Napoleon’s war has ended, and English captives detained for years in a French fortress are finally released. Returning to a London he no longer recognizes, and facing astonishing changes in his own family, Lord Jonathan Leighton learns he has inherited a dukedom. But the new nobleman carries the guilt of having wronged his late mentor. Now, he vows to fulfill his promise to find a suitable match for the man’s daughter, Victoria—even if it takes offering a nonexistent dowry to spark her interest in matrimony . . .

Sharp-witted Victoria would just as soon sculpt the Greek god who has come to take charge of her future. In fact, she has her sights set on founding a school for women artists. As Jonathan matches wits with the talented beauty, revelations from his past—and their connection to her father’s demise—threaten to unveil both of their closely held secrets and thrust them into a danger they can only escape together.

Titles in the Lords of Hazard series include:  Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart ~ Nearly A Bride ~ 

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart
Series:  Lords of Hazard #1
Author:  Sabrina Jeffries
Published:  April 29, 2025
Publisher:  Kensington Books
My Rating:  4 stars

Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart was an interesting story as it brought forth parts of the time period that we don’t often see, such as how the English nationals were held hostage in France. It also showed a realistic (for the time) portrayal of Tori’s brother, a character written with compassion and a favorite of mine in this story. Tori’s passion is sculpting, again, something no woman of the ton would carve out for herself as a career, yet her sculpting leads to another passion, far beyond her dreams… or so she thought until Jon mentions an inheritance from her father (Jon’s mentor and fellow prisoner).

Everything she desires is within her reach. Until one little white lie blossoms beyond “little”, her dreams may not be as near as she’d hoped, unless she and Jon answer one question without doubt…do you love me, for me and no other reason. The right answer will change the lives of two very stubborn people.

I enjoyed Hazardous to a Duke’s Heart, which begins the Lords of Hazard series, very much. It’s a well-written story from an author I’ve come to trust to provide a good, realistic, love-filled romance. If you love a Regency Romance with a few subjects that we don’t often see, then you’d love this one.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author’s publishing house and/or NetGalley, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

**This review was written while I was battling to get my website back from thieves.  It was posted on the usual retail sites, but I’m posting it now on HappilyEverAfterRomance to maintain continuity of the series on my own website, since the second title, Nearly a Bride, has just been released.**

This title is available at Amazon