I’ll begin by saying Madeline Hunter is an auto-read for me, and I was very excited to get a copy of this book to review. While I was happy to have this series continue, and to have some more time with Chase and Minerva, this book lacked the excitement and mystery from Heiress for Hire. I had a difficult time liking Kevin - he starts off poorly by insulting our heroine, Rosamund. From there, the story unfolds slowly and without any real climax. It’s well written, the period details are spot on, I enjoyed “being in” Paris for part of the book, but it lacked the excitement or intrigue needed to boost it up to four stars.

This is the second book in this series. When Rosamund Jameson learns of her sudden inheritance, she is shocked and overwhelmed. But she realizes the things she could do with the money. What she didn’t anticipate is the company she’d also inherit, and her new partner. She finds herself both attracted to, and exasperated by him. Kevin Radner wants her to give up her half of the invention he created, but she doesn’t know if she should. But she finds herself fighting her attraction to him.

I enjoyed this book. I loved Rosamund and Kevin’s story. She is strong and has done well for herself despite her background. And Kevin grows, and changes so much, to become a man she deserves. This story was well written, and very enjoyable. Definitely recommend.

Loved the main characters, Kevin and Rosamund. They are both determined to survive all life's challenges. I enjoyed how their relationship developed. They are both very self aware. Very good story.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was not impressed by this historical romance. Rosamund suddenly inherits half a share of a company owned by her uncle and she embraces the privilege this new status provides. But the second owner, Kevin is not thrilled by this new development and tries his hardest to convince her to sign away any say in the company. The man is conniving and demeaning. He was my least favorite character as he weighted Rosamund's worth by her beauty and not her mind. Just not a novel i enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley for a arc copy for a honest review.

This is my book by Madeline Hunter.... I love the cover of Heiress in Red Silk, this story was just Okay it won’t be a memorable read for me I will give Madeline Hunter another try with a different story. 3 star ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ read.

Happy Reading

Lisa

I have to say that I really liked this book just because of the heroine! The hero Kevin has learned that his uncle has left an business inheritance to an young woman he had met in the past, Rosamund, Kevin will spend the whole time trying to make her agree to sign over her business interest. Rosamund is such a hard worker and it shows how she worked so hard to build up her life and her sister’s. I truly was rooting for Rosamund to stick to her beliefs and don’t give up easily if you don’t understand what she wanted to do with her life. There is an happily ever after for the couple but I think Kevin needed more groveling due to his persistence to get what he wanted, Overall it was an quick read and I love Madeline Hunter’s books. I cannot wait to learn more about the inheritance and the last family member.

I just couldn’t get into this book. I normally love Madeline Hunter but this book dragged. I found the story stilted and struggled to stay interested in it.

Heiress in Red Silk by Madeline Hunter is a lovely cross-class romance between a practical milliner and an idealistic engineering genius.

It is book #2 in the Duke's Heiress Series but can be read as a standalone.

Rosamund Jameson was a milliner in Richmond with dreams of opening a shop in London. Her dreams became possible when she found out a Duke she had once helped had left her an inheritance that included both funds and half partnership in a new invention enterprise.

The other half of said venture was owned by the eccentric and brilliant Kevin Radnor.

Kevin was less than thrilled to learn that his uncle had left half of their enterprise to an unknown woman. Worse yet, his business could not progress for a whole year while he looked everywhere to locate her.

When he finally found the elusive heiress, she was not what he was expecting. Instead of the old simpleton, he was surprised to find a beautiful, intelligent, and business-savvy woman.

I love the flaming chemistry between Rosamund and Kevin. They were so perfect together!

Her practicality clashed with his idealism, but, at the same time, their personalities complemented each other. Their connection felt real and powerful.

Rosamund was strong and yet so tender-hearted. Despite having suffered much in life, she did not lose her softness and ability to love and trust.

Kevin was so awkwardly adorable! He was an engineering genius but totally clueless about social niceties. Luckily, Rosamund could see past that and love him for who he was.

