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The Lord's Maddening Miss: An Opposites Attract Military Historical Romance
Four soldiers face their greatest battle yet—in the Regency marriage mart! Don’t miss the final installment of A Season to Wed.
A sunny Miss, a scowling bachelor
A recipe for disaster…or romance?
Since returning from Waterloo, Lord Hawksmere has been a bad-tempered recluse. Having sworn never to burden a wife with his dour disposition, Hawk plans to spend the season helping his impoverished sister. But her annoyingly cheerful friend Miss Maggie Mackenzie is a distinct distraction!
Whisky heiress Maggie prefers brewing alcohol to being wooed. Or that’s what she tells herself from her place on the shelf! Hawk is imposing, interfering, yet, as their heated animosity melts into something even hotter, will the self-proclaimed spinster admit he’s also infuriatingly attractive?
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
A Season to Wed
Book 1: Only an Heiress Will Do by Virginia Heath
Book 2: The Viscount's Forbidden Flirtation by Sarah Rodi
Book 3: Their Second Chance Season by Ella Matthews
Book 4: The Lord's Maddening Miss by Lucy Morris
A sunny Miss, a scowling bachelor
A recipe for disaster…or romance?
Since returning from Waterloo, Lord Hawksmere has been a bad-tempered recluse. Having sworn never to burden a wife with his dour disposition, Hawk plans to spend the season helping his impoverished sister. But her annoyingly cheerful friend Miss Maggie Mackenzie is a distinct distraction!
Whisky heiress Maggie prefers brewing alcohol to being wooed. Or that’s what she tells herself from her place on the shelf! Hawk is imposing, interfering, yet, as their heated animosity melts into something even hotter, will the self-proclaimed spinster admit he’s also infuriatingly attractive?
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
A Season to Wed
Book 1: Only an Heiress Will Do by Virginia Heath
Book 2: The Viscount's Forbidden Flirtation by Sarah Rodi
Book 3: Their Second Chance Season by Ella Matthews
Book 4: The Lord's Maddening Miss by Lucy Morris
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published May 27, 2025
About the author
Lucy Morris
26 books72 followersLucy Morris has always been obsessed with myths and legends. Her books blend sweeping romance with vivid worldbuilding to whisk you away to another time and place filled with adventure. Expect passion, drama, and vibrant characters.
Lucy lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves Terry's chocolate oranges and Irn-Bru. In her spare time, she likes to explore castles with her family, or drink bubbly with her friends.
A member of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association. In 2020 she was delighted to accept a two-book deal with Harlequin after submitting her story to the Warriors Wanted submission blitz for Viking, Medieval, and Highlander romances.
She hasn't looked back since.
Writing for Harlequin Historical is a dream come true for her and she hopes you enjoy her books!
Lucy lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves Terry's chocolate oranges and Irn-Bru. In her spare time, she likes to explore castles with her family, or drink bubbly with her friends.
A member of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association. In 2020 she was delighted to accept a two-book deal with Harlequin after submitting her story to the Warriors Wanted submission blitz for Viking, Medieval, and Highlander romances.
She hasn't looked back since.
Writing for Harlequin Historical is a dream come true for her and she hopes you enjoy her books!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 13, 2025
Penelope coded. If she was Scottish.
September 14, 2025
Lucy Morris is one of my favorite Viking romance authors, so when I saw she was collaborating with three of my other favorite historical romance authors on a Regency romance series, I was all over it. I have loved the whole A Season to Wed series, and The Lord's Maddening Miss was no exception. Thanks so much to the author for gifting me a copy!
Lord Hawksmere—better known as Hawk—has returned to England after six brutal years fighting Napoleon alongside his three closest friends. But peace brings little relief. He comes home to find his older brother and brother-in-law dead, his sister Cleo heartsick, her four unruly sons running wild, and the family finances in shambles.
