Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a cute, flirty Historical Fiction romance that is a fun and easy read. The Duke of Kingsland needs to get married and produce and heir and a spare to secure his title. Determined that he is incapable of love and will only hurt his future wife, he places an ad asking eligible ladies to apply to be his bride. Not wanting to be bothered with selecting a winner, he assigns the task to his efficient, capable and devoted secretary, Penelope Pettypeace.

Pettypeace appreciates that the Duke values her intelligence and capabilities, and he’s earned her loyalty by giving her a chance when others wouldn’t. Despite knowing a relationship between her and the Duke is impossible, she enjoys her position and is determined to find him a suitable bride, even if it breaks her heart to do so. Both the Duke and Pettypeace harbor a dark secret, and when someone threatens to reveal one of theirs, they combine forces to head off a disaster.

This was a very cute and fun book. I really liked Pettypeace. She was smart, capable, loyal and had a good head on her shoulders. She was practical, but also allowed herself a bit of fancy in her crush on the Duke. I liked that she was strong and had no problem with voicing her opinion and standing up for herself. The Duke was typically clueless about how much he cared about Pettypeace until circumstances made him see her in a different light. Then it was just a matter of both of the parties getting on the same page at the same time.

I’ve never read this author before, but enjoyed her writing and will definitely read future books by her. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. All opinions are my own.