For when you're vibing with... Heroes that wear glasses (just like a daddy would), madcap hijinks, ridiculous sexual tension, a bit of traveling in your historicals, and Secret Secrets.

Meg is on a what you could consider the historical romance of a girl's trip, a finding herself moment, except she's traveling in the company of two spinster aunts (compliment, love them) who are on a mission to steal the best recipes in Europe. They're hitting the continent throughout the summer before Meg is officially on the shelf after two unsuccessful Seasons.

Mid-recipe-theft, however, she's discovered by the owner of said recipe--a hot, bespectacled, Stern Brunch Daddy duke who finds her infuriating (but delightful and a real boner popper, obviously). And after a family heirloom (a bejewled Arthurian recipe book, yes, what about it?) goes missing, Lucien assumes that Meg is the culprit, leading to a pursuit throughout Europe, heavy flirting, maybe a little bit of tomfoolery, and like... Mistakes are made on the part of our dear Meg. And Lucien, obviously. It takes two to tango. Look at that official summary REAL GOOD if you didn't read How to Steal A Scoundrel's Heart (and you should read that book, it's another 5/5 read).

So this book is DELIGHTFUL. And swoonily romantic. And actually? Very sexy. Quite hot. It has the flavor of an old school romance, this one--which, actually, so did How to Steal A Scoundrel's Heart. There are certainly some bananas thrown around in this one, and I was incredibly happy to see them. If you think that things like wild family secrets and mustache-twirling villainy (I personally found this villain quite fun, but oh is the reveal wonderfully camp) and... a lot of withhold truths, shall we say, are annoying? Then this might be too much for you.

For a reader like me, who wants to like, hold a book to her chest and go "oh my goooood" and laugh and feel all twitterpatted over how hot a hero is--this is pretty much a flawless book.

Quick Takes:
--Meg and Lucien are basically flaw-free leads for me. I already loved Meg based off her introduction as the Fun Flighty Little Sister of Brandon, The Wrong Marquess's hero (who makes appearances here, is generally quite fun, and is a great hero in his own right, go read that book too). This book made her learn a lot in a short amount of time, and her development is quite excellent. She really becomes a woman... in every sense... throughout this novel. Her journey to understanding what a cannoli is supposed to reference? What the filling of a cannoli is supposed to reference? True brilliance, we stan a queen who missed out on Sex Ed.

--Lucien, her hero? Also perfect. Every now and then, I forget that I actually do like a nerdy hero. As long as he isn't a big fuckin' dork. There's a difference between a nerdy hero and a dorky hero, and Lucien is the former. He wears glasses (probably like, 10 pairs throughout the course of this book because he's always breaking them, sometimes during attempted ravishings). He's super intense about his family's Arthurian history, even if he doesn't really believe in magic or fate or bullshit like that (his reasons are appropriately tragic). He spends a ridiculous amount of time trying to work on ancient recipes, gets hard when he meets Meg, goes "THE RECIPE MUST BE WORKING" then realizes, nah, she's just super hot. But also? Uhhhhh Lucien can put it DOWN. In many ways, if I were to compare him to a dude on TV, I'd compare him to Tom Hughes's version of Prince Albert in ITV's Victoria. Like, he's a fuckin' nerd, but you know he 's like, got a 6 page diagram of the vagina, pussy, and g-spot, and he gets off on making women weep with pleasure or some shit. In other words, he puts his nerdacity to good use.

--This book is fucking BOLD. I feel like a lot of new historical romances, perhaps by some fresher authors, have kind of followed the romcom lens many contemporary books have taken. (And don't get me wrong, this book is funnier than like... most contemporary romcoms.) While this novel never really felt overly heavy, it fully embraced being an adventure and featuring a lot of plot. In fact, the plot takes a hard left turn at the halfway point--for me, it was totally cohesive and seamless and I loved it. I felt like I got a little bit of everything in one love story.

--A great supporting cast! We see the heroines of the four previous books all show up again with their men. We get the aunts, who I personally loved, from The Wrong Marquess. We see again how much Meg is loved and supported by Brandon and Ellie, which is really lovely. It's all there!

--The heat and chemistry in this book was perfect. Vivienne Lorret is, to me, an author who's great at infusing her books with a lot of heat even when the characters aren't having sex. Every touch, every moment in the lead-up, the back and forth of Lucien and Meg... It's delicious.

The Sex Stuff:
Having read all the Mating Habits of Scoundrels books, I feel like Vivienne Lorret absolutely upped her game on the sex scenes over time. This one... keeps up with that trend. It's delightfully hot, and the sex scenes really fit the characters, with an edge of humor throughout. If you have a daddy kink, if you like glasses on a man--you're gonna love this shit. The irate fingerbanging? Be still my heart.

I'm trying to hold back on discussing the hook of this book, though it is fairly easy to guess. And I know that it's a hard sell for some readers, and seems very old school to others. But as someone who loves it when it's done right... This book does it right.

This was easily one of the most fun reads I've had in a while--and I can't wait for what Vivienne does next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Without fail, Vivienne Lorret continues to write books that I’m blown away by. The characters live in my head rent-free, always. I want to live in the worlds she creates, because that’s what it feels like-a real place with real people who happen to be your best friends.

Never Seduce a Duke is the last of the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. Meg is ready to put herself on the shelf after the man she thought she’d marry, marries someone else. Before that, though, she and the two elderly aunts (who are seriously the best, check out the rest of the series for more) take a holiday to Europe. Meg decides to have one Grand Holiday Flirtation to remember in her dotage, and who better than the prickly, stubborn, analytical Duke of Merleton. Lucien has spent his life studying his family heirloom: a book of recipes said to date back to King Arthur’s court, whose dishes grant magical properties. When the book is stolen by the mysterious Lady Avalon the very day he meets Meg, he is convinced she is the culprit and that the best way to recover his property is to steal into her confidence.

Lorret does such a great job of making these characters real; in the hands of a lesser author Lucien could have easily been dry and pedantic, but here he is rich with layers. The way Meg stands up for herself and her beliefs feels so strong and yet also vulnerable. The pacing could easily have been thrown off but felt just right.

I loved this book, and this whole series. Lorret has been an auto-buy author for me for a long time, and I’ve never been disappointed.