I can't believe I never reviewed this when it made my favorites shelf.

✓: The angst was delicious.
✓: Georgiana loves animals, and yes, she's taking her rescue mission a little on the far side, but she's never a Crazy Cat Lady or a Crazy Animal Lady. (As a Crazy Dog Lady, I appreciated this lack of mockery.)
✓: A ton of delicious banter, chemistry, and butting heads.
✓: Her butler.
✓: Her butler. (Ludlow was that good.)
✓: The build-up to the relationship was great, and the pay-off was perfect.
✓: Also, the animals weren't just abandoned once the HEA happened or there was never a "Great, I have a man, now I can have have babies; screw animals." (As a Crazy Dog Lady, this is very important to me.)
✘: Okay, the animals metaphor was a little heavy handed at time. Also, was it bordering on hoarding? I'm not sure. The girl was flush with a ton of servants, so I'm guessing it wasn't super filthy, especially by London historical standards.

tl;dr: This is one of my favorite angsty, abandoned at the alter and separated by years romances.

This is only my second book by Scarlett Scott and I'll have to say that she may be one of my favorite historical romance writers for when I want a book with a shameful amount of play in the bedchamber. What? Don't look at me that way, you want it to if you're reading this review.
Getting on with it, this book will have you begging the Duke of Leeds to bed you if you are an animal lover. I knew the second Lady Philomena Whiskers was introduced that, with a name like that she was going to have a large part in this book and probably in the love story. There is already something super hot about a man wearing the attire from the 19th century but when you pair that with a man that loves animals...cats specifically....*swoon*

I should mention some actual details of the book here. This book is about a spy. A spy and a duke. He is broke and marries for money. He leaves his wife on their wedding day right after the ceremony to go on his mission. After all it was only a marriage in name. He returns 6 months later with a serious wound and almost bleeding out on their doorstep. What comes next is fast paced and adventurous...the fun of falling in love and solving some spy league level mysteries!

Anyways, I'm moving on to go find my next read now. It'll probably be Scarlett Scott's newest, Nobody's Duke cause I've heard it is Ludlow's story and after this book, I'm really wanting that kind, mountain of a man to find his lady.

I was given this book for free by netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The base storyline in this is the type I really enjoy. Set in 1880 London, full of spies, intrigue, humor, a very likeable heroine, and danger, it had the potential to be a great read for me. However, the very liberal use of profanity, and much too descriptive bedroom scenes ruined it for me. At the risk of sounding prudish, seeing the f word in almost every other page is really distracting. There definitely could have been more storyline, less profanity, and less detailed bedroom acrobatics. The story could have easily earned a four star rating, but I find I must drop it to a two star.

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is by far one of my favorites and one that I would re-read anytime. Definitely worth the 5 star rating I am giving the book.

Kit, Duke of Leeds, is an amazing male character. He seems so heartless in the beginning until you get to know him and realize it wasn't his fault for being the way he is. Kit is one of those characters that you hate at first then you fall in love with him just like the female character Georgiana does. Georgie is a character that I sympathyized with, she loves animals of all types and wants to care for them. She has every right to not trust her husband, but she can't help but love him either.

The story itself was very well written and thought out. The author did an amazing job with making the book flow smoothly. This is the type of book I would read when I'm stuck in book funk because it is written so well.

I would recommend this book to any romance lover not just historical romance lovers. I can't wait to read the other 3 books in this series along with the author's other books.

I think this is one of the hottest books I have read in a long time - and I could not put it down of course. It is part romance novel, part crime story and that's what I really enjoyed about it.
The characters are well described and you have to fall in love with the female lead and her love for animals. Scarlett Scott had me when she wrote about Georgina's love for cats. Who doesn't love them? Well ..easy to answer - her husband, the Duke of Leeds. A man who left her after saying "I will" and before the wedding breakfast half a year ago and comes back, shot, bleeding and being his unfriendly self. He didn't court Georgina before the wedding but wed her for her money - an American heiress with the rich uncle and the railroad money. He never wanted to be a duke. He never wanted to wed her. But he needed the money and he needed to leave for a mission because he's one of His Majesty's spies.

I loved this book. It is really well written, with tough dialogues, hot and steamy love scenes. It's about what you are, what you want to be and the way to get there. It's about trust and fear, about the past and the future you may have if you open up.

And the Duke of Leeds is hot - let's be honest - all muscles. Tall, strong and passionate, not always the friendly and joyful guy but well ... he's hot. And Georgina is gorgeous - small waist, big breasts, always full of cat hair ... - I really had to laugh a lot!

*I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Fourth volume in the Wicked Husbands series but can be read alone, Her Deceptive Duke features Kit when he comes back to London wounded and sees again the wife he abandoned the day of their wedding six months before.

In fact, Kit is a spy for the crown. He married Georgiana for her fortune and left her just before the wedding breakfast to go in America for a mission. He didn’t wait the end of the day, didn’t consummate their union, and found that totally normal because he married her only to shore up the coffers of the dukedom’s he’s just inherited. This kind of motive is often used in romances, the instant abandon very less (but if I had checked I’d have seen it’s also the theme of the previous volumes). I’m quite surprised there’s no allusion to the scandal his departure should have provoked.

