Chase Radnor is an investigator and the perfect choice for his cousin to reach out to for help. His cousin has inherited a dukedom but the vast wealth that their uncle collected was not left to anyone in the family. Rather, it was parceled out to three women that no one knows. Finally, Chase has found the first one, though breaking into her house might not have been the best idea.
Minerva Hepplewhite had an abusive husband who died mysteriously. She took her friend, Betsy, and Betsy's son Jeremy, moved them all to London and changed her name. She thought she was safe. And yet, there's a man who has now broken into her house. But he's not there to rob her. Instead, he wants to help her claim a huge inheritance. He is shocked to find out that she is working toward becoming an investigator herself, especially since he suspects that she may have been involved in her husband's death (and maybe even his uncle's.)
A good start to the series. This book included a lot of set up so there could have been more about their relationship and I never really connected with either Chase or Minerva. I am looking forward to Kevin's story but even more so to Nicholas, the duke's.

Three stars
This book comes out April 28th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This is another great book by Madeline Hunter. I love her characters here. The heroine is terrific. She is strong and sassy. The hero is interesting too. Their names are unique for sure. The mystery is also solved quite well. :) Definitely a keeper! :)

Important note that the names of the hero and heroine in this book are bonkers. That aside I enjoyed this romance. I’ve never read any books by Hunter before and this is the start of a new series but I’m intrigued to see what she’s written in the past. Minerva is an incredibly likable heroine and very smart woman who owns and operates her own business.

Side note I love this trend in historical romances with heroines actually working and not just being “ladies” because women actually did work! *gasp*.

Chase is a great hero and a perfect example of a hero who isn’t an asshole like so many heroes in historical romances unfortunately are. Loved him.

It’s also not solely a romance but like a mystery romance which I usually hate but this one was really well written and I very much enjoyed. This book flew by for me and I’m eager to see what the rest of the series will bring. Definitely something great to read during these difficult times.

This was a good start for a new series. I have loved several series Madeline Hunter has written. This story is about Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way how to take care of herself. When an intruder breaks into her home she sees it is Chase Radnor and he is the man who tried to get her convicted of her late husband's murder. Now he is saying she has inherited a fortune from his uncle. This story had its own twists and turns. I really enjoyed the plot.

How did the Duke get her name. That is the big question in this new series. It is answered and the result is a very satisfying story. There is something dark in both of the main characters past but it just adds to the tension in the story. Great start to new series. Love all the characters and the mystery.

It has been some time since I last picked up a historical romance. I read an excerpt for Heiress for Hire and was immediately intrigued. The dynamic between the two main characters, Chase Radnor and Minerva Hepplewhite, was as interesting as the circumstances that brought them together in the first place. With romance and hints of mystery, Heiress for Hire was a very entertaining read.

In general, I liked the story. I know Heiress for Hire is a historical romance—so the development of the relationship comes before all—and that aspect of the story was good. However, I was also here for the mystery. So many different possibilities were presented within the first couple of pages. Such as the mystery surrounding just why Minerva received a fortune from a person she never met and what really happened to said person. I enjoyed all of the investigative parts. Plus the mystery was a great way to get the characters together on page, and it kept a consistent pattern of interaction between them throughout the entire story. It was pretty great.

The characters were all great. In particular, Chase’s family was a definite highlight. They were a bickering bunch, but very entertaining to read about.

As for the romance, I thought it was good. I liked it because of the conversations between Minerva and Chase, and I liked how good of a team they made—even though they were reluctant to share information at times. They were a great duo, and the moments when they put their heads together were some of my favorites from the book.

I enjoyed Heiress for Hire. The ending, while satisfying, left several parts of the plot mostly unresolved. So, I’m looking forward to what Hunter has in store for this series.

This copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Zebra Books) via Netgalley, thank you!

I didn't really like this one, just didn't find it flowed well and didn't capture my interest. Dnf at 20% thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As always, Hunter delivered a compelling and satisfying read. As one of the few writers that can write an introductory series book without bogging it down in backstory info dumps, "Heiress for Hire" held my attention throughout. At first, I thought the premise—a duke leaving his fortune to a woman he’d never met—would follow traditional romance storylines, but was pleasantly surprised when it did not. Chase and Minerva's romance is handled beautifully (not a surprise for a Madeline Hunter book). And, as always, her secondary characters complement the main characters and plot perfectly and are entertaining. "Heiress for Hire" is definitely a worth-time-and-money read.

Heiress for Hire is my first book by Madeline Hunter and will not be my last. It starts what seems to be a fantastic series and I cannot wait to see what happens with the rest of the heirs to the duke.
Heiress for Hire is a steamy, captivating romance with a cast of characters who are intriguing until the very last page.

Heiress for Hire begins what is sure to be a captivating series featuring the heirs of an eccentric duke. As the duke’s family received little or nothing of his estate, seemingly random females inherited a fortune. In this book, the duke’s demise is investigated by a nephew who’s also searching for these unknown heirs. He finds the first heiress and initially adds her to his list of suspects in the duke’s death. As she opens her own investigation service and looks into the duke’s death, she and the nephew forge quite the alliance. The character study is well done.... including the roles of the secondary players. The romance between the nephew and the heiress builds steadily and ends with a steamy HEA. Hunter is off to yet another great series.

-- This review can also be found on my blog www.hookedbythatbook.com –

Minerva Hepplewhite has started a new life for herself and two servants, now turned friends, with a new name. She has been fairly content in her relative obscurity, but that illusion was shattered when she caught Chase Radnor breaking into her house. But he is more than a common thief. He is the nephew of the Duke of Hollingburgh, who has named her as a significant beneficiary in his will. Chase was there to investigate her, and to confirm that she was indeed, the woman he was looking for.

