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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Good book with a nice blend of romance and mystery. It opens with a bang as Minerva catches Chase breaking into her house. No shrinking violet, Minerva promptly renders him unconscious long enough to tie him up before interrogating him. She is stunned and somewhat disbelieving to find out that she has inherited a great deal of money from a duke she has never met. Besides telling her about the inheritance, Chase also wants to find out if she had anything to do with his uncle's suspicious death.
I liked both Minerva and Chase. Minerva is strong, intelligent, and stubborn. She has a sharp wit and isn't afraid to use it. She also has secrets that led her to change her name and move to London to start a new life. That former life has left her wary of men and determined to live life on her terms. She is ready to open Miss Hepplewhite's Office of Discreet Inquiries. Chase is the nephew of a duke, but also a self-made man. He has a reputation as an excellent private investigator, at which point the Home Office asks him to quietly investigate his uncle's death.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Minerva and Chase. The sparks are there from the moment they met, though both fight hard against them. Minerva and Chase cross paths several times as each investigates the death of the duke. Eventually, they decide to work together, though neither is entirely forthcoming about everything they learn. There are times that Minerva's stubborn independence bothers Chase, but he also admires her persistence and intelligence. The more time they spend together, the closer they become, and the more their attraction heats up. There is a scene where Minerva is injured, and Chase's protectiveness is aroused. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between them as Minerva fought against his protectiveness. As their feelings for each other grow, Minerva must decide if she can trust Chase with her heart. I liked that there was no big blowup between them, just a steady growth and then admission of their feelings. I liked their big moment at the end, especially the honest look at the differences between them and how they would handle them.
The mystery of the story was good. Chase's uncle died under mysterious circumstances that he is charged with investigating. There is also the mystery of the three unknown women who received large bequests, cutting out the family members. The women must be found but also investigated. The duke's family members do not react well to their loss of what they think they deserve. Is it possible that one of them murdered the duke? The family dynamics were very interesting, and I look forward to seeing more of them in the next book. I liked seeing how Chase's methodical methods and Minerva's more unorthodox ones complemented each other as they pursue their investigation. The conclusion was unexpected but leaves the matter open for the rest of the series.
I liked both Minerva and Chase. Minerva is strong, intelligent, and stubborn. She has a sharp wit and isn't afraid to use it. She also has secrets that led her to change her name and move to London to start a new life. That former life has left her wary of men and determined to live life on her terms. She is ready to open Miss Hepplewhite's Office of Discreet Inquiries. Chase is the nephew of a duke, but also a self-made man. He has a reputation as an excellent private investigator, at which point the Home Office asks him to quietly investigate his uncle's death.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Minerva and Chase. The sparks are there from the moment they met, though both fight hard against them. Minerva and Chase cross paths several times as each investigates the death of the duke. Eventually, they decide to work together, though neither is entirely forthcoming about everything they learn. There are times that Minerva's stubborn independence bothers Chase, but he also admires her persistence and intelligence. The more time they spend together, the closer they become, and the more their attraction heats up. There is a scene where Minerva is injured, and Chase's protectiveness is aroused. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between them as Minerva fought against his protectiveness. As their feelings for each other grow, Minerva must decide if she can trust Chase with her heart. I liked that there was no big blowup between them, just a steady growth and then admission of their feelings. I liked their big moment at the end, especially the honest look at the differences between them and how they would handle them.
The mystery of the story was good. Chase's uncle died under mysterious circumstances that he is charged with investigating. There is also the mystery of the three unknown women who received large bequests, cutting out the family members. The women must be found but also investigated. The duke's family members do not react well to their loss of what they think they deserve. Is it possible that one of them murdered the duke? The family dynamics were very interesting, and I look forward to seeing more of them in the next book. I liked seeing how Chase's methodical methods and Minerva's more unorthodox ones complemented each other as they pursue their investigation. The conclusion was unexpected but leaves the matter open for the rest of the series.
Minerva Hepplewhite is the perfect reader's heroine - strong, smart, stubborn, and witty. And Chase Radnor is her perfect match - the nephew of a duke, he comes from a family of stature yet can appreciate Minerva's quirky habits and her desire to do things her own way. Even if it exasperates him at times. Both are on a mission to discover what truly happened to Chase's late uncle, the Duke of Hollinburg, but for different reasons: Minerva has been left a hefty inheritance from the man despite never having met him, and Chase needs to know if his uncle's untimely death was an accident or murder - and if Minerva had anything to do with it. His gut instinct is telling him that she's innocent, but he's been led astray before. And how did Minerva end up in the late Duke's last will and testament, having been left more of the his money than most of Chase's living relatives, including Chase himself? While both battle this baffling case, they are also battling their feelings for one another. The attraction is undeniable, but Chase will have to fight Minerva's past if he wants to be a part of her future.
Thoughts: I was utterly charmed by this story! Not only are both Minerva and Chase incredibly likable, but both have very little faults or annoying character traits that will keep readers from absolutely falling for both of them. Minerva serves the historical romance female trope to its fullest, breaking cultural norms while still remaining a respectful female character for the time period. Chase is more of the quintessential historical romance male lead, with his handsome face, high society upbringing, and incredibly patient yet down-to-earth nature that can't help but come to a woman's aide when she's in need. While Minerva's strong will gets the best of him at times, it's not long before he admits to himself that he likes this side of her and how he admires her more for it. They truly are a perfect pair. The reason I gave four instead of five stars: But despite this, it was a heartwarming read that I would highly recommend to any historical romance fan!
