Sam, Duke of Cornwell, is hiding a secret. He’s too much like his father to ever really love a woman. But when a hellion in a gown, sporting a quiver, shoots her arrows, it’s not the target they hit. It’s his heart.
Even under a looming dare, Lady Mimi knows how to stand her ground. Until it shakes beneath her under the overprotective eyes of a handsome duke. And the amount of times one man hauls her over his shoulders is ridiculously equivalent to the amount of effort it takes to open her eyes to love.
This rogue doesn’t stand a chance against a feisty lady, when protection leads to scandal, scandal leads to marriage, and marriage turns into an all out discovery of passion and love.
✅ Tropes & ✅ Saved from Scandal✅ Marriage from Ruin / Scandal✅ Marriage of Convenience ✅ Enemies to Lovers✅ Feisty / Sassy Heroine✅ Roguish, Wounded Hero✅ Overprotective Hero✅ Scandalous Dare✅ Witty Banter / ShenanigansIf you like witty banter, shenanigans, and sweet and spicy regency romances, you’ll love this standalone love story by Eliana Piers.
This series is part of Dragonblade's Flame line, so this is a scorching-hot read with open-door steam.
Read in Kindle Unlimited!
Duke Dare Series Book 1: The Duke’s Spinster Book 2: The Duke’s Goddess Book 3: The Duke’s Hellion Book 4: The Duke’s Lady
What makes people fall in love? Why do two people end up together? Every love story is unique and that's what I love to write.
Eliana Piers has been writing and singing stories since she was five years old. After feeling inspired by authors like Julia Quinn, Tessa Dare, and Minerva Spencer, Eliana decided to test her quill on the page.
Writing about love and how two people come to connect and share parts of their souls with each other is now an obsession.
Eliana lives in Canada where she drinks ice caps every day.
Now, I enjoyed reading this book, hence the five stars. Lady Mimi has her sights set on the Duke of Vanic. She sees it as fate when they meet. Only Sam, the Duke of Cornwall, must come to her rescue because of her disaster flirting with Vanic. He and Mimi are confused by their feelings, until their fate steps in. Descriptive sex. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This is a new author for me. This is only my 3rd book by her and the others I read are book 1 and 2 of this series. She is with Dragonblade Publishing Flame Division so I had high hopes for some good steam. So far it's been pretty good. I really want to read more of her books but when I went to research them I found most are less than 100 pages per book and a few were just barely over 100 pages. She has one series The Good Duke that seem to have more pages.
This was a cute story. I liked Sam and Mimi. She had an interesting personality. I wouldn't say ditzy but maybe more daydreamer. Sam was a good fit for her. Overall a good read. I have been liking this series. I understand there is one more book coming out but not sure when.
Thank you to net galley for allowing me to read an early copy of the novella.
This “dislike” to lovers romance plot-line was well paced at the beginning but extremely rushed at the end. The end felt like the author was just telling me what happened instead of showing me how things ended up. The part that was well done was the friend group but the whole duke dare idea of the series still confuses me.
Additionally, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters or the romance itself. I feel that the tension could’ve been drawn out better and their emotional sides could’ve come out to explain why they worked well together. There was also very little spice and the little there was, was not my favorite to read.
that cover is downright hideous. has to be the work of ai because no human is physically capable of creating such atrocious art. i refuse to believe it.
this series is a fave! i drop everything to read the latest release the day it's published. it has been such a fun ride so far. you can tell from my reviews of the two previous books that i was most excited for mimi's book. I'm glad her book wasn't the last, even tho she's the youngest. i love me a loud, brash, sharp fmc. sam was the perfect partner because he isn't her opposite, no, he's just like her. we're taught that opposites attract but that isn't always the case. a mellow, brooding, quiet guy to counter mimi's nature would've been expected and ultimately, boring. we've seen that and we're tired! i love that this was proven to us in the form of roger in the book. he was wrong for her in all ways.
sam and mimi are my fave of the lot. the banter and competition was sooo fun. only deducted a star because i didn't agree with the plot twist (). that really dampened my, what was so far, a perfect reading journey. it was antithesis to them. worked out well in the end so can't really complain.
eliana piers, i cannot wait to read more from you.
Quick fun read. I suffered some second hand embarrassment from Mimi a few times. The end was very quick and I wish it had taken longer for Sam to reach his conclusion.
