Great opening story of an historical romantic mystery series. I really enjoyed seeing Minerva and Chase both conducting investigations into who may have killed the former Duke of Hollinburgh and keep stepping on each other's toes. The mystery is unsolved except to be pretty sure he was pushed and didn't accidentally fall. We also have yet to find the remaining two mystery heiresses named in the Duke's will. I can't wait to see the resolutions.

The story opens with Minerva Hepplewhite and her servant/best friend Beth reviving a knocked out Chase Radnor, retired military investigator & nephew to the deceased Duke. He snuck into their house to find evidence as to her relationship to the Duke as she's named as one of the 3 unknown women in the Duke's will, now heiresses. He discovers it isn't easy to sneak around Minerva. Minerva assures him she is the one he's looking for but she had no relationship with the former Duke. This begins a delightful story of Minerva coming into money so she can officially launch her Hepplewhite's Office of Discreet Inquiries now that she has some money. Chase has been charged by the Home Office to discover if his uncle died by accident or murder, and hopefully who did it. His cousin Nicholas, the new Duke, has asked him do find the 3 unknown women named in the Duke Frederick's will, as well as ascertain if one of the family members helped their uncle die. There are so many suspects and we get to meet a few, all with motives as the Duke didn't leave anything to any of them.

Minerva has secrets from her past, she was accused of murdering her abusive husband, and is concerned now that she's an heiress if she'll be accused of the Duke's murder. Chase is afraid a family member killed his uncle and is highly suspicious of Minerva. He discovers Minerva is very good at investigating, differently than him, and they keep crossing paths. By the end of the book they agree to work together but we still don't know who did it. This was such a fun journey.

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

When Minerva catches someone breaking into her home, that last thing she expected to learn was that she was now an heiress. But with the chance that the family of her benefactor might contest the will, she is not counting on anything yet. With her and a few others getting the bulk of the man's unentailed estate, there are those that think his death might not have been an accident. While Minerva definitely didn't murder anyone, she has things in her past, she rather not come to light. She decides to take it upon herself to investigate the death.

Chase has been asked to look into his uncle's, the duke, death, although he would have done it regardless. When three unknown woman were recipients of a large portion of his uncle's wealth, he has been tasked with locating them and verifying their identity. First on his list is Minerva. He soon learns that she is also looking into the death of her uncle and they combine their forces. 

What neither expected was to find a mutual attraction and a love for investigations. Can they find find out the truth about the duke's death and find their HEA??

I really enjoyed Minerva and Chase's story! I loved that their mutual love was investigation. During the investigation, Chase was trying to be protective, but Minerva was so used to doing things on her own, that it caused many a clash. This was a great start to a new series and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Rate: 4.5 - This book appears to be the start of a three book series that revolves around the death of a Duke and the three mysterious women that he left large sums of money.  The Home Office has asked Chase to look into his uncle’s death and he locates the first of the three women in his uncle’s will, Minerva and together they try to solve the mystery. The Duke died from a fall but was it an accident or murder, at the end of this book, that question is still unanswered.  By the end of the story, Chase and Minerva find a HEA but they had a lot of bumps along the way.  This is a good read and I would recommend it.

Great start to a new historical series.  Chase is trying to uncover why his uncle would leave a fortune to Minerva.  When he breaks into her home, she catches him and hits him over the head and ties him up.  Now she has set up a discreet detective business competing with his own.  What will happen when sparks fly between them?  Fast-paced read that is loads of fun and has plenty of drama and steam.  I really liked it.

Heiress for Hire is the first book in A Duke’s Heiress Romance series by Madeline Hunter. A Duke dies and unexpectedly leaves most of his fortune to three unknown women. Was his death an accident or murder? Minerva Hepplewhite is to be the first recipient of the dead Duke’s estate, but no one knows who she is or why she’s left this fortune. Chase Radnor, grandson of the late Duke is investigating the untimely death. The hero and the heroine are thrown together in the investigation. So what happens when sparks ignite between them? I tried to like this book. I think I felt lost in the myriad of characters. Hunter is an excellent writer, but I think there were too many people to try to keep up with for me to be able to relax and enjoy the book. “He touched his lips to hers, ignoring the inner voice warning of impossible complications. She did not veer back, but allowed it. It entered his mind that she was too stunned to resist, but the softness of her lips and the warmth of their closeness diverted his attention for that idea. He lingered in the kiss, and when she still did not object, he gathered her toward him and into an embrace.” I obtained a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Minerva is one of many mystery women named in a late Duke’s will. Chase, a detective, is determined to find out why the family was cut out in favor of women nobody knows. On top of that, the Duke’s death might not have been a tragic accident. 

