Anna Harrington kicks off her Lords of the Armory series with a captivating and engaging novel. Her protagonists Marcus and Danielle are feisty and intriguing, with excellent chemistry and enough common ground and shared history to take their attraction beyond just the physical. Both of the protagonists are fighting their own inner battles, acknowledging the true cost of war and the strength of brotherhood as well as the plight of abused women in both the upper and lower classes. The mystery elements kept me engaged throughout. It is a highly entertaining and compelling read!

This was such a fan historical romance. I loved everything about it. The romance, The writing, the characters and the chemistry. I need to read more form this author!

This one was an unexpected surprise. I wasn't sure if I was going to like Marcus and Danielle's story. I ended up loving it. They were a great couple and had fun banter. I loved Danielle's character and her convictions. I highly recommend this one.

Anna Harrington is one of my favorite authors in the Regency genre and this book does not disappoint. Marcus Braddock, Duke of Hampton and former general, has returned from the war against Napoleon still grieving for his sister, Elise. Supposedly, Elise died in a horseback riding accident while he was away, leaving a young daughter, Penelope (Pippa). When he returns, he finds proof that something much more sinister happened to her and he is determined to find the truth.

Her best friend, Danielle Williams, is the key to finding out what really occurred. But, Marcus isn't prepared for the feelings that Dani begins to stir within him. At the same time, Marcus is dealing with his new duties as a (reluctant) Duke. His friends are former soldiers and their comraderie adds a lot to the story. As Marcus and Dani try to come to the root of the mystery, both of their lives are in danger.

This book contains everything that a Regency fan loves: beautiful fashions and décor, fancy balls, the tedious customs and rituals of the times, and romance. There is also comic relief in the form of Dani's Aunt Harriet and her wonderful stories. Ms. Harrington's writing is wonderful and her character development really draws in the reader. The dialogue and interactions between Marcus and Dani are perfect and I loved seeing their romance bloom.

I look forward to many more books in the Lords of the Armory series since this book has introduced me to so many great new characters. If you enjoy a romp through the Regency period along with a great mystery, give this book a try. You won't be disappointed!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I received a free copy from netaglley in exchange for an honest review.
I really really liked this book.
Dani has devoted the last 4 years to helping abused women. When her best friend Elise dies her brother now a duke due to his war heroics determines that she was murdered not killed in a horse accident.
Dani is a strong, independent, caring woman who is willing to risk everything to help women in the worst situations. Marcus is determined to get justice for his sister but protecting Danielle becomes just as important.

I loved the H/h independently and as a couple. The story was great and I loved that the characters really did want to make the world a better place instead of just being frivolous.
Off to read book 2 in the series.

This is an interesting, dramatic and romantic story. When Marcus comes home from the war, he learns that his sister Elise, whom he was told died accidentally, was actually murdered, he is livid with her best friend, Dani, who had told him about his sister. Danielle had avoided Marcus since his return because he didn't need her bringing up the painful past. But when he finds out the truth, there's no avoiding him, he shows up at her house unannounced, to accuse her of lying to him. She's shocked and angered when she hears about Elise. They reluctantly agree to work together to find out who is responsible for Elise's death. The more Marcus is around Dani, the more he finds himself attracted to her. Dani has been in love with him since she was a young girl, but she finds it hard to believe that his feelings are real. They clash over everything because she's stubborn and compassionate, he's stubborn and protective. It has a very unique subject matter that I found intriging.

An Inconvenient Duke (Lords of the Armory #1). By Anna Harrington. 2020. Sourcebooks Casablanca (ARC eBook).

Recently returned from war and appointed Duke of Hampton, Marcus Braddock is a man on a mission. He is still mourning the death of his sister, Elise, and believing her death was not an accident, the former general sets his sights on Elise’s best friend, Danielle, to get his answers.

Danielle has secrets of her own she must keep. She is torn between soothing Marcus’s pain over the loss of his sister and keeping her work of helping abused women secret. But once a solider, always a soldier, and Marcus is determined to unravel the secrets that span from the underbelly of London to the ton. As the plot thickens Marcus and Elise become loose ends to tie up.

