So this one started out SUPER cute and fun and on the bonkers side. Meg Stredwick is taking a tour of the continent with her sister-in-law's aunts*, but on the way they stop at the Duke of Merleton's estate. There, they steal a dessert recipe, meet the duke, and then take off. The same evening, the duke loses a precious book and he assumes that it was stolen by the fetching young lady, whereupon he sets out in pursuit.

From then until about the halfway mark, the book is a romp of a road trip romance. The duke finagles his way into traveling with the ladies; Meg embraces the role of seductress; really, all goes swimmingly for a charmingly bonkers romance.

Until. Until a true villain appears, our lovers are separated for TWO. YEARS., and a whole bunch of lying and miscommunication commences. Look, we understand that when you write a book with a ton of Arthurian references, it can be fun to embrace the mythos. On the other hand, why does such a sweet book have to go a little on-the-nose with the antagonists?

We're still giving it four stars, because it was super entertaining and (mostly) really fun. We just wish we could have loved the whole thing as much as we did the first half.

*You may remember them from previous books in the series for their flirtations, recipe-stealing ways.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This felt like two different books almost. The first half was a whimsical journey across Europe, with meddling aunts who steal recipes and romantic escapades in scenic locations. The second was dark and gothic, full of tragedy and secrets. (I found that much more compelling.)

I loved when Lucien's friends kept egging him on to pursue Meg (who he thought was the thief) knowing full well that Lucien was interested in her romantically and just wasn't admitting it.

I also loved how Lucien had glasses! I want to see more heroes with glasses.

Ultimately, my low rating is because of the uneven pacing. Slow start, long, drawn out ending. Only the middle part with the secret baby (spoiler/content warning!) was compelling to me.

Food for thought!

Well here’s a jolly romp from England over to France, Germany down the Rhine, then across the alps to Italy and then fleeing back to England, all to escape a maddened boulanger, whose recipes the aunts have filched. Margaret Stredwick has decided to take a holiday on the continent to get over her broken heart. Accompanied by her two madcap, recipe gathering aunts. Enroute they stop at the Duke of Merelton’s castle, Caliburn Keep. Supposedly said the aunts to view the gardens, in reality to steal recipes from the family recipe book reputedly to harken back to King Arthur. Of course things go amiss. Meg smacks into the Lucian Ambrose, the seventh Duke in a darkened corridor. He later thinks she’s a certain mysterious Lady Avalon who’s stolen the family book of recipes, and pursues her across Europe. All good fun, the whimsical bordering on the inane, in this enemies to lovers, rationalism vs romanticism trope. Although I must admit to being exasperated by both the Duke and Meg, and my goodness, by those cunningly, conniving aunts. Superlatives don’t do them and their light fingered ways with recipes any justice. I had already decided who the thief was way before it happened but not the depths of chilling planning involved, the madness of it all. Still an enjoyable read if one suspends any belief in the accuracy of the characters interactions.

An Avon and Harper Voyager ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Never Seduce a Duke was a super enjoyable read, but wow, what a wild ride.

The basic plot of this book sees Meg, who has decided to place herself on the shelf, taking one last whirlwind journey through Europe with her adopted aunts before she resigns herself to spinsterhood. Before she even leaves the shores of England, she runs afoul of Lucien, Duke of Merleton, who believes she is the infamous thief, Lady Avalon, and has stolen his family's prized recipe book (it's a whole thing). Lucien follows Meg and her aunts to Europe, where they banter, flirt, and enjoy each other's company, though the missing book keeps coming between them. And then chaos ensues, there's a 2 year time jump, and the story becomes a somewhat different thing entirely.

Like I said, I really enjoyed reading this book. Meg and Lucien have undeniable chemistry, and their cat and mouse game (which is largely unfounded because Meg is not Lady Avalon) is incredibly fun to witness. The side plot of the aunts' shenanigans was equally delightful. But what's wild about this book is that it ultimately ends up feeling like 2 separate romance plots shoved into one book. (*spoilers ahead*) On the one hand, you have a travel romance with a mystery element. And then, following the time jump, we have a secret baby situation. While in some senses, the split made sense, I also found the abrupt change to be jarring as a reader. I found myself wishing that either the first part had been shorter or that the second part hadn't taken place after quite as long a break in time. One or the other would have made the story flow more smoothly.