The side characters were also excellent! I love the current Duke, as I was supposed to do, but I also enjoyed the villains, especially the obnoxious aunt Agnes.

Heiress in Silk is a lovely cross-class historical romance. I could not put it down!

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 04/28/2021*

A novel reminiscent of the Bridgerton series that is full of strong female characters and budding romance. A smart fast paced read that leaves doors open for follow up books one the main characters AND supporting cast. Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the early read.

I would have considered this a fun book worthy of a beach read except for the ending, But let’s start at the beginning: Kevin is a jerk who desperately needs a good woman to reform him. Rosamund is practically a saint. She is a woman who runs her own shop and is a worthy foil to Kevin.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of this romance and watching the two of them get to know each other and fall in love. The writing was seamlessly descriptive without being purple and I was already writing the review in my head about how this book was a nice book to curl up with on a quiet afternoon.

When the couple had The Fight, my view of this novel completely changed. Kevin apologized and Rosamund forgave him but, in my opinion, he crossed a line. Their mutual declarations of love did not move me. All I could thing is that if he treated her that way once, love or not, he was capable of treating her that way again. He just went too far in their fight for me. What he did was unforgivable and so, although I enjoyed 97% of this book, I was not happy with the outcome and do not see a HEA for the couple.

I loved this book. It was very easy to get into and even though it's part of a series it wasn't difficult to follow. I became a fan of Kevin especially, as he's such a typical scientist. very often lost in his own world and unaware of social niceties. But the author avoided stereotyping him and made him a character with real depth.

I received this from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Much to the dismay of his greedy family, the Duke of Hollingburgh bequeathed his fortune to three women he barely knew. Rosamund Jameson is the second woman the Duke of Hollingburgh made a wealthy heiress. (The first, Minerva Hepplewhite of Heiress for Hire plays a large part in this book also). Minerva and her new husband Chase Radnor made excellent main characters, but I wasn’t sure I’d feel the same way about the hero of this book, Chase’s cousin, Kevin Radnor. Kevin didn’t exactly fit the romantic hero ideal in the first book, though he was described as “brooding and handsome.” At first, I was hesitant about Rosamunde, too. The Duke was the only one in the family to support Kevin’s inventions, yet he left half the company they started to Rosamund. The Duke left her a fortune, yet she refused to be a silent partner in Kevin’s company despite having no knowledge of his invention. She does own a millinery shop and proves very useful later, though, so it seemed to make sense in the end. Madeline Hunter does an excellent job of convincing the reader that these two are mismatched. Rosamunde hopes to reunite with an old flame and Kevin never becomes enamored. He thinks if they get married, he can keep her in line and help her navigate the new social world she must join as a heiress. The marriage makes sense since she wants to secure her sister’s future and be accepted among the upper crust of society.Their slow realization that they are attracted to each other is entirely believable and despite my doubts, I ended up thoroughly enjoying their story. I am looking forward to the third and final installment of the series next year.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Rosalind becomes an heiress overnight. The only bad thing is her business partner the duke of Hollinburgh. I enjoyed the different characters in this book. This book was well written.

I have really been enjoying this book. I love Rosamund and Kevin story. They have such chemistry from the beginning. The plot was really good. I hope their will be more books in the future. I hope everyone enjoys the story as much as I did. Sorry no spoilers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a fun romance set in Victorian England that was a little bit of a whole lot of tropes combined together for an engaging read.  There's a little enemies to lovers combined with opposites attract with a dash of Pygmalion thrown in.  On top of that you have a heroine and hero who have some serious work to do to really understand each other, and who make the time and effort to do so.  It all combines together nicely.

Rosamund James is a hat-maker, who finds out she is not only a heiress but also part owner in Kevin Radon's mysterious company.  Rosamund has dreams she aspires to, but keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground and sees this windfall as an amazing stroke of luck that she's going to be cautious and smart about using.  Kevin initially sees Rosamund's involvement as a hindrance and isn't initially welcoming to her, but as time goes on, she consistently forces him to understand that she is an equal partner and just as able as he is to understand and run a company.  As they begin to understand and trust each other more, their relationship grows from a mutual attraction into something more.