Determined to untangle the disaster his brother-in-law left behind so he can focus on supporting Cleo and the boys, Hawk puts all his energy into righting his family's financial ship. But at a ball with his friends, he clashes with Cleo’s dearest friend, Maggie Mackenzie, who wrongly assumes Hawk has neglected his sister. Unaware that Cleo has hidden the truth about her husband’s financial misdeeds, Maggie is determined to hold Hawk accountable. Instead of an adversary, Hawk comes to see in Maggie a partner who can help unravel the mystery behind the missing money. But the more time he spends with her, the stronger his attraction grows—and marriage is the one commitment Hawk vowed never to make.
Lucy Morris is the genius behind Viking romances like A Nun for the Viking Warrior and Wedding Night with Her Viking Enemy. If there is one thing she knows how to do, it’s write a romance plot with strong external conflict. In this case, we have a man clearly in over his head after two deaths in his family. Hawk's brother-in-law was a piece of trash who lied to everyone, manipulated his wife until she didn’t question his most outrageous requests, and stole from anywhere he could. Hawk has to deal not only with the financial fallout, but also with his sister, who is still in deep mourning more than a year after her husband’s death. She refuses to engage with society and has withdrawn from all but the most basic interactions with her children. Lucy Morris effectively leverages Cleo's grief and the mystery of the missing money to create a fast-paced plot in a book that doesn’t rely on heavy romantic angst.
We all know I love a Napoleonic War hero. What’s great about this book is how it overlaps with the other three in the series. We see several events from the earlier novels here, including moments between Hawk and his best friends, just from Hawk and Maggie's perspectives. And the epilogue is really a series epilogue, reuniting the our four war heroes and their heroines from all the books and showing them years later.
If you're a big Penelope Featherington fan—specifically the TV show version, not necessarily the book—you'll love Maggie. She's a curvy redhead with a secret career as a whisky distiller and smuggler. You'll enjoy her confidence in her abilities and her loyalty to her friends.
This was great. I read it in three hours without looking up—a fitting end to a series I've really enjoyed. Five stars.
Lord Hawksmere—better known as Hawk—has returned to England after six brutal years fighting Napoleon alongside his three closest friends. But peace brings little relief. He comes home to find his older brother and brother-in-law dead, his sister Cleo heartsick, her four unruly sons running wild, and the family finances in shambles.
Determined to untangle the disaster his brother-in-law left behind so he can focus on supporting Cleo and the boys, Hawk puts all his energy into righting his family's financial ship. But at a ball with his friends, he clashes with Cleo’s dearest friend, Maggie Mackenzie, who wrongly assumes Hawk has neglected his sister. Unaware that Cleo has hidden the truth about her husband’s financial misdeeds, Maggie is determined to hold Hawk accountable. Instead of an adversary, Hawk comes to see in Maggie a partner who can help unravel the mystery behind the missing money. But the more time he spends with her, the stronger his attraction grows—and marriage is the one commitment Hawk vowed never to make.
Lucy Morris is the genius behind Viking romances like A Nun for the Viking Warrior and Wedding Night with Her Viking Enemy. If there is one thing she knows how to do, it’s write a romance plot with strong external conflict. In this case, we have a man clearly in over his head after two deaths in his family. Hawk's brother-in-law was a piece of trash who lied to everyone, manipulated his wife until she didn’t question his most outrageous requests, and stole from anywhere he could. Hawk has to deal not only with the financial fallout, but also with his sister, who is still in deep mourning more than a year after her husband’s death. She refuses to engage with society and has withdrawn from all but the most basic interactions with her children. Lucy Morris effectively leverages Cleo's grief and the mystery of the missing money to create a fast-paced plot in a book that doesn’t rely on heavy romantic angst.
We all know I love a Napoleonic War hero. What’s great about this book is how it overlaps with the other three in the series. We see several events from the earlier novels here, including moments between Hawk and his best friends, just from Hawk and Maggie's perspectives. And the epilogue is really a series epilogue, reuniting the our four war heroes and their heroines from all the books and showing them years later.
If you're a big Penelope Featherington fan—specifically the TV show version, not necessarily the book—you'll love Maggie. She's a curvy redhead with a secret career as a whisky distiller and smuggler. You'll enjoy her confidence in her abilities and her loyalty to her friends.
This was great. I read it in three hours without looking up—a fitting end to a series I've really enjoyed. Five stars.
April 1, 2026
A heartwarming, grumpy sunshine romance with delightful chemistry!
This is the fourth, and final, instalment of the Season to Wed series, and I (personally) think it's the best (though I have yet to read Their Second Chance, book three, it's next on my list!). You don't need to have read the previous three; this is very much a stand-alone. I have read three of the series out of order (yup, that's me, the queen of reading a series out of order), and each one is so enjoyable and so easily connects with the others without feeling you've missed something.
There is so much that I love about this one, but the standout really has to be Maggie; she's not your stereotypical Regency miss, no simpering debutante here. Oh no, our highland lass has a gob, opinions and a brain, and she isn't afraid of using any of them. I love her character and how relatable she is. She certainly keeps everyone on their toes.
This is such a fun opposites-attract romance. Maggie and Hawk are adorable, a definite chalk and cheese couple. There are times when you start to think, how on earth are these two ever going to get it together? There seems to be so much against them, mostly Hawk's reluctance and responsibilities. Happiness constantly appears to be slipping through their fingers because of the needs of others.
Maggie is sunshine in a bottle, an eternal optimist, glass half full. Smiley, happy and forever looking on the bright side. Maggie is a gentle soul, kind, warm-hearted and always willing to lend a hand, whether that helping hand is wanted or not. She is full of bluster with good intentions, the best kind of person, in my opinion.
This isn't just the sterotypical Regency romance, no Pride and Prejudice here (not that I'm complaining) it's far more lively and enjoyable then that and I love the secondary storyline of Maggie brewing and coughs, smuggling or shall we say, not quite legally distributing it, I was really interested in that side to the story, I could very easily read a whole book on Maggie's little smuggling/brewing business.
Hawk…well, he's a complex man, a contradictory person with more layers than an onion. He is the complete opposite of Maggie; he's the dark to her light, the stormy clouds to her sunshine, a brooding, monosyllabic, stoic, yet devilishly handsome man. A man changed by the war, by what he saw and experienced, a man of shadow and happy to become a reclusive hermit. If it wasn't for the way too cheerful Scottish lass next door, who bakes and laughs, speaks her mind and sneaks into his garden via a gap in the fence to cause him all manner of stress, when all he wants is to be submerged in his own woes.
The only thing that I couldn't get on with was Hawks ' sister, Cleo. I don't know what it was about her, but I really struggled to like her. I can't explain my aversion to her, but she really got under my skin. I found her selfish and irritating as hell, yes, I know she's been through sh*t, but does that mean she has to be such a dramatic pain in the arse?
How is this woman related to Hawk?
Anyway, less said about her the better, sorry, but I just couldn't like her, sorry!
Yet, I adored Uncle William, gosh, he's a sweetheart, chipper and long-suffering loves his family but likes the distance, no wonder he and Maggie get on so well, they are two peas in the Mackenzie pod. He's more than happy to play the fool with Cleo's children and equally happy to be used as Maggie's sturdy social crutch when needed.
Overall, I loved it! It's a fun, engaging, slow-burning, grumpy sunshine story, full of good-natured wit, laughs, misunderstandings and romance, a story which right up until the end kept me wondering whether they will finally get together. Though I thought the ending felt a little rushed and didn't quite fit with the slow and steady pacing of the entire story, it all worked out, and everything slotted into place beautifully.
Thank you to Lucy Morris for the kindly gifted copy!
This is the fourth, and final, instalment of the Season to Wed series, and I (personally) think it's the best (though I have yet to read Their Second Chance, book three, it's next on my list!). You don't need to have read the previous three; this is very much a stand-alone. I have read three of the series out of order (yup, that's me, the queen of reading a series out of order), and each one is so enjoyable and so easily connects with the others without feeling you've missed something.