That said, even with the the chaos in the middle, I found myself entirely sucked in by the story. While it was somewhat obvious all along who the real Lady Avalon was, I still enjoyed the villain reveal at the end and the dramatic circumstances around it. Plus there was something sweet about the book's constant refrain of the ideas of love and fate, especially in the face of Lucien's scientific pragmatism. This is definitely a worthwhile read, though it may somewhat scar you on the subject of cannoli.

4.25/5

Meg's two aunts travel the world stealing recipes in order to put on magnificent wedding breakfast feasts. On the day before the three of them are leaving for a tour of the Continent, they flirt their way in to Lucien's estate. Lucien's family has a bejeweled ancient book of recipes with the reputation for having secret powers since the time of King Arthur's Round Table. It so happens this book is stolen on the same day Lucien sees Meg in his home. An analytical genius who is testing every recipe to validate the legend, Lucien is sure Meg is Lady Avalon, a thief and seducer of men, who left a note in place of the book. He follows the trio from country to country searching for the book. There are some sweet adventures and the storyline seems to be wrapping up. I look at my Kindle and I'm only at 50%!? We jump ahead two years and the story meanders along for the second half. There is some excitement to the ending when the villain is revealed. Characters from previous books make an appearance but this can be read as a stand alone without missing anything.

Meg decides to go on a tour of the continent with her relatives before settling into spinsterhood. When his family’s treasured recipe book is stolen from his home after Meg visits, Lucien decides to follow them around Europe. He can not stop the attraction he feels for Meg. Meg is enjoying the flirtation and doesn’t want to admit she did not take his book. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for my honest review.

3.75 stars

This book has me so conflicted! On one hand, I LOVED the chemistry and banter between Lucien and Meg! Brainy yet slightly clueless heroes are my weakness in historical romances, and Lucien was such a brilliant yet socially awkward specimen. I loved how Meg understood and accepted Lucien's quirks, and their courtship was so swoony despite it being built on lies and distrust. However, one of my biggest pet peeves in romance is a long separation between the two MCs, which happens here between Lucien and Meg. I don't mind a bit of a breakup separation because that usually leads to a great grovel, but I feel like the back-and-forth between them went on too long. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the drama and angst towards the end and continue to look forward to more from Viv

Tropes: summer fling, brainy hero, spinster heroine, mistaken identity, surprise baby, misunderstanding/miscommunication, 2-year separation, will they/won't they, second chance romance, slight OM drama (no cheating), STEAMY🔥

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I did like this book.
Meg is determined to have a flirty holiday with her aunts before she is firmly on the shelf as a spinster.
A detour leads to meeting Lucien and his belief that she stole a family heirloom in the form of a book filled with Arthurian recipes.
I liked the relationship between Meg and Lucien. It was fun as Meg just wanted to flirt and lucien was hellbent on trying to get a book from her but falling for her instead.
That being said I felt like the second half dragged on to long and wasn't as strong as thr first half.
Daniel's return felt unnecessary. The reveal of the real Lady Avalon was weak as well as her motive. I felt like the ending didn't live up to the promise of the first half.
3.5 stars.

I wanted to like this book so badly, really I did. I had high hopes for it after enjoying the other books in the series. And it started out interestingly enough. But it was so disappointing. I was really hoping that there would be more to do with the Arthurian legends, but aside from the book that is the focus of the story and the names used, there wasn't any meaningful connection. It was also soooooooo predictable. Now, all historical romos have a certain level of predictability, but this one was over the top. I knew who the bad character was going to be the moment they appeared on the page. Also, there was no resolution with the Daniel situation. One moment he is there, presumably to get Meg to marry him, and then he suddenly leaves and we never hear from him again. It was very unsatisfying. The only truly enjoyable part of the whole book is the aunts. Those two deserve their own damn book.

Never Seduce a Duke is the fifth book in The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, and it’s an entertaining addition to the series. The meet-cute has total Pride and Prejudice vibes, as the pair meets when Meg is touring Lucien’s ancient and enormous home. I love how they meet, and it’s easy to see why Lucien would mistake Meg for the thief who stole his priceless and ancient recipe book, which has been passed down in his family since the times of King Arthur.

