Danielle and Marcus are a strong-headed pair, and conflict between them flares from the beginning as Marcus, newly returned from the war in France, struggles to understand his sister Elise’s death while he was gone. Danielle, Elise’s best friend knows more than she is willing to reveal about Elise, particularly to her bereaved brother, who it seems will do more than meddle in her own secrets.

Although I found Danielle’s secret life a bit hard to believe, I quickly suspended disbelief and immersed myself in this first-in-a-series story that left plenty of plot and character stories to be told in future novels.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every time I read a new book by Anna Harrington I say this cannot be topped and I’m saying it again. There was something about this story that just tugged on the heart strings in a different way. Duke of Hampton, Marcus Braddock, is freshly back from the war and doesn’t know how he’s going to acclimate to a world he never knew. His sister, Elise, is dead, he’s left to raise his niece, and he is now a duke.
Danielle Williams is still stunned by the death of her best friend, Elise. But when Marcus claims that she was murdered, Danielle quickly finds her two worlds colliding.
While Marcus rushes to avenge his sister and safe Danielle, he doesn’t realize he needs saving too.
Beautifully written, this story kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend.

An Inconvenient Duke is the first book in Anna Harrington's Lords of the Armory series. Ms. Harrington is a recent new favorite of mine; I get so immersed in her stories that I totally lose track of time! Since the first book of a series often sets the tone for the installments to follow, I was thrilled that this one started out with a bang. I will post a trigger warning here: This story deals with domestic violence. It doesn't happen to our heroine, but there are references to same.

Marcus Braddock is a former general and the newly minted Duke of Hampton; he was awarded the title due to his bravery in the battles against Napoleon. Not only is Marcus feeling lost in his new role, but he's also mourning the death of his sister Elise. He doesn't believe that his sister's death was an accident. He also thinks that Elise's best friend, Danielle (Dani) Williams, may have information regarding her death, and he's determined to discover that information. Dani is working for a charity, Nightingale, that helps abused women escape. Elise was also working for that same charity the night she died. Marcus saves Dani when he believes her life is in danger, and they begin to work together to find out what happened to Elise.

This story had everything that I look for in a historical romance - engaging characters, mystery, excitement, wit and steamy bits. Oh, the steamy bits! Ms. Harrington excelled in writing those! Both Marcus and Dani were wonderful characters. I love a military man, and it was interesting to watch Marcus having trouble adjusting to civilian life, never mind becoming a duke! He was a fierce protector of his family and would give his life to keep those he loved safe. Dani was a strong heroine with a mission to help abused women; she started her charity due to the abuse her beloved Aunt Harriette suffered at the hands of her husband at a time when women had no rights and were considered to be property. Not only did I love the main characters, but I found all of Marcus's friends to be intriguing. I cannot wait to see how their stories all play out!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Danielle Williams has to write to Elise's brother about her death. She had fallen off a horse and broken her neck.
Dani didn't want to see the Duke, She was afraid that them talking would just magnify the pain of loss. When he returned he started looking into her death and did not like what he read. She had been helping abused women and trying to get them out of England, so they could find new and good lives.
Marcus Braddock, General and newly appointed Duke of Hampton, had been given a Birthday Party and Dani was there. She had gone because Claudia, his next oldest sister had asked her to come. His young niece, Pippa was the daughter of his sister, Elise.
This was a marvelous story of action, threats, murder and finally love. There are a lot of twists and turns, but it is well written, easy to read and the awful emotions that go with the death of a family member can be overwhelming. It does have some mature themes. It is entertaining, interesting and you can't seem to put it down.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

She accepted his terms of surrender but not before her own terms were met. Anna again is creating a world of intrigue with this first in a series story. I do love a good mystery in my stories. Marcus is a general turned duke and buys an armory and what does he do with it…turns it into a bat cave! His plan is to unveil and bring to justice the nefarious Scepter. Who is along for the journey but Danielle who runs a super secret organization called Nightingale that helps women who have been abused. Danielle is one of my favorite heroines in Anna’s stories. She is very smart and does not fly off the handle while saving these women. The interaction between Marcus and Danielle is rocky but they each learn that they have to give and take to make their relationship work. Absolutely adored this story. Looking forward to more stories in this series.

Retired general Marcus Braddock helped defeat Napoleon, and when he returned to London was named a Duke. While he was away, his sister died, leaving her young child an orphan, so her best friend, Danielle, helped the family until Marcus returned. Upon his arrival, he discovered some documents among Elise’s things that leads him to believe she was murdered. Determined to discover the truth, he turns to Dani, who is avoiding him with every attempt.

When they were younger, Danielle was infatuated with Elise’s older brother, Marcus. Now he’s home and determined to bring up the death of her best friend, something she’d rather move past. But when Marcus comes to Dani with evidence that Elise was participating in something covert and dangerous, she decides to help him discover the truth.

