4 Stars from me.

This is book one in the series Duke’s Heiress.

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.

Was I hooked by this book? Oh, yes, for sure. I’d love to find out what happens next.

Genre: Historical Romance