I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book. It in now affects my views.

I must be honest and say this was a slow start for me. Which is strange because I like a good enemies to lovers story and that is how this book started out between Freya and Christopher. At first Christopher doesn't even recognize Freya because she has changed her look to hide who she really is.

But once they both attend the same house party and he finally remembers who she is the story starts to pick up. That is when I couldn't put it down.

I can't wait to see what Elizabeth Hoyt has instore for the other characters in the book or in which direction she takes us in future books.

If you are a fan of her Maidan Lane series you should give this a try.

I will say on paper that a lot of this did work for me. Childhood friends to enemies to lovers! A heroine who's part of a secret society made up of all women! A scene where the love interests literally cross swords and fight each other! However, there were times it felt like there were just one TOO many plots happening at once and some of the storylines held my interest more than others. I liked the tension of the main couple and the promising setup of the sequel bait romance, but this was a case of almost too much being thrown at the wall to see what would stick and I'd be kind of skimming through certain parts to get back to the plotlines I was more interested in. Overall, though, I'll be checking out the next book in this series because I'm into it based on the summary copy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a big Elizabeth Hoyt fan but this one didn't catch my attention. I enjoyed the story but there seemed to be a LOT going on in the plot. Witchcraft, a dramatic past, kidnappings...it just seemed to take away from the romance. That said, I look forward to the second book in the series.

I am a fan of Hoyt's books in general, although recent releases have been hit or miss for me. This one was definitely a hit. I enjoyed the whole witchy wise woman bit and revenge plot. Fans of Hoyt will certainly enjoy. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

I really liked Freya and Christopher. Despite the action that opens the book it took me a few chapters to finally find a good reading rhythm and really get into the story.

Freya is posing as a chaperone using a fake name as part of her mission as a Wise Woman. When the Duke of Harlowe appears at the house party she is attending, she fears he will recognize her and give away her true identity. She can't hide her dislike of him which of course leaves Christopher wondering if he's met her before and what could he have possibly done to deserve her ire.

Christopher is only attending this house party because his blackmailer has forced him to meet there. The blackmailer has letters that would expose his deceased wife and he'll do anything to protect her now.

When he finally recognizes Freya they are forced to face their difficult past and eventually their growing feelings.

This was a great introduction to the Greycourt series - you can tell Elizabeth Hoyt is a great writer, and her dialogue snaps with wit. I found the love interest, Christopher, the Duke of Harlowe, to be quite charming. I loved his interactions with Freya, and the idea of an espionage ring, although I found Freya herself to be uninteresting. All of the pieces were there, but ultimately while this was an enjoyable read, I think the second novel in the series has been my favorite thus far.

This was my first introduction to Elizabeth Hoyt’s work and I have to say, it was a pleasant experience!

Elizabeth writes the most fascinating, stubborn, strong willed, beautiful and most badass female characters. I loved every single one that was introduced! Not to mention, she definitely hows how to write a charming, equally stubborn Duke.

I really enjoyed Freya and Kester’s relationship. I love that it started off as enemies to friends to lovers. Their arguments and banter had me laughing out loud multiple times! Their passion had me swooning and their crazy adventures had me on the edge of my seat. I loved that Freya was independent and really thought about her choices and what She wanted, not what society or anyone else wanted. Especially in historical romance, I love female characters like that.
Kester was the perfect fit for Freya and I was glad that he had the patience and wit to both wait and keep up with her, even when she was stubborn and kept pushing him away. Their ending was super satisfying! I hope we get to see glimpses of them in the rest of the series.

The subplots were all interesting and kept my attention though I was a bit confused at certain points until we ultimately got the reveal with more information. There were quite a few side characters that I got messed up with but by the end, I had a grasp on who was who.

I was so glad to realize that the next book features Messalina! I loved her character in the first book and was super intrigued about what was going on with the mysterious Gideon. I can’t wait to see what unravels between the two of them.

Overall, this book was a great start to this series and a great introduction into Hoyt’s work. I’m beyond excited to continue on now with When A Rogue Meets His Match!

4/5 ⭐️

TW: death of a parent, death of a spouse, death, murder, violence, gun violence, kidnapping, claustrophobia, blood, profanity, sexually explicit scenes.

