While I am an avid reader of historical romance I have to admit that this is my first Lorraine Heath, however, it will certainly not be my last. The cover and the blurb that included a pining heroine tasked with finding her employer a wife sold me right away and the contents of the book did not disappoint. I very much enjoyed the mutual respect that they had and seemingly built their relationship on. My only frustration came from the hero at the end, I wish we could have seen him realize that he could marry her earlier than the very end and I would have liked to see that play out on page.

This book reminded me of what a beautiful writer Lorraine Heath is. I really loved all the time she dedicated to making the historical part of it realistic . I was learning AND reading romance.

I wish there was a bit more slow burn though. From the very first chapter you see that he is clearly enamores with her, so it became a game of WHEn rather then if. So I felt like I was just rushing through to the inevitable because they obviously wanted each other.

It was a solid read. I enjoyed it and I definitely
Recommend it. It just left me wanting more because the writing was so well done. But I am a slow burn romance kind of gal

I couldn't put this book down, you think you know where it's going than BAM! a twist.

This book is about the Duke of Kingsland (or King has he is called), and his secretary Miss PettyPeace. I'm not going to lie, I thought I knew where this book was going, but the twist on both King and Penelope's situations I did not see coming. I read this book in one day, and fully enjoyed the world building that is hopefully setting up for more in the series with that Chessmen (King's group of friends). The longing that both characters have for each other and how they fight in it there own way it great. The epilogue I had to read a couple times because it through me off, because it was so real. I loved this ending touch to the story and it made my heart soar. I am hoping for the next book to be about either the Chessmen or Lawrence.

What can I say about Lorraine Heath's writing that hasn't been said before? Nothing. Because she is AMAZING. She's an auto-buy for me. If she wrote a random book of street names, I'd buy it. I loved the first book in the series, but this book is my favorite so far. Heath is a master at plot and details, and to me, the little details make this book give it an extra something.

Hugh (Kingsland from the first book) and Penelope Pettypeace (his secretary) are the couple of this book, and BOY are they a couple. Having been jilted by Lady Kathryn earlier in the series, King outsources the finding of a wife to his extremely intelligent and capable secretary, Pettypeace. Problem is--and this is no spoiler--she's in love with him. Not necessarily the swoony, poetic kind-of-love, but a straightforward admission from the very beginning. First sentence:

"If there existed a more unpleasant task in the world than selecting the woman who was to marry the man you loved, Penelope Pettypeace certainly couldn't imagine what it might be."

Penelope is fiercely intelligent, business-savvy, hard-working, and no innocent miss. At 28 years old, she is worldly and practical, and that was a major selling point for me. I loved her no-nonsense approach to everything she did. This is why King hires her and has had her at his side for eight years. She is absolutely invaluable to him. And we are told this from his point of view MANY times. I never got sick of it.

I have been obsessed with King since the first novel, and Heath did not disappoint me with him. Here is his first sentence:

"King had the enviable skill of concentrating on more than one thing at a time, so as Lancaster waxed on about his invention--a clock that would emit an alarm at a particular time designated by its owner--he appeared to be giving his full attention to the inventor while out of the corner of his eye, he admired Pettypeace's new frock."

Y'all. That sentence got me. I was a goner from that point on. King and Penelope's story is so tender and beautiful, and at the same time, it is HOT. I have no idea how Heath writes such sexual tension, but WOW. This book is full of it. In fact, it might be the most I've ever read in any of her novels. She is a master at it. I got butterflies in my stomach more than once while reading this.

I'm not going to spoil the book, so I will wrap this up with a few thoughts:

1. Heath's attention to detail is incredible. Little things will tug at your heart. Quiet moments can be some of the sexiest in the whole book.

2. King as a hero is my catnip. Not emotional, super-practical, confident about EVERYTHING he does--he's the perfect grump. He left me a puddle on the floor. So sexy.

3. Penelope is unlike any heroine I've ever read. Not only is she a secretary, she is an extremely talented investor. In fact, she's pretty wealthy, and she made her money by her own hand. I also loved her no-nonsense approach to sex and pleasure. She wasn't shy at all, and was completely honest about her desire for pleasure.

4. There were three specific times that this novel stopped me dead in my tracks and surprised me. I wasn't expecting any of it, and it blew my mind.

5. The epilogue for this novel is EVERYTHING. Heath has always been the queen of epilogues to me, but she outdid herself on this one. Seriously. You won't be expecting a part of it. It's amazing.

