is the epilogue! It is whimsical, funny, endearing, and so very romantic. So, I can definitely recommend the book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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

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