There is so much that I love about this one, but the standout really has to be Maggie; she's not your stereotypical Regency miss, no simpering debutante here. Oh no, our highland lass has a gob, opinions and a brain, and she isn't afraid of using any of them. I love her character and how relatable she is. She certainly keeps everyone on their toes.
This is such a fun opposites-attract romance. Maggie and Hawk are adorable, a definite chalk and cheese couple. There are times when you start to think, how on earth are these two ever going to get it together? There seems to be so much against them, mostly Hawk's reluctance and responsibilities. Happiness constantly appears to be slipping through their fingers because of the needs of others.
Maggie is sunshine in a bottle, an eternal optimist, glass half full. Smiley, happy and forever looking on the bright side. Maggie is a gentle soul, kind, warm-hearted and always willing to lend a hand, whether that helping hand is wanted or not. She is full of bluster with good intentions, the best kind of person, in my opinion.
This isn't just the sterotypical Regency romance, no Pride and Prejudice here (not that I'm complaining) it's far more lively and enjoyable then that and I love the secondary storyline of Maggie brewing and coughs, smuggling or shall we say, not quite legally distributing it, I was really interested in that side to the story, I could very easily read a whole book on Maggie's little smuggling/brewing business.
Hawk…well, he's a complex man, a contradictory person with more layers than an onion. He is the complete opposite of Maggie; he's the dark to her light, the stormy clouds to her sunshine, a brooding, monosyllabic, stoic, yet devilishly handsome man. A man changed by the war, by what he saw and experienced, a man of shadow and happy to become a reclusive hermit. If it wasn't for the way too cheerful Scottish lass next door, who bakes and laughs, speaks her mind and sneaks into his garden via a gap in the fence to cause him all manner of stress, when all he wants is to be submerged in his own woes.
The only thing that I couldn't get on with was Hawks ' sister, Cleo. I don't know what it was about her, but I really struggled to like her. I can't explain my aversion to her, but she really got under my skin. I found her selfish and irritating as hell, yes, I know she's been through sh*t, but does that mean she has to be such a dramatic pain in the arse?
How is this woman related to Hawk?
Anyway, less said about her the better, sorry, but I just couldn't like her, sorry!
Yet, I adored Uncle William, gosh, he's a sweetheart, chipper and long-suffering loves his family but likes the distance, no wonder he and Maggie get on so well, they are two peas in the Mackenzie pod. He's more than happy to play the fool with Cleo's children and equally happy to be used as Maggie's sturdy social crutch when needed.
Overall, I loved it! It's a fun, engaging, slow-burning, grumpy sunshine story, full of good-natured wit, laughs, misunderstandings and romance, a story which right up until the end kept me wondering whether they will finally get together. Though I thought the ending felt a little rushed and didn't quite fit with the slow and steady pacing of the entire story, it all worked out, and everything slotted into place beautifully.
Thank you to Lucy Morris for the kindly gifted copy!
April 23, 2025
The Lord's Maddening Miss is a gorgeous grumpy sunshine story about Maggie and Hawk. I really enjoyed reading this book. Lucy Morris expertly weaves together a story which pulls the reader in and you can't help for fall for her characters and root for them all the way to the beautiful end of the story.
August 21, 2025
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Lucy Morris brings the delightful Season to Wed quartet to a stunning close with The Lord’s Maddening Miss.
Lord Hawskmere has returned from Waterloo determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. A recluse with a bad-temper and a far from pleasing disposition, Hawk has no intention of taking a wife and of burdening her with his dour moods and nobody is going to dissuade him from the decision he has taken – until he finds himself helping his impoverished sister for the season and he crosses paths with her annoyingly cheerful friend, Miss Maggie Mackenzie…
A whisky heiress who would sooner be brewing alcohol than waste her time being wooed, Maggie has resigned herself to being on the shelf. The heiress has neither the time nor the inclination for romance – and if she did, Lord Hawkesmere would certainly not be on her list of suitable paramours. Moody, overbearing and difficult, the two of them cannot be in the same room together for more than five seconds before they start clashing. But could their animosity lead to something neither one of them was expecting?
