ARC Review: The Heiress Bride (A Duke's Heiress #3) by Madeline Hunter
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Series: A Duke's Heiress #3
Author: Madeline Hunter
Published May 23rd 2023 by Zebra
Goodreads Synopsis
As the new Duke of Hollinburgh, Nicholas Radnor is handsome, titled, charming, and land poor. The last quality might change soon, because a portion of his uncle's personal estate is about to become available to him and his cantankerous extended family. At the eleventh hour, however, Iris Barrington, the last of the three mysterious women to whom the last duke made substantial bequests, inconveniently turns up on Nicholas' doorstep. He finds her story suspicious and her history ambiguous and her person both flamboyant and... fascinating. Duty calls, however, and he needs to discover if she is, indeed, the heiress his uncle favored or a charlatan with secrets that can endanger them both.
Complete independence has allowed Iris Barrington to become an unusual woman. A rare book dealer, she travels the world and has a sophisticated life. She also has a taste for handsome men, of which, Nicholas is one. Too bad he is also very curious about her, and his attentions are suspicious, as well as amorous. Since she has secrets he must never know, she should probably keep him at arm's length, but his seductive skills make that hard to do, no matter her resolve...
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
As Duke of Hollinburgh, Nicholas Radnor never expected that he would inherit all of the drama that his late uncle left behind. Rather than inheriting the estate and all of the wealth, Nicholas has little more than the title, and the family to his name. Three unknown women were all left money, and it's been his job, and that of his cousin's, to find them and discover how they knew the late Duke. Now that two of the women have been found, and have married into the family, there's only one left, and Iris Barrington hasn't been heard of. So when the very lady arrives on his doorstep, demanding to speak with him, and search his library for a missing book, it's both a blessing and a nightmare. Iris never expected she would be an heiress, and has only returned to England to clear her grandfather's name. The added complication of how handsome Nicholas is is not helpful, and neither are the growing feelings between them.
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I read the first in the series, and Nicholas and Iris did not disappoint! Their romance was epic, and though I disliked the secrecy at times, I completely understood why neither could be fully open with each other at first. Iris's family had been respected in England, and across Europe, for their work with rare books, but after an incident years ago with the Hollinburgh family, Iris's grandfather's name was in tatters, and the family had to change their name to continue their work. Iris knows that her grandfather was framed, and plans to clear his name, once and for all, and she won't let anyone, not even someone as handsome and intriguing as Nicholas, get in the way of that. The strength of character that she had was wonderful, and I loved seeing the way Nicholas became so protective over her. After the way he laughed at Chase and Kevin over how they fell for their now wives, it was karma that he would be the same. The overarching plot line in the entire series about the late Duke's death was finally solved in this book, and the mystery kept me on the edge of the seat until the very end! A perfect conclusion to the series.
Dates Read:
April 2-4, 2023
Rating
4 Stars
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