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The Viscount’s Duty
In Regency London’s glittering ballrooms, a whisper can ruin a reputation, ignite a scandalous love and set up a fierce sibling rivalry.
The wealthy, titled Allendale family teeters on the edge of ruin after Henley Allendale’s scandal last year set the Ton ablaze. This year, on the day of his sister’s, Lady Peregrine’s debut ball, Edwin, the dashing viscount whose charm blinds society to his flaws, announces his hunt for a bride, sending the ton into a frenzy. Lady Anna, her best friend, is swept into a frenzy of flirtation, deception and dark strategy.
Henley’s adored Anna for years, but his brother’s unexpected pursuit of Anna, rekindles his competitive nature and protective instincts. While Edwin effortlessly beguiles Anna with his charm and countenance, Henley knows Edwin will break her tender heart. Determined to fight for his happiness, Henley steals a pulse-racing kiss in a moonlit hall.
Caught in a sizzling love triangle and family feud, Anna struggles to understand the conflict between her head and heart as she’s attracted to the wrong brother who has awakened her mind, body and soul. Will romance lead to ruin or happiness?
The wealthy, titled Allendale family teeters on the edge of ruin after Henley Allendale’s scandal last year set the Ton ablaze. This year, on the day of his sister’s, Lady Peregrine’s debut ball, Edwin, the dashing viscount whose charm blinds society to his flaws, announces his hunt for a bride, sending the ton into a frenzy. Lady Anna, her best friend, is swept into a frenzy of flirtation, deception and dark strategy.
Henley’s adored Anna for years, but his brother’s unexpected pursuit of Anna, rekindles his competitive nature and protective instincts. While Edwin effortlessly beguiles Anna with his charm and countenance, Henley knows Edwin will break her tender heart. Determined to fight for his happiness, Henley steals a pulse-racing kiss in a moonlit hall.
Caught in a sizzling love triangle and family feud, Anna struggles to understand the conflict between her head and heart as she’s attracted to the wrong brother who has awakened her mind, body and soul. Will romance lead to ruin or happiness?
- GenresHistorical Romance
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2026
7 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Vayden
42 books481 followersKristin's inspiration for the romance she writes comes from her tall, dark and handsome husband with killer blue eyes. With five children to chase, she is never at a loss for someone to kiss, something to cook or some mess to clean but she loves every moment of it! She loves to make soap, sauerkraut, sourdough bread and gluten free muffins. Life is full of blessings and she praises God for the blessed and abundant life He's given her.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 6, 2026
Thanks to Booksprout for a copy of this book and this is my freely given opinion.
Well, this is a very different sibling dynamic compared to the other book I read recently - Excess in Essex by Agatha Love. This is a more traditional historical romance and the first book in a new series by Kristin Vayden.
In this story, two aristocratic brothers are vying for the attention and affections of the same young woman. Henley Allendale is the younger brother and very different from his older brother, Edwin, the heir. Henley is a viscount in his own right, and is the more dependable, mature brother of the two, but because of some rather unfortunate past circumstances that come to light in the story, his family reputation is tainted by past scandal with the fault squarely placed on Henley's shoulder. Edwin, by contrast, is a rake but because he is talented at deflecting blame, hiding his wastrel ways, and promoting a great image for himself, he is considered the good brother.
The Allendale family is attending the London Season because their sister, Lady Pere, is having her debut. Henley is expected to stay in the background and behave, so that their past scandal does not rear it's ugly head. But their mother is thrilled when Edwin decides, out of the blue, that he will seek his wife this season, and sets his site on his sister's best friend, Lady Anna, a duke's daughter also making her debut this Season.
He doesn't choose her because of any great love for her - but because she is a wealthy, well connected beauty, and she has had a crush on him for years. She is an easy and lazy choice as Edwin, as he figures it, can likely win her regard with little effort on his part, make his mother happy, fulfill his duty to the title, and have an an easy biddable wife to provide him with heirs, while he continues to live the same pleasure seeking life he always has.
Henley knows this is his brother's plans and he will not stand for it, as he has secretly loved Anna for awhile, but never approached her because of the barrier of his scandal. But he knows Anna seeks love in her future and knows his brother will break her heart with his lack of respect and faithfulness, and make her the target of gossip and redicule. So Henley decides to try win her regard himself, but has to do so furtively, not wanting to become a target for his brother's spite or scare up further gossip and scandal.