Kit got on my nerves almost from the start. Yes he is wounded and feverish when he comes back home, but even when his health improves his behavior stays the same. To resume he is a condescending moron who spends his time insulting the heroine, belittling her because of her origins or her love for the animals she cares for, and accusing her of sleeping with the butler. Even when he starts to feel attraction for her he thinks she’s got nothing for her except her beauty and her fortune. We’ll have to wait the three quarters of the book for him to finally apologize for leaving her on their wedding day, when before that he only said he was forced to and staying one or two days more wouldn’t have changed anything – while thinking perhaps he should have stayed a little more.

Georgianna is an American girl who grew up in a farm and inherited a fortune from her uncle. His father decided to find her a husband in London (why London and not New-York?). At first she’s decided to care for her husband then get a divorce, but too soon she finds herself attracted to him to the point where her only reactions to his mean remarks are to notice he has a beautiful forehead or an alluring thigh (big sigh) (Kit’s wound is on his leg and she nurses him, she doesn’t have a hidden thigh fetish lol). Yes there’s a scene where she tells him what she thinks of his behavior, and two others where she thinks she shouldn’t feel anything for him because he’s too mean and she can’t trust him, but just after he is kind with the cat and the kitten and pff, the reason is forgotten and her ovaries quiver. (sigh again).

There are a lot of repetition throughout the story: the hero’s physical pain, his anger concerning the treason that led to he being wounded, concerning the fact there are animals everywhere in his house, concerning the fact his wife sleeps with the butler, then overnight after kissing her he knows she’s an innocent without us knowing how he changed his mind, and then he wants to keep her in his life.

So yes we see a big evolution in the hero. But he was so mean for so long that it was not difficult, and most of all it was too late for me. And then, as there’s a threat to the heroine, he finally takes a unilateral decision to protect Georgiana without asking her or even informing her. We can imagine how that pleased me as I hate lack of communication in a couple in romances. But in any way as I’d have preferred for the heroine to leave her verbally abusive husband that didn’t make much difference.

Kit and Georgiana grew on me as the story went on.

I really felt for poor Georgiana, alone in a foreign country, a new husband that deserts right after their wedding. Poor girl. I had to give it to her, she put her chin up and decided to make the best of it...by starting to collect strays and other critters.

Kit was not my favorite type of hero. Even though he had his reasons for leaving poor Georgiana behind, instead of coming back to try to make their marriage work and somehow make up for lost times, he just kept being the biggest jerk. Insecure and jealous. He was getting to be pretty annoying. It really made me want for Georgiana to dump him outside in the cold! But little by little their story evolved and towards the end I was flipping through the pages and getting immersed in their story.

I wished that we would have had more scenes outside of the home. I just kept wondering if anyone was walking the dogs. Who was cleaning after the cats?! We only heard of the not so-butler and not many other staff. Kit was a duke, I was surprised by the short staff.

It wasn't a total disappointment, but I did wish Kit was a little more swoon worthy.

An interesting read. Nevertheless, it was good. Strong story, well written characters...everything you could ask for in a romance.

‘Her Deceptive Duke’ is another wonderful addition to the Wicked Husbands series. Both characters are so dynamic in their own way. The story starts with Kit, the Duke of Leeds, arriving on Georgiana’s doorstep, having walked out on her, the morning of their wedding breakfast. Injured and considered a traitor by his country, Kit finds the house overrun with animals. With such an introduction, this book was always going to be entertaining. The two characters battle against their feelings with Georgiana trying to deny her love for Kit, and him realising that he must keep Georgiana safe, if they are to have a true marriage
This book has it all with the drama never abating from the first page, as Kit endeavours to uncover the plot against the Crown, that saw him deemed a traitor to the secret organisation known as The League. The romance is beautifully described and the secondary characters of Ludlow (this is another story again) and the Duke of Carlisle add complexity to a great story. They are portrayed so vividly that you will be eagerly awaiting, as am I, the next addition by this author.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Her Deceptive Duke is the fourth instalment in Scarlett Scott’s Wicked Husbands series. I have read one other book in this series but each book can be read as a standalone.

Georgina is an American Heiress, thanks to a large inheritance from her late uncle’s fortune. Raised on a fam by a cold hearted father, Georgina is not a typical society miss.

Kit, Duke of Leeds, ne’er expected to inherit the debt ridden Dukedom from his brother. His life has revolved around his efforts as a spy for the Home Office. He quickly marries Georgina for her money and abandons her on their wedding day.

Kit returns six months later, wounded during an undercover operation that leaves him branded a traitor. He is disconcerted to find his home overrun with animals and a butler who is more than he seems. With danger lurking Kit discovers he risks more than his life, he also risks his heart.