Another great book by Eliana Piers! This is the third in this series, although it could be read as a stand-alone. Mimi is an outspoken, independent, and competitive woman and is so very alike Sam that they don’t get along in the beginning of the story (or earlier, we hear). They want to compete in everything, and neither one ever wants to concede or back down. I enjoyed how their friend & family group really supports both of them and can see they would work well together (even if Mimi and Sam don’t see it yet).
Overall, the book has great banter, relatable characters, and an interesting plot mixed with spice. I would highly recommended it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free advanced copy - this is my honest and voluntary review.
Who says following your fate is wrong, or easy? Lady Mimi just knows fate has handed her the perfect match, especially when they both reach for the same quiver. Oh, except now the Duke of Cornwell is an annoying, nosey, know-it-all and he has grabbed her attention. Mimi finds herself second guessing her fate and wanting to see where life takes her. This is the 3rd book of one of my favorite series, the Duke Dares, by an author who is also one of my favs, Eliana Piers. Written as only she can we get an unstoppable story that grabs you from the very beginning to the very last word, and you still won't want it end. This story has what I love: humor, wit, excitement, twist & turns and some outstanding passion. This passion is Hot enough to steam your glasses. I loved every moment of this story. The humor and excitement was just what I needed in a story right now. You will love Mimi who is so fun, speaks her mind and definitely a little Hellion. Sam is trying not to be like his father and not even thinking about romance. Now the little hellion has his heart it changes everything. I don’t dare give you details. You need to discover this one on your own! Just be ready for anything. I'm definitely adding this to my Piers collection. Enjoy this adventure! A Million exciting Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A huge thanks to the publishers and Eliana Piers for allowing me to enjoy this ARC.
Mimi & Sam She’s the youngest of four, the little free spirited hellion passionate about archery and finding her fantasy prince who will sweep her of her feet. She’s also the one to instigate the ‘Duke dare’ and now that a quiver showed her the man, she’s more determined than ever. He’s the broody duke, a decade her senior, best friends with her brothers-in-law, convinced his cousin is plotting his demise and firm believer that love makes a man weak and reckless – just look at his father and his pointless duels. Neither of them backs down from a challenge, and neither of them likes to lose. Everything’s a competition, even bickering. They don’t like each other. At all! Not even a little bit... but when he witnesses her clumsy attempts at flirtation, he feels compelled to step in and protect her reputation.
Archery, arm-wrestling, distracted chaperones, dogs and a wedding house party; this was a humorous, quick-witted enemies-to-lovers romp with lots of tension and just a splash of steam. It has that signature Eliana Piers fairytale quality; lighthearted and very entertaining. His grumpy protectiveness is endearing, and her feisty butterfly confusion is adorable. He falls so hard and fast, but by the time his head catches up to his heart, a little compromising forces their hand – not that she minds.
A fun, fast and diverting read that fits in perfectly with the prior books in this series. I would recommend reading them in order; it might get a little confusing otherwise.
What an utter romp! This is a Regency romance that makes no apologies for being gloriously over-the-top – and I had a brilliant time with it. Mimi is an absolute riot: bold, brash, delightfully inappropriate and impossible to ignore. She starts off determined to win the hand of sensible, dull-as-dishwater Roger (they both love archery, so clearly it must be fate!), but it quickly becomes clear that it’s Sam, the grumpy Duke who keeps throwing her over his shoulder, who actually makes her heart – and other parts – flutter.
The banter in this is razor-sharp and so much fun, and while Mimi might be the resident hellion, Sam’s got his own secrets and emotional knots to unravel. Their chemistry is off the charts, and there’s a fair bit of steam, including a cheeky spanking scene that had me giggling and fanning myself in equal measure. It’s definitely more of an escapist delight than a historical, but it knows exactly what it’s doing – and delivers it with charm and mischief.
I hadn’t read the rest of the series but never felt lost. This worked beautifully as a standalone and was an absolute blast from start to finish. If you like your dukes grumpy, your heroines irreverent, and your history delightfully unbothered – this is the one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
Lady Mimi is the youngest of the four sisters, she is outspoken and very competitive. It is her turn at the Duke Dare that the sisters have with each other.
Sam, Duke of Cornwell is very serious, isn’t interested in marriage and also very competitive. He is hiding secrets that he does not wish to share with anyone.
