The Duke Goes Down (Duke Hunt Series #1)

by Sophie Jordan

Overview

AMAZON BEST ROMANCE PICK IN AUGUST

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan begins the all new The Duke Hunt series with the illegitimate son of a duke who meets his match in the daring daughter of a vicar. 

The Bastard Rogue...  

Peregrine Butler’s privileged blue-blooded world is rocked to the core when it is revealed he was born before his parents’ marriage and therefore is not the legal heir to the dukedom. Facing ruin, Perry must use his charm and good looks to win an heiress—all the while ignoring his fascination with the one interfering and alluring chit who is intent on sabotaging his efforts.  

The Lady Vicar...  

Everyone knows Imogen Bates, the virtuous daughter of the senile vicar. She can write a sermon in a day and spot a rogue in a second, so she sees right through Perry’s seductive façade. But Imogen’s plan to protect the heiresses of her beloved Shropshire from the erstwhile Duke of Penning, the bane of her existence since childhood, soon turns into something altogether unacceptable for the proper lady … who suddenly finds herself longing to keep his heated glances and tempting kisses all to herself.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063035638
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/27/2021
Series:	Duke Hunt Series , #1
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	91,959
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than thirty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with anything that has a happily ever after.  

Editorial Reviews

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)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

A steamy romance full of surprises.” 

Fresh Fiction on The Virgin and the Rogue

A steamy romance full of surprises.” 

null Fresh Fiction on The Virgin and the Rogue

Deliciously sexy!” 

Sarah MacLean

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

"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.”  %COMM_CONTRIB%Jodi Picoult

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.

Kirkus Reviews