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Virginia Heath
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The Determined Lord Hadleigh (The King's Elite, Book 4) Paperback – June 27, 2019

by Virginia Heath (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 130 ratings

He’s got iron control…

But she might be his undoing!

Part of The King’s Elite. Haunted by Penny Penhurst’s courage on the witness stand, meticulous barrister Lord Hadleigh offers her a housekeeper position at his estate. Despite trying to stay detached, Hadleigh is charmed by her small child and surprised by how much he yearns for this proud woman! Can this he break through his own – and Penny’s – barriers to prove he’s a man she can trust…and love?

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  1. Book 4 of 4
    The King's Elite
  2. Print length
    368 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Mills & Boon
  5. Publication date
    June 27, 2019
  6. Dimensions
    4.21 x 0.91 x 6.69 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0263269167
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0263269161
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mills & Boon (June 27, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0263269167
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0263269161
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.21 x 0.91 x 6.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 130 ratings

About the author

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Virginia Heath

Virginia Heath

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When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happily ever after. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Thirty Regency Romcom books, two publishers and four Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
130 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • SassyPants
    5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This book marks the end of the King’s Elite run. <sniffle> A sad state of affairs, but I am confident there will be another great series by Virginia Heath in its place. I put off finishing it for as long as I could. <sigh>
    We begin with Penny, the wife of Lord Penhurst unexpectedly called to the witness stand by the defense. Upon cross examination by the prosecution (aka Lord Hadleigh), Penny finds her courage and her voice and takes a gamble that her truthful testimony will be the proverbial nail in the coffin to finding her horrid, abusive, criminal of a husband guilty of high treason. In doing so, Penny will pay for her disloyalty to Penhurst by being judged unfairly and not being welcomed within society’s ranks. As a result of the trial, Penhurst is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Her husbands title and lands are transferred back to the Crown. Penny and her infant son Freddie are now homeless and penniless.
    Lord Hadleigh feels somewhat responsible for Penny’s plight not to mention horrible about it, he wants to help her, after all, it was her detailed testimony that helped put Penhurst away.
    Thus begins a beautifully weaved story of two people, one trying to right a wrong from his childhood and failing miserably. The other, determined to learn to be independent, raise her son and earn her own money without anyone’s help.
    This is a wonderful, thought provoking, facing your past-look to your future, learning to trust, finding your way book, and of course it wouldn’t be a right if it didn’t have a HEA.
    I don’t want to give too much away, but you really will love this book, the epilogue is fabulous!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Good But Simple Love Story
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book is about two damaged people coming together to overcome past traumatic events in their lives. They didn't rescue each other from from their respective traumas ,but rather helped each other overcome them as they walked forward into the future (together).
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  • Donna F
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great finish to this series!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Viscount Penhurst has finally been caught and is standing trial in London. His estate has been confiscated and Lady Penhurst, Penny, is a witness for the crown. The accommodations for her and her young son, Freddie, in Cheapside are not ideal, but she can’t afford more. She sells a piece of her jewelry every month to pay the rent. Her best friend, Clarissa Leatham, wanted to help financially but she wouldn’t let her.

    Lord Hadleigh is the prosecutor and Penny was his best witness. He worries about her safety and has a Bow Street Runner keeping an eye on her. Hadleigh tries to help by paying her rent for several months and has recovered her pawned jewelry. She is angry with him and decides to find work away from London.

    Hadleigh offers Lord Fennimore, commander of the King’s Elite, his spacious estate in Essex to protect their witnesses while the trial against the smugglers continues. It would also let him hire Penny to be the housekeeper and have Freddie with her. Penny agrees to be his housekeeper during the trial and preparation. Jessamine and Flint will live at the house while they prepare for the trial. Penny can help Jess as she also had to testify at a trial. She also helps Hadleigh on how to approach the wives of the men on trial.

    There is so much going on in this wonderful book and I will not spoil the other things that come to life during the stay at his estate. I highly recommend this book. Virginia Heath has become an automatic buy for me.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Christina M Dirk
    5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I am sad to see this series end. I loved the adventure, action and romance. It was well done and did not leave loose ends.
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  • Laurie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good... still not perfect.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Pros:
    - Both hero and heroine get good emotional story arcs
    -Very manly, stoic hero forced to realize that just because you think you know what's best for a woman doesn't mean you have the right to foist that on her.
    - Strong heroine, a survivor of domestic violence, finds her new independence.
    - Nice wrapup to the King's Elite Series.

    Cons:
    - As with all of Heath's work, persistent issues with typos, confusing grammar, and strange word choice.
    - Pace lags a bit in the last quarter.
    -Epilogue with everybody back together again with their horde of children. Other readers might like this- since it pops up consistently in romance genre I have to assume SOMEBODY likes it- but I finding it cloying.
    One person found this helpful
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  • LeCoop13
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hadleigh is ……*sigh*!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The Determined Lord Hadleigh, the fourth and final book in Virginia Heath’s King’s Elite series, is an excellent conclusion, to this interwoven series. Hadleigh is the by the book prosecuting barrister for the crown, about to face the biggest case of his life, and the last thing he needs is a distraction. But Penny, the former Lady Penhurst, wife of a traitor he convicted, is definitely a distraction. I loved seeing Hadleigh being rattled and coming unlaced from his normal uptight self. And when he does, he is oh so yummy!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Laura Ward
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I am absolutely gutted another series from this amazing author has come to an end but what a journey it has been! What a beautiful and poignant ending to a fantastic and thrilling series.
    I absolutely fell in love with Tristan Hadleigh and his thorough and meticulous manner but of course the delightful Penny Ridley, and her darling toddler son Freddie, had to be around to bring some noise and chaos to his organised and somewhat solitary life.

    Both hero and heroine have to manouvere through both personal and individual issues and insecurities from their pasts whilst also facing public attention but, whilst there are challenges, both Tristan and Penny seem to be somewhat stronger together than they are apart and their blossoming love melted my heart.

    I loved the epilogue.
    Finding out what the rest of the Kings Elite and their wonderful wives (and of course not forgetting the fantastic but troublesome Trefor the dog too!) had been up to was a wonderful touch.

    I cannot wait to read Virginia Heath's next offering, I know it will be brilliant and as Penny and Tristan may say "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" and Virginia's writing goes from strength to strength.
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  • PLB
    2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars at Best
    Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I am not sure I understand the favourable reviews for this book. I began to get bored after discovering that the hero acted, not from any innate nobility of character, but because (sigh!!!) he was yet another child of an evil father and saintly mother (I am so tired of this trope) and the heroine, without money and with a dependent child, was so concerned with her own empowerment that she was more willing to work in a brothel than accept aid. The story then proceeded to describe the outrage felt by the hero's friends (??) when they discovered that he was trying to help the heroine rather than standing by (as they were) 'honouring' her Pankhurstian march to independence, and then described the guilt the hero felt at having had the effrontery to have offered the aid, and I gave up. This is so far beyond normal human reality that it devastates the foundation of the story (on the other hand, I suppose I shouldn't have expected any more from a story based on a group calling itself the 'King's Elite'). The book gets two stars because the author can at least write but, needless to say, I will not be buying any more of her books.
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