I found it difficult to read this book, it is historically inaccurate and the characters were not as engaging as I liked. It felt over long and while certain elements were entertaining overall the story fell flat.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was funny. I loved the interaction between Georgina and Kit the Duke of Leeds. She is an American who married an English Duke. He abadonned her on their wedding day to go to America on a secret mission. There he get badly injured and comes back home after 6 months. In his absence she got by by rescuing and caring for all sort of animals. The two of them together on the same roof, fireworks was meant to happen. Trough in the mix a not-butler and you are IN for some funny dialogues.
I voluntarily reviewed this book and all the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was the first book by Scarlett Scott that I've read and I enjoyed it. The story showed really nice growth of our H Kit, initiated though the love of Lady and the caring of his wife Georgie. I would have liked the romance, the development of their feelings towards each other to be a little more developed, but that was a minor complaint. The only other issue that I'm struggling with, and it could just be that its different wording then most Regency's (which is my most read HR era), but the cursing and even some of the dialogue seems a little too modern, none of the "old" cursing seemed to be used. While this isn't a huge deal for me, I did find it threw me off as I was reading (and googling the history of those curse words didn't help give me a finite answer, but I did lose an hour of my life reading a variety of different articles.) This is also book 4 in the series, and the only other plot referenced was from book 3 and this book easily reads as a stand alone. Overall, a good Victorian romance with a bit of humour. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

3.5/5 Stars.

I received this book from Netgalley and the author for a honest review. This does not in any way impact my views or opinions.

My first Scarlett Scott and I do think her writing style is something I enjoy, I'll be sure to look out for other books from her. Overall I tentatively enjoyed the book, it has all the makings of HR's that are widely loved - so I believe a lot of my hesitance is due to personal likings. Hence, I'll just list down what worked for me, and what didnt.

Georgina, Duchess of Leeds and former American farm girl can't believe how her life has changed - almost overnight. She's received an unexpected fortune from her beloved uncle to suddenly married to an impoverished Duke. She's naive, bright and has a soft heart - and most of her heart goes to all manners of strays and creatures that require love and care. Christopher aka Kit, the Duke of leeds is a former spy for the crown who is trying to put a stop to the fenian menace. You'll understand a few things about him as soon as the book starts; he's not meant to be duke, he was the spare until his brother had the misfortune of ending up dead, he's surly and downright crude (a result of his loveless upbringing) and he seems to have no tact when it comes to his wife.

Kit abandons his wife on their wedding day to go back to New York for his mission, and he doesn't even have the courtesy to be nice to his sweet, confused wife before leaving her. He's rude, crude - but even worse, he's indifferent. 6 months later, he returns with bullet wounds and realizes - supposedly - out of the blue that his wife is thic in the right places. Which leads to boners.

My problem with them as a couple started here, too much of their feelings for each other has to do with the physical. And while the intimate scenes are written wonderfully and do have everything you'd wish - it just seems like that's it. Maybe that's me and my problem, but I would liked it if he had warmed to her personality, her quirks and her tender nature before he realized he wanted her on a physical level. Simply put, it doesn't feel like love then. It just feels like lust - not what you want in a romance.

Also, he apologizes for the way he behaves way way way too late. And there's a scene in a carraige much later when they're arguing and he basically overpowers her and uses his ability to pleasure her as a tool against her. That did not sit right me. It's manipulation of the highest order. A lot of aspects needed to be fleshed out for me, but it was still enjoyable enough.

If you're looking for a dramatic HR, with good dialogue, lots of steam and just a touch of angst then give this a shot!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
This is a brilliant read , it’s funny , emotional, sexy, and adventurous.
It has a Duke you would happily fall for, and a Duchess you can’t help but love and stick up for , together with a Not-Butler your going to adore ,and a menagerie that would drive a man to drink , this is one fantastic book .
You’ll never want it to end .
My thx to Netgally for the advance readers copy of this book, this review was voluntary and is my own words .

I laughed and smirked so much during this story. Kit is hilarious. He is rude, crude, irascible and haughty and his dialog is some of the funniest I have read in a while. You might think this does not make for a very good hero…wrong, everyone around him ignores him and does not really give a damn which pisses him off even more. Georgie is almost as funny. She is steadfast and not a heroine who slinks back but instead she takes charge. And let us not forget the not-butler Ludlow and the dog that saves the day. The slow seduction of Kit and Georgie was a pleasure to read. These characters drive the story and made for a very enjoyable read.

I have read a few of Ms. Scott’s stories and now I am hooked. I am buying them up like candy.

Looking forward to Ludlow’s story.

Georgiana is from New York. Her family's wealth is new and her father and stepmother feel that she more of a problem than someone to be loved. Fortunately, she has her own money, inherited from her own uncle. Kit, the Duke of Leeds needs money and marries her for her dowry. He leaves as soon as the wedding is over, not even staying for the wedding breakfast. He tells her he is going on a hunting trip. As far as she is concerned, he need not come back. While he is away, she starts rescuing animals from the streets. Six months later, Kit shows up to the house, gravely injured. What Georgiana finds out is that Kit is a spy for the Crown. Between Georgiana and her butler, Ludlow, they nurse him back to health. Despite all she has been through, Georgiana still has feelings for him. He will have to learn to love her and the animals.. Will they be able to repair their marriage? Who is Ludlow, the not- butler? Great story of spies, betrayal and heart. Steamy love scenes. I admit that I wanted to smack Kit more than once in the beginning. I received this book form Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.