Lady Anna thinks she is getting everything she wants when she discovers that Edwin, the focus of her dreams and affections for years, will be courting her formally. All of Society expects them to become betrothed. But her world is thrown into a state of confusion when Henley starts to pay his regards to her and she finds herself feeling attraction and interest in the Henley, and not Edwin. Why is everything she thought she would be feeling for Edwin happening with the wrong brother?
A sweet, low steam, easy to read historical romance with strong themes of sibling rivalry, but showing how differently some people feel and show their familial bonds, and that not everything is as it appears. Anna finds that when she is given what she thinks she wants, that perhaps what she wants was a dream, and reality is very different. Luckily Henley and her friend, Pere, help her to realize what real love is before it is too late.
3.5 stars out of 5
Well, this is a very different sibling dynamic compared to the other book I read recently - Excess in Essex by Agatha Love. This is a more traditional historical romance and the first book in a new series by Kristin Vayden.
In this story, two aristocratic brothers are vying for the attention and affections of the same young woman. Henley Allendale is the younger brother and very different from his older brother, Edwin, the heir. Henley is a viscount in his own right, and is the more dependable, mature brother of the two, but because of some rather unfortunate past circumstances that come to light in the story, his family reputation is tainted by past scandal with the fault squarely placed on Henley's shoulder. Edwin, by contrast, is a rake but because he is talented at deflecting blame, hiding his wastrel ways, and promoting a great image for himself, he is considered the good brother.
The Allendale family is attending the London Season because their sister, Lady Pere, is having her debut. Henley is expected to stay in the background and behave, so that their past scandal does not rear it's ugly head. But their mother is thrilled when Edwin decides, out of the blue, that he will seek his wife this season, and sets his site on his sister's best friend, Lady Anna, a duke's daughter also making her debut this Season.
He doesn't choose her because of any great love for her - but because she is a wealthy, well connected beauty, and she has had a crush on him for years. She is an easy and lazy choice as Edwin, as he figures it, can likely win her regard with little effort on his part, make his mother happy, fulfill his duty to the title, and have an an easy biddable wife to provide him with heirs, while he continues to live the same pleasure seeking life he always has.
Henley knows this is his brother's plans and he will not stand for it, as he has secretly loved Anna for awhile, but never approached her because of the barrier of his scandal. But he knows Anna seeks love in her future and knows his brother will break her heart with his lack of respect and faithfulness, and make her the target of gossip and redicule. So Henley decides to try win her regard himself, but has to do so furtively, not wanting to become a target for his brother's spite or scare up further gossip and scandal.
Lady Anna thinks she is getting everything she wants when she discovers that Edwin, the focus of her dreams and affections for years, will be courting her formally. All of Society expects them to become betrothed. But her world is thrown into a state of confusion when Henley starts to pay his regards to her and she finds herself feeling attraction and interest in the Henley, and not Edwin. Why is everything she thought she would be feeling for Edwin happening with the wrong brother?
A sweet, low steam, easy to read historical romance with strong themes of sibling rivalry, but showing how differently some people feel and show their familial bonds, and that not everything is as it appears. Anna finds that when she is given what she thinks she wants, that perhaps what she wants was a dream, and reality is very different. Luckily Henley and her friend, Pere, help her to realize what real love is before it is too late.
3.5 stars out of 5
February 18, 2026
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance
The Viscount’s Duty begins The Devon Legacy series with a bit of a love triangle as Anna must decide which brother truly holds her heart… and her future. And one brother must decide if he is willing to risk everything to win the heart of the one woman who completes him… or allow his brother, a rake ready to pounce on a woman who’s had a crush on him for years, to charm Anna away from him forever. Sibling rivalry? Perhaps, in some ways. Only Anna can decide if she’s chasing a dream or willing to risk her heart on the reality of one man’s unending love for her.
I enjoyed Anna and Henley’s romance very much. Filled with all the Regency gossip, undermining schemes, and very bad boy vs true love you could possibly expect from The Viscount’s Duty. It’s well-written and emotional, and it will definitely capture your imagination as Anna must set aside her young girl’s dreams of a happy-ever-after future with a man who is completely unworthy of her and who eventually shows his true colors. Henley’s determination to show Anna his true feelings, while trying to keep her from falling for his brother’s indifferent plots, was a delight to experience. While I believe Edwin is redeemable, with the right woman, it’s Henley that shines as he allows himself to reach for the future he wants with the woman he’s loved for years. I adored Peregrine, and I can’t wait for her eventual romance to come to us.
