The Lady and the Secret Lord

by Kate Moore

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In 1835 London, two stubborn souls from separate worlds clash and collide to find a missing child. When a threatening message warns Lady Phoebe Marchmont to stop searching for her missing younger brother, the Earl of Grafton, she rebels. Donning a disguise that permits her to move freely about London despite her youth and station, she entreats one of Scotland Yard’s secret detectives to assist her—but she wants to be involved with the investigation. Former beat cop Robin Jones jumps at the chance to work a case that could prove him worthy to join the ranks of a secret group preparing to be Scotland Yard detectives. But finding the missing earl threatens to expose Robin’s youth as a troubled street urchin when he was one of the Duke of Wenlocke’s lost boys. Of the seven, he was the only one who refused help to find his family. Now Robin must face his past to help the determined and witty Lady Phoebe find her brother. The search moves from vibrant, decadent Soho to glittering ballrooms, peeling away their disguises and opening their hearts.

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Subgenre

Regency Historical Romance

Series

The Duke's Men • Book 3

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

February 4, 2025

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

About the Author

Kate taught English Literature to generations of high school students, who are now her Facebook friends, while she not-so-secretly penned Romances. In Kate’s stories an undeniable mutual attraction brings honorable, edgy loners and warm, practical women into a circle of love in Regency England or contemporary California. A Golden Heart, Golden Crown, and Book Buyers Best award winner and three-time RITA finalist, Kate lives north of San Francisco with her surfer husband, their yellow Lab, toys for visiting grandkids, and miles of crowded bookshelves.

A regency mystery full of intrigue and some romance

The Lady and the Secret Lord is the third book in The Duke’s Men series by Kate Moore, continuing to be well written. Kate Moore has an impressive knowledge of the era, and her books are both immersive and educational of the era. Where this book shines is the unfolding mystery as the protagonists search for the missing Earl.The story also includes a romance which is clean and enjoyable, though it felt secondary to the central plot. I enjoyed the wholesome nature of the protagonists' interactions, and seeing how they supported and worked well together. I appreciate the integrity and honor of the relatable main characters.Though the ending is happy, I found a few parts of the last few pages to be a bit unsatisfying. For example, the main villain was not brought to justice, while the secondary villain is discussed as more of a victim rather than a perpetrator. Additionally, because the romance seemed secondary, I felt the protagonist’s relationship moved too quickly at the end, and I didn’t fully believe their feelings. For these reasons, I would drop the star rating to about a 4.5, rounding up to a 5.Overall, The Lady and the Secret Lord was an enjoyable read that I would recommend. The author has an impressive knowledge of the era and creates well crafted and interesting scenes. The mystery is my favorite part of the story, while the romance was enjoyable but not as prominent as I hoped. Even still, I was glad to have read the story and I’m looking forward to more by the author.

An excellent historical romance with mystery.

Probably 4.5 stars because I did feel I was missing something by not having read previous books in the series.Lady Phoebe Marchmont has been searching for her young brother who is the heir to the Earldom. He went missing a year ago and despite hiring a bow street runner, there has been no result.Then a message is brought to Phoebe telling her not to keep searching as it is too dangerous.This brings fresh hope to Phoebe as it indicates her brother is alive. But it also suggests that someone close to Phoebe is a danger to her brother.Approaching Scotland Yard, Robin Jones is appointed to take on the case. Robin belongs to a small group being trained to be detectives and he is not impressed with the task initially. He is extremely suspicious of the clearly disguised Mrs Kendall who seems to want to be far too active in detecting.The romance between Phoebe and Robin progresses slowly, side by side with the mystery which brings them together and develops a level of trust and respect. The conflict between their different status in society is hinted at being redundant as we learn more about Robin's background and connections to the Duke mentioned in the series title.I really enjoyed the story and while the premise of the "lost boys" with the strong flavour of Oliver Twist's Fagan but with noble blood has been done before to good effect and about the same level of believability, this is a worthy addition to the genre.I am keen to go back and read the first books in the series and will look out for further ones.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

An outstanding book

This book deserves a good round of applause.Kate Moore, I have no idea what you put in this book, but it had me hooked from the very first chapters.I couldn’t put the book down, the story was that good and intriguing.The plot and setting roped me in from the start.The characters were unique, everyone having their own personality and being interesting in their own way.Our two main characters were golden.The moment lady Phoebe Marchmont and Robin Jones were introduced, I knew I would love them - and I sure did a whole lot.From their very first encounter the tension was high, and the connection was there.It was refreshing to see their relationship evolve and watch their connection get stronger.I wouldn’t have complained if we had gotten even more scenes with them in close proximity👀Nonetheless, a book that had me glued to it from the very start, all the way to the end.An extremely unique, suspenseful, and intriguing story, that I’m sure I won’t be forgetting anytime soon!An amazing job on this story by Kate Moore! I’m excited to see what else is waiting for us in her future books!I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love the entire series. This is a great ending.

I love the first three books in this series when I read them years ago and have reread them all. I love the characters and the inventive plots. I was surprised when this Trilogy started and I wish there could be but really each of the boys can't be part of the aristocracy. I think this is the best series of all of Kate Moore's books. Definitely worth reading