The romance between these characters feels very forced. Lots of insta-attraction. Then there is the the fact that Minerva (who’s running from something in her past) randomly wants to become a detective. Convenient since her love interest is one as well. But the problem is that she’s not very good at it. 

The plot seems unnecessarily convoluted and difficult to follow. I struggled a lot with the author’s writing style. A miss for me.

This book started out a bit slow for me but the characters and the plot were still interesting enough for me to keep reading and I am so glad I did. I really liked the supporting characters and I do want to read the next book in this series. I was hoping the mystery would have been solved here but it looks like we will have to read all 3 books before we learn who murdered the Duke or even if he was murdered. However, the romance story for the couple is complete.

I thought Minerva was an interesting character. She is strong and loyal and she is a survivor. Chase is a good guy and easy to like. Both are easy to connect with. The dialogue was excellent and the author's descriptions were good.

I recommend this book to any historical romance lover who also likes a bit of mystery incorporated in their novels.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Stars
Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way how to take care of herself. When an intruder breaks into her home, she doesn’t swoon or simper. Instead she wallops the rogue over the head and ties him up. He informs Minerva that she has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy Duke. Chase can’t decide whether Minerva is a wronged woman or a femme fatale. Either way, he’s intrigued. Since the scandal surrounding her husband’s death, she has set up a discreet detective business to rival Chase’s own. She may be the perfect person to help him uncover the truth about his uncle’s demise. But as proximity gives way to mutual seduction, Chase realizes he craves a much deeper alliance.
A well written page turning series starter that I found to be an intriguing read as I love a mystery as well as a romance. I loved both Chase & Minerva both had skeletons in their cupboards but both had overcome their difficulties & become stronger because of it. I loved how their relationship developed & found it to be very believable especially from Minerva's point of view. The mystery surrounding the duke’s death was well handled. I also really liked secondary characters some of whom I hope will feature in later books. I thoroughly enjoyed the book which I recommend & look forward to the rest of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Heiress for Hire is the first book in Madeline Hunters enchanting new series Duke’s Heiresses. When Minerva Hepplewhite discovers that the has been made an heiress by a Duke who passed away mysteriously, it’s a bit of a shock, because she never met the Duke and she caught the bearer of the news Chase Radnor sneaking around her home, knocked him out and tied him up. Chase has been asked by the crown to investigate his uncle's death quietly and by his cousin, the new Duke to find the heiresses who have inherited from the duke’s estate. Minerva, too, decides to investigate the duke’s death because she has already been falsely accused of murdering her husband, and she doesn’t wish to be accused again. What begins as a reluctant partnership grows into something more as they seek to find the answers to the mystery surrounding the Duke’s death. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Medium Steam. Publishing Date April 28, 2020. #HeiressForHire #MadelineHunter #NetGalley #HistoricalRomance #bookstagram #KensingtonBooks

Heiress for Hire
By: Madeline Hunter
5 Stars ⭐️

This book is first in the series and the emphasis is building  the back story and the previous Duke’s suspicion death.  
- H likable? Yes, I really liked  Chase. He is described as handsome with rough features, honorable, and everyone in the family relies on him to find the truth surrounding the death of the previous duke.  He is investigating the h for possible murder.  
- h likable? Yes.  Minerva went through a lot in her first marriage.  He first husband’s death was suspicious and there is talk of her possible involvement.  She is a survivor and made the best of the hand she was dealt.  
- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 30%
- First time they sleep together:52%
- OW/OM drama? No
- H/h cheat? No
- Steamy? No, mild
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? No
- Did I cry? No 
- Cliffhanger? No
- How it ends: HEA  
- Recommend? Yes, I really enjoyed this book.  The moments between Chase and Minerva were delicious and I wanted more of them.  I am looking forward to Kevin’s and hopefully Nicholas’s book.  
Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC.