The duke’s death is considered suspicious and Chase was appointed as the unofficial official investigator, since it involved his family. Minerva came under some suspicion, as she is to receive an enormous amount of money from the duke’s estate, but no-one has ever heard of her before.

Chase and Minerva each conducted their own investigation, and soon they were sharing information, and much more. Minerva had considered her sexuality to be dead and buried, after her disastrous marriage, but Chase revived that part of her. I enjoyed Chase and Minerva and their interactions. They worked really well together as investigators. Chase had a lot of respect for Minerva’s hesitations regarding their relationship, even though it clearly frustrated him. Minerva had a cool head on her shoulders and some really excellent ideas for looking for clues and evidence.

I also enjoyed Chase’s family immensely, the good, the bad, and the entitled. They made for a great cast of characters that added dimension to the story.

The story started in a very intriguing way - “Did you kill him?” – and this was refrained several times throughout the story in many different circumstances.

This book covered my love for romance and suspense and I can definitely recommend it.

A great mystery with romance. A great romance with mystery.

Actually, there are three layers of mystery with Heiress for Hire

Finding the three women who were bequeathed a sizable fortune from a Duke
Finding out if one of the women killed her husband
Finding out if the Duke’s death was an accident or murder. He left behind many disgruntled relatives who were counting on his fortune

Clever premise with wonderful characters

Greatly anticipating the next book in this series

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC

I received an ARC of "Heiress for Hire" by Madeline Hunter from Netgalley. Minerva Hepplewhite has just been given a large amount of money from a Duke in his will. Chase Radnor is the nephew of said Duke and is asked to find this lady. Both Minerva and Chase then lead their own investigations into how the Duke died as well as why he would leave her and not his own family money and other wordly goods. A great intriguing story.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a sweet historical romance with a strong, independent heroine determined to overcome her troubling past and lead a successful private investigator business. Chase is investigating the murder of his uncle when he encounters the heroine. He is intrigued by her confidence and competience as she inherits his uncle's fortune and opens her own investigative practice. Their romance blooms and Chase breaks the walls of her prison as she allows herself to feel true passion. The author has a way with words that lifts each romantic scene into a beautiful, emotional imagery.

This is a historical romance with some mystery thrown into the mix. Minerva Hepplewhite's discovery of an intruder, Chase, in her home in the middle of the night leads her on an adventure she couldn't imagine. Minerva is shocked to discover a Duke she has never met has died and left her a small fortune. Minerva and Chase both seek to discover what really happened the night the Duke died. Was he murdered or was it an accident? While they work on their inquiries they struggle against the attraction between them.

This is a well written book with an interesting plot line that keeps the reader focused. The characters are fun and bright and have the reader cheering them on. The romance part of this novel is a piece and not the whole focus. The story is fun and well worth a read.

Another great story written by Madeline Hunter. Has everything, mystery, romance and a quirky Duke who died under mysterious circumstances. Chase is his nephew with a interest in solving mysteries. He finds himself surrounded by more mysteries, including Madeline or is she a Madeline? This is the first of her new series, so of course there is a cliffhanger! I can’t wait till May to read Kevin story, another of the Duke’s nephew.

If you can seriously suspend disbelief that a poor widow would receive a mysterious bequest in a duke’s will, you will enjoy this novel. Minerva lives quietly with her housekeeper and the housekeeper’s son. When she finds out about her inheritance she decides to open up a detective agency to investigate delicate problems for women. And she needs to investigate the duke’s death because she’s worried that she’ll be fingered for his murder. And it just so happens that Chase Radnor, one of the duke’s nephews, also does investigations. And now he’s investigating the probably nurder of his uncle as well as the three women who received such generous gifts in the duke’s will.

Of course, they’re attracted to each other as they keep meeting up in the course of their mutual investigations.. I really enjoyed the book, but it was a bit disappointing that only one of the mysteries is resolved by the end of the book. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next two novels in the series that will clearly involve the other two grandsons of the duke and the other two women in his will. I look forward to reading them.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The recently deceased Duke of Hollinburgh has left significant sums of money to three women his family has never met. His nephew, Chase Radnor, is hired by the new duke to investigate the death and determine if it was an accident, a suicide or murder. Chase also needs to find the three women. He starts with Minerva Hepplewhite. Minerva swears she has never met the former duke. If that's true, why would he include Minerva in his will?

Minerva has had a very difficult past. However, she has changed her life and this money will allow her to open her own business - Hepplewhite's Office of Discreet Inquiries. She doesn't know why the former duke decided to give her this money but she will use it to help create a future for herself. What she does not need is Chase snooping around and opening up any inquiries as to what happened in her past. Minerva decides to do some investigating on her own. Maybe if she can figure out what happened to the duke, Chase can stop his investigation.

I loved this book. Minerva is a strong, intelligent woman who is learning to trust again. Chase is smart, kind and protective and exactly what Minerva needs. Heiress for Hire is well written, the character development is great and the investigative work keeps the reader engaged. Just be aware that this is the first in a series so everything isn't resolved at the end of this book. I would have loved an epilogue but I will just have the read the next book! I read a lot of regency romance and this one was excellent.

An enjoyable murder mystery historical romance that does leave some questions at the end. This didn’t take away from the overall story in the book, however, and I look forward to the next book!

Madeline Hunter is a true gem! I have many books by her gracing my shelves and Heiress for Hire will surely be joining them as soon as it comes to print. I loved these characters and as always the flawless story building by the amazing authoress. I fell in love as they did and was on the edge of my seat the entire novel. I’m so happy I had the chance to read and give feedback on this wonderful story,