I'm a big fan of Sabrina Jeffries, so was very excited to get a chance to read her latest novel. One of my favorite parts of this book was learning about the détenus, English civilians held prisoner in France for 11 years during the Napoleonic Wars. I love history and read a ton of Historical Romances, but had never even heard about the détenus and their plight before now.

While I enjoyed the romance between John and Tori in the book, some of the euphemisms used in the spicy scenes definitely icked me out. It did get the group chat hopping, though, so at least I got entertainment that way.

However, outside of that, I really enjoyed this book. The world and characters surrounding John and Tori were vibrant, I loved the inclusion of a disabled character, and I did not see the answer to one of the mysteries in the novel until right before it was revealed. I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out.

The audiobook was well narrated by Beverly A. Crick. She isn't one of my very favorite narrators, but I've listened to her several times and she always does a good job.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and RBmedia for access to the eARC and audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I've read several books now by Sabrina Jeffries, and have enjoyed them all. And while this wasn't my favorite from her (the first in a series rarely is for me) it was still a very enjoyable historical romance. Jeffries has a way of giving us characters we can root for, even when they aren't behaving the way we might want them to - and these two definitely did not, each having secrets they were reluctant to share. But I found it hard to fault them for such a human failing, especially considering the era they lived in. Beverley A. Crick's narration was excellent, as always. Overall a lovely read and I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series.
My thanks to Netgalley and RBmedia/Recorded Books for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

Hazardous to a Duke's Heart is the first book I've read by this author. I enjoyed learning about the historical references about the prisoners kept in France during this time period, as I've never learned that history before, although it became a bit repetitious with mentioning and explaining why the Duke felt guilty about his actions, when in fact there really didn't seem to be a true need to feel that way. The characters were lively and likable and the narrator in the audiobook version brought them to life with unique, individual voices and accents. The book deals with heavy topics of war, prisoners, death, grief, loss. but also has lighter, flirtier, humorous and even spicier moments, with some twists and surprises along the way. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author!

2,5/5

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I was really in the mood for a historical romance. I was so happy to be approved, and I looked forward to diving into it.

But honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with me lately—it's been almost two years since I’ve truly enjoyed a book in this genre. I don’t read that much, but I’ve started wondering if I’ve somehow "outgrown" historical romance. Though I doubt that’s the case, considering how obsessed I was with Bridgerton just a few years ago.

Unfortunately, this book fell into the same pattern I’ve been experiencing lately. I just couldn’t bring myself to root for the characters. They felt flat and emotionally distant, and their struggles seemed forced or unconvincing. I wasn’t moved by them at all, which made it hard to stay interested.

It’s a shame, because the historical setting had real potential. I’d never heard of these British prisoners of war in France before (I forgot the name of the group, and I’ve since deleted the book from my device), and that part of the story could’ve been fascinating. But the characters frustrated me too much for me to stay engaged.

Sadly, even the audiobook didn’t work for me, and I won’t be continuing the series.

"Hazardous to a Duke's Heart" appears to be just another regal historical romance at first, but you will learn that it isn't. I enjoyed the twist that you don't expect. I also am curious about the cliffhanger. As with most romances, you know who will end up together, but it was the journey that I liked the most. The book begins as the MMC Jon, is in a prison in France during the Napoleanic War. I know nothing about that time in history so I found that interesting.

The audio made me feel like I was right there in the story. Although sometimes you could hear a clicking noise and the narrator taking a breath.

Thank you, RB Audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen to an ALC of this book. It is greatly appreciated!

This this was one of those books where you knew automatically how it was going to end by about the end of the second chapter, and it was engaging enough to keep me engaged from beginning to end.

Hazardous to a Duke's Heart was a light listen that followed MMC Jon and FMC Victoria (Tori) just after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Jon returns home from over a decade in prison in France to learn that he is the new Duke of Falconridge, and has been tasked with finding a suitable husband for Tori, who is the daughter of the professor who accompanied Jon to France but unfortunately did not make it home. Upon arriving home, Jon meets Tori and learns that the woman rather open an art school. to compromise, Tori agrees to participate in the remainder of the social season while Jon takes art classes from Tori. Over time, the two characters grow closer and fall in love.

