Lost and Found by the Duke

by Andie James

As she found herself again, he found he couldn't resist her

Recently widowed after an unhappy marriage, Lady Grace Harcourt is determined to make her own way in the world and never marry again. Entering society for the first time as she was married before her debut, she needs to make a good impression and secure herself placement as a companion or governess.

Henry Ellison, Duke of Carrington, is trying to learn his new responsibilities after inheriting a title he never thought would be his. While avoiding title hunting debutantes and mothers, he is adjusting to his new life and trying to find a place in society where he is now one of the most influential men in the ton.

Meeting at the house party of a common friend when Grace unexpectedly needs Henry's help, he believes they could be the solution to each other’s problems if he can persuade her to marry him. Undeniably attracted to one another, can they make a marriage of convenience work between them when neither is sure of their place in polite society?

Lost and Found by the Duke is the first book in the exciting new regency historical romance series, the Reluctant Lords. While part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel.

Content Attempted assault, and discussion of past neglect, grief

Genres: Historical Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Historical

330 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2023

About the author

Andie writes historical romance andis the host of First Encounter—a podcast exploring both the foundations, and the future, of historical romance. She lives happily in the Pacific Northwest and loves a good story in any form (book, TV, movie, stage), games with friends, good food, and coffee.

Reviews

[Gloria]

No rating because I’m DNF’ing at 9%, bored with the pedantic writing, stock characters, and lack of anything that feels fresh or interesting.

[Kaarin Praxel Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun debut novel from a local author (and a Lute)! Good balance of classic regency era drama and progressive politics, my cup of tea!

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: death of a spouse (in the past), probably other stuff that I don't remember because my brain is soup

This was cute as hell. The dynamic between the two leads was charming. The way it develops from a marriage of convenience to actual feelings and love was a joy. I really enjoyed the secondary characters and I'll definitely be looking out for more books by James in the future!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a most amazing story and very entertaining from the first page to the last. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Thank you Andie James for a wonderful, joyful, and happy read!

[Alexandra G · Rating 4 out of 5]

As she found herself again, he found he couldn't resist her...

Grace is a widowed countess who was ignored and belittled in her first marriage; a marriage forced upon her by her guardian cousin. She can’t stay with her in-laws, nor can she return home, and so she finds herself at her long-lost best friend’s house party in hopes of finding a position as a companion.
Henry is a military man who never expected enough men in his family would perish for him to become the duke, and now he’s struggling to find his footing, leaning heavily on his grieving aunt for guidance. He reluctantly agreed to attend his best friend’s house party knowing it’s a deathtrap for a single duke.

This was a debut novel with the usual struggles of a firstborn – but really, the only thing that matters for me with a debut is: do I want to read the next book? And the answer is yes!

I liked this couple and their story, that it wasn’t overcrowded or chaotic, and that they kept talking even when things got hard. I loved how all the loose ends were tied up nicely by the end, and I admire Grace’s attitude towards life and love. Her first marriage was a disaster, so her hesitance makes sense, but, in the end, she understood and forgave – her husband, not his vile family. She stands up for her beliefs, and Henry stands by her, giving her the space and confidence to rediscover her own voice. He’s a good man; sensible, honourable, and uncomfortable in his new role, overwhelmed by its power – so of course he messes up, but he’s excellent at endearing grovel.
I really enjoyed his aunt’s arc from spiteful shrew to fairy godmother; that twist took me by surprise, but a real nice one.

I think this was a lovely and engaging kisses only romance, and I’ll be reading the next books in this series sometime soon!

[Hopelessly seeking Happily Ever Afters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry and Grace

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Lost and Found by the Duke by Andie James. The Reluctant Lords, book one. KU borrow. Dual POV. Regency romance, marriage of convenience. Lovely book cover. Content warnings: political agenda; FMC's father died when she was eighteen; MMC's entire male line has died; FMC was sexually assaulted by her best friend's brother and no one told her best friend; FMC was her first husband's beard; FMC's first husband was murdered; MM couple caught in a clinch; FMC was undermined in her own home.