This is a complicated book to review. Most of the book takes place at a country house party. But there is a 15-year old back story that ended with best friends driven apart, one maimed, one forced into a quick marriage and one under the control of a tyrannical uncle. The book felt long and a lot of that was in setting up the Greycourt series.

In this book Freya, a daughter and sister of a duke, is living in disguise as a ladies companion. At a house party she meets up with Ran, the Duke of Ayr, one of her brothers previous BFFs. She has blames him for her brothers injury and reclusiveness. He doesn't remember her immediately. Both of them have reasons to be guests at the party that add intrigue to the book.

The complicated story was okay but the set up was alluded to and not played out in the pages. I found the pacing uneven. One minute it was exciting and then deadly dull for pages. The romance was good but the steaminess didn't fit for me. Even the end was uneven. I get the author wanted to let Freya make a choice but the whole trip to Scotland seemed useless. I am hoping the next book which features Messalina, my favorite side character, will be better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, I was disappointed by Not The Duke's Darling even MORE than I was disappointed by the second book in this series (I accidentally read them in reverse). This book was just..... well I don't even know.

To begin with the whole "Wise Women" vs "Dunkelder" (I'm still laughing at that name) was not only borderline ridiculous, but added nothing to the plot. There were dozens of ways the author could have used the mystery surrounding Lord Randolph's wife without resorting to something that made no sense for the time period (witches were hanged NOT burned).

This plot device may have worked if not for all the other ones happening at the same time. Harlowe vs. Freya, Freya vs, the mysterious dunkelder, Freya vs, Messa-whatever her name was (the main character in book 2), Harlowe vs. Plimpton, etc, etc etc. Instead of adding to the plot, they pulled the reader into several different directions at once making it hard to concentrate on what was happening.

While I liked Christopher, the way the author handled his PTSD, (not to mention his dealing with the tragic loss of his first wife and the secrets there), Freya was just IMPOSSIBLE. It didn't matter how many times he reached out to her, she was there to slap him back. He offered his help, she refused it. He loved her, she denied him. Despite her life prior to him coming back into it, he more than proved himself to her and did not deserve to be treated that way, therefore it made it hard to believe these two were in love.

Overall, while I understand I'm in the minority here, I'm going to have to give this author a break before I read anything else by them.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon First Reads. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I loved this complex romantic suspense story!

This story hits the ground running with Freya demonstrating that she's not just the heroine of her story, but an actual risk-her-life-for-others hero who needs her own cape. I fell hard for her in the very first chapter, and I adored her spunky, independent spirit throughout the entire book.

Christopher took a little while to show his worth. At first he comes across as a bit arrogant yet easily manipulated, but soon his inner strength starts to show through. He's fascinated by Freya (aren't we all?) and finds in her a reason to address his own issues and get his life back on track.

This story has a lot of twists and turns, and while the romance has a very satisfying HEA, there's a storyline that we're only given part of the explanation for. It's apparent that this thread will be woven throughout the books in this series. Even so, there's plenty of action, suspense, swoony romance, and triumphant conclusions that kept me glued to the book from beginning to end.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Freya and Christopher knew each other as children but haven’t seen each other in fifteen years. Because of the events that unfolded so long ago, Freya struggles to see Christopher as anything but the enemy. Christopher regrets the horrific night at Greycourt and lives his life trying to atone for his mistakes. When he reconnects with Freya, he becomes enamored with her fiery spirit. Can they let go of the wounds from their past and give in to their feelings for each other?

I love the characters in this story, especially Freya and Christopher, the two main characters! Freya is a fantastic protagonist with a strong will and fierce determination to help women. I love her gumption and her rejection of the social expectations of the time. She is a woman ahead of her time, and she is not afraid to use her skills to help others. She is also difficult to know, as she is evasive and unassuming. She doesn’t open up to others, though she is generous of spirit. Freya does not need a man and does quite well without one. However, she slowly comes to realize that need and want are two entirely different things.

Christopher is positively swoon-worthy! He admires Freya and likes her strength and intellect. Christopher loves that Freya challenges him and doesn’t hold back. He is an honorable man who has suffered greatly throughout his life, and his past still haunts him. Christopher is the consummate tortured hero who is saved by the fierce woman that he loves.

Speaking of love, the chemistry between Christopher and Freya is fantastic. Freya had a childhood crush on Christopher, and it is clear that some feelings remain. Freya hides her feelings under a mask of indifference and disdain, but Christopher isn’t daunted by the walls Freya puts up. I think her passivity and disregard intrigues Christopher even more. He likes Freya for who she really is, not who she pretends to be.

The intrigue is as compelling as the characters. Freya tries to end a new law that will make persecuting women easier. While serving as a chaperone for two young women, Freya also determines to find out what happened to a woman that mysteriously died. Christopher is involved in a blackmail plot, which threatens his dead wife’s reputation. There are also mysteries surrounding the past, which connects to several other characters in the story. I enjoyed the well-layered plot and the suspenseful nature of the novel.

Not the Duke’s Darling has a complex plot with a secret society, political threats, matchmaking, arranged marriages, long-lost friendships, murder plots, PTSD, the persecution of “witches,” a love story, and more. I do wish the author went into a bit more detail about the Wise Women, the secret society for which Freya works. I also wanted to know more about the Greycourt incident, which irrevocably changed the lives of Freya, Christopher, and their families forever. However, I have a feeling these things will be explored in future books in the series. Thanks so much to Netgalley, Forever, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Not the Duke’s Darling by Elizabeth Hoyt is the first book in the series: A Greycourt Novel. It is a great historical fiction romance set in mid 1700s England.
Freya de Moray is an excellent female protagonist. She is feisty, fiery, and has been wronged. She is bent on retaliation and to set right the wrongs which have been placed upon her family.

Christopher Renshaw, Duke of Harlowe is unjustly targeted. Is he perfect? Nope, but some things are misunderstood and out of his control. These two characters are thrown together in the classic enemies to friends to lovers concept that always seems to intrigue me no matter how many times I partake.

I liked both main characters. They had great chemistry, interactions, and dialogue. The are flawed and like able. I enjoyed the plot, the fantasy/fairy tale aspects woven within, and I enjoyed the ending. There are several secondary characters presented that will make great focal characters in future books (I’m talking about you Messalina Greycourt).

It is a great start to what is sure to be a great new series by Ms. Hoyt. I am looking forward to seeing how this series grows and develops.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, Bookbub, Amazon, and B&N accounts accounts immediately.

This was a unique romance with a fantasy aspect to it. This was the first book I have read by this author and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

What I liked:
The hero and heroine are likeable and interesting - I was rooting for their HEA
Loved the setting - England in the 1760’s
Enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites
Looking forward to the next book in the series because there are several characters that I want to hear more about.

What I struggled with:
Fantasy elements were distracting for me (wise women, Hags, crow, etc.)
There wasn’t enough romance for me, possibly because Messalina’s POV is presented along with the hero and heroine’s POV.
The fairy tale at the start of each chapter was not that interesting and I started skipping it after a few chapters.

3.5 stars

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is a bit damaged by his past and wants a quiet life with his dog Tess but he is being blackmailed by someone from his past and is required to attend a house party. Freya de Moray aka Miss Stuart is a member of the secret order of Wise Women, duty bound to protect other women who need her help. Freya is on a mission for the Wis Women and is at the same house party as the Duke of Harlow. He is a huge part of her past and at the end not a good part and their passions are up when they argue and soon leads to other kinds of passions.

There is something about Ms Hoyt's books that grab a hold of me and wont let go. I rarely ever reread a book once I am done with it but her book are just the right amount of exciting and fun that I want to go back again and again. All the characters are interesting and have their own personalities, even the supporting characters, that come out in all of her books.

Ashford McNab Does such a great job narrating Ms Holts books that I am not sure I will ever again read another one myself. She brings the characters to life in such a way that she complements Ms Hoyts books so that they come alive for me.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a little excitement with their historical romance.

The one terrible thing about this book is it is a new series and now I will have to wait forever for every other book in this series to be released!

