3.25/5 stars! This is the third book in the "Duke's Heiress" series. I really liked the main characters. Iris was sassy and I enjoyed watching her and Nicholas come together. The chemistry was good but could have been more convincing. A few of the plot points were a miss for me.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Rounding out the Duke's Heiress series is this ok addition. Iris is a trader in rare books who approaches Nicholas, the new Duke, in hopes of finding a particular rare book. He, in turn, has been searching for her because she is the third and final heiress of his late uncle (the others being the heroines of Heiress for Hire and Heiress in Red Silk). Ms. Hunter is a fine writer who doesn't weigh her historical romances down with too much modern sensibility but also doesn't spend an overt amount of time focused on historical detail. I enjoyed the fact that Iris was an independent woman who enjoyed her work and was successful at it without it feeling anachronistic to the time period. But ultimately the book as a whole just didn't resonate with me. The two main characters had a mild physical attraction to each other but everything else going on overwhelmed the opportunity to convince me that they truly cared about and connected with each other. If you are like me and have to finish a series then go ahead and read this one, but I wouldn't recommend this as a stand alone romance.

First, the title... why Bride? Marriage is literally not mentioned once between the mains until the last 10% of the book. Neither character even thinks about marriage between them even when they are engaging in a brief affair. Then there is the mystery, because of course there is a mystery. There is a bit of a slow reveal about a missing book that sent Iris's grandfather from England in disgrace and why Nicholas's grandfather kept said book secretly in his possession. But that's not all, there is a secondary mystery surrounding some factory Nicholas inherited that is completely irrelevant to the story, but hey, it fills pages. Oh and don't forget the attempts on the lives of Iris or was it Nicholas, oh and the gratuitous presence of the characters from the previous books, particularly the volume of time spent on Matilda's pregnancy.

Lastly, there is the inheritance. This one is the one that bothered me the most. The entire extended family is hoping that the final heiress (remember 3 heiresses inherited one duke's personal wealth) cannot be found because then they can all split this last third of the money. Wow, this must be a significant amount of money, right? I can't actually remember if they discussed the actual amount in the previous books but in this one it is finally named in the end when it is being compared to the dowry of the young deb who is being pushed on the duke. It amounts to 2000 pounds a year. Just to compare, the young deb has a dowry of 30,000. I, of course, had to google to do an inflation comparison today but I won't bore you with those stats. So this family of like 15 people is hoping to split this last 2000 a year about 8 ways and this will make a difference in their lives?!?! I guess my idea of Heiress and theirs is significantly different. I'm pretty sure they should have all been fighting over who got to marry the girl with 30,000/year.

Ultimately, when I finish a romance I love I feel happy, like I escaped from reality a bit and enjoyed a real happy ending. This one just left me thinking about math, and what happened with the factory and how they are all going to eat if 2000 pounds make a difference to them. I even had to dig deep to even think of the main characters names. This got a bonus star from me for wrapping up a series so I don't have to read anymore about these heiresses.

Thank you Kensington Books/Zebra and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I have never read a Madeline Hunter book though I have definitely considered it. So when I saw this one available on NetGalley I thought this would be a great time to try her out. Overall I found it to be a decent romance, however I did feel at times that the plot lagged a bit and that overall the book could have moved at a faster pace. I loved Iris' occupation and the amount of independence and confidence that she held, but I didnt feel that her and Nicholas' romance leapt off the page the way I would have liked it to. The ongoing mystery (that seems to have been continued from the two previous installments) was a good addition to the plot and I liked the little bit of a twist that occurred close to the end. My biggest complaint was the lack of steam. I personally like a hefty dose of steam in my historical romances and this one lacked the closet kissing (and more) and more explicit sex scenes that I think add to a good historical. Overall enjoyed the ride, but unsure if I will pick up another Madeline Hunter in the future.