If you love a good Historical Romance with a solid plot, believable characters, low spice levels, and a love that shines between two people who are so right for each other, then you’d enjoy Anna and Henley’s story.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. I am choosing to leave a review to share my personal opinion about this book.*
The Viscount’s Duty begins The Devon Legacy series with a bit of a love triangle as Anna must decide which brother truly holds her heart… and her future. And one brother must decide if he is willing to risk everything to win the heart of the one woman who completes him… or allow his brother, a rake ready to pounce on a woman who’s had a crush on him for years, to charm Anna away from him forever. Sibling rivalry? Perhaps, in some ways. Only Anna can decide if she’s chasing a dream or willing to risk her heart on the reality of one man’s unending love for her.
I enjoyed Anna and Henley’s romance very much. Filled with all the Regency gossip, undermining schemes, and very bad boy vs true love you could possibly expect from The Viscount’s Duty. It’s well-written and emotional, and it will definitely capture your imagination as Anna must set aside her young girl’s dreams of a happy-ever-after future with a man who is completely unworthy of her and who eventually shows his true colors. Henley’s determination to show Anna his true feelings, while trying to keep her from falling for his brother’s indifferent plots, was a delight to experience. While I believe Edwin is redeemable, with the right woman, it’s Henley that shines as he allows himself to reach for the future he wants with the woman he’s loved for years. I adored Peregrine, and I can’t wait for her eventual romance to come to us.
If you love a good Historical Romance with a solid plot, believable characters, low spice levels, and a love that shines between two people who are so right for each other, then you’d enjoy Anna and Henley’s story.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. I am choosing to leave a review to share my personal opinion about this book.*
February 1, 2026
Lady Anna was the daughter of the Duke of Kinfield and the best friend of Lady Peregrine (Pere), whose brothers were Edwin, Earl of Devon, and Hanley, Viscount Allendale. For years a young Anna had admired Edwin. He was blond, blue eyed, handsome and charming. So when Edwin decided that he was going to use his sister’s come out ball as an opportunity to find a wife, Anna was thrilled at his obvious attention. Henley adored Anna and knew that his brother had no intention of discontinuing his selfish and rakish ways once he was married. He also knew that that would break Anna’s heart. Thus, Henley began to reveal his own interest in Anna. It was at a house party thrown by Lady Devon, basically so that Edwin could propose and announce his engagement to Anna, where Anna realized that her heart belonged to someone else. Edwin did not take it well and things got messy. Lady Devon clearly favored Edwin, to the detriment of Pere and Henley, and it wasn’t until a revelation by the Duke of Kinfield that she saw the light. This story has an uneasy undercurrent. It’s not so much about the competiton between brothers, as it is the volatile feeling that something could explode at any minute. Characterwise, Henley is steadfast and honest, while Edwin is a self-centered loose cannon, and Pere is an inexperienced bundle of emotion and energy. Anna evolves from an innocent being ruled by infatuation, to a young woman who finally knows her heart. Lord Hawthorne turns out to be a welcome surprise, as does the Duke of Kinfield. This story has flirtatious banter, sweet moments, steamy kisses and a shocking discovery. It is engaging and entertaining, with an epilogue that seems to be a tee-up for the next book. I look forward to reading what is yet to come.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Great Cover. Well written, full of drama, love, family, action, friends, intrigue, society, emotions, lies and steam. Lord Henley is a Viscount who has been sent to find and return he brother, Earl Edwin , home. Henley dislikes doing this but their sister, Pere, was having her coming out ball. Henley is finally happy to be there as he gets to see the girl he has liked for years. Lady Anna is a young lady who has been a friend to Pere for many years. She has known both brothers so she has always had a crush on Edwin. To her he is perfect- blond and an Earl. as Edwin pays attention to her, Henley needs to express his own feelings. Henley is reminded that he has a past that could ruin any chances with Anna. Pere realizes that not all is well with Anna at the house party. Anna comes clean with Pere and how she feels. Anna needs to talk to her parents- the Duke and Duchess. Anna now has to let her heart make the correct decision and stand strong. The Duke announces at the party that his daughter has made her choice and some are not happy. Lots of action, moonlight and kisses. Would strongly recommend to everyone.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 3, 2026
Choosing the "Best" Man . . .
