Publishers Weekly
05/17/2021
Jordan (Rogue Effect) launches the Duke Hunt Victorian romance series with an enticing premise and a dashing hero who suffers from an ill-matched eventual partner. When it’s discovered that Peregrine Butler’s parents married after his birth, making him illegitimate, Perry is stripped of the title of Duke of Penning. Forced to move out of his ancestral manor as a gentleman with no title and no income, he returns to his hometown of Shropshire in the hopes of marrying well. But the local vicar’s daughter, Imogen Bates, has different plans for Perry. She’s holding on to a 10-year-old grudge after overhearing a wildly unkind discussion of her flaws between Perry and his mates when they were teenagers. Ruining his prospects feels like satisfactory revenge—until both she and Perry realize that their mutual animosity hides a passion worth exploring. Readers will wish for a deeper focus on how Perry’s sudden loss of title changes him for the better and will long to see a softer side of judgmental Imogen, who takes her revenge pretty far. Die-hard fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope may forgive this flawed couple, but others will hope for greater compatibility in future installments. Agent: Maura Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (July)
From the Publisher
Deliciously sexy!” — Sarah MacLean
"Jordan…makes a firm argument for more historical romances that dare to live outside the ballroom or even the aristocracy altogether. Her love scenes crackle (don't worry, the book makes good on its deliciously clever title) … for those looking for a historical romp that goes a bit further afield than a 19th century estate, The Duke Goes Down is a delightful diversion.” — Entertainment Weekly
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that the young lady everyone assumes is mousy has uncharted depths...particularly when there’s a scientific sister, an aphrodisiac, and the stepbrother of a duke around. Creative, unique, and racy—this story is not unlike the very elixir around which it is based.” — Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author, on The Virgin and the Rogue
“The sixth in the Rogue Files series is a lusty reversal of the rake-and-the-wallflower trope. A refreshing dose of fun—and the best in the series.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Virgin and the Rogue
“A powerful aphrodisiac drives the smoldering sixth Regency in Jordan’s Rogue Files series....This erotically charged historical romance packs a passionate punch.” — Publishers Weekly on The Virgin and the Rogue
“A steamy romance full of surprises.” — Fresh Fiction on The Virgin and the Rogue
“A surfeit of humor, a zippy pace, and a cast of well-defined and intriguing protagonists make this a delicious late-summer read.” — Library Journal
Fresh Fiction on The Virgin and the Rogue
A steamy romance full of surprises.”
null Fresh Fiction on The Virgin and the Rogue
A steamy romance full of surprises.”
Sarah MacLean
Deliciously sexy!”
Jodi Picoult
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the young lady everyone assumes is mousy has uncharted depths...particularly when there’s a scientific sister, an aphrodisiac, and the stepbrother of a duke around. Creative, unique, and racy—this story is not unlike the very elixir around which it is based.”
Entertainment Weekly
"Jordan…makes a firm argument for more historical romances that dare to live outside the ballroom or even the aristocracy altogether. Her love scenes crackle (don't worry, the book makes good on its deliciously clever title) … for those looking for a historical romp that goes a bit further afield than a 19th century estate, The Duke Goes Down is a delightful diversion.”
Kirkus Reviews
2021-06-16
Jordan begins her new series, The Duke Hunt, with an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Peregrine Butler used to be the Duke of Penning until it was discovered that his mother gave birth to him before his parents were married, making him only the illegitimate son of the former Duke. Now, he lives with his mother in Shropshire while seeking an heiress to marry. Imogen Bates, daughter of the local vicar, has known Perry since they were children, and they have never gotten along. Imogen holds a strong grudge against him for mean words she once overheard him saying about her, and she now feels compelled to protect the other ladies in Shropshire from this arrogant man. She starts unflattering rumors about him, but when he discovers and confronts her, she begins to realize there is more to him than she thought. Perry felt adrift after having lost his title, but he starts finding himself again when he’s with Imogen, forcing him to reevaluate his future plans. Perry and Imogen are such flawed characters that it can be hard to feel invested in their story. As they warm to each other and their chemistry fires up, it becomes more interesting, but the shift from enemies to lovers feels too abrupt, and the pair's final conflict is more exhausting than climactic. Still, Jordan's writing is often lovely, the setting is charming, and there are intriguing secondary characters who will hopefully get their tales told.
Not the best series start, but there’s promise for better future installments.