This book opened up running and never stopped. I read it from cover to cover with 3 intermissions to walk to the bathroom without reading. 'Breakfast? Have some cereal. Lunch? Make a PBJ. Supper? Order something, you are over 18! Jeez, can't you see I am reading Elizabeth Hoyt??!!??' My family doesn't understand my obsession with her. When you read a book written by a genious like Elizabeth Hoyt, you are transferred from this world into her realm. She commands the space.
This heroine was the daughter of a duke whose family and friends fell apart during a scandal when she was 12. But I can tell from the way this book is written, there will be at least 6 more books. This author is amazing at weaving story and plot lines together from one book to another. And you do not have to read in order!
The hero was the friend of the heroine e's oldest brother and he was exed due to his part in the scandal. This book was so succinctly written and so descriptive that I felt that I was in a time travel and waspart of the story. Can you tell I liked this book? I give it 20 stars, but the highest it goes is 5. I highly recommend you read this book, if it is the only book you can afford on your budget. I have read Elizabeth Hoyt in the past and took a hiatus, but now I am all in. I m breathlessly waiting for the next installment of her world. The way she seamlessly goes from one plot line to another is unequaled in any other author.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this first installment in Elizabeth Hoyt's new series, Greycourt. The hero and heroine have a very contentious history and have been separated for quite a few years. Freya is a Wise Woman, part of a sect that support and assist women in many ways. She is the Macha, a spy. She attends a house party with the mission of stopping a neighbor from proposing legislation against witches (many think the Wise Women are witches). There she encounters the Duke of Harlowe and the two must deal with some difficult past events.

There was some intrigue and adventure plus some lovely romance. I got tears at the end. It was a hard journey for both Freya and the duke, but their relationship was extremely satisfying. We were also introduced to other members of the Greycourt family and I look forward to their stories. A very good book.

This review will go live on The Blogger Girls on December 21, 2019.

Elizabeth Hoyt is my ALL TIME favorite historical romance author!  I’ve read everything published under the Elizabeth Hoyt name and will continue to read everything published under that name.  Not the Duke’s Darling, however, is not my favorite Elizabeth Hoyt book.  Greycourt will not be one of my favorites series either.  It looks like the whole series will be set surrounding the Night of the Greycourt Tragedy, and I do not AT ALL like what that tragedy involves.  Plus, the story and characters are almost completely forgettable.  

I knew I was going to struggle from the very beginning.  There were so many characters introduced at the house party that I spent way too much time going back and rereading trying to keep them all straight.  

I do like enemies to lover trope and l liked Christopher and Freya together, but I did struggle with their past issues and found it hard to forgive.  Still, they are forgettable.  

Yes, I will read the next book if it ever releases.  It is Elizabeth Hoyt after-all.

I began my foray into the writing of Ms. Hoyt when I stumbled across the Maiden Lane series and was immediately hooked. Her ability to pull readers into this world of Georgian Era England, and now Scotland, while showing a hidden part of the past that most of us never imagined is nothing short of magical. This new series seems to be centering on a secret society called the Wise Women, which is a bit of a play on words for the classic belief of the medieval and historical wise woman that developed into the witches or female physicians or even pagan goddess worshipers depending on your views of history. I am enamored of this little twist in history, seeing that I would definitely have been one of these women and found a kinship with Freya immediately. I loved learning about Hoty's new world and her world building was interesting and educational. That being said the story certainly focused a lot on world building to get the series off the ground, but does not in any way neglect the core of the story—the relationship between Freya and Christopher aka Harlowe. I loved getting to see Freya and Harlowe each come to terms with their past, both together and apart, and finding a peace and solace in one another even as they felt pulled apart by their choices and present situations. Freya was the quintessential stubborn and independent warrior woman of her time; she was fighting for women to have a voice and felt that by giving up her independence to love and marriage she would be betraying those vows. But thankfully the women around her were able to help her see that the most important thing she was fighting for was the CHOICE for women to do whatever they wanted, including falling in love and marrying. There were a few moments when I wanted to slap a bit of sense into her myself, but her stubbornness is what makes Freya the typical Scottish warrior female and I could certainly have seen her hundreds of years earlier in full battle gear leading an army of Britain’s greatest female fighters into battle against the Romans. Her interactions with Harlow were always spirited whether she is fighting with him, asserting her stance on life, or fighting for his sanity and love, and I loved watching that fire displayed at a time when women were expected to be calm and docile. Harlowe has had a lot of tragedy in his life and it has turned him into a dark and brooding man, but he is still a good man and never loses sight of the things that make him human, even if he is determined to spend most of his life paying for sins that aren’t even his. I loved his character and even as he fell in love with Freya I could see that he would be the type of man that would never force her into anything, despite how much he loves her and needs her to complete his life. He understands that love and need, devotion and admiration, all go hand in hand, and that once you fall in love, truly fall, there is no going back and changing who you fell in love with just because you might not like their choices. He was definitely a man before his time and the perfect match for Freya. I loved the fire between Freya and Harlowe and am looking forward to seeing them in future stories, maybe on a few adventures together even. Whatever comes next in this series is bound to be interesting and I cannot wait to see where Elizabeth takes us on this new journey through the world of Wise Women and the men that steal into their hearts.