Thoughts: I was utterly charmed by this story! Not only are both Minerva and Chase incredibly likable, but both have very little faults or annoying character traits that will keep readers from absolutely falling for both of them. Minerva serves the historical romance female trope to its fullest, breaking cultural norms while still remaining a respectful female character for the time period. Chase is more of the quintessential historical romance male lead, with his handsome face, high society upbringing, and incredibly patient yet down-to-earth nature that can't help but come to a woman's aide when she's in need. While Minerva's strong will gets the best of him at times, it's not long before he admits to himself that he likes this side of her and how he admires her more for it. They truly are a perfect pair. The reason I gave four instead of five stars:
Spoiler
I loved how Minerva and Chase ended the novel, but the case ultimately being left "unsolved", in a sense, was kind of disappointing. I wanted some justice for the generous Duke who gave Minerva, a woman unknown to him, the chance to escape a marriage that would've been her death sentence.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Heiress for Hire is a book I saw show up on my Goodreads feed and once I read the summary, I knew I needed to check it out.
Minerva Hepplewhite is the heroine of this story and she hasn't had an easy way of things so when an intruder breaks into her house, she isn't one to faint or swoon. When she realizes who it is that has broken into her home, she knows she faces some decisions she has to make...one of which is whether she can trust the gentleman in question, Chase Radnor, the nephew of the wealthy duke who mysteriously left her a fortune. I thought Minerva was a solid character and I loved that she wasn't just your standard member of the ton. Her backstory made things much more interesting as it gave the story somewhere to go as Chase questions how his uncle died.
Chase Radnor has handled various types of inquiries and when his uncle unexpectedly dies, the Home Office asks him to look into what happened. The odd thing about the whole situation, outside of how his uncle died, is the fact that there are three mysterious women that his uncle has left his fortune to. Chase decides to dig into who the ladies are and this ultimately leads him to Minerva. As he begins to dig into her past, he finds out more about Minerva than he ever expected and add to that the feelings he starts to have for her, and has to determine whether he believes she had something to do with his uncles death or not.
I enjoyed this story. Minerva tended to be one step ahead of Chase and he never held it against her. I thought the way they began to work together was great and helped to build the base of their relationship.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well. Beth and Jeremy were the family Minerva never really had and I was glad she had that. Chase's relationship with both grows throughout the book and I thought that was a great. Chase's family was so interesting and I loved his relationship with Nicholas, the new duke. I'm hoping these characters show up in future books within this series.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and will grab the next book when it is available. I haven't read anything by Madeline Hunter before this one but I will be checking out her other stories. If you're looking for a historical romance that goes a bit outside the normal society story line, you should check this one out.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Minerva Hepplewhite is the heroine of this story and she hasn't had an easy way of things so when an intruder breaks into her house, she isn't one to faint or swoon. When she realizes who it is that has broken into her home, she knows she faces some decisions she has to make...one of which is whether she can trust the gentleman in question, Chase Radnor, the nephew of the wealthy duke who mysteriously left her a fortune. I thought Minerva was a solid character and I loved that she wasn't just your standard member of the ton. Her backstory made things much more interesting as it gave the story somewhere to go as Chase questions how his uncle died.
Chase Radnor has handled various types of inquiries and when his uncle unexpectedly dies, the Home Office asks him to look into what happened. The odd thing about the whole situation, outside of how his uncle died, is the fact that there are three mysterious women that his uncle has left his fortune to. Chase decides to dig into who the ladies are and this ultimately leads him to Minerva. As he begins to dig into her past, he finds out more about Minerva than he ever expected and add to that the feelings he starts to have for her, and has to determine whether he believes she had something to do with his uncles death or not.
I enjoyed this story. Minerva tended to be one step ahead of Chase and he never held it against her. I thought the way they began to work together was great and helped to build the base of their relationship.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well. Beth and Jeremy were the family Minerva never really had and I was glad she had that. Chase's relationship with both grows throughout the book and I thought that was a great. Chase's family was so interesting and I loved his relationship with Nicholas, the new duke. I'm hoping these characters show up in future books within this series.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and will grab the next book when it is available. I haven't read anything by Madeline Hunter before this one but I will be checking out her other stories. If you're looking for a historical romance that goes a bit outside the normal society story line, you should check this one out.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a solid quick read. I loved that it's a regency where she has a job (investigator) though I wish Hunter would have been more explicit about who killed the Duke - I'm assuming it was Chase's boss's uncle, but I wanted it specifically said . Minerva and Chase have a nice relationship (and I appreciated how many sex scenes there were for a regency especially!). Chase is definitely the very understanding hero who helps her heal and overcome her past trauma, which is nice. I'll definitely keep reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
2.5. I liked Minerva and the premise was interesting, a fortune willed to her by a stranger but the romance was not really believable it felt like they abruptly ended up in bed. the conclusion was somewhat weak as Chase essentially gave up on solving the mystery
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love how easy it was to fall into the book with the way the author described everything down to the clothing. The wording reminded me of classics like Pride and Prejudice but it was easy for me to read at the same time. I loved the characters and it was steamy without it taking over the whole book.