If you love Heath, or just want a beautifully written, sexy-as hell historical romance, this is for you. You won't regret it.

*Given an ARC by NetGalley and Avon Books for an honest opinion and review.*

Second in the Once Upon Dukedom series and Lorraine Heath doesn't disappoint. The Duke of Kingsland (Hugh Brinsley-Norton) is still seeking a bride. He again puts an advertisement out requesting letters from Ladies wishing to be a Duchess. This time he tasks his wonderfully, efficient secretary, Miss Penelope Pettypeace to narrow the search and select whom he will court. Penelope seriously takes on the task although she secretly loves the Duke.

This is light and easy reading. You can see Heath's humor even in the names of her characters. The focus really is on the two main characters. Pettypeace is a marvel of modern-day feminism in a Victorian boss-employee relationship. Kingsland is delightfully clueless about his own feelings for his secretary of eight years. Both have a secret from their past which adds to the intrigue. I did get a little impatient in the middle, hearing inner thoughts of Penelope's love, but waiting for something to actually happen. The last lines especially stood out to me as fitting their characters.

This is for anyone who enjoys fun, historical romances with some sizzle. I'm glad I read the previous book, Scoundrel of My Heart, but this can be read on its own. I can't wait for the next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I. Loved. This. One. So. Much! I have loved all the books I've read by Lorraine Heath, especially in this series.. But I think this one is my favorite so far..I was so happy that this book followed Hugh the Duke of Kingsley I really wanted him to get his HEA after the events in the last book.. .
Kingsley and Penelopes relationship has been built upon years of Penelope working as the Dukes secretary.. She knows him probably better than he knows himself.. I love that she is smart, knows shorthand, and is fully capable of taking care of herself.. She has invested her money and could frankly go where ever and do whatever she wanted.. If only she didn't want Hugh..

Hugh is an amazing buisness man and Penelope is his right hand man for everything he does.. At the moment he has given her the task of finding him a wife.. He has always had an awarness of her, how she looks in her clothes, how her hair escapes her bun when she removes her glasses and rubs her nose.. Its all really sweet.. However he wouldn't want to do anything that could make her want to leave his employment.. He knows he will never find another person like her, who will do the job as well as she does..

The whole time they are falling for each other, Penelope is still trying to figure out who Kingsley should marry and plan the ball where he will reveal the answer to the Ton.. When a blackmail letter lands on Penelopes desk that could be ment for her or the duke the stakes get raised, and the tension builds even higher..

I don't want to get into all the things I loved because I would spoil the whole book since I loved all of it.. So Ill just say if you love historical romance, Lorraine Heath, Dukes who don't think they can love, and the strong women who bring them around, any or all of the above you should absolutley read this book.. After reading the end and the epilogue I just got all the feels and couldn't stop smiling.. This is a wonderfully written book, with amazing characters I can't wait to see more of.. So what are you waiting for? preorder this book now, or read it as soon as it comes out. you wont regret it!

My first novel by the author and I really enjoyed it!
How do you find your true love when they are standing right in front in you?
A heart warming love story and I really liked Hugh and Penelope's story and look foreward to reading more about the Chessmen!

A lush, lovely historical romance that defied my expectations. I really do not like cross-class, workplace, or boss/secretary romances, but this one was delightful! Recommended!

Very quick, easy historical fiction. Love the characters and, while the plot was predictable, it was enjoyable.
Penelope has worked for the Duke of Kingston for years as his secretary, harboring a secret love for him. Her latest task is to find a suitable woman for him to marry. When secrets from both their pasts threaten to be exposed, they join forces and help each other. At the end of the day can a Duke really find love and happiness with a secretary?
Great series, truly looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Historical Boss/Secretary romance. Penelope Pettypeace and Kingsland (a Duke) have a lot of chemistry and I enjoyed their scenes together. My favorite of all of this was the last paragraph in the epilogue, it wasn't something I've seen many authors do but it really tied the story up in a very touching way.

The Duchess Hunt follows a tried and true Lorraine Heath formula, which consists of nuanced characters with a yearning for their love interest. In this story, Penelope has worked for many years as the Duke of Kingsland’s secretary. She has quietly been in love with him while also doing her job to find him a wife. The Duke realizes what a hidden gem his secretary is and falls in love with her, after EIGHT years. Hidden identities and secret pasts are interwoven into the story so that if the reader gets bored of the love story, finding out the answer to the secret makes a reader keep reading. I did find it to be a bit overarching for Kingsland to be in love with Penelope after 8 years, but some may find it to be a more meaningful story because they had so much time together prior to a romantic awakening.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC to review!