1819, England

Lady Grace Harcourt (25) met and married Henry Ellison (36), the fifth Duke of Carrington, within a week. Their relationship rapidly developed after his friend recommended marriage as a way to stave off the unwanted advances of women seeking to become his duchess and find a helpmate for his new position as a duke. The story was good, but I felt preached to about feminism and the negative impact of classism. PT

Thanks for the rec: threads.net/@andiejamesauthor (06-25-25).

1.5 out of 5 on my spice scale.

1st read 06-28-25.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book. The characters were interesting and the plot was well done.

Amazon synopsis:
Recently widowed after an unhappy marriage, Lady Grace Harcourt is determined to make her own way in the world and never marry again. Entering society for the first time as she was married before her debut, she needs to make a good impression and secure herself placement as a companion or governess.

Henry Ellison, Duke of Carrington, is trying to learn his new responsibilities after inheriting a title he never thought would be his. While avoiding title hunting debutantes and mothers, he is adjusting to his new life and trying to find a place in society where he is now one of the most influential men in the ton.

Meeting at the house party of a common friend when Grace unexpectedly needs Henry's help, he believes they could be the solution to each other’s problems if he can persuade her to marry him. Undeniably attracted to one another, can they make a marriage of convenience work between them when neither is sure of their place in polite society?

[Lindsay Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight of a histrom debut! Grace and Henry are a well matched couple though they come from different positions within the aristocracy. The question of privilege and influence is addressed throughout, subtly challenged by the FMC as she steps into her role as duchess in a new household. This is a marriage of convenience story with very cozy romance vibes. I binged it over a 24 hour span, such an easy read—which I mean as a high compliment! There are two more books in this series and I plan to gobble them up just the same.

[Melody Tregear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content warning.
I enjoyed this story at first. I like the MC's. I liked that the marriage took place earlier in the story and then it continued their journey. What I didn't enjoy was 1. how the author skids close to spicy. There are no explicit sex scenes but it comes close. 2. The lgbtq content. That is not something I want to read about and do my best to avoid books that contain that.
I wish Amazon would make it mandatory for authors to be more clear about content. It is such a pity because this story was good in so many other ways.

[Salpy KS]

This one just wasn’t grabbing me and something about the sentence structure was not working for me

[Beverly Crowley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was good but because of my religious beliefs, I can't recommend this book.

[Jessica Mahoney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light. Cute. Easy read. It was a bit vanilla for my taste but I enjoyed the time period and for those looking for very little spice, this fits.

[Maria]

DNF at 12%. I’m emotionally disconnected from these characters and editing the writing in my head, so I’m letting go.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda boring

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it: realistic, believable characters, interesting story line, a good read.

[Sarah]

DNF, unfortunately.

[Mindy B (reader_of_the_lost_arcs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a certain kind of writing that I really enjoy that provides a very cozy, warm feeling, kind of like a warm hug. For a lack of better term, I think of it as "gentle writing." It just makes you *feel good.* You just know that you are going to be OK, the characters are GOOD people and they are going to be OK, it's all going to work out, just sit back and drink your favorite beverage and no matter what is actually going on in real life, this author has your back. Andie James has been added to my list of gentle writing authors: Mary Balogh, Grace Burrowes, Jackie North, Margaret Frazer and Ellis Peters.

As for the story: Grace and Henry are two very likable, kind hearted and generous people who both have insecurities. Grace has just been treated horribly in the past by her former husband and his family and doesn't even know who she is anymore as a person.

Henry has been going down a path in life that he thought he had figured out and now everything has been turned on it's head.

Both are lost and floundering. By pure chance they meet at a friend's party. Both are drawn to each other and tentatively begin to think that they can help each other out by a marriage of convenience. A little seed of hope starts to bloom. Maybe it can be more than just convenience. Along the way they realize just how much stronger and better they are when they are together. All while being very socially-justiced-positive (sorry for the made up term) in a time period when it might have been easier (for them) to be the opposite.