The first half of the story takes place mostly on the road, as Meg and her aunts are vacationing. It’s a fun road trip romance with Lucien chasing Meg across countries, determined to unmask the truth. Then, the setting becomes more stationary, as a bit of time has passed, and Meg and Lucien’s lives have changed. I have to say, I preferred the first half. I haven’t read many historical romances with a road trip, and it was a fun and unexpected backdrop for the story and for Meg and Lucien’s romance.

Meg and Lucien have a ton of chemistry, but so much stands in their way, including trust issues, miscommunication, mistaken identity, secrets, and more. Even though they don’t trust each other and there doesn’t seem to be a future for them, Meg and Lucien are drawn together over and over again. It’s interesting to see Lucien fight his feeling since he thinks Meg is a thief. But she proves difficult to resist. It’s also fun to see the inexperienced Meg try to flirt and entice Lucien, who is kind of clueless. Their interactions and conversations are comical and endearing and filled with angst and sexual tension.

Lucien’s cousin Pell is another fantastic character. He’s so funny and charming, and I love how he banters with Lucien. I’m hoping Pell will be a protagonist in one of the future books in the series because I would love to learn more about him, and I have a feeling his romance would be super swoon-worthy. And the aunts and their never-ending search for recipes are hysterical as always. They’re lovable and meddlesome and as clueless as they are discerning.

I also really like the inclusion of the Arthurian legend. However, I did think Lucien was too stubborn in his determination to find the book. His refusal to see that Meg isn’t the thief he thought she was got frustrating at times, as was his intense focus on retrieving the book, even when it was to the detriment of himself and others. It made sense, given his personality and analytical mind, but it still irked me. And the miscommunication and secret Meg kept from Lucien are not my favorite. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable and sometimes steamy historical romance. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This book was wonderful. It has a clear before and after storyline. Just when I thought it was almost over I realized that it was only half way through. Lucien comes off as a single minded man. Meg tries to be a flirt but it backfired on her. When he realized what he had it was too late. I was surprised by the ending but enjoyed it very much.

I was so excited to see that Meg would be getting her own book, but sadly I didn't love this one. It started off really promising and the set up was very fun and interesting. Who doesn't love a hero with glasses?? Unfortunately, the book relied too heavily on miscommunications and lying by omission. I grew more and more frustrated as truths were withheld, but was still enjoying the back and forth banter between Meg and Lucien until I hit the 55% mark. At that point I nearly threw my kindle across the room. What occurs and the trope that's used might not bother other readers, but it's one of my least favorite. I was so incredibly angry and upset for (and at) Lucien for all that he missed. My frustration hit an all time high when Meg still refused to come clean with the biggest secret of all. The "twist" was heavily foreshadowed, making the final drama feel very over the top. I did enjoy seeing Brandon and Ellie again (my favorite couple of the series) and though the book was overall enjoyable, it missed the mark for me.

CW: murder of parents (past), death of loved ones (past), poisoning, theft
Tropes: road trip romance, opposites attract, mistaken identity, rivals/enemies to lovers, secret baby

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Positively adorable. Full of humor and sunshine, but with enough emotional heft to make you care. Just like all the others in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed this, couldn’t put it down, and will eagerly anticipate the next title.

Vivienne Lorret has done it again. She brought me out of my slump with this book. Urgh, I can't even describe how much in love I am with the story and the characters stole my heart from the beginning till the end. Highly recommend!

Ummm...not quite great. I generally love books by Vivienne Lorret, I'm all for her lyrical writing and bonkers characters, but this was a bit too out there for me. It reminded me a bit of one of Julia Quinn's early books with mistaken identity (To Catch an Heiress). It seems the author enjoys writing road-trip romances (like Lord Holt Takes a Bride) , and they are kinda fun, yet something felt off about this book, it did not flow very naturally, and I didn't see a lot of character development.

Im somewhat new to this genre but I'm so glad I started reading these because I am in love I loved this book so much definitely worth the read.