With fate throwing the two of them together at every turn, will Hawk and Maggie ever realise that happiness could be within their grasp, but only if they have the courage to take a leap of faith and a chance on everlasting love…
Regency fans will fall in love with this swoon-worthy historical romance by Lucy Morris. Full of wicked banter, sizzling sensuality and searing emotion, The Lord’s Maddening Miss is a spellbinding romance about two polar opposites who quickly realize that they might have more in common than they initially thought!
Maggie and Hawk are two wonderful characters who spark off each other and their zingy sparring, red-hot chemistry and poignant love story ensures that readers will fall head over heels in love with this sensational Regency romance from Lucy Morris.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lucy Morris brings the delightful Season to Wed quartet to a stunning close with The Lord’s Maddening Miss.
Lord Hawskmere has returned from Waterloo determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. A recluse with a bad-temper and a far from pleasing disposition, Hawk has no intention of taking a wife and of burdening her with his dour moods and nobody is going to dissuade him from the decision he has taken – until he finds himself helping his impoverished sister for the season and he crosses paths with her annoyingly cheerful friend, Miss Maggie Mackenzie…
A whisky heiress who would sooner be brewing alcohol than waste her time being wooed, Maggie has resigned herself to being on the shelf. The heiress has neither the time nor the inclination for romance – and if she did, Lord Hawkesmere would certainly not be on her list of suitable paramours. Moody, overbearing and difficult, the two of them cannot be in the same room together for more than five seconds before they start clashing. But could their animosity lead to something neither one of them was expecting?
With fate throwing the two of them together at every turn, will Hawk and Maggie ever realise that happiness could be within their grasp, but only if they have the courage to take a leap of faith and a chance on everlasting love…
Regency fans will fall in love with this swoon-worthy historical romance by Lucy Morris. Full of wicked banter, sizzling sensuality and searing emotion, The Lord’s Maddening Miss is a spellbinding romance about two polar opposites who quickly realize that they might have more in common than they initially thought!
Maggie and Hawk are two wonderful characters who spark off each other and their zingy sparring, red-hot chemistry and poignant love story ensures that readers will fall head over heels in love with this sensational Regency romance from Lucy Morris.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 13, 2025
What would happen when a maddening heiress and a grumpy Lord crossed paths? Yupzz, it’s a romantic disaster!
It’s been a while since I last read about a Scottish heroine, and Maggie lives up to the characters I expected in this book. A redhead, a hopeless romantic, a social butterfly and a meddling sunshine heroine that will brighten your reading time!
As always, Lucy Morris’s opening had me riveted as Maggie confronts the infuriatingly attractive Hawk, a brother of her friend, when her friend is on the verge of misery. There, Hawk and Maggie’s fates become intertwined with a romantic limbo and a family secret.
For me, Hawk is ridiculously grumpy when he has to deal with his sister and Maggie. Thanks to Lucy Morris’s incredible writing which helps me imagine the chaos of his sister’s estate with four boys and Maggie’s provocative presence. Also, I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous Hawk must look when sitting in a broken chair!
The story isn’t merely about the romantic journey between Hawk and Maggie. I was able to get a glimpse of the romantic affair of Hawk’s best friends, especially his sister and Maggie’s uncle. Maggie and her uncle are as thick as thieves. I really loved this relationship because it warmed my heart. Her uncle’s support of her brilliant invention of wine is also very pleasing.
The story is absolutely wonderful, although I was a little disappointed because Maggie is too forgiving and kind after what Hawk did, but hey! That’s why Hawk loves Maggie! The epilogue perfectly beautifully and happily ends the series of A Season to Wed with all the characters and the children!
It’s been a while since I last read about a Scottish heroine, and Maggie lives up to the characters I expected in this book. A redhead, a hopeless romantic, a social butterfly and a meddling sunshine heroine that will brighten your reading time!
