The Duke Starts a Scandal: A Novel

Written by Sophie Jordan

Narrated by Karen Cass

A gentleman never dallies with the help, but the new Duke of Penning is no gentleman in this steamy fourth and final book in The Duke Hunt series by New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan. 

A duke with secrets. 

Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove— to himself, his family and the ton. Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his eyes—and thoughts—off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he's constructed to protect his sisters' future from the demons of his past...but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist. While Susanna may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires. 

 A woman with a past.

As the housekeeper to one of the grandest estates in England, Susanna Lockhart has worked determinedly to become all that is proper and efficient, and she never steps over the line. Romance is an indulgence for the upper class, not for her—and most especially not with her employer. But every smoldering glance from the surly, handsome duke calls to the long-buried reckless wanton inside Susanna. A love between them can never be, but will Lucian and Susanna risk being together…

Even if it starts a scandal... 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063035775

Sophie Jordan

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 fifty 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 streaming anything that has a happily ever after.

Reviews for The Duke Starts a Scandal

[Rachel Yoder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my second book by Sophie Jordan. I enjoyed the first book I checked out from her called While the Duke was Sleeping. This book started a bit slow for me, but definitely got more interesting after the first 1/3 to half of the book. despite the slow start, I did feel like the story was inventive and interesting. I did wonder how the marriage of a duke to a housekeeper would be perceived in that era, which wasn’t fully explored towards the end, nevertheless, it was an interesting story with some twists that I didn’t anticipate. The only other criticism I had for this book was, there was a section explaining that the when the Duke was younger, he took to prostitution with women at age 10. Some of the surrounding information regarding that seemed pretty off, such as saying that he was strapping at 10 and I felt that the author went into that period of his life a little more than for my liking. I did have the thought that this book would make a good movie however, in the movie, I would definitely make him closer to “of age” when he needed to support his family through prostitution, rather than making it a story of child rape essentially. Keep in mind this was just one segment of the book so it didn’t quite over shadow it, but that section did drag out for more of the book then I would have liked.