An Inconvenient Duke is a delightful historical romance set within a murder mystery. Ms. Harrington’s world centers on a close-knit group of soldiers who haven’t quite figured out how to fit within society now that the war is over. Their leader, Marcus, creates a safe place for himself where he goes to think and work out aggressions, etc., which develops and morphs over the course of this first book, becoming the foundation for the series. Each Lord has his own talents and connections, which helps Marcus and Dani discover the truth of his sister’s death. It also uncovers a seedy organization that will certainly rear its head in the coming books.

Dani is a strong, against-era heroine. She’s created an organization that helps women escape their abusive situations. She is determined and refuses to let Marcus run her life. I loved how confident Dani is and how she won’t settle for anything short of what she deserves. Marcus and Dani share an attraction, and Dani’s spirited nature lights a flame in Marcus. Their romance is a fun journey, both sweet and hot and steamy at times. I appreciate that the pair is on equal footing and works to compromise as they investigate the murder. Theirs is a match-well-made, with equal time for banter and passionate love making.

An Inconvenient Duke is a great start to the Lords of the Armory series. The story is a wonderful blend of mystery and intrigue with an unflappable duke falling in love. The stage is set for what promises to be an entertaining series.

My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot

This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it so much!

Danielle Williams is a very interesting woman. She's the daughter of a Baron, and she's still unmarried at 25. She is secretly running a charity called Nightingale, where they work to disappear abused and endangered women from their lives, before they can be killed by their abusers. This is all done in secret, of course, and her best friend Elise helped her with that by handling the money that passed through the charity. Elise was a widow, so she was the only woman in their network who had free reign over her own banking, without a husband or other male family member being involved. But, when Elise died 2 years earlier things started to become more difficult. But, Dani had no idea what had really happened to Elise, until her big brother came home from the war.

Marcus Braddock, the new Duke of Hampton, was a general in the army, who recently retired at the end of the war. He's come home to a life he barely recognizes anymore. His one younger sister, Elise, is dead, and has left behind a young daughter, his other sister, Claudia is about to become engaged, and once she's married she'll be leaving him with sole caretaking of their niece, Pippa. When he finds evidence that perhaps Elise's death happened much differently from how they all thought, he wants to confront Danielle, as she's the one who wrote to him to inform him of Elise's death. He doesn't expect the giggling young lady he remembers to have grown into a beautiful, headstrong woman, who he is attracted to, even while suspecting she's lying to him.

Marcus and Dani had wildly strong chemistry, but they both mistrusted each other, for various reasons, throughout a large part of the story. I really liked their push and pull, and how they finally came around to the idea that they really were all in with each other. I loved both their families, and how much they all cared for one another, which all seemed to originally stem from Dani and Elise's lifelong friendship.

Marcus' 2 best friends from the military, one of whom is also a new Earl, were both a delight. I loved how the three of them really bantered and teased as brothers would, but were always there for each other. They were also super helpful to Marcus with the suspense side plot and all they did to help him discover everything about his sister's death. That part was exciting, as they discovered piece by piece what was involved in his sister's death, and how to prevent the same fate from befalling Dani.

I enjoyed this story very much and I look forward to more stories in this world! I'm assuming the next stories will involve Marcus' friends Brandon and Merritt, and I can't wait to learn more about them. I definitely recommend this one!

My thoughts

Rating : 5

Would I recommend it ?yes

Would I read more of this series?yes because I want to see more of these characters

Would I read more by this author?yes

What a great start to a new to me series and it's right up my alley,it's the kind of historical romance I love to read and once I start reading it I can't stop. The characters are amazing and I loved the chemistry between Marcus and Danielle and how the author brought to life though her story how some of the women was treated doing that time .And how involved the characters was with each other and the friendships that was shown between Marcus and his friends. It was the right mixture of romance as well as suspense and you could see the love Marcus and Danielle had for their family.With that said I want to thank Sourcebooks Casablanca as well as Netgalley for inviting me to read and review as well as for them helping me to find a new romance series to read .

What a great start to a new series!
This was somewhat like a romantic suspense set in the regency era. Full of suspense and intrigue and a romance that develops along the way.
Marcus will stop at nothing to find out what really happened on the night his beloved sister Elise died. She didn't just fall from her horse and there's one person who may have the answers. Danielle, Elise's best friend.
Danielle has secrets and with Marcus trying to find them out makes her want to avoid him at all costs.
I enjoyed this book from the beginning to end. I loved both Marcus and Danielle.
Looking forward to more from this series.