Just as good as I expected. I really enjoyed the plot and loved the characters.

Kevin has his flaws throughout the book and is never magically changed but strives to be better (less rude). Rosamund is a hard-working woman and can be stubborn but has good intentions.

I very much look forward to the next book and plan to read much more by the author in the mean time.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the relationships developed. I felt the characters had depth and were interesting. This was a quick read for me which I love. Highly recommend this one

Milliner, Rosamund, suddenly becomes an heiress and part owner of a business that eccentric inventor, Kevin, is trying to get off the ground. While resenting her sudden influence in his business, Kevin is very attracted to her. Can he trust her with his inventions? Can she overcome his eccentric family who looks down on a commoner? I can’t wait to read the next in the series. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Heiress in Red Silk sees milliner Rosamund Jameson discover the late Duke of Hollinburgh has helped her more than the purse of guineas that allowed her to open her store. Rather, he left her half shares in an engineering invention, and money beyond her wildest dreams. When her partner in the invention, and the inventor himself, Kevin Radnor, finds her, he is shocked by her business prowess, and her appearance, and he can't help but be worried about the venture. The rest of the Radnor family are hateful, and rude to Rosamund, and can't fathom that the money they were expecting to inherit, and hoping would come their way soon - if Rosamund hadn't been found - has gone instead to the daughter of a Oxfordshire tenant farmer, who won't return it to them. And when Kevin announces that he hopes to marry - firstly for the reputation it'll give Rosamund, and the control of the engine it'll give him, and secondly to seduce her into his bed, it seems like both of them might just fall a little too much.

To say I couldn't wait to read this book would be an understatement. After finishing Heiress in Red Silk, and seeing the peek about this book, I knew I would devour it as soon as I got my hands on a copy. Rosamund was a character I just loved - she had suffered in life, and used her know how to create a position in life that was perfect for her. Joining service when she was only 17, she left Oxford for London, and became a housemaid in the home of a well to do family, and was seduced by the son, who told her he loved her, and wanted to marry. Well, as you can imagine, that never happened, and she was thrown onto the streets, with no reference and nothing to her name, and was lucky enough to find another position, in a brothel, but as a maid again. Here, she came across the Duke of Hollinburgh, and helped him care for his favourite girl, and got to talking. When he gave her some money, she used it to rent a shop in Richmond, and started her business as a milliner, which was quickly becoming fruitful. She never even expected that, and hearing about her inheritance was too much. I loved her growth, and how she thought about helping her sister first when it came to the money, getting her in a perfect school, before opening a London store - just off Oxford Street - and renting a town house and finding tutors for herself. She also didn't let any of the Radnors, let alone Kevin, intimidate her. She knew her worth, and wanted equal share in the running of the venture, that she was an equal partner in.

Kevin we saw in the first book, and he had been accused of killing the late Duke, which is brought up again in this one. I liked seeing him with Rosamund, as in Heiress for Hire he was a bit bland. Yes, he did set out to seduce Rosamund to get his hands on her shares, but it was quickly obvious that while he'd never been enthralled by a women in the past, he was head over heels for Rosamund, and wanted to marry her for her, and not just for what she brought to the union. Their chemistry, and love story, was epic, and the way Kevin came to appreciate Rosamund as more than simply a beautiful woman, was amazing! I still hate the majority of the Radnors - especially Philip - but it was perfect seeing more of Minerva and Chase and how they were doing, now married, following the events of their own love story. We still have the mystery surrounding the late duke's death, and we see more of the current duke, Nicholas, who will be the hero of the next story, The Heiress Bride, and I'm so looking forward to that book. Again, Madeline has proved herself to be an author I can't wait to read.

I loved this book. I found the way the author developed their relationship very satisfying to read. It was a delight to see them start to trust each other and form a supportive friendship that evolved into love. It felt well paced and I liked how honest the both of them were and I really had a good time reading how they slowly made themselves vulnerable to each other.
I'm very thankful to be able to read the book in advance, so thank you to Netgalley, Kensington books and the author.