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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When Chase Radnor breaks into Minerva Hepplewhite’s home, the last thing she expects him to ask when he wakes up after she hits him with a bedpan is if she was once known by her former married name. Minerva did everything she could to get away from her old, unpleasant life with her late husband, even going so far as to change her name, and now some strange and handsome nighttime intruder has come barging in to her life claiming that she has inherited money from a man she never knew–the intruder’s recently passed uncle and Duke, nonetheless!
Chase Radnor is intrigued by the handsome and keene Ms. Heppelwhite, who has her own ambitions of becoming an inquiry agent like himself. Perhaps he can use her help in investigating the death of the very uncle who brought him to her doorstep–or, more precisely, on her floor with quite the headache. Chase and some of his family members suspect that his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident at all. Unfortunately, with Minerva as one of the heiresses, she’s also one of Chase’s lead suspects.
As Minerva and Chase investigate the incident individually and delving deeper and deeper into the events leading up to the Duke’s death and how he could have possibly known Minerva, they find themselves skirting Chase’s family politics, trying to discover one another’s secrets, and (despite their better judgement) falling for one another.
This was a fantastic romp into historic London with a cast of wonderful, well-rounded characters and a tapestry of interwoven mysteries that slowly unravelled, revealing a beautiful romance.
Minerva was ambitious, astute, and kind. She had experienced some less than ideal situations in her past, but instead of rolling over she found a way out and built the best life she could with those closest to her, using her intelligence to make a better life for them all. Chase was also a clever person who had a passion and mind for inquiry work and a bottomless need to find the truth where he could. Together, they made an impassioned couple with a passionate bedroom chemistry!
I really enjoyed this read and it was everything I look for in a London-based historical romance, ad i cannot wait for the next one in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy, provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Chase Radnor is intrigued by the handsome and keene Ms. Heppelwhite, who has her own ambitions of becoming an inquiry agent like himself. Perhaps he can use her help in investigating the death of the very uncle who brought him to her doorstep–or, more precisely, on her floor with quite the headache. Chase and some of his family members suspect that his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident at all. Unfortunately, with Minerva as one of the heiresses, she’s also one of Chase’s lead suspects.
As Minerva and Chase investigate the incident individually and delving deeper and deeper into the events leading up to the Duke’s death and how he could have possibly known Minerva, they find themselves skirting Chase’s family politics, trying to discover one another’s secrets, and (despite their better judgement) falling for one another.
This was a fantastic romp into historic London with a cast of wonderful, well-rounded characters and a tapestry of interwoven mysteries that slowly unravelled, revealing a beautiful romance.
Minerva was ambitious, astute, and kind. She had experienced some less than ideal situations in her past, but instead of rolling over she found a way out and built the best life she could with those closest to her, using her intelligence to make a better life for them all. Chase was also a clever person who had a passion and mind for inquiry work and a bottomless need to find the truth where he could. Together, they made an impassioned couple with a passionate bedroom chemistry!
I really enjoyed this read and it was everything I look for in a London-based historical romance, ad i cannot wait for the next one in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy, provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I enjoyed the story. Would have preferred this one without the emphasis on romance/sex because the chemistry just didn't work for me. But the plot itself was really interesting.
Good premise, likable heroine, competently written but for whatever read just didn't really hit for me. A bit bland and I never really bought the romance between Chase and Minerva.
3.5 stars. This was quite a gentle romance, which was a nice change of pace tbh altho things felt weirdly unfinished at the end.
Quite enjoyed this book, though it's not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting romance with a little mystery in the background or vice versa, instead it seems to be about fifty-fifty in both genres which was odd. I don't read much mystery/crime stuff so it was quite enjoyable to see a mystery unfold and pick up little clues along the way but I was hoping for more romance, still I'm excited to read the rest of the series, hopefully about more flawed characters, the protagonists in this installment were just TOO perfect for me, but the next book seems more promising.
-- This review can also be found on my blog www.hookedbythatbook.com –
Minerva Hepplewhite has started a new life for herself and two servants, now turned friends, with a new name. She has been fairly content in her relative obscurity, but that illusion was shattered when she caught Chase Radnor breaking into her house. But he is more than a common thief. He is the nephew of the Duke of Hollingburgh, who has named her as a significant beneficiary in his will. Chase was there to investigate her, and to confirm that she was indeed, the woman he was looking for.
The duke’s death is considered suspicious and Chase was appointed as the unofficial official investigator, since it involved his family. Minerva came under some suspicion, as she is to receive an enormous amount of money from the duke’s estate, but no-one has ever heard of her before.
Chase and Minerva each conducted their own investigation, and soon they were sharing information, and much more. Minerva had considered her sexuality to be dead and buried, after her disastrous marriage, but Chase revived that part of her. I enjoyed Chase and Minerva and their interactions. They worked really well together as investigators. Chase had a lot of respect for Minerva’s hesitations regarding their relationship, even though it clearly frustrated him. Minerva had a cool head on her shoulders and some really excellent ideas for looking for clues and evidence.
I also enjoyed Chase’s family immensely, the good, the bad, and the entitled. They made for a great cast of characters that added dimension to the story.
The story started in a very intriguing way - “Did you kill him?” – and this was refrained several times throughout the story in many different circumstances.
This book covered my love for romance and suspense and I can definitely recommend it.
Minerva Hepplewhite has started a new life for herself and two servants, now turned friends, with a new name. She has been fairly content in her relative obscurity, but that illusion was shattered when she caught Chase Radnor breaking into her house. But he is more than a common thief. He is the nephew of the Duke of Hollingburgh, who has named her as a significant beneficiary in his will. Chase was there to investigate her, and to confirm that she was indeed, the woman he was looking for.
The duke’s death is considered suspicious and Chase was appointed as the unofficial official investigator, since it involved his family. Minerva came under some suspicion, as she is to receive an enormous amount of money from the duke’s estate, but no-one has ever heard of her before.
Chase and Minerva each conducted their own investigation, and soon they were sharing information, and much more. Minerva had considered her sexuality to be dead and buried, after her disastrous marriage, but Chase revived that part of her. I enjoyed Chase and Minerva and their interactions. They worked really well together as investigators. Chase had a lot of respect for Minerva’s hesitations regarding their relationship, even though it clearly frustrated him. Minerva had a cool head on her shoulders and some really excellent ideas for looking for clues and evidence.
I also enjoyed Chase’s family immensely, the good, the bad, and the entitled. They made for a great cast of characters that added dimension to the story.
The story started in a very intriguing way - “Did you kill him?” – and this was refrained several times throughout the story in many different circumstances.
This book covered my love for romance and suspense and I can definitely recommend it.
Minera Hepplewhite learns that she is now a heiress of a large sum of money along with two other unknown women from a Duke she has never meet before. Minera and her two housemates are now considered about Minera's past coming back to haunt her as this Duke's death is under suspicion for murder. They decide to stick it out and figure out who her benefactor is and why did he leave her this large some of money instead of his family. Minera and her housemates decide to go undercover in the Duke's home to learn more about will. Minera finds Chase who is nothing like is money hungry family and a sweet romance is sprouted. Minera struggles with her feelings as she has a traumatic past from her previous husband who abused her physically, verbally, and sexually. Chase and Minera are great together and work perfectly as a team as they indirectly work together figuring out who actually had a motive to murder the Duke. The suspense is great without over taking the charming romantic love story from Chase and Minera. This love story ends with Minera opening her heart to Chase and being able to love again where she can truly be happy and free. This is the first book of the series and I absolutely can't wait for more books from Madeline Hunter.
I received this book for free from BookishFirst and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.
I received this book for free from BookishFirst and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.