Another fantastic book by Anna Harrington. A sexy and thrilling friends to lovers. Marcus comes to back from war to a new title and a different England, even his sister's childhood friend Danielle has changed. Danielle is now a grown woman with secrets she intends to keep but she has loved Marcus since she was a young girl. The murder of Marcus' sister brings them together in a passionate yet thrilling journey to their HEA. Kick ass first book of a new series. Wonderful main character with intriguing secondary characters I cannot wait to read more about. Mix in a devious enemy that looks to run through the series, sign me up!

An engaging and suspenseful romance with delightful chemistry, an unexpectedly strong heroine, and a solid foundation on which to begin a new series!

Despite a slowish start—and a couple of "please communicate" moments—I was easily sucked into Marcus and Danielle's story, and ended up enjoying the heck out of this one from Anna Harrington, a new-to-me author! I loved—and I can't stress this enough—the attention paid to the plight of those less fortunate than the main characters, both of whom are in the upper echelon of society. The inclusion of societal issue was smart and made the characters infinitely more likeable for their ability to see beyond their small, privileged world. Is it strictly accurate to the times? Perhaps not, but it definitely played a large part in why I liked An Inconvenient Duke so much. Add to that the fact that Danielle was no simpering lady and Marcus was not your typical Duke, lording over all he surveyed, and you have multiple excellent reasons to one-click.

As the start of a new series, this book serves well to introduce the framework for what's to come. There are lingering questions, which I look forward to seeing answered in books about Marcus' friends. You can absolutely count me in to continue the Lords of the Armory series.

Anna Harrington’s first entry into this new series is a lovely sensual romance, and an exciting, breath-holding, fast-paced mystery. The characters are relatable and likable and the writing, as always, is excellent.

The Napoleonic wars are over and the soldiers have returned home. The life that awaited them in England wasn’t what they would have thought. The military had no use for them and there were few, if any, jobs available. The war office was slow to pay pensioners and those who remained on the payroll. It was common to see a soldier in his tattered uniform begging on the streets. This treatment of the men who had sacrificed so much for king and country really rankled returning war hero, General Marcus Braddock, newly minted Duke of Hampton. He’d lost so much while he was away at war – and now he felt lost, restless, and unsettled.

With the wars over, there is a new, home-grown menace afoot in England. It is growing in power and influence every day – and its name is Scepter. Nobody knew it even existed until, unwittingly, Elise, sister of Marcus Braddock, stepped into their path and was murdered for it. Once Marcus realizes that Elise was murdered rather than being killed in a riding accident, he will stop at nothing to find her murderer and see him punished.

Elise was Danielle Williams's best friend – closer than sisters. Danielle was bereft at the loss of her best friend and when she learned she’d been murdered she was riddled with guilt.

Marcus is convinced that Danielle (Dani) knows what happened to his sister and he is determined to get the information from her. Danielle has many secrets, but knowing about Elise’s murder isn’t one of them. As she learns more and more, she and Marcus begin to draw closer to each other. Marcus is beside himself when he realizes that Dani is also in danger – because she and Elise were doing similar things. Dani’s passion has been rescuing battered and abused women from the men who have control of them. She’s always very careful and nobody knows that she is involved – or do they?

Fasten your seatbelts for this exciting, romantic ride. It is filled with passion and pain and a delightful HEA. The story sets up the premise for the Armory versus Scepter very nicely and leaves us looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I very much enjoyed this book! It was fast-paced and had lots of adventure and a bit of mystery mixed in with romance. It was one of those books that you can't put down.

If you enjoy a strong female and a bit of a brooding male, you will enjoy this book. I found it to be a bit of a fresh take on historical romance. I'm excited to see what comes next in this series. I will definitely be reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

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

I really enjoyed reading this book, Marcus and Danielle really complimented each other. They both had strong personalities, but neither one lets the other get away with anything. Marcus isn't the typical wounded hero we usually see, and as much as i love a super brooding hero this was refreshing. I def. want to read more from this authors back list, and am looking forward to reading more in this series!!!

Marcus gets a letter from Danielle while he is away serving in the army telling him that his sister has had an accident and died..
Once he gets home, and starts going through his sisters things he finds out she went to a secret meeting the night before she died and never returned home.. Since Danielle is the one to tell him of her death, he thinks that she knows more than she is saying. Which happens to be true,.. So for the first time they meet again after he gets home is a little rough with the questioning. Which I understand, since he thinks she is covering up his sisters murder. Turns out she didn't know that part, but she does know more that she is saying in order to protect other women. She is running an underground network, for battered women in secret. She had been doing it for a while and Marcus' sister was involved in helping. Elise ( the sister) ends up going behind Danielle's back, and helping women on her own without Danielles help. And that is ultimately what gets her killed.
Marcus and Danielle go on a mission to find out who killed Elise, and end up falling in love along the way..