An entertaining read that blends romance, action and mystery. Marcus is a charming hero and I especially enjoyed scenes with him and his young niece and ward, Pippa. Danielle proves to be brave for her dangerous work of helping others, and her headstrong nature is just what is needed to meet Marcus on the battlefield. Together, they share some great chemistry.

A smart regency romance with a dash of mystery. While he is at war, Dani writes Marcus of his sister’s accidental death. Later, when he returns as a war hero, Marcus discovers his sister was murdered and Dani knows more than she’s telling. Secrets, who to trust, and an evil underground organization make their search for a killer (while falling in love) a very satisfying read with enough unresolved for the next installment.

An inconvenient Duke was an enjoyable read. There was a good deal of suspense and mystery that kept the plot moving. I’m not sure that I loved either character, though they were well drawn. But I found both to be stubborn and I prefer to see characters trying harder to understand each other.

This is a lovely story, it was fast paced and I enjoyed it!I loved the development of the complex characters.The romance was strong and intense. Danielle was such a great, strong female character, I admired her!I liked Danielle and Marcus and felt the chemistry between them from their first interaction. They were so great!

I’ve been reading Anna Harrington for a few years and although I’m a few books behind on her releases I was so excited to jump into a new series by her! I think fans of Sabrina Jeffries will like Ms. Harrington’s take on historical romance.

AN INCONVENIENT DUKE brings us our hero Marcus. He’s a former general and after coming back from the war a decorated hero and reluctantly he has taken his title of Duke. But his main purpose right now is to figure out what happened to his sister. Supposedly she died in a horse accident at the park, but what he finds upon his return home spells of foul play and his only source of information is his sister’s best friend. The woman who wrote to give him the news. And she’s avoiding him at all costs, worrying about hiding secrets of her own.

I loved the mystery aspect of this story. It was like reading a good spy historical romance but without the political intrigue. It kept me reading and wanting to know more. Was it hard to figure out? Not really. The clues basically jump out at you. But it was still a nice ride trying to figure out where the danger was coming from and who had killed the Duke’s sister while navigating London society.

Then there’s the romance. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s an enemies to lovers but there’s definitely some of those types of sparks between these two. They’re both headstrong and strong willed. I couldn’t help but admire the heroine for her secret. I ended up really admiring what she was trying to do and I also enjoyed how the author worked that specific issue in the end for the long term of their relationship. Sorry if that’s vague, I don’t want to spoil the book!

I’m definitely excited for the rest of this series. We got to see a little glimpse of the Duke’s friends and I can tell their books will also be highly entertaining.

As Marcus is going through his dead sisters belongings, he finds a note that indicates that she did not fall off her horse as he was told - she had a midnight assignation, and it appears she was murdered. At first, her best friend, Dani, tries to avoid the issue, but eventually Marcus confronts her, demanding the truth. They work together to find who was behind her murder, but the more they uncover, the more dangerous it gets. I received an ARC of this book.

General Marcus Braddock, the newly minted Duke of Hampton has finally returned from the war and he wants answers. The main one is what happened to his sister Elise and why did her best friend Danielle Williams lie to him about her death.

Danielle “Dani” Williams is avoiding Marcus, she just can’t bear talking to him about Elise, the grief is still to fresh. But when he corners her at a ball for a dance and demands answers, she is stunned – Elise was murdered? She stands by her story and like him, she too wants answers. He tells her of the note he found in Elise’s things and mentions a “vanishing” and someone called the Scepter – Dani is so shocked she stops dancing; she tells him Elise was a good woman who helped others and that he should let it go.

He can’t let it go and when his sister Claudia announces she is to marry, he sees an opportunity to spend more time with Dani, as close family friends, he will convince Dani and her aunt to help Claudia plan her wedding and hopefully find out what secrets Dani is keeping about Elise’s death.

Dani truly doesn’t know what happened to Elise, but now she has an idea. Dani runs a network called Nightingale to save abused women, like her aunt, women with nowhere to go and no way to run, she helps them leave and start new lives. Elise was a member, but wanted to help prostitutes, but Dani didn’t feel the network could sneak those women away without endangering the members of Nightingale. She now realizes that Elise must have started her own network and decides to seek answers on her own. She is meeting with one of her contacts when out of nowhere Marcus arrives and chases the man off – she is angry, but he is sure the man was going to hurt her. She doesn’t want to believe it, but realizes he is right. She tells him of her work with battered women and that she thinks Elise may have started her own network and it got her killed. They share a kiss and part ways, each reeling from the kiss.

