Olivia and the Masked Duke: A Steamy Friends to Lovers Historical Romance

Grace Callaway

Feb 2021 · Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels Book 1 · Grace Callaway

About this ebook

An exciting new historical romance series from USA Today Bestseller Grace Callaway

“A very hot and perfectly paced page turner, all the way to happily ever after.” –NPR

Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/ Suspense & the Passionate Plume

He saved her life when she was a girl. Now she is a woman determined to heal his heart…

Spirited debutante Lady Olivia McLeod, cherished daughter of Duke and Duchess of Strathaven, has two interests: solving mysteries and winning the love of her rescuer and secret crush, the infamous Duke of Hadleigh. When Livy joins Lady Charlotte Fayne’s charity for young ladies and discovers that it is a front for a covert investigative agency, she is thrilled. Livy dedicates herself to solving a deadly case; little does she realize that the path to danger will also lead to her heart’s deepest desire.

Notorious widower Ben Wodehouse, the Duke of Hadleigh, has only one goal in mind: redemption. After his tortured past, he channels his demons toward helping others, and the last thing he wants or deserves is innocence. Yet temptation taunts him by transforming the little girl he once saved into an alluring young woman. A dozen years younger than him and the daughter of his friend, Livy is everything he cannot have…and everything he needs.

Will perilous secrets, past and present, tear Livy and Ben apart? Will succumbing to their forbidden desires lead to their happily ever after? Find out in this steamy friends-to-lovers age gap romance filled with mystery and adventure!

Grace's books feature steamy historical romance, fun and feel-good happily ever afters, and exciting mystery and adventure. Her books are standalone titles which can also be enjoyed as part of her interconnected series set in the same universe.

LADY CHARLOTTE’S SOCIETY OF ANGELS (hot Victorian romance)

#1 Olivia and the Masked Duke (Olivia & Ben)

#2 Pippa and the Prince of Secrets (Pippa & Cullen)

#3 Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl (Fiona & Thomas)

#4 Glory and the Master of Shadows (Glory & Wei)

#5 Charlotte and the Seductive Spymaster (Charlie & her hero)

GAME OF DUKES (hot Victorian romance)

#1 The Duke Identity (Tessa & Harry)

#2 Enter the Duke (Maggie & Ransom)

#3 Regarding the Duke (Gabby & Garrity)

#4 The Duke Redemption (Beatrice & Wick)

#5 The Return of the Duke (Fancy & Severin)

#6 Steamy Winter Wishes: A Hot Historical Romance Short Story (featuring characters from all of Grace's series)

HEART OF ENQUIRY (The Kents) (hot Regency romance)

Prequel novella: The Widow Vanishes (Will & Annabel)

#1 The Duke Who Knew Too Much (Alaric & Emma)

#2 M is for Marquess (Gabriel & Thea)

#3 The Lady Who Came in from the Cold (Marcus & Penny)

#4 The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Richard & Violet)

#5 Never Say Never to an Earl (Sinjin & Polly)

#6 The Gentleman Who Loved Me (Andrew & Rosie)

MAYHEM IN MAYFAIR (hot Regency romance)

#1 Her Husband’s Harlot (Helena & Nicholas)

#2 Her Wanton Wager (Percy & Gavin)

#3 Her Protector’s Pleasure (Marianne & Ambrose)

#4 Her Prodigal Passion (Charity & Paul)

Praise for Olivia and the Masked Duke

“An exciting rollercoaster of a love story! This book delivers on a variety of levels. A slow burn, friends to lovers story. The plot is intricate, intimate, and all consuming. The couple’s passion burns through the pages.” –Jenna’s Historical Romance Reviews

“This book has pretty much reduced me to describing it in one-word sentences. RAWR. YUM. YES!! SWEET. MORE… Livy and Ben together were ***swoon***. I really couldn’t get enough of them. The writing, as always with Grace Callaway, was beautiful, heartfelt, and full of emotion. Every time I read something she writes, I can feel it completely. The storyline was fantastic, and I was captivated from beginning to end.” -Candace, BookBub