<b>ONLY TOOK ME 4 HOURS TO READ - AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE! ❤ </b>

Usually historical romance is predictable but sweet - there's a long way between the ones that break the mold and surprise me. This book actually did it, it surprised me and entertained me greatly. Great characters, great plot, great heroine - great all around!

<b>👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍</b>

<u>Plot</u>: Most historical romances mainly focus on the romantic plot and then throw in a little half-arsed subplot. Not this book - here the romance was strong but so was the subplot! It was engaging, surprising and mysterious and it drew me in.

<u>Dani</u>: Danielle was such a great, strong female lead who stood up for what she believed was right and didn't need no man saving her! I really sympathised with her and her fight for justice.

<u>Women's rights</u>: I absolutely loved that this book focused on women's rights in the Regency era - how women had next to no rights, how they were considered the property of their male relations and how no one intervened, when a husband beat his wife within an inch of her life. In some ways, this is a subject that still needs to be addressed today.

This was a nice, quick read that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. At first, Marcus doesn’t come across that well: he’s willing to threaten and bully Danielle to get the information he needs. But once they establish a truce and try to work together to solve his sister’s murder, things got better. Marcus still thinks he should be the one taking all the risks, but its because he doesn’t want Danielle to be hurt. And since Danielle is willing to go toe to toe with him and stand up for herself and what she believes is important, they stay pretty well matched. She isn’t willing to give up helping abused women just because of the danger- she believes in the cause, although she doesn’t enjoy the risks. I definitely appreciated that about Danielle: she believes in making a difference in people’s lives and won’t back down from injustice, but she also isn’t stubborn enough to court danger just because she can. The romance between them was electric, but my favorite part was that Harrington emphasizes the plight of soldiers returning from the wars, both physical, social, and mental. Even alpha men like Marcus need a purpose when they return from battle, and the wise general (and his lady) recognize the importance of giving all their men a retreat to sort out what life after the war will mean to each returning soldier.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Marcus Braddock, Duke of Hampton and former general, is back from war and faced with mourning the death of his beloved sister, Elise. Marcus believes his sister's death wasn't an accident and he's determined to learn the truth, starting with Danielle, the beautiful daughter of a baron and his sister's best friend.
Danielle is keeping deadly secrets of her own. She has dedicated her life to a charity that helps abused women—the same charity Elise was working for the night she died. When Danielle's work puts her life in danger, Marcus comes to her rescue. But Danielle may not need rescuing...
This is a book filled with suspense and danger with an underlying love story. The suspense and mystery of the murder is the main story and it is very well done but the romance is not the main attraction in this book.
I gave this book 4.25 of five stars. I wish the romance was more prevalent.
I received a complimentary copy of this book to read. This has no bearing on my opinion of this title whic is my own.

I think this is a new author for me, I dont remember and I looked to see if I had in fact read anything from her and couldn't find, but anyhoo. I liked the storyline I liked how we meet this man who finds out his sister died, but knew it wasn't from a horse, and he is set on finding out the truth and he does that with his sisters best friend, Danielle. While trying to find out the truth and spending time together they fall in love, which we kind of knew would happen. I liked that in this era that people could not really have cared about woman in abusive marriages there are a group of people who do care and intend on getting to the bottom of things. We didn't get a lot of answers because this is the beginning of a new series, I am not sure if I will continue just yet, because I do have a lot of books that I am interested in, so we shall see.

This is the first in the Lords of the Armoury series and what a wonderful way to start. There was action, mystery, suspense and romance. I enjoyed the way women's rights and the brutality of the times was covered. All the characters were well written with feeling, humour and strength. There was a fair bit of sex but this reviewer skipped it as always and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I liked how the future books were set up and look for having the mystery finally exposed and coming books. I have always enjoyed a series with an underlying story. This book can be read as a standalone but you will be hanging out for the next one as much as I am. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.

While serving in the Napoleonic War, General Marcus Braddock is informed that his sister, Elise has died in an accident leaving her five year old daughter an orphan. Her best friend, Danielle reassures him that his other sister and niece will be taken care of until he returns. Two years later, the war is finally over and Marcus returns to London. He is first and foremost a soldier, however he has been awarded a dukedom for his service. Although the title will be helpful to his family, he crinches at being sought out just because he is a duke. Then he finds that his sister may have been murdered. Does Dani's secret life have anything to do with her death? As Marcus and Dani's relationship develops so does their investigation into what happened to Elise. I have read many of Anna Harrington's books, this is one of my favorites. A reader can always count on wonderful characters in this author's stories, but there is also mystery, intrigue, danger, all with a little humor (love aunt Harriet) thrown in. One of the best parts is the epilogue which promises more awesome tales like this one.