The Duke Heist
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4.2 • 36 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A woman accidentally kidnaps a duke in this fabulous Regency romp that Bridgerton author Julia Quinn hails as a "delight."
Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she's ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she's the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she'll also abduct a handsome duke.
Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father's mistakes. To repair his estate's ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family's legacy to follow true love?
"Erica Ridley's love stories are warm, witty and irresistible. I want to be a Wynchester!" —Eloisa James
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2021
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A long con turns to longing in this outrageously fun historical romance. We love an unconventional heroine—and Chloe Wynchester fits that bill to a tee. Adopted by an eccentric nobleman, Chloe and her siblings have developed a unique skill set that includes forgery, pickpocketing, and disguises, which lets them act as benevolent vigilantes protecting those who can’t help themselves. Chloe’s latest con tangles her up with the Duke of Faircliffe—a man struggling with his own role in polite society—and she quickly realizes that the sparks between her and her mark are very real. The Duke Heist reminds us of crime-caper movies like Ocean’s 8. The first book in a new series by Erica Ridley, it’s a refreshing change of pace for Regency fans who are sick of being stuck in ballrooms.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With this entrancing Regency, Ridley (Forever Your Duke) introduces the Wild Wynchesters series, named for a found family of six orphans each with a useful if disreputable talent who were long ago adopted by the late Baron Vanderbean and now live together as adult vigilantes on the fringes of London's polite society. Chloe Wynchester, an accomplished pickpocket able to blend into any setting, is determined to recover a painting stolen from her family by the late Duke of Faircliffe. When she learns that Lawrence Gosling the new duke, who hopes to marry into the money needed to restore his family's honor plans to give the painting to his intended, Chloe infiltrates the woman's social circle to steal it back. But things don't go to plan: the painting is a fake, and Chloe inadvertently abducts Lawrence, thinking his carriage is her getaway vehicle. Lawrence agrees to owe Chloe a favor if she promises not to tarnish his reputation by revealing that they were alone together, and Chloe uses his gratitude to continue hunting for the missing painting but soon learns that behind Lawrence's stuffy fa ade is a man just as intelligent, passionate, and delightfully silly as she is. Their affecting romance is grounded in push and pull, but the real star of the show is the love the Wynchesters have for one another. This lighthearted paean to shunning respectability is a knockout.
Customer Reviews
Delightful New Series
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley is the first book in what looks to be a delightful new series The Wild Wynchesters. Except for her family, most people tend not to notice Chloe Wynchester which makes her the ideal person to retrieve a family heirloom that was stolen, until she accidentally kidnaps Lawrence Gosling, Duke of Faircliffe in the process. He definitely notices her then.
A very lonely Duke who needs to marry for money meets the most intriguing and exhilarating woman who has everything he’s ever wanted except perhaps the money means that he must chose between love and preserving his families legacy. This is a lighthearted fun romp of a book and I highly recommend reading it. Nice balance of angst, humour and steam. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: February 9, 2021. #TheDukeHeist #EricaRidley #HistoricalRomance #NetGalley #RomanceSeries #ForeverGrandCentral #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
Fun & relevant
Lots of humour & creativity. Fun dialogue
I loved this book wholeheartedly
I loved this book wholeheartedly. From my own experience, I recommend keeping the tissues handy, because my tender heart turned into a weepy, bawling mess over this story. It was so easy for me to connect with Chloe and her desire to be seen for herself. My heart broke for Lawrence and every ounce of his personal happiness he was prepared to sacrifice to do what was best for his people. This pair have so much in common even though they’re coming at the problem from different directions. The story sucked me in and kept me reading. And the biggest force behind that was how badly I needed to know how the author was going to get them to the ending I so desperately wanted them to have.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through Netgalley.