“Olivia and Ben are so wonderful together. It is rare to find a match where the H & h share such a deep bond…. This book has it all—lead characters you truly love, fabulous side characters, murder, mystery, action, and a generous helping of steam and romance!” -Nazmin, Goodreads

“Ben and Olivia’s friendship is detailed through the years, and you can’t help falling in love with them and rooting for a happy ending. There’s a mystery that finally helps bring Ben and Olivia together (I don’t want give out any spoilers). There are some hot scenes between the two and lots of ups and downs in their relationship. If you love great character development, mystery, and a hot love story then this book is for you.”-Rhonda, Goodreads

“Despite the age gap, Ben and Livy’s friendship is so natural. Their friendship never feels awkward and the transition from friends to lovers is done tastefully (and steamily). Grace Callaway is always reliable when it comes to writing romances that are both romantic and steamy.” -Romance Library

“Get out the high velocity fan because you will need it while reading this story. It is hotter than hot, I am not kidding. I love a tortured hero and if you do also, then grab this story right away…I love how Grace can pull you into the story of these characters and make you feel as if you are there with them. I was totally enthralled with reading, and I swear I felt as if I was in their dilemma. Astounding storytelling.” -Angela, Goodreads

Ratings and reviews

Great fun read if you like your historical romance with a little heat and alot of brilliant heroines you can get behind and cheer on! And it helps that the hero isn't too bad either haha! Age gap, hero redemption, friends to lovers, the things we get up to when the parents are away.... The story does well as a stand-alone, and provides alot of snippets of the pair's long history. Thoroughly enjoyable, well written, and I'll be back for more!

***CHARLIE and HER THREE ANGELS*** I love the author's sense of humor injecting "Charlie's Angels" into the story. True to form Charlie directs the missions and also participates in them. Charlie runs a secretive investigative agency run by women for women. When the law turns them away, they come to Charlie. She took on her three proteges and trained them physically, mentally and intellectually. She discovered their strengths and worked with them. They even had a catch phrase that I adored "Sisters first will see us through". I had fun reading this because not only was this an investigative mission but for one of the angels it was also a mission of love. An excellent book. A must read. I highly recommend it. I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review. Reasons I enjoyed this book: Action-packed Entertaining Happily Ever After Original Page-turner Steamy Unpredictable Wonderful characters

OMGGGGGG I loved this BOOK!!!!! This is my first Grace Callaway, and I'm already looking at her backlist! I grabbed an ecopy from my library, and as I got lucky when I did, because by the end of the week, all of her copies are LOANED OUT!!! The beginning chapter sucked me in! Age-Gap, forbidden romance, friends-to-lovers are All of my favorite tropes. Tension is off the charts. The H, Ben's background was different for me in a good way. This was just written very well and I love all the diverse characters. This purple cover is so pretty! I HIGHLY recommend this book. Thank you to the June 28 - July 4th, 2021 #HRReadathon group read as I just love these author's that totally surprise me! BTW this is the ONLY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5) STAR read I gave out for this week!

About the author

USA Today & International Bestselling Author Grace Callaway writes hot and heart-melting historical romances filled with adventure. Her debut book, Her Husband's Harlot, was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Finalist and a #1 Regency Bestseller, and her subsequent novels have topped national and international bestselling lists. She has won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense and the Passionate Plume Award for Historical Novel. Her books have also been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the National Reader's Choice Awards, the Maggie Award of Excellence, and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Growing up on the Canadian prairies, Grace could often be found with her nose in a book...and not much has changed. She set aside her favorite romance novels long enough to get her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan. She lives with her husband, son, and rescue dog in Northern California. When she's not dreaming up stories, she loves dancing, discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and cheering on her favorite basketball team.