Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of a duchess. However, restoring the dukedom—left in ruins by his father—to its former glory demands all his time, with little room for sentiment. He places an advert encouraging the single ladies of the ton to write why they should be the one chosen, and leaves it to his efficient secretary to select his future wife.
If there exists a more unpleasant task in the world than deciding who is to marry the man you love, Penelope Pettypeace certainly can’t imagine what it might be. Still, she is determined to find the perfect bride for her clueless, yet ruthlessly charming employer.
But when an anonymous note threatens to reveal truths best hidden, Kingsland has no choice but to confront the danger with Penelope at his side. Beguiled by the strong-willed, courageous beauty, he realizes he’s willing to risk everything, including his heart, to keep her safe within his arms. Could it be the duchess he’s hunting for has been in front of him all along?
Release Date: Sep 28, 2021
Series: Once Upon a Dukedom
Book: 2
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Books
Price: $5.99
The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath follows the story of Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, and his search for a wife. Kingsland does not have the time or energy to do this on his own, he is busy trying to restore this family’s legacy after his father left them in almost ruin. He entrusts the duty of finding a suitable wife to his secretary, Penelope Pettypeace, who he regards very highly and knows that anyone she approves of would be good enough for him.
Little does he know that Pettypeace has developed romantic feelings for him during her time in his employment, and she would love nothing less than to find another woman for him to marry. However, she is nothing if not a stellar employee and so she throws herself into the task. This comes to a halt when threats from the past come back to upset the peace in both Kingsland and Penelope’s lives. Leading them to both work together to open up and confront the things they have been running and hiding from.
I gave this story a 2.5 because although the premise was really interesting, who doesn’t love two people in close proximity harboring feelings for each other that finally comes to a head, the way it was written was a bit boring and did not capture my attention. I found that I was forcing myself to keep reading just because I was curious as to what exactly the secrets were and how they would finally get together. My curiosity kept me going rather than any pull from the writing itself.
When the secrets were finally revealed, I was very disappointed in Kingsland’s reaction, he also had a pretty major secret but that was brushed over quickly and the full focus was on Penelope. I also did not appreciate how it seemed like Kingsland was just so used to Penelope and the comfort and convenience of her knowing him so well and doing things well, rather than any real affection for her. It seemed like she was just useful to him and he couldn’t imagine anyone else possessing her. I just did not believe in his love for her, which also took him a long time to actually admit.
I did enjoy reading about Penelope and admired her character quite a bit. But I just couldn’t get over his attitude, and the writing just felt a little flat.
~ Harshita
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