As always, Lucy Morris’s opening had me riveted as Maggie confronts the infuriatingly attractive Hawk, a brother of her friend, when her friend is on the verge of misery. There, Hawk and Maggie’s fates become intertwined with a romantic limbo and a family secret.
For me, Hawk is ridiculously grumpy when he has to deal with his sister and Maggie. Thanks to Lucy Morris’s incredible writing which helps me imagine the chaos of his sister’s estate with four boys and Maggie’s provocative presence. Also, I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous Hawk must look when sitting in a broken chair!
The story isn’t merely about the romantic journey between Hawk and Maggie. I was able to get a glimpse of the romantic affair of Hawk’s best friends, especially his sister and Maggie’s uncle. Maggie and her uncle are as thick as thieves. I really loved this relationship because it warmed my heart. Her uncle’s support of her brilliant invention of wine is also very pleasing.
The story is absolutely wonderful, although I was a little disappointed because Maggie is too forgiving and kind after what Hawk did, but hey! That’s why Hawk loves Maggie! The epilogue perfectly beautifully and happily ends the series of A Season to Wed with all the characters and the children!
August 10, 2026
This took me 10 days to finish. These are my 10 take aways:
1. Loved Uncle William and Maggie dowwwwnnnn
2. Hawk was somehow plainer than a glass of whole milk? Zero personality besides broody
3. Hot take: Hawk and Maggie had no chemistry 🤷🏽♀️
4. Cleo was insufferable and so self involved she was unable to and refused to see the very clear reality and truth about her ain’t shit husband. To the detriment of her own family mind you!
5. Cleo doesn’t deserve Uncle William
6. Maggie deserved better thank Hawk
7. Maggie deserved a better friend than Cleo
8. Maggie deserved better in GENERAL
9. Maggie deserved to know she deserved better
10. That Epilogue was crowded as hell and by crowded I mean with all the babies! If I didn’t know any better I’d think these books were baby having propaganda based on how some of these women previously wanted independence and nothing to do with “traditional wifely duties” but popped out three to four kids in a six year time frame. Crazy. (Yes I’m aware that it wasn’t uncommon for the time)
1. Loved Uncle William and Maggie dowwwwnnnn
2. Hawk was somehow plainer than a glass of whole milk? Zero personality besides broody
3. Hot take: Hawk and Maggie had no chemistry 🤷🏽♀️
4. Cleo was insufferable and so self involved she was unable to and refused to see the very clear reality and truth about her ain’t shit husband. To the detriment of her own family mind you!
5. Cleo doesn’t deserve Uncle William
6. Maggie deserved better thank Hawk
7. Maggie deserved a better friend than Cleo
8. Maggie deserved better in GENERAL
9. Maggie deserved to know she deserved better
10. That Epilogue was crowded as hell and by crowded I mean with all the babies! If I didn’t know any better I’d think these books were baby having propaganda based on how some of these women previously wanted independence and nothing to do with “traditional wifely duties” but popped out three to four kids in a six year time frame. Crazy. (Yes I’m aware that it wasn’t uncommon for the time)
August 3, 2025
Amazing. I loved this one so much. Extra bonus points for having a heroine who just happens to be fat and it a) isn't her whole personality, b) integral to the plot or c) mentioned at all really. She's a fantastic, super cool heroine who has so much of her own important stuff to be getting on with. I loved her!
Hero was a bit of a wuss at times, a bit too cowardly for lurve, but he comes good in the end.
Hero was a bit of a wuss at times, a bit too cowardly for lurve, but he comes good in the end.
September 8, 2025
Quick, pleasant read. The epilogue was a bit much but it was covering the entire quartet and I’ve not read the other three books. I liked the main characters though Maggie felt a little one dimensional until near the end.
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May 2, 2025Historical Fiction, Military Romance, Sagas, Regency Romance
Miniseries
A Season to Wed (Book #4)
Miniseries
A Season to Wed (Book #4)
June 17, 2025
Fantastic historical romance! Just loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews