Narrated by Beverley A. Crick
Minerva Hepplewhite is a survivor.
After receiving a surprise monetary gift from a mysterious benefactor, Minerva – née Margaret – Finley fled her horrific, abusive marriage. She sued for divorce but feared her estranged husband would somehow force her to return to their home. When he winds up dead under mysterious circumstances not far from where she’s in hiding, local investigators suspect she killed him. But with no evidence to prove her guilt (or innocence), she’s permitted to leave. Margaret and her companions (a servant and her son) quickly depart their hideaway in Dorset and re-settle in London.
When Heiress for Hire begins, Minerva has reinvented herself with help from Beth, her servant (and a mother figure of sorts), and Beth’s son, Jeremy. Worried about their rapidly dwindling funds, Minerva has decided to start a discreet detective business after discovering a knack for conducting discreet investigations. Her first case involves discovering the identity of the intruder currently lying unconscious (because Beth knocked him out) on her floor. When the intruder wakes up and demands she untie him, Minerva relents and then is shocked when he introduces himself and explains why he’s in her home.
Chase Radnor, former soldier, now private inquiry agent and nephew of the late Duke of Hollinburgh, isn’t sure what to think of Minerva Hepplewhite, the woman aiming a pistol at him across the room. When his uncle died under suspicious circumstances and left the bulk of his fortune to three women who don’t appear to have any connection to him, Chase set out to find them. Minerva is the first he’s managed to locate. Chase doesn’t believe his uncle’s death was an accident, and suspects Ms. Hepplewhite might have killed him. Aside from discovering she was widowed and subsequently changed her name, he knows very little about the lovely woman glaring at him. But her obviously genuine surprise at the bequest, and laughing dismissal of his suspicions about her relationship to the late duke – Friend? Retainer? Mistress? – give him pause.
Heiress for Hire initially sets Chase and Minerva as enemies. Chase suspects someone killed his uncle, and since he knows nothing about Minerva, she’s his number one suspect. Except he doesn’t think she’s responsible, and there are others – including a cousin – who could also be guilty. Chase intends to find the other two mysterious women, but in the meantime, he investigates the circumstances of his uncle’s death. Minerva, who has much to lose if Chase were to uncover her past and her husband’s sudden (and convenient) death, launches her own investigation. These two keep turning up in each other’s paths, and their antagonistic relationship soon gives way to admiration, friendship, lust, and…. MORE, FRIENDS! LOTS MORE.
The evolving relationship between Chase and Minerva is an absolute JOY to witness. He’s a thoughtful, gentle, scarred former soldier struggling with the events that led to the end of his military career; she’s a fighter who survived horrific mental and physical abuse, and is determined to be master of her own fate moving forward. They have delicious chemistry and Hunter does a marvelous job developing these characters both as individuals and as a romantic couple. The author deftly handles Minerva’s early marriage and its damaging effects on her physical and emotional health. Chase is careful to respect Minerva’s boundaries, even when he only suspects the trauma of her past, and Minerva’s growing sense of wonder and happiness at her body and its ability to receive and give pleasure are lovely. I just wanted more of them together on every single page – bickering, talking, flirting, teasing – and I was annoyed every time we segued away from them to advance all the other parallel plot threads. Chase and Minerva light up every scene in which they appear. Fortunately, the secondary characters are also well-developed, and I was intrigued by most of them, too.
Meanwhile, Hunter has lots of other plot threads she successfully strings out as Chase and Minerva slowly fall in love. What actually happened to the duke? Was he murdered? And if so, who killed him? Why did the duke leave a fortune to Minerva? Who are the other women named in the will? What happened to Chase when he was in the military? Who killed Algernon Finley? Who gave Margaret the money to run away? The author does a wonderful job stringing all of these disparate threads together until they coalesce in the final chapters of the book, and we get answers to most of these questions. The revelations are satisfying and in keeping with the tone and mood of this gem of a novel.
Beverley A. Crick is a new-to-me narrator, and I liked her performance for the most part. Her portrayal of Minerva is an excellent combination of strong and vulnerable, and I particularly enjoyed when she took Chase to task – early and often – especially when they’re first getting to know one another. I was less enthusiastic about her portrayal of Chase, unfortunately. I think Crick tried to imbue this character with a sense of gravitas and dry sense of humor, but he often sounded bored and even sleepy, and a tad too smug (in bed). The performance lacks nuance and her interpretation of Chase is sort of meh; it’s a disappointing rendition of a compelling and appealing character. Ms. Crick does better work with Beth and Jeremy, two important secondary characters who come vividly to life via her excellent narration.
Heiress for Hire is a terrific introduction to A Duke’s Heiress Romance series. I’m intrigued by the premise and storytelling possibilities and looking forward to meeting the other so-far-unknown heiresses. Beverley A. Crick does a mostly good job bringing the story to life in audio, and I’m looking forward to listening to her perform the rest of the series.
Em
Buy Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter on Amazon
This looks promising! I know I’ve listened to Beverly A. Crick before, but I can’t remember where. However, I remember it was a positive experience. Thanks for the review!