There are never enough superlatives for me when it comes to a book by Madeline Hunter and ‘Heiress for Hire’ is no exception. Minerva Hepplewhite has changed her name from Margaret Finley, the widow of Algernon, who died under suspicious circumstances. Having fled a violent marriage and struggling to survive, she suddenly finds herself an heiress, left a fortune from the Duke of Hollinburgh, a man she has never met. However, she discovers her inheritance from the duke’s nephew, Chase Radnor, who is also investigating the death of his uncle, by orders of British government. It appears that the late Duke, has left most of his fortune to three women, leaving the estate and his family without funds. Consequently, Minerva is considered a major suspect in the crime. As both Minerva and Chase endeavour to discover the identity of the killer, they soon find themselves spending more time together, yet less certain of the other’s innocence.
There is so much to reveal about this book that makes it a real treasure to read. I must admit that the dialogue between Minerva and Chase, at times had me chuckling, more due to Minerva’s very witty manner. She definitely has a sharp mind yet the tragedy of her past, is well explored, with secondary characters helping to unravel the details. Chase is the perfect gentleman for Minerva and I truly relished his strength of character yet gentleness with Minerva.
I look forward to reading more about Chase’s cousins, Nicholas and Kevin, in this very clever series. Not only was Book 1, a beautiful and touching romance, but the mystery and intrigue, makes it definitely a book to savour.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Heiress for Hire is a book I saw show up on my Goodreads feed and once I read the summary, I knew I needed to check it out.  

Minerva Hepplewhite is the heroine of this story and she hasn't had an easy way of things so when an intruder breaks into her house, she isn't one to faint or swoon.  When she realizes who it is that has broken into her home, she knows she faces some decisions she has to make...one of which is whether she can trust the gentleman in question, Chase Radnor, the nephew of the wealthy duke who mysteriously left her a fortune.  I thought Minerva was a solid character and I loved that she wasn't just your standard member of the ton.  Her backstory made things much more interesting as it gave the story somewhere to go as Chase questions how his uncle died.

Chase Radnor has handled various types of inquiries and when his uncle unexpectedly dies, the Home Office asks him to look into what happened.  The odd thing about the whole situation, outside of how his uncle died, is the fact that there are three mysterious women that his uncle has left his fortune to.  Chase decides to dig into who the ladies are and this ultimately leads him to Minerva.  As he begins to dig into her past, he finds out more about Minerva than he ever expected and add to that the feelings he starts to have for her, and has to determine whether he believes she had something to do with his uncles death or not.  

I enjoyed this story.  Minerva tended to be one step ahead of Chase and he never held it against her. I thought the way they began to work together was great and helped to build the base of their relationship.  

I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well.  Beth and Jeremy were the family Minerva never really had and I was glad she had that.  Chase's relationship with both grows throughout the book and I thought that was a great.  Chase's family was so interesting and I loved his relationship with Nicholas, the new duke.  I'm hoping these characters show up in future books within this series.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will grab the next book when it is available.  I haven't read anything by Madeline Hunter before this one but I will be checking out her other stories.  If you're looking for a historical romance that goes a bit outside the normal society story line, you should check this one out.

Historical romance with a splash of mystery, this was a great read. From the first page to the last page I couldn’t put this book down. I enjoyed the nuanced subplots and characters that Madeline Hunter brought to life. The cast of characters were relatable in the best way, they all had their strengths and flaws. This left me feeling like I knew the entire cast and not just the main characters. 
There was one part I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but in the end I can see that this will be a connecting thread through the books. The death of the Duke and who murdered him. Already I can tell that this underlying plot will help drive the future characters together and create the tension that is needed for a riveting love story. 
Highly recommended and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Widow Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way not to depend on the men in her life, her husband was a brutal and hateful man.  So when Chase Radnor shows up on her door step to tell her she’s inherited a small fortune from his uncle the Duke she’s quite skeptical.  She’s never heard of the Duke of Hollinburgh.  Why would he leave her money? Chase is now investigating his uncle’s death, some at London’s Home office of Security are wondering if it was murder or an accident. Minerva is perplexed by her change in fortune and decides to do a little investigating of her own. They soon realize it’s better to join forces instead of running over each other in their investigating.  A great story with a little mystery, a change of fortune and a smoldering romance. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this amazing story.

