Duke of Cunning: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Scarlett Osborne

431 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2026

About the author

Born in the Sunshine State of Florida, but of both British and Nordic descent, Scarlett Osborne grew up reading historical romances from the land of her ancestors. Fascinated with the British society of the 1800s and armed with a wild imagination, she obtained a degree in Creative Writing and immediately started her career as a Regency romance author.

A daydreamer extraordinaire, Scarlett likes to jump in the shoes of her heroines, immersing herself in her own stories, living the adventures that she wished she had experienced as a child. An avid reader and fan of the outdoors, Scarlett spends her free time either reading or going on long horseback rides along with her two sons.

Get lost in a land of enchantment, where adventure and love await around every corner...Scarlett hopes that through her heroes, you too will get to live a whirlwind romance in the Regency era, when fairytales were real and all dreams possible!

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story. Ezra didn't want anything to do with his cousins. However, when a little girl shows up at his home, things begin to change as he hires a governess, Letitia, to take care of her. His heart begins to soften as he watches them interact and before you know it, he's in love and doesn't realize it. Meanwhile, secrets long buried start to surface with surprising results and Letitia's past catches up with her. The epilogue and extended epilogue make a great closing finish for this wonderful book. Ms Scarlett has done it again with this great tale.

[Nancy T Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Family/A Fire/3 Dukes/An Unknown Child …

Letitia, a governess, is much loved by Iris, a 4 year old who just shows up at Duke Ezra’s house. Trying to find out the puzzle of who she really might be has him reaching out to his cousins for help. Letty also has a secret & is determined to solve it alone..but she is too late. She disappears ..Who will search for her?Someone is coming…

[Mrs Cecily T Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marriage at last!


A long time getting to a satisfactory ending, but it came at last. I could have wished that the heroine could have managed her own escape, but she was heroic enough. Enjoy!

[Pauline Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot and steamy

We are back with the wonderful Lightholder family as the next Duke finds true love and catch up with other members of the family

[Julia Craig-Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jul

This book was just okay. I passed a lot of pages. The problem was there were parts that were boring. I quickly lost interest. I basically like the write up but it needed more.

[Doreen Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this steamy story. Ezra, Duke of Rutley, was investigating the suspicious fire that killed members of his family. When a young girl, called Iris, was left on his doorstep Ezra was determined to find out about her. The child would not speak. He hired Letitia as a governess and Letitia managed to build a relationship with Iris. Ezra continued his search but gradually realised that Letty was frightened about something but would not tell him what it was. As Iris slowly revealed information about her mother, Letitia and Ezra grew close. However, danger still existed for Letty and it would take all of the family resources to help her. Will Ezra be able to save Letty? Will a Duke and a governess ever be able to be together?
Read on and enjoy.