Meg is resigned to being a spinster for life, but when she heads on a vacation with two recipe stealing chaperones, hijinks and flirtations ensue. When Meg is suspected of stealing a valuable heirloom from the Duke of Merleton, he follows her travels and leans into a flirtation in order to discover the truth. Tension, twists and turns and unexpected surprises fill this story. However, I think I liked the idea of this book more than I liked the actual book. I wanted to love his determination and his loyalty to his family history, but through most of the book he came across single minded and frustratingly stubborn. However, she danced around important information and secrets that could have changed things. All in all, it's a fast paced and steamy read, but gaps in time affected the reading experience and trope preferences (no miscommunication or secrets here) held me back.

Vivenne Lorret's latest is a slightly whacky, mildly unhinged tale of two Arthurian Legend-loving weirdos who are totally perfect together.

Meg meets Lucien while lost in the labyrinthine corridors beneath his castle-like house, because reasons. When a cherished family heirloom is later discovered missing, Lucien knows the "lost" young beauty he encountered must be the culprit. He sets off after her as she travels around the continent with her two elderly (but flirtatious!) aunts. Meg lets Lucien believes she has his precious relic so she can have a grand flirtation before returning home to situate herself firmly on the shelf. Delightful shenanigans result, as well as a surprisingly emotional third act.

While I'm never a fan of a miscommunication/missed connection trope, Lorret pulls it off and then some. There's likewise a serious tell early in the book that gives away the "twist" toward the end -- but in some ways, that allowed me to lose myself in the story without getting stressed.

Looking forward to the next installment in this series!

Margaret Stredwick is off on holiday with her aunts-by-marriage, but first they make a stop at the country home of Lucien Ambrose, Duke of Merleton. The reclusive duke is suspicious to her presence in his home, especially when a family heirloom is stolen. Lucien is determined to get his property back, even if it means following the ladies across the continent! Meg's declarations of innocence fall on deaf ears, so she decides to play along in a grand flirtatious adventure that has unexpected consequences.

This is the fifth book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. Margaret is the sister of book three's hero, Brandon, Marquess of Hullworth. I would recommend reading book three where Meg's family is introduced, as well as her sister-in-law Ellie's fliratious, recipe-stealing aunts.

I loved that Meg got her own book, and that the aunts made another appearance to bring in some fun. I struggled a bit with the hero though, who was a dry character that I don't think got enough character development. There were some abrupt moments that gave me a "wait, what?" feeling and I had to reread a few spots. There was meant to be a cat-and-mouse element, but it lacked punch and was really just Lucien following Meg and hurling accusations. This book was a bit of a roller coaster but, in the end, I did enjoy it. Give it a try if you like grumpy/sunshine pairings, couple that spend a lot of on-page time together, and a little bit of legend sprinkled in.

Tropes: Jilted, Opposites Attract, Road Trip, Revenge, Mistaken Identity, Secret Baby

Steam: 2

I think this is my favorite case of mistaken identity ever! Lucian and Meg are playing this strange cat-and-mouse game across France, Germany, and Italy. Lucian wants his book back and intends to follow Meg and get her to tell him where it is. Meg while not telling him the whole truth about who she is, tells him at every opportunity that she doesn't have it. This causes them to start spending a whole lot of time together and we know where that will lead! I loved Meg's and Lucian's interactions, every time she cleaned his glasses and made him bend down so she could put them on him made my heart melt. I loved their arguments and how much chemistry they had with each other. Lucian is very stubborn and analytical and matching him with Meg was perfect!

Lucian has found that the recipe book that his family has been guarding for generations has gone missing with a note from the notorious thief Lady Avalon, he knows it can be no other that the mysteriously alluring woman he found sneaking around his house.

Meg isn't Lady Avalon and has no idea what happened to the book, but Lucian is determined to get her to tell him where it is, so since she will be firmly on the shelf when she returns from her vacation, and Lucian seems to be the only man to see her as an adult woman who is alluring she decides to play along a bit... Neither one of them intends to catch feelings for one another, but of course, they can't help but do exactly that!

The ending got a little bit crazy but I loved every moment, and has definitely a new favorite! I can't wait to see who gets their happily ever after next!