Mimi and Sam are at a house party for their friends who are getting married. Sam cannot believe no one is keeping an eye on Mimi to keep her from doing anything scandalous. He takes it upon himself to make sure she stays out of trouble, but then they both end up in a scandalous situation and are forced to wed. Will Mimi and Sam finally admit their feelings for each and make their marriage a true one?
I love Eliana Piers books!! They always make me laugh while reading the story and are guaranteed to put a smile on my face!! This book was so much fun, very entertaining and had lots of steam!! I loved how competitive both Mimi and Sam were that they didn’t realize their true feeling for each other at first. It was fun reading how they finally discovered that they were truly meant for each. I highly recommend this book!!
This book was so much fun! If you love regency romances with banter, scandal, and just the right amount of spice, this one absolutely delivers.
Sam, the Duke of Cornwell, is the classic broody, overprotective hero hiding a soft side he refuses to admit he has. And Lady Mimi is a total firecracker. She shoots arrows, causes a scene, and somehow ends up married to said broody duke after a very public scandal. Honestly, the vibes are enemies-to-lovers meets forced marriage with open-door heat, and I was here for all of it.
There’s plenty of shenanigans, sizzling tension, and that perfect moment where the hero finally realizes he’s been in love the whole time. Mimi doesn’t let him off easy, and their chemistry is scorching hot.
Super fun read if you like your historicals a little cheeky, a little steamy, and full of heart. Can wait to read more!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.
This enemies to lovers story about Sam and Mimi was a short steamy novella with good characters. The characters were well written and all likable. The witty banter between them all especially Sam and Mimi was entertaining and non stop. Mimi’s character was a bit off putting initially. I’m not the biggest enemies to lovers fan, and her personality was immature and confrontational to the point of annoyance. In the end, something changed and her character changed and seemed less annoying. This story showed that you can’t force love and you can’t avoid it when it’s meant to be. This novella was full of competition and unnecessary disagreements that led to the development of feelings and a sense of protectiveness. There were no villains (just misunderstandings) and a guaranteed HEA.
I just love this author and the stories she produces.!! Book three in the series is a hoot. Four sisters dare each other to marry a duke, so it's Mimi's turn. Her pick is Sam but he doesn't know it. Her weapon of choice is archery. What I love about this author isn't her historical authentity, because there isn't enough to vocalize. It's the humor, wit, banter and challenges that are built into each and every story. Each story can standalone and would be just fine, however the interplay, humor and relationships between the various characters is so worth it that missing one book would be such a huge loss. Can't wait for Nobi to have her story.
I have been really enjoying this series about four sisters who make a (sort of tongue in cheek) bet about all landing dukes during the course of the current season. This is Mimi and Sam's story. They clash at every interaction, building tension. Excellent tension, fun banter, some decent steam. This book works well as part of the series but can also be read as a standalone.
4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.
The Duke's Hellion is a slow-burn historical romance about Sam, who has daddy issues that affect his ability to commit, and Mimi, a headstrong, archery-loving lady. The plot involves Mimi becoming inexplicably obsessed with trying to seduce one of Sam's friends and him trying to keep her from embarrassing/ruining herself. Sam and Mimi butt heads and face off in a few competitions because, well, I'm not sure. The motivations and backstory of these characters are incredibly thin. I'm not sure if that character development happened earlier in the series but each romance should be able to stand alone.
In all honesty, this was tough to get through. I only finished because it was an ARC, otherwise I would have DNFd this one pretty quickly. Unfortunately for me, I didn't connect to the plot or characters at all. Nothing felt realistic or had any stakes. Other reviewers are rating this very highly and I’ve never been more confused. This one was not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. The Duke's Hellion released on July 26, 2025.
Lady Mimi is quite the hellion as the title suggests, she loud, bold brash and everything most Victorian ladies are not and intent on getting what she wants. While looking for her perfect match, she figures Roger would be her perfect match as they both love archery! Unfortunately for Mimi or fortunately, its Sam, the Duke of Cornwell who is her perfect match. While quite a bit older than her, he challenges her in ways she does not expect.
Lots of humour, wit, and banter between the two that I enjoyed. I received an ARC from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley with thanks.