I really enjoyed the writing and the strong characters in this historical romance. It was a quick read that has a lot of heartwarming moments but I can't say I loved the romance. The MCs have known eachother for 8 years and the story picks up right before a romance starts and we are to believe they never realized they were attracted to each other until recently? I still loved the characters overall, they were both so similar and obviously meant to be together and I'm so happy they got their happy ending after the hardships they went through in the past. Can't wait to read more from this author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This is the second book of the series. You don’t have to read the prior story to thoroughly enjoy this one. I would love to give this more than 5 stars if I could.

The author did a fabulous job in creating a tale that completely enchanted me. I was hooked. I couldn’t figure out the dark secret that Penelope Pettypeace was hiding. When it was revealed it, it was so different from anything else that I had read before in a historical. Kingsland was also hiding a secret from everyone, that for me was also an original. It along with his childhood, helped to shape and to carve him into a man who thought he had no heart for love.

The story of how these two people from totally different spectrums of society come together and form a bond beyond employer and employee really was outstanding. The story flowed beautifully. It was witty, loving, tender and at times heart-wrenching. A tale so different from the norm that it kept me glued to my e-reader to discover their secrets.

This is a sexy read. There are just a few scenes at that and nothing that I would consider to be erotica. I would highly recommend this to someone over the age of 18.

I think anyone who read the Scoundrel of My Heart, the first book in this series, was already half in love with King (aka Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland) and was 100% in love with Miss Pettypeace. I adored this Victorian era boss/secretary book. King is a man ahead of his time - hiring the best person for the job - who it turns out is a woman. Penelope Pettypeace is a force to be reckoned with - she is smart, organized, and has a gift for business. It is clear to everyone but Pettypeace and King that they are made for one another.

Both King and Pettypeace have difficult backgrounds where they made choices that have questionable morality. The choices made and the effects they have on both characters are grounded in the time and desperate situations. And the only way either can fully move forward is total honesty between them. I loved the way both King and Pettypeace navigated that as well. I especially loved that the focus of the book is almost entirely on their relationship. Not that there aren't side issues and outside forces to contend with - but the primary focus is King and Pettypeace - and I loved that.

I'll also say - I am fairly certain we've met several future characters of books - certainly the other members of the chessman - and of course Lady Kathryn's oldest brother. But I feel like Lady Alice is definitely in need of a book. Bring on more books! This interconnected world that Lorraine Heath created is something I'm not sure I'll ever get enough of.

Asa side note - that ending. OMG. That ending - I'm talking about the very last paragraphs - is among my favorite endings to any book I've ever read.

I was very lucky to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This story was absolutely delightful! Hugh and Penelope are a lovely couple, and I really enjoyed secondary characters as well. I will definitely be adding the first book in this series, and any subsequent entries, to my TBR.

This was a wonderful, regency escape - tender, heartwarming, easy read with a touch of mystery. Lorraine Heath's writing is beautiful as always, the romance is well developed, the characters are sparkling and likable. I enjoyed this so much, I can't wait for the next one! Highly recommend!

Ignore how stereotypically bodice-ripper alpha-male swooning heroine this cover is, because this book is great. Efficient heroine who can handle her shit? Done. Honestly much more emotionally needy male character? Also there.

Lorraine Heath can write a historical.

*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

4.5-5 Stars! Great book! This book had me smiling & crying at times. This is book 2 in the ‘Once Upon a Dukedom’ series & can be read as a standalone. King/Heath & Penelope/Pettypeace were both lovable main characters & I was completely invested in their story. Both have secrets that could destroy their reputations but thankfully this story had a very HEA ending! I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it! Lorraine Heath ALWAYS hits the mark for me. Such an outstanding author!
*I received this book at no charge from NetGalley & I voluntarily left this review.*

The Duchess Hunt is a great story, but there are some sex scenes that are quite detailed, and I personally don't like reading about that. Overall, the story is really good. Penelope has a secret she has been running from, and it does catch up to her, making her believe that everything is lost to her. King has his own secrets that he holds, but he soon discovers that secret has resolved itself. When they both find the secrets of each other, will there be forgiveness? Great story I actually enjoyed reading.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Sweet moving historical romance perfect for Julia Quinn fans!