Dukes and Secrets Historical Romance Book Series by Mariah Stone

All Duke and Bothered by Mariah Stone (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Dukes and Secrets series. New duke Preston wants revenge on his brother’s killer, so he arranges himself in a position to marry Penelope, the young lady that he believes led on his brother and whose father hired ruffians to beat him. She doesn’t know about her father’s misdeeds and is horrified at having to marry Preston, who openly disdains Penelope. Preston believed that Penelope was a shallow flirt who was interested in his brother’s money, but really, she just thought they were friends and liked to talk about art together. Penelope was not interested in marriage at all and wanted to work on her painting. As Preston starts to see that he was mistaken about Penelope’s true personality, he feels guilty for misjudging the situation with his brother and also guilty for marrying Penelope. He’s still preoccupied with getting revenge on Penelope’s father though, and she’s disappointed that he is clearly choosing revenge over the possibility of love and happiness. It’s all a muddle until Preston can share his secrets with Penelope and let go of his quest for vengeance.

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Her Rake Fiance by Mariah Stone (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Dukes and Secrets series. Richard is looking for information about his missing brother from a certain prominent criminal and is promised the info in exchange for him marrying the man’s sister. Jane is the legitimate daughter of a baron who was cast out of society after her father’s death due to her connection with her criminal brother, but she has no desire to marry since she wants to run a school for impoverished children. She and Richard strike a deal to help him find the information he needs before the supposed wedding and then they’ll break off their engagement. Of course, as they spend more time together, they slowly start to fall in love, and Richard is the one who proposes that they turn their fake engagement into a real one. Jane is unsure of this since she has her own goals with her school and she doesn’t quite fit into polite society anymore. It’s a bit of a muddle here, but I appreciate that these two communicate pretty well about their past traumas and grow closer because of it.

Advance ebook provided by Mariah Stone via BookSirens.

Project Duke by Mariah Stone (2023)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Dukes and Secrets series. Lady Calliope has no interest in marriage since she’s so independent and outspoken and has goals of opening her own sleuth agency. However, when the dastardly marquess who hurt her many years ago announces his intentions to marry her, she needs to find a protector in short order. She’s hoping to gain the information to rescue her missing brother, but instead ends up entangled with Nathaniel, a handsome but impoverished duke. His late father has been trying to dictate his actions by withholding his inheritance until Nathaniel marries and provides an heir and time is running out. Nathaniel proposes a marriage of convenience to Calliope in exchange for assisting her find her brother. Although these two are very much attracted to each other, their personalities are completely ill-suited. Calliope is brash and independent and always getting herself into danger, while Nathaniel has emotional scars from being unable to protect his mother from danger and he wants to keep his new wife and sisters safe from harm. I found both characters a little irritating in their incapacity of empathizing with their partner’s stance. However, we slowly uncover more information about Calliope’s missing brother and continue to interact with her warm and loving family.

Advance ebook provided by Mariah Stone via BookSprout.

Betting Against the Scoundrel by Mariah Stone (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 4 of the Dukes and Secrets series. Former duke Spencer is back from his involuntary stint in the Navy, now with a limp, nightmares, and lack of direction. His brother and heir Preston is irrevocably the new duke and also married to the woman Spencer had loved and wanted to marry. Although everyone is glad to see Spencer alive, he’s broody and isolated and set on revenge against the corrupt duke who sent him to sea. Meanwhile, the overlooked and ignored Joanna is attempting to rescue her own family from ruin by that same duke (and her uncle) by searching for blackmail material. She and Spencer cross paths with their common enemy, but they have opposing purposes. There’s some bickering between the two, but the attraction between them is undeniable. Although Spencer tries to seduce Joanna, he’s also unwilling to start any sort of proper courtship, even as he starts to realize he cares for her.

Advance ebook provided by Mariah Stone via BookSprout.

When the Duke Bought a Wife by Mariah Stone (2024)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Prequel novella of the Dukes and Secrets series. Emma is in a terrible marriage with a baronet who is much older and cruel and definitely did not deliver on the financial assistance that her parents needed when she married him. And in the course of traveling through the countryside, he’s had enough of her insolence, so he dresses them both up as pig farmers and sells her in the square in a wife auction. Sebastian happens to be there with his friends and decides to rescue her. He conveniently needs a wife to deter his mother from setting him up with a proper lady and a farmer’s wife is the perfect revenge. Except that Emma is actually a gently bred lady and just doesn’t tell him so. Sebastian is shocked by how well she cleans up and attempts to seduce her on the daily, but she refuses him. Until she doesn’t. This was a relatively quick low-angst romance, with just the right amount of drama and villainy to keep things interesting.

Ebook accessed from Kindle Unlimited.