What an intriguing new series by one of my favorites, Madeline Hunter. Heiress for Hire has a strong, smart and beautiful heroine and a hero who is her equal in every way. It was a delight to read and I can’t wait for the next installment in the series. 

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

Heiress for Hire is the first in a new series by Madeline Hunter, which begins the tale of a mysterious will from a duke that leaves legacies for three previously unknown women. In true peerage fashion there is much distress about unknowns receiving money from the duchy. One of the cousins, Chase Radnor, is dispatched to learn more about the new heiress and discover if the Duke’s death was as it appeared.

This book starts off with a bang, quite literally, and we are given quick introduction to Minerva Hepplewhite as she stands over the prone body of an intruder. The intruder is of course our hero, Chase, on a mission to find out more about the woman named in his uncle’s will. It turns out that Minerva is a bit of an inquiry agent herself with dreams of opening her own business. She begins her own investigation, setting these two up for a bit of a rivals to lovers trope that never fully forms a true rivalry.

Chase is a very familiar Regency hero. As a grandson to a Duke, he has few career choices after selling his commission, so he begins working as a private inquiry agent with some ties to the Home Office. While much of his character is steeped in typical romance hero tropes, I found Chase to be a refreshing take. He was exceedingly intelligent, and honest with his thoughts and actions. He was very open and gracious with Minerva and the cherished servants in her home, and a true beta hero in my opinion.

I was immediately drawn to the idea of a lady detective set in Regency England, as it’s not a character I had read before. Minerva is written as a strong woman, who has had to learn to take care of herself in an era when most women were not brave or able enough to do so. However, I had a hard time forming any attachment to Minerva. My brain told me she was a character I should like but, I just couldn’t get a good sense of her, her emotions, or her motivations.

Together this couple failed to light a spark on the page, in fact when Chase’s thoughts suddenly turned amorous towards Minerva, I was a bit shocked. Minerva spent an appallingly little amount of time thinking about Chase in a romantic way. Once the attraction is explored, I believed Chase’s interest much more than hers, and was disappointed in him that he was okay with her tepid reactions. I understand that some of these reactions from Minerva get explained away but felt very little time was spent exploring what she was feeling and how her life was changing. Love scenes were very non-descriptive and quick, and the lack of passion only made it harder for me to care for this couple.

As the story goes on, the two mysteries start to intertwine, and we only get resolution to one. I found that the pacing of the story moved a bit slowly for me, and much of the inquiry resulted in no information being discovered. Towards the middle of the story I struggled to hold my interest as not much action was occurring. For a book that had a possible murder as a central mystery, I felt little urgency from the characters to solve the matter. The ending wraps up in a tidy little bow for most of the Minerva and Chase, and I assume the rest will be revealed in later books.

Overall, I’d give this book a 3 out of 5. It truly was just a middle of the road experience for me.  Unfortunately, that bang at the beginning was not an indicator of more to come. The idea of three unknowns inheriting from a stranger is intriguing, and I can only hope that the next books manage to answer some lingering questions.  Content warning for violence to women on the page, as well as abuse and suicide off the page.

~ Lindsey

This was an entertaining, well-written historical romance. Minerva discovers Chase breaking into her home, and is surprised when he tells her she has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy duke. They both go about investigating his uncle's death, and find themselves enjoying each other's company more and more. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I’m a Madeline Hunter fan, and this new series is not a disappointment.  In book one of at least three, a reclusive and odd duke dies, leaving a large part of his fortune to three women with no apparent connection to him or his family.  The family, many of whom have sponged off the duke up until his death, find themselves without the fortune they had come to expect.  There are three men in the family who are upstanding characters, and one suspects that they will be the romantic leads of the upcoming series entries.

Chase Radnor, the duke’s nephew, is tasked with investigating the duke’s death and finding the heiresses.  In “Heiress for Hire”, he finds, and quickly becomes entranced by the first of the young women.  Minerva Hepplewhite is a strong, independent woman who has managed to take care of herself and her dependents after the death of her no-good husband.  The two main characters are well suited and really quite delightful to get to know.  

This book was perfect for the times, when I needed a light-hearted, undemanding happily-ever-after read.