The Allendale family has a great deal of scandal to make up for. Lady Anna is best friends with Lady Peregrine whose brothers Edwin and Henley kept things in turmoil. This year, charming and handsome Edwin decides to (selfishly) use his sister's coming out ball to find a bride for himself which stirs up Lady Anna's passion, along with many other females. Henley, however, is the one who had always admired Anna and now will find himself in competition with his brother to win her heart and protect her. Henley already knows that Edwin can be quite a scoundrel and will end up breaking Anna's heart without hesitation. So he is willing to try to lure her away from his brother. When Henley kisses Anna, she may begin to have second thoughts about the man who is capturing her heart! With Edwin unhappy at the competition, will he cause trouble? Or will Anna end up with the man who honestly cares for her and will always look after her best interests, as each are beginning to notice the other with far more affection than they had expected?
The Allendale family has a great deal of scandal to make up for. Lady Anna is best friends with Lady Peregrine whose brothers Edwin and Henley kept things in turmoil. This year, charming and handsome Edwin decides to (selfishly) use his sister's coming out ball to find a bride for himself which stirs up Lady Anna's passion, along with many other females. Henley, however, is the one who had always admired Anna and now will find himself in competition with his brother to win her heart and protect her. Henley already knows that Edwin can be quite a scoundrel and will end up breaking Anna's heart without hesitation. So he is willing to try to lure her away from his brother. When Henley kisses Anna, she may begin to have second thoughts about the man who is capturing her heart! With Edwin unhappy at the competition, will he cause trouble? Or will Anna end up with the man who honestly cares for her and will always look after her best interests, as each are beginning to notice the other with far more affection than they had expected?
February 3, 2026
The Viscounts Duty by Kristin Vayden is the first book in The Devon Legacy Series as well as the first book I have read written by this author. I enjoyed reading this Regency London book and can imagine that there were cases where one brother covered for another. I was glad to see Henley Allendale’s protection and care for Lady Anna. It did take her a while to choose the right brother. My favorite character turned out to be not Anna or Henley but his sister, Lady Peregrine or Pere as she is called by family and friends. Hopefully Pere’s story will be released soon. I look forward to reading it too.
February 4, 2026
Anna has had a crush on her best friend’s brother Edwin for years and the news that he has decided to marry and she is his choice makes her excited until his younger brother Henley kisses her. Edwin was too smooth, quick to place blame on others, he would have never been faithful, and I could see him being abusive. Henley acts like he’s the reckless one but he spends more time cleaning up his brother’s messes than getting into trouble and the only dangerous pastime he enjoys is boxing which resulted in a scandal. I was rooting for Henley to win Anna’s heart. But will she see his before it’s too late? Until the end this was a kisses only romance.
February 5, 2026
A bit darker at times than most Regency romances I’ve read. Mostly due to the character of Edwin. Two brothers each desire the hand of one Lady Anna and both for completely opposite reasons. One a selfish and rakish man and the other for love. I hope this isn’t too spoilery but I bet you can figure out who is who. The story is full of secrets, love, friendships, intrigue and in the end a hea. I enjoyed the show and am very interested in what May unfold next as hinted at in the epilogue.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 14, 2026
This first book in The Devon Legacy series was a compelling and captivating sister best friend, love triangle historical romance. It was exceptional and well written with drama, action, past scandal, secrets, intrigue, humor, wit, friendships, family, societal expectations, emotional issues, and other twists that were all very entertaining. I enjoyed the characters' banter and their strong, undeniable, passionate chemistry that leads to a delightful ending. I can't wait for the next book. I highly recommend reading!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A story of forbidden love in the gossip driven Regency era. She is to be betrothed to the older brother of the man she finds she is in love with. He has been taken by her forever. Will the ruthless older brother stand in the way? Will love triumph over duty?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 7, 2026
Classic Tale of first love/infatuation with a bad boy. Full of drama, sweet moments, steam, and great banter and a few secrets.
Well written and beautifully paced. Highly recommend this book.
Well written and beautifully paced. Highly recommend this book.
February 11, 2026
Literally took me a day to read this story, it was so darned good. SIZZLING chemistry(the looks he gives) and plot that grips you tight. Wowzuh. Can’t wait for the second book.
*one note: there is a low-spice open door scene at the end between a married couple. But it was so well done.
*one note: there is a low-spice open door scene at the end between a married couple. But it was so well done.
February 4, 2026
Enjoyed reading this brother to sister's friends romance. Henley had loved Anna from afar for so long can he finally win the girl he has set his heart on now that she is looking for a husband.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews