Heiress for Hire

by Madeline Hunter

Overview

USA Today Bestseller

In this stunning series debut from New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter, a duke’s mysterious bequest brings fortune—and passion—to three young women . . .
 
Minerva Hepplewhite has learned the hard way how to take care of herself. When an intruder breaks into her home, she doesn’t swoon or simper. Instead she wallops the rogue over the head and ties him up—only to realize he is Chase Radnor, a gentleman and grandson of a lord, and a man who makes it his business to investigate suspicious matters. Now he’s insisting that Minerva has inherited a fortune from his uncle, a wealthy duke. Only one thing could surprise her more: her sudden attraction to this exasperating man . . .
 
Chase can’t decide whether Minerva is a wronged woman or a femme fatale. Either way, he’s intrigued. Maddeningly, with her unexpected inheritance, she has set up a discreet detective business to rival Chase’s own. She may be the perfect person to help him uncover the truth about his uncle’s demise. But as proximity gives way to mutual seduction, Chase realizes he craves a much deeper alliance . . .
 
Madeline Hunter’s novels are:

“[A] smart, satisfying Regency romance… Romance readers craving substantive mystery and intelligent leads will savor this pitch-perfect love story.”
—Publisher's Weekly
 
“Brilliant, compelling. . . . An excellent read.”
—The Washington Post
 
“Mesmerizing.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“Pure passion.”
—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420149982
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	04/28/2020
Series:	A Duke's Heiress Romance , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	338
Sales rank:	55,586
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Madeline Hunter is a New York Times bestselling author with more than six million copies of her books in print. She has thirty-one nationally bestselling historical romances in print, including most recently, Never Deny a Duke, A Devil of a Duke, and The Most Dangerous Duke in London. A member of RWA’s Honor Roll, she has won the RITA Award twice and been a finalist seven times. Her books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly, and have been translated into thirteen languages. She has a PhD in art history, which she has taught at the university level. Madeline loves to hear from her readers, and can be reached through her website at www.madelinehunter.com, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/madelinehunter/, and at twitter.com/madelinehunter.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/24/2020

At the heart of this smart, satisfying Regency romance—the first in a new trilogy from Hunter (Never Deny a Duke)—is the mystery of why a duke would bequeath a fortune to a woman he’d never met. Chase Radnor, gentleman investigator and nephew to the late duke, is instantly suspicious upon meeting newly minted heiress Minerva Hepplewhite. His eccentric uncle’s fall from a parapet looks like murder, and Minerva gained a great deal from his death. The self-reliant young widow also has a dark, secretive past that makes her a perfect suspect. To clear her name, Minerva begins her own investigation into the duke’s death, launching Hepplewhite’s Office of Discreet Inquiries, and she and Chase form an uneasy alliance as they first compete for, then begin to share, clues. Hunter gives the well-matched pair plenty of ground to cover with a wide cast of memorable suspects, and their clever detective work is a consistent pleasure. The plot moves apace, but Chase and Minerva’s relationship is treated patiently, with their attraction simmering alongside mutual respect, and their eventual love scenes are sensitively rendered. Romance readers craving substantive mystery and intelligent leads will savor this pitch-perfect love story. Agent: Pamela Hopkins, Hopkins Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Heiress for Hire:

“At the heart of this smart, satisfying Regency romance—the first in a new trilogy from Hunter (Never Deny a Duke)—is the mystery of why a duke would bequeath a fortune to a woman he’d never met. Chase Radnor, gentleman investigator and nephew to the late duke, is instantly suspicious upon meeting newly minted heiress Minerva Hepplewhite. His eccentric uncle’s fall from a parapet looks like murder, and Minerva gained a great deal from his death. The self-reliant young widow also has a dark, secretive past that makes her a perfect suspect. To clear her name, Minerva begins her own investigation into the duke’s death, launching Hepplewhite’s Office of Discreet Inquiries, and she and Chase form an uneasy alliance as they first compete for, then begin to share, clues. Hunter gives the well-matched pair plenty of ground to cover with a wide cast of memorable suspects, and their clever detective work is a consistent pleasure. The plot moves apace, but Chase and Minerva’s relationship is treated patiently, with their attraction simmering alongside mutual respect, and their eventual love scenes are sensitively rendered. Romance readers craving substantive mystery and intelligent leads will savor this pitch-perfect love story.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"A superbly sexy love story deftly dovetailed with a well-crafted, mystery-spiked plot, and graced with a cast of endlessly amusing characters."
—Booklist

“An unexpected heiress finds love with the nephew of her benefactor as they both investigate the death that brought them together… Their banter is sharp and exciting.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for the previous works of Madeline Hunter
 
“Fueled by an abundance of subtle wit and potent sensuality . . . an exquisitely crafted love story by one of the romance genre’s masters.”
—Booklist
 
“A rash, adventure seeking heroine and an honorable, take charge hero clash splendidly as passions blaze . . . to the delight of all concerned.”
—Library Journal
 
“Intelligent and memorable. . . .  With its tangy dialogue, Pride and Prejudice themes, bits of mystery and nefarious characters, readers may be reminded of Jane Austen.”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
 
“Hunter . . . spins the intrigues of an enterprising bastard son and a resourceful artist to delightful effect in this excellent launch.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Stellar . . . hits all the literary marks. Hunter’s effortlessly elegant writing exudes a wicked sense of wit; her characterization is superbly subtle, and the sexual chemistry she cooks up between her deliciously independent heroine and delightfully sexy hero is pure passion.”
—Booklist (starred review)

From the Publisher

04/01/2020

Three women are left fortunes by a duke they've never met in this first of a new romantic whodunit series from award-winning author Hunter (Never Deny a Duke). Minerva Hepplewhite is the first to discover she's an heiress from the duke's nephew, Chase, after she nearly knocks him unconscious, thinking he's an intruder in her home. Down on her luck since leaving her abusive husband, Minerva knows the money is just what she needs to start her detective business, Hepplewhite's Office of Discreet Inquiries. Unfortunately, her first case—determining how her mysterious benefactor died—is also being investigated by Chase, and Minerva is his prime suspect. Though the two are at odds to start, they grudgingly admire each other's skills and eventually pair up for business and pleasure. Frustratingly, the mystery remains unsolved until later in the series. Also, some readers may find the blunt descriptions of Minerva's past abuse by her husband particularly disturbing. VERDICT Readers who enjoy strong elements of crime solving in their romances will love Minerva and Chase's sleuthing, but be prepared to collect the entire series for closure on the mystery.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Library Journal

2020-03-02
An unexpected heiress finds love with the nephew of her benefactor as they both investigate the death that brought them together.

After an eccentric duke dies, his family unhappily discovers that his estate has been bequeathed to three unknown ladies in this series opener. Chase Radnor doesn't believe his uncle’s death was an accident. Minerva Hepplewhite, one of the new heiresses, is on his list of suspects. The unanticipated fortune means Minerva can finally start her investigation business, Hepplewhite’s Office of Discreet Inquiries, and she decides to become her own first client. She wants to uncover the truth about the duke’s death and her connection to him before someone goes digging too much into her past and reopens the case of her abusive husband’s murder five years ago. Chase doesn’t trust this woman who keeps showing up in his path, yet he’s captivated by her. Minerva thought her husband forever ruined her appetite for intimacy, but Chase is reawakening long-buried yearnings. They know an alliance is a bad idea, but since they are working on the same case, perhaps they could share some information, and a few kisses, with each other. The romance is a slow burn for the first half as the pair learn to develop trust, though their banter is sharp and exciting, and it’s the mysteries surrounding the dead duke and both Minerva's and Chase’s pasts that propel the plot forward more than the romance. Unfortunately, the anticlimactic resolutions of these mysteries undermine the satisfying relationship at the end.

Fun but ultimately underwhelming.

Kirkus Reviews