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

I picked this book up for its absolutely gorgeous cover! We all love a strong colour palette. But I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. I picked it up expecting a straight romance, but was kind of surprised to find that there was a whole mystery going on too!

f7ad8645-9482-47c3-b76f-39e5ee7a1af6Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter, follows Minerva Hepplewhite, a young widow who has been left a massive portion of a Duke’s riches unexpectedly. Unexpectedly because she never once met the man. Enter Chase Randor (Chase is such a top notch romance hero name) the nephew of the Duke with a long standing career in solving mysteries. Both Minverva and Chase pursue the same goal; finding out what lead to the Duke’s death, and start to get in each others way.

The plot was about 50% romance and 50% murder mystery and strangely I actually enjoyed the mystery more! Piecing together what had happened as I read, realising what little hints means gave me a greater appreciation of the mystery genre and made the whole read more fun. Which is good because the romance side of the book was not entirely fun.

Minerva struggles to get past the abuse she suffered from her late husband, and given that this is a romance and must have a HEA she does. But I felt like more time could have been given over to the romance and the struggle in general because it just wasn’t there? Half the fun of romance is the ups and downs, the will they won’t they, the ridiculous misunderstandings that need to be rectified before they finally settle down. This had none of that really, even the two main characters suspecting the other of murder didn’t stop them being entirely devoted. It was a breath of fresh air, but maybe I like my air a little polluted okay, I’m a city gal, I wanted a bit more FIRE in the romance. But it was also really inspiring to see a woman take charge of her own sexuality and recover a part of herself that she though an abuser had taken away entirely.

All in all this was definitely a cosy read. Despite the romance, the abuse, the possible murder, the stakes didn’t feel too high. It was actually a perfect quarantine read because I wasn’t stressed at all! I just got to have a read and relax and enjoy getting to know these snarky fun characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free eArc of this book!

Series: Duke’s Heiress #1
Publication Date: 4/28/20
Number of Pages: 304

This was a very nice introduction and set-up for an interesting new series. There is an overarching mystery in the series – who murdered the duke. We meet the duke’s siblings and his nephews and learn enough about each of them to wonder if they could possibly be the murderer. We learn even more about Nicholas and Kevin who I assume will be the heroes in the upcoming books – I really liked both of them. I think the author handled the mystery of the duke’s death very nicely and didn’t let it overpower the romance. The book is well written, the characters are fully developed and relatable, the mystery is nicely plotted, and the romance is sweet and very believable between two people who are shaped by their pasts. The story starts off a bit slow but soon gets ramped up. It also nicely sets up the remaining books in the series and I will be excited to see what the author has in store for our next hero and heroine.

Chase Radnor, the nephew of the Duke of Hollinburgh, isn’t having a particularly good evening. It certainly isn’t going as he planned! He had planned to break into the house and find evidence against the occupant – instead, he is trussed up, bleeding, and has a big knot on his head. He is the one being interrogated. How had that happened? It had all started with his uncle’s will – nobody in the family received anything, and three totally unknown women received very large bequests. Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with the family. Chase, who is an investigator, is tasked with tracking down these women, finding their relationship with the duke – and, maybe discrediting them – and maybe, just maybe, finding out whether they had a hand in the duke’s death. He found the first woman, Minerva Hepplewhite, broke into her home to look for evidence against her – and now here he sits, totally at her mercy.

Minerva cannot believe what this intruder into her home is telling her. She is an heiress because she has been left ten thousand pounds AND a lucrative partnership in an investment. While this bequest would solve most of her problems, she’s never met this duke – nor any other duke. Not only that, with the duke’s death being suspicious, but she’d also be a very likely suspect if they dug into her past.

As Chase continues with his investigation, Minerva starts her own, and they often end up at the same places. As they are thrown together more and more often, there is a lustful attraction added to the mix. Kisses soon lead to other things, but Chase knows it can’t lead to anything further because of Minerva’s past. She’ll never marry again – she has told him so, and after hearing her story, he doesn’t blame her. Can he convince her? Can she learn to trust again? You’ll just have to read the book to see.

This is definitely a book I can recommend. I loved the characters, the writing, and the mystery. I can’t wait to read the next book.

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