Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter (2020)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. A duke with no wife or children passes away and leaves none of his fortune to his many family members; instead, he leaves an inheritance to three strangers who the family is not acquainted with. The duke’s nephew Chase, who was previously in the army, is charged with finding these women who have been left with such a fortune. He ends up entangled with one of the heiresses, Minerva, who has never met the duke before and has a history of an abusive husband and changing her name after his death. Since the duke had died under suspicious circumstances, Minerva believes that she’ll be a suspect with motives for his death. She thinks the best way to protect herself from being accused is to find the person who was actually responsible for the duke’s death. Meanwhile, Chase is leading his own investigation into the matter, and keeps running into Minerva as they’re simultaneously separately working on the same case. I liked seeing these two continually interact and bicker with each other and slowly develop a romance. With Minerva’s terrible late husband, it was nice to see Chase be so protective and patient with her. This was a good introduction to the duke’s family dynamics and interesting set up for the mystery of his death.
Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.
Heiress in Red Silk by Madeline Hunter (2021)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. Kevin is distressed and annoyed that his uncle gave partnership of his business to a stranger. When he finally discovers that Rosamund is a milliner in a country town, he sends his cousin-in-law to inform her of her inheritance. At first, Kevin is anxious to meet her so that he can convince her to sign away her decision-making rights to his enterprise, but she’s far savvier than that and wants to have an equal say in anything that happens. Rosamund has her own history of having worked as a maid, then becoming an milliner’s apprentice and ultimately opening her own shop for fine hats. She anticipates that her newfound fortune will help improve her and her sister’s station. Once Kevin realizes that Rosamund is not a total pushover, he tries to befriend her to gain influence instead. Along the way, there’s the meddling of his family, the mystery of his uncle’s death, and Rosamund’s attachment to a former love. I loved seeing Kevin and Rosamund interact with each other and Rosamund demand to have things her way. She’s clever and strong-willed and is delightful to read.
Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Heiress Bride by Madeline Hunter (2023)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Duke’s Heiresses series. New duke Nicholas is still adjusting to his inherited status and feeling the stresses of his responsibilities. He’s surprised when he receives a visit from the last of the late duke’s heiresses, Iris. She is a rare book dealer and has come to inquire about a particular rare book that the late duke had said that he would assist her in finding. Iris had only recently learned that the duke had passed away and is completely surprised by her inheritance. Nicholas agrees to assist her in finding this book, but is also suspicious of Iris, so he intends to keep a close eye on her. This one is another book in the series where the two main characters really start on opposite sides of an argument but also can’t seem to stay away from each other. This book was super interesting in terms of Iris’s family history and scandal with her grandfather. We also re-open the investigation into the late duke’s death and wonder if Iris or Nicholas become targets for violence as well. And I also enjoyed the big reveal at the end when we start to dig into the attics.
Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.
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