Nicholas Radnor became the Duke of Hollingburgh when his uncle died unexpectedly. Nicholas inherited the entailed properties, but not his uncle's personal fortune, so he is resigned to marrying a suitable debutante with an enormous dowry. His uncle left his fortune to three young women who are unknown to his family. Two were introduced in the first two books in this series, A Duke's Heiress, but investigators had failed to find the third woman, Iris Barrington, until she turned up unexpectedly at the duke's home demanding that he fulfil a promise made to her by the previous duke. She is a book dealer and is looking for a valuable book that her grandfather was accused of stealing.

There are three mysteries: the mystery of the missing book; the family secret for which Nicholas's father fought a duel and died; the suspicious death of the previous duke. There's also the romance between the Iris and the duke, which seems doomed because Iris is neither rich enough nor aristocratic enough to become a duchess. All the threads eventually link up tidily. There's plenty of mystery and romance, a couple of potential villains, and many appealing characters, including the heroes and heroines of the first two novels in the series. You don't have to read the first two to enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was an improvement over book 2 in the series (Kevin is the worst), but not quite reaching the levels of book 1 (I loved Minerva and Chase). Iris Barrington is an unexpected pairing for Nicholas, who we have seen throughout the series as he struggles to take on the role of Duke unexpectedly. Iris' family has a longstanding grudge against Nicholas' grandfather in connection with a missing Medeival religious manuscript that Iris' grandfather was hired to sell. Iris grew up in Italy, where her grandfather fled to avoid the scandal that arose, but she returns to England to search for the missing manuscript and clear her late grandfather's reputation. Iris herself is trying to build a rare bookselling business but is struggling to escape from the shadow of the scandal attched to her family. Even with her forthcoming inheritance from the late Duke, she wants to continue with her trade and is unable to do so without resolving this mystery.

The book starts a little slow, with a lot of details about rare books and rehashing family drama with Nicholas' aunts and cousins. The second half of the story picks up the pace with assassination attempts, shady business dealings, and some very twisted family drama. We get plenty of cameos from Minerva/Chase and Rosamunde/Kevin, which is enjoyable (aside from Kevin, as noted above). I did like the relationship development between Iris and Nicholas, who work well as a couple if you look beyond the disparity of their social statuses. I was a little disappointed that the ending was so rushed, though. The series-long mystery of who killed the late Duke is finally solved, but too little time is left to give Iris and Nicholas their full HEA. I really wanted an epilogue to fastforward a bit and see how they planned on working out some lingering issues. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable story.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

The Heiress Bride is an excellent novel with a riveting (and sexy!) plot. Iris and Hollinburgh have great chemistry. The twist at the end and the unraveling of the mystery is very entertaining and also I did not see THAT coming! The prose is smooth and humorous, and it contains just the right amount of angst!

Special shout out to the cat who was honestly my favorite character in this book.

If I had one issue it was just that the ending felt too abrupt!
This was my first book by Madeline Hunter, and now I am definitely excited to read more.
My thanks to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC

This story is woven with unexpected twists and turns and keep the reader engaged— a page turner! I plan to read more of her novels for sure.

"The Heiress Bride" by Madeline Hunter was a very enjoyable novel. This is the 3rd book in her Heiress series. Having not read any of the others in the series I can say this reads just as well as a standalone although probably even more enjoyable if you read the others. I thought the Duke and Iris made an excellent couple. I adored the Duke he is my favorite type of historical romance hero-down to earth despite the title. Iris was a strong independent woman who felt authentic the entire time. It was a slow burn romance that built amazing chemistry. There was a secret scandal that was slowly uncovered and I admit I did not see it coming. I felt like the end lacked a little, the scandal had me scratching my head a little trying to figure out where Iris and Nicholas stood with the revelation and even after the explanation it still felt slightly awkward to me. Despite the twist at the end I still loved this book and all of its charm. I will be reading the other two in the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Group for allowing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Duke of Hollinburgh has two duties: Find the mysterious woman's in his uncle's will and get himself a suitable bride. When he meets Iris Barrington, he finds it hard to resist her. Will the scandal stop their romance?

Love Madeline Hunter's books. This series is terrific. Love the characters... Really enjoy their chemistery. The mystery is fun too. Lots of swoony romance. A terrific read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.