Freya de Moray is a member of the Wise Women. A lot of people think of these wise women as witches, but they’re not. Of course there is a group of witch hunters which are called Dunkelders and they chase down wise women. Of course.

Let me just stop right there and tell you that the whole wise women/dunkelder thing completely turned me off. This is an Elizabeth Hoyt book so I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but this whole secret society and people who think they’re witches, it just doesn’t work.

So Freya is going to a house party to go after someone who she thinks is responsible for her brothers downfall and in the meantime looking into the disappearance of a woman from the house next-door. Of course this isn’t going to work out well for her because we have to have angst, right? 🤦‍♀️  Freya ends up getting herself in a bind, as was expected. Of course the “hero” of the story has to save her. I really would have liked it if Freya could have saved herself. If this is what a wise woman looks like, I don’t want to see a stupid one.

Then we have the hero who is being blackmailed by someone at the house party because his dead wife wrote some letters which he doesn’t want anyone to see.   Could we add just one more plot point to the story, please? Despite that wild point, I really liked the hero.  He truly fell so deeply in love with Freya and she was just like, "meh."  I mean, she eventually comes around and falls in love with him, but I just wasn't feeling it from her at all.

In this story Hoyt was so invested in Freya and the wise women as well as the dunkelders, kidnappers, and murderers, not to mention witches, that the romance was nearly nonexistent.  Romance is one of the things that Hoyt excels at, and that’s one of the reasons why I read her books.  Unfortunately I have no desire whatsoever to read the next book in the series.

Rating: 3 out of 5

I received a complimentary ARC of this book via Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

I hate feeling like I’m not liked, and that self-consciousness often makes me try harder, which makes me resent myself for feeling like I have to try when the little article in the back of Glamour says that by this age I shouldn’t care what people think…

That horror show was just a glimpse into my occasional thought process. I know a lot of women who feel like they need to always be liked—like there’s something wrong with them if they aren’t—and that’s why it’s sometimes such a relief to read a heroine whose number of GAF’s is severely limited.

Freya Stewart de Moray of Elizabeth Hoyt’s Not the Duke’s Darling is on a quest. She’s a spy for a group of women known as the Wise Women, ancient protectors of women in Scotland and England. Her current spy job is finding out what leverage they can wield against Lord Randolph, a man championing a revised Witch Act which will target women like the Wise Women.

Freya has no time for bitter enemies, including Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, whom she considers responsible for the tragedies in her family. Or the blasted attraction she feels for him, despite everything. Or for the other ghosts of her past, including her childhood best friend, Messalina. Etc. Etc.

Christopher refers to Freya’s “prickliness,” and that seems as good a word as any other. She’s also brave and smart and (eventually) willing to admit her mistakes, and that growth on both lead’s part was something I loved about this book. It’s about what they can let go of and what they can grab onto, and Hoyt writes their redemption arcs swimmingly.

Also? Hoyt takes passion to another level in her books, and this one is earthy and cheek-flushing in the best of ways. Trust me on this: there’s nothing polite about how she writes sex scenes, even if it is 1760 England at a fancy house party.

Not the Duke’s Darling has the grit and sensuality that I’ve come to associate with Hoyt’s work. It also has the female empowerment that I crave; there’s no way in hell that Freya will settle for anything, and that just might include marriage to Christopher (TBD. Read the book).

This historical has the octopus-like feel of a book setting up the rest of the series: there were a lot of characters & storylines here, but I have high hopes that the mysteries beginning to percolate in my head will be solved soon. Please God.

Not the Duke’s Darling is another really great Hoyt historical, and another reminder that I need to read everything in her catalog.


4 out of 5 stars.