Marcus goes to the Armory – a building he purchased and uses as a retreat/gym. While there he meets with two friends and fellow soldiers, Brandon Pearce, the Earl West and Merritt Ripley a lawyer, he tells them what he has learned and tells them that he is going to ask Clayton Elliot, another solider friend and an undersecretary in the Home Office to help him. He also asks them to keep an eye on Danielle, but downplays his interest in her. But he can’t seem to stay away from her and they begin to work together to find the truth about Elise’s death. But when they get too close, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the truth to come out and will stop at nothing to keep their secrets.

I thought this story was well written and paced well. I liked Danielle and Marcus and felt the chemistry between them from their first interaction. I liked that they had known each other for years and had harbored feelings for each other. I did find Danielle’s “network” a bit hard to believe and felt the details regarding it a bit vague. But the story was good and has a little bit of everything, secrets, intrigue, great secondary characters, mystery, murder, steamy love scenes, twists, turns and surprises. This book ends with the villain making a revelation that will presumably carry on throughout the series. But it is well done and doesn’t end this story with a cliffhanger. This is the first book in the series and I am looking forward to next installment.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

I'm very quickly becoming obsessed with Anna Harrington's books and An Inconvenient Duke has been added to the pile of "must recommend to everyone" books I always keep close by when people ask me for book recs!

I was in the mood for a good historical romance and new Harrington novel fit the bill quite nicely. It is the start of new series as well making it an added bonus. We meet Marcus as he has returned after the war a hero being made a Duke as his reward. The death of his sister while he was away haunts him and the search for answers brings him to Danielle who tried to avoid him. Working together as the circumstances require makes it hard to avoid their growing feelings for one another adding a nice complication to the mix. A well written historical romance that makes you fell like you are there at the time along with them making it a perfect choice for fans of the genre. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

Marcus Braddock, Duke of Hampton is back from war and mourning the death of his beloved sister, Elise. He finds evidence his sister was murdered and wants to find out why her best friend, Danielle Williams lied to him about her death. Daniella runs a business the Nightingale’s to rescue abused and battered women who need to disappear to be safe. What she doesn’t know is friend was murdered until Marcus comes to her. Marcus and Dani join forces to discover Elise's killer. With Marcus’s analytical mind, his friends and Dani’s understanding of the business they are soon on the trail of the murder. Marcus and Dani become very close, trying to fight their attraction as they search for the killer. An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.

Oh my goodness you don't want to miss reading An Inconvenient Duke by Anna Harrington. It is the first book in her new series the Lords of the Armory and definitely worth reading if you love historical romance full of romance, suspense, secrets and murder.
Returning home after retiring from his military career, Marcus finds life as a civilian again challenging and full of societal rules that he must follow especially as a duke, but nothing will stop him from finding out why his sister was murdered and who was responsible.
Danielle has been keeping dangerous secrets for years, but when her best friend is killed and evidence points to murder she now must face the fact that her life is in danger also.
Marcus couldn't protect his sister, but he will do everything in his power to protect Danielle.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more books in this wonderful series!

I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

There was a lot that I liked about this book. The ending was a real page turner and I wasn’t expecting so much suspense. I felt that the characters could have been built up more, they were a bit one dimensional.
I received an ARC for my honest review.

There are a lot of things to like about this book making me enjoy it very much. One of which is the excellent editing. It is a joy to read a book that is not mired in copy edit errors. I am also very fond of a good prologue and this one did an excellent job of engaging me in to the story and making me want to learn more about what was being hinted at. Marcus and Danielle are both strong characters, in fact I think that "his unstoppable force has met her immovable mountain" may be the perfect description of their relationship. There is excellent storytelling throughout with the aide of clever writing that gives the reader the necessary information to believe in the plot with enough intrigue to make it stand out. There are also typical steamy bits that Anna is good at including in her books. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and look forward to more in this series. There is an HEA with Marcus and Danielle, but we can tell that there is more story to come with the other characters involved in the mystery introduced in An Inconvenient Duke. I received an advanced copy to read and all opinions are mine alone.