When Love Meets Scandal She’s flirting with the wrong man—or is she? Mimi thought one duke was her destiny, but could Sam, the most vexing man she’s ever met, be the one meant for her? The two clash, banter, and spark at every turn. Sam wants nothing to do with marriage, yet when scandal strikes, everything changes. Was scandal truly what brought them together, or had love been quietly waiting while they looked in all the wrong places? An entertaining enemies-to-lovers historical romance full of wit, heat, and charm.
Sam, Duke of Cornwell & Lady Mimi clash each time they meet. They certainly know how to push each others buttons but although they lock horns at every meeting, he’s very protective of her & her fantasies suddenly feature him. A fun & entertaining romance, which made me smile. I really liked Sam but Mimi grated on me & several times I wanted to shake her, a quick read which I read in a sitting I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own
Our heroine in this historical romance is one of a set of sisters who made a silly bet. After a chance meeting, she has decided her fate is sealed. Unfortunately her direct approach and unwillingness to conform to the acceptable behaviour of a lady might hamper her efforts. Our hero cannot stop himself from interfering when he shouldn't. There are quite a few amusing moments when the personalities clash. A family wedding makes the perfect venue for mayhem. Good fun.
What a fun story! The word play in this book is so amusing. Mimi is brash, bold and so fun to read about. I had not read any of the other books in the series, but still felt like I understood the whole story line. Mimi is so set on Roger who is a stick in the mud, but loves archery, as does Mimi so she's sure it must be fated for them to be together. Then Sam enters the picture. He adds a lot to the story in his own confused way. I truly enjoyed the story.
I found the book entertaining. It made me laugh. The main characters, Mimi and Sam, are delightful. Mimi is really a little hellion. She speaks her mind, which leads to many humorous moments with Sam, the hero. I enjoyed the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Sam and Mimi clash instantly but as soon as they clash their passion and love come clashing into each other even harder.. and they can't resist the pull between them even if they try to deny it..
Eliana never fails to deliver an amazing enemies to lovers story!!
Headstrong Mimi seems to clash with Sam whenever they are near each other. When Mimi sets her affections on another man, Sam's jealousy comes out. Can he convince her that he is the man for her? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.
Mimi is no lady, but rather a lusty young hellion with a penchant for dirty fantasies. Sam is a duke, with a secret and an over abundance of emotions he bottles up, least he is like his father. She's randy, he's handy.
This book was just okay compared to book 1 & 2. The MCs did not seem to connect, they just kind of happened and the conversations were bland. I was really hoping for something more exciting for Sam. And I agree with the other reviewer, that cover looks really awful.
Thank you NetGalley. They all are at a house party. Mini thinks she is the next to marry so she must look for someone. Sam is like his father, he can never love anyone. They seem to be thrown together all of the time. He has to learn he can love. Mini has things to learn too.
Delightful, fun and spicy. Fantasy soon turns to desire and love. Mimi and Sam are both competitive with archery and arm wrestling leading to passion and a forever love.
4.5 stars This is book 3 in the Duke Dare series and although it’s a standalone, it does make more sense with the cross over characters and themes to read them in order. This is the youngest sister Mimi’s story in her journey to find love. Mimi reads a lot of romantic fiction and has many fantasy’s as to how she may find love. She is a keen archer and when looking at a unique quiver she wants to buy in a store, it is snatched from under her nose by an entitled duke. Mimi sees this as fate and feels this duke is fated to be her intended. Mimi and her sister attend a house party for a wedding of their friend. Also attending are two of their brother in law’s closest friends Duke Chris (her sister’s best friend) and Duke Sam (a confirmed rake). Plus Duke Roger arrives. Mimi makes concerted efforts to flirt with Roger but this repeatedly & embarrassingly fails as Roger is not interested at all. Sam initially tries to protect Mimi from making a fool of herself but it becomes a battle of wills with fun banter and heated exchanges between the two. Her sister and Chris try and keep the peace but it is a difficult task. Feelings develop at different points between Mimi and Sam. Sam being against the concept of marriage due to his upbringing and trying to keep himself detached. Mimi being the dramatic romantic who holds out for Roger until she eventually realises she has been focusing on the wrong man. There are great supporting characters particularly in the sister, Chris and the friend Sally. But there is a lot of humour, embarrassing moments, caring and protective gestures as the love blooms. A fun enjoyable read. The bonus epilogue is much appreciated.