While a historical fiction, this book does not dive too deep into the "historical" aspect of the genre. It focuses more on the romance between the characters, which at times was a bit awkward because of the vocabulary and conversations between the characters. There are also aspects and storylines that are developed by are not resolved. For example, there is a "who betrayed me" mystery that Jon and his two friends are trying to solve, and while they discuss it a few times throughout the story, there is never an inclination that they are closer to solving the mystery, just a lot of "we need to look at this" or "we need to figure this part out".

I loved most of the supporting characters in the story, and wished they would have had more time/development in the novel. Should the author write more books with these characters, I would like to see stories following Jon's two friends and how they are reacclimating to life in England after being released from prison. While I liked them, Jon's sister, Chloe, and even Tori's family and friends, I could not bring myself to like Jon's mother, the Duchess. I found her character to be an unsuccessful mix of ditzy and smart. Like yes she can navigate high society and balance her daughter's season and introducing Tori mid season, and help her son reintegrate into society, but she doesn't understand certain puns. I don't know if it was meant to make her a funnier character, but it made her seem kind of dumb, which I know she is not.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. It was a quick listen and kept me engaged through the entire story. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishing company, the narrator, and author Sabrina Jefferies for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't that engaging for me, mostly because while the story foundation and conflit was a good basis, the two chracters wren't devleoped enough for me to root for them

4⭐ 3🌶️

This was a fabulous read. I've not read a bad book from this author yet. I really like the subplots The angst causing aspects, the side characters and hints about more in the next books in the series. I also have nothing but to say about the narration of this novel. I think Beverly Crick does a fabulous job and I love listening to books that she narrates. Beverly really has a way of communicating the character's feelings from the book. The premise of the civilian detainees during the Napoleonic Wars was very interesting and I look forward to more. There are some cringy lines and some half-hearted spice scenes, but it's still a great listen.

Big thanks to @netgalley Sabrina Jefferies and RBMedia for a copy of this audio book. This is my honest option

At the age of 18, Lord Jonathan “Jon” Leighton, the third son of the Duke of Falconridge set out on his Grand Tour with his tutor/mentor, Dr. Issac Morris, but while in France, war breaks out and he and Morris are captured by Napoleon’s soldiers and held as prisoners for 11 long years. On the day of their release, Morris lays dying from an injury sustained while attempting an escape with Jon and two of his friends, 3 years ago, an escape that was ruined when they were betrayed. He begs Jon to make sure his daughter Victoria is taken care of, as it is clear he will not be returning to England. Morris’ death lays heavy on Jon, he blames himself, believing Morris only tried to escape because of Jon. Jon returns to England to learn that he is now the Duke of Falconridge and Victoria “Tory” Morris is his sister Chloe’s governess. Jon is stunned by Tory and knows that if she ever knew that it was his fault her father died, she would want nothing to do with him, so it would be best if he married her off as soon as possible. He tells her that her father left her some money for a dowry and convinces his mother to sponsor her “come out”. It should be simple, but he wants her for himself and is having trouble keeping track of his lies, while trying to learn his new duties and tracking down the person who betrayed him and his friends in France, oh and there is the small fact that Tory doesn’t want to marry.

Victoria “Tory” Morris began working the Duchess after her mother died and knows that her time is coming to an end as Chloe is in her second season and has no need for a governess. She is shocked (and a bit suspicious) when Jon tells her of the “dowry” her father left for her, but she doesn’t want to marry, what she wants is to open a school for women artists. Tory is an artist and specializes in sculpture. Tells Jon of her dream and is surprised when he says he will consider giving her the money, IF she attends the rest of the season and tries to find a husband. She agrees if he will take sculpture lessons with her. He agrees and she presses him for information about her father; not sure she believes his stories. But Tory has secrets of her own and her reason for not wanting to marry is due to much more than just wanting to pursue her art. She falls hard for Jon, but he is keeping things from her, and she isn’t sure she can trust him with her heart. But can she live without him?

This was a good start to a new series, steeped with history and enlightening readers of the challenges and hardships of the English détenus held in France during the Napoleonic wars. But is much more than an history lesson, it is a charming romance filled with wonderful characters, lies, secrets, heartache, betrayal, witty banter, a slightly ditzy duchess, great secondary characters, warmish love scenes, surprises that ends with an HEA and includes an epilogue. I had this book in audiobook format and thought the narrator (Beverley A. Crick) did a very good job, although she did make Jon sound like an old man – but overall, her voices were great, and her reading cadence was paced perfectly. I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend this book. In fact, I am already looking forward to the next installment!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Great new series alert!!!!

I love when a historical romance author finds a unique part of history and brings it to light in their writing. This is one things that just makes historical romance, so interesting and fun for me!

Speaking of, Sabrina Jeffries new book, Hazardous to a Duke‘s Heart, the first in her new Lords of Hazard series revolve around a group of men who become friends do a common misfortune of location, that found them all in captivity in France under the reign of Napoleon. They are known as detinue.

Now these former captives are of returned to England and need to find a way to live a normal life again… easier said than done for Lord Jonathan Leighton when he returns home only to find out that he is now the Duke! Thankfully, he has his sister’s sharp-witted governess, who happens to just be his mentors daughter, to show him the ropes and ease them back into society.

Jonathan and Victoria strike a deal aimed at easing Jonathan‘s guilty conscious for Victoria‘s father‘s passing, but he doesn’t expect the attraction in kinship. He feels for her, knowing that his time in captivity has made him in suitable as a husband…

I absolutely loved this tape on the prodigal son’s return and the heartfelt emotions that Sabrina Jefferies in Sue her characters with. They’re both so multidimensional and well developed that it was a real joy to see them, traverse the obstacles and find away to be together.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audio narrated by Beverly A. Crick and absolutely loved her traditional historical romance narration for this book. She is an icon in the genre and did an amazing job of voicing the various characters and stealing their personalities in her reading. And absolutely delighted to listen to.

After this great start to the series, I’m eager to see where the Lords of Hazard take us next!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Decent historical romance, although slightly cheesy at times and I didn't feel like the characters were that in depth. I enjoyed it overall though and would read more in this series.

While the story did not wow me, it was entertaining enough to keep my attention. Sabrina Jeffries writes easy to read stories.

I was dismayed by the lack of empathy from the MCs family he returned home after being released from being held captive during the war. They are more concerned with the season and Ton gossip. Within a day when he returns his mother and sister bombard him with events he must attend without thought to what he'd been through or the fact that he is now the Duke, a title he was never expected to obtain. I'm sure Jon had PTSD from his ordeal. I wanted to see that play out along with Tory helping him through it.

The relationship between Jon and Tory lacked a real love connection. They felt more like friends versus lovers. I believe the missing piece was what I mentioned before, Tory helping Jon navigate his PTSD. This would have allowed her to open up sooner about her brother. I think if the author had explored that route this story could have been better.

Overall, this was an ok story that I think many will enjoy.

I received an ALC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I absolutely loved this book!! The audio was amazing as well. If you like pride and prejudice or Bridgerton, then I highly recoming giving this book a try!

Jonathan returns to England after eleven years of captivity in France, only to discover he is now a Duke. Upon arriving home, he meets his sister’s “governess,” Victoria Morris—and it’s love at first sight. Yet Jonathan denies his feelings and instead vows to fulfill her father’s dying wish: to find her a husband. But Victoria is adamant—she will not marry.

As Jonathan wrestles with his growing affection and guilt tied to her father’s death, Victoria harbors a secret of her own about her brother. Their journey is tangled with intrigue, heartache, loyalty, guilt, and ultimately, redemption.

Sabrina Jeffries delivers once again. I was never bored for a moment and can’t wait for the next installment. A deeply satisfying read!

While I found the writing and setting to be delightful as always (in a Sabrina Jeffries novel) I really just lost interest in the plot by the end. It was a bit too long a dragged out, but not a bad time by any means. I really loved that Tory had brother with an intellectual disability as that’s a subject close to my heart and quite an infrequent occurrence in romance books. I do wonder if this was sensitivity read? Something about it maybe needed a little more development.

Personally I wanted something with a bit higher stakes or characters with a bit more…character. Which is becoming a theme I’ve noticed recently: both characters are just solidly good people which is nice but not necessarily exciting, you know? Maybe if you don’t read a lot of historical romance, you won’t notice it, but I’ve read several recent releases and they’re all just ~nice.

Beverly A. Crick is one of my favorite narrators, and she remained as lovely as ever here. The audiobook seemed well edited and a consistently high quality. If the plot is of interest to you or you’ve loved Jeffries’ other work, I definitely recommend picking up the audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️/5


I received an ALC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

Hazardous to a Duke's heart is a pretty standard regency romance. John was a (civilian) prisoner of war during the Napoleon wars, and upon his return home to England, he discovers that not only is his father dead, so is his two older brothers, making him the new Duke.

Back in England he meets Victoria Morris - Tori - his sister's governess and his recently deceased mentor's daughter, and thus romance is born.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, even if it didn't exactly bring anything new or exciting to the genre. The lovestory was a little too insta-lovey for my taste (they've known each other what, two? Three? days, when they first kiss?), but there was also some cute moments.
My main issure was the conflict of the book, which was based on miscommunication and also the fact that John just doesn't speak to people. I found myself annoyed at his reasonings for keeping away from Tori a few times, as they could be solved if he only looked past his own ego.

That aside, I believe enjoyers of regency romances will like this book, which has also paid attention some some great historical details along the way.

Overall, 3 stars.

This story follows a duke who went to war in France with a group of men. One man that passed asked for the duke to watch out for his daughter. The duke and Victoria make an instant connection.

I LOVED this story! The conflicts within the story were so intense and the ending tied everything together.

Hazardous to a Duke's Heart
by Sabrina Jeffries
Narrated by Beverley A. Crick

This enchanting debut in the author's new Lords of Hazard series captivated me from the very first chapter. As a first-time reader of Sabrina Jeffries, I found the story particularly intriguing, especially the hero's compelling backstory as a victim of the Napoleonic Wars. Jonathan Leighton, having endured eleven harrowing years as a hostage during the tumultuous war, returns home to discover that he is now the head of his family and the Duke of Falconridge.

Upon his arrival, he encounters Victoria "Tori" Morris, the governess to his younger sister, Chloe. Tori, with her warm spirit and dedicated presence, is also the daughter of Dr. Isaac Morris, Jonathan's esteemed mentor, who accompanied him to France over a decade ago.

The narration by Beverley A. Crick elevates the experience, bringing the characters to life with her mastery of various accents and a wide range of clear, distinct voices for both men and women. The emotions woven throughout the story are subtle yet palpable, drawing listeners deeper into the great story. The perfect blend of lighthearted charm, swoon-worthy romance, and a hint of mystery kept me completely enthralled from beginning to end.

Sabrina Jeffries historical romance novels were among the first I picked up. I love her ability to tell a story woven into history. Learning about the the British citizens stuck in France during the war was very compelling, and John and Tori's love story unfolded beautifully.

Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart by Sabrina Jeffries
Lords of Hazard series #1. Historical romance. Alternating 3rd person POV.
After being held hostage for years during Napoleon’s war, Jonathan Leighton returns home to find out he’s the new head of family and the Duke of Falconridge. One of his first responsibilities will be to ensure his lost friend’s daughter is set up appropriately.
Victoria has no interest in marriage. Learning of an inheritance means she can make her dreams of setting up a school. Jon has other ideas.

🎧 I was able to read both an ebook copy and listen to an audiobook which is narrated by Beverley A Crick who does many of this authors books. She creates a wonderful regional accent with clear voices for male and female. Emotions are subtle but clear. The characters come to life in the audiobook.
I did listen to this between 1.5 and a bit higher to closer match my reading and conversation speed.
The descriptions were vivid for me in the print version for the locations and settings while the audiobook is about the people. I think either will give the reader a rich experience.

I always have a hard time with war as a setting. This book is more looking back on memories after the prologue. He doesn’t want to talk about the hard times that he experienced but Tory needed to understand. I feel like his sharing brought them closer together.

Sentimental, sexy and a bit sad for the typically not talked about prisoners of war. I’m happy he was able to recover and find love and a whole new dynamic for a family.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher RBMedia.