Who Wants to Marry a Duke - Sabrina Jeffries (Zebra - Aug 2020)

Series: Duke Dynasty (Book 3)

A past kiss with adorably bookish Miss Olivia Norley should be barely a memory for Marlowe Drake, the Duke of Thornstock. After all, there are countless debutantes for a handsome rakehell to charm beyond a young lady whose singular passion is chemistry -- of the laboratory type. But Thorn has not forgotten -- or forgiven -- the shocking blackmail scheme sparked by that single kiss, or the damage caused to both their names. Now Thorn's half-brother, Grey, has hired the brilliant Miss Norley for her scientific expertise in solving a troubling family mystery. And the once-burned Thorn, suspicious of her true motives, vows to follow her every move . . .

For Olivia, determining whether arsenic poisoning killed Grey's father is the pioneering experiment that could make her career -- and Thorn's constant presence is merely a distraction. But someone has explosive plans to derail her search. Soon the most unexpected discovery is the caring nature of the reputed scoundrel beside her -- and the electricity it ignites between them . . .

Good romance with an undercurrent of mystery. Lady Lydia has been married multiple times. Three of her husbands were dukes; their titles passed down to the oldest sons born of those marriages, forming a dynasty of dukes. Recently several of the children began to suspect that their fathers' deaths may not have been accidents. The oldest son, the Duke of Greycourt, believes his father may have been poisoned, and asks Olivia Norley to use her chemist skills to discover the truth.

Grey's younger brother, "Thorn," the Duke of Thornstock, is not happy with Olivia's involvement. Nine years earlier, they had an encounter that damaged both their reputations. Thorn still believes Olivia was guilty of setting him up and is determined to keep an eye on her.

Olivia has no interest in the society to which she belongs. Her passion is reserved for all things scientific. Grey's request will advance her plans to make a name for herself in the field. Having Thorn always underfoot is a distraction she doesn't need.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Olivia and Thorn. I loved their first meeting. Olivia is young and only interested in cleaning up the mess she caused. Thorn is a little older but still young and a bit full of himself. Sparks fly between them, and a quick kiss rapidly intensifies. When caught by Olivia's stepmother, she attempts to force Thorn to "do the right thing." This doesn't go the way anyone expects. Thorn is left with conflicting feelings of relief and anger, as well as betrayal.

Nine years later, neither has forgotten that encounter. Olivia concentrated on her desire to be a chemist and avoided society as much as possible. Thorn has lived up to his reputation as a rake, but still carries a grudge against Olivia and her mother. He deals with that grudge in an unusual way, but he is still extremely suspicious of Olivia and her motives. He even goes so far as to insist on helping set up her laboratory at Grey's estate, sure that he will discover that she is a fraud. I had to laugh at how hard she made him work until he had to admit that he was wrong. This also opened the door to them clearing the air over the events of nine years earlier, enabling them to work together in harmony.

But underneath their fledgling friendship, there bubbles an intense attraction. Thorn is well aware of his effect on Olivia and takes advantage of it whenever he can. He is determined to get her into his bed, though marriage is the last thing on his mind. The feelings Thorn stirs in her are new to Olivia, and her scientific curiosity demands that she investigate them thoroughly. She hasn't shown any interest in marriage either, to her stepmother's dismay, as she doesn't want to give up her career goals to a husband. The more time they spend together, the more their thinking begins to change. Thorn's feelings turn protective when an explosion in Olivia's lab makes it clear that someone doesn't want her to find the truth.

I loved seeing Thorn's protectiveness and the care he takes to protect her reputation, too. I had to laugh at the teasing he endured from his siblings because of it. As close as Olivia has started to feel to Thorn, she also senses that there is something that he is holding back. I ached for Thorn and the lengths he went to in order to protect his secret. As he and Olivia grow closer, he fears that revealing that secret would hurt her and drive her away from him. I hurt for both of them when she discovered the truth. Each of them had some serious self-examination to do before they realized that they belonged together. I loved their big moment at the end and seeing what happens when they talk about expectations.

The overarching mystery regarding the deaths of the various dukes makes some significant progress thanks to Olivia's talents. Though they are closer to the truth, their best lead ended up dead. I liked the epilogue as the siblings meet to discuss what they know, what they suspect, and where they should go next. I have my suspicions as to the culprit behind the deaths and can't wait to see if I am right. It will be hard to wait until next summer for the next book.

The Bachelor - Sabrina Jeffries (Zebra - Mar 2020)

Series: Duke Dynasty (Book 2)

Lady Gwyn Drake has long protected her family's reputation by hiding an imprudent affair from her youth. But when her former suitor appears at Armitage Hall, manhandling the heiress and threatening to go public with her secrets, it's Gwyn who needs protecting. Her twin brother, Thorn, hires Joshua Wolfe, the estate's gamekeeper, to keep her safe in London during her debut. As a war hero, Joshua feels obligated to fulfill the assignment he has accepted. But as a man, it's torment to be so very close to the beauty he's fought to ignore . . .

With handsome Joshua monitoring her every move, Gwyn would prefer to forget both the past and the parade of money-seeking bachelors at her coming out. But Joshua is unmoved by her attempts at flirtation, and the threat of blackmail still hangs over her. With danger closing in, Gwyn must decide which is the greater risk: deflecting a scoundrel's attempts to sabotage her -- or revealing her whole heart to the rugged bodyguard she can't resist . . .

Good book. I've been looking forward to this story since seeing Gwyn and Joshua in the first book, Project Duchess. The sparks between them were evident even then and burst into full flame in this book.

The story opens as Gwyn attempts to deal with a past indiscretion that has come back to haunt her. Her confrontation with her blackmailer is interrupted by Joshua Wolfe, the estate gamekeeper. Believing that the man intends to kidnap Gwyn to gain her dowry, Gwyn's brother, the Duke of Thornstock, hires Joshua to act as a bodyguard for Gwyn while she is in London.

At thirty years old, Gwyn is no longer a naïve young miss. Past experience has made her cynical about men, a feeling reinforced by the parade of fortune hunters she meets in London. She is spunky and not afraid to stand up for herself and go after what she wants. And what she wants turns out to be Joshua.

Joshua is a gruff, grumpy war hero, injured in the war against Napoleon. On half-pay from the Royal Marines, he is determined to get back on active duty. In the meantime, he works as the gamekeeper on Thornstock's estate. He is attracted to Gwyn but believes that his injuries and the differences between them prevent a relationship.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Gwyn and Joshua. The sparks are there from the beginning, and I loved watching them build. One of the things I liked best about Gwyn was that she didn't look down on Joshua for being the gamekeeper. He is the grandson of a duke and a war hero, and that is enough for her. She is also not put off by his injuries and is quite protective of him when she thinks he is being slighted. I liked how she saw the man beneath the grumpy exterior. I especially enjoyed her attempts to make him laugh and how good it made her feel when she succeeded. I loved Joshua's protectiveness toward Gwyn, which goes far beyond his bodyguard duties. He senses from the start that there is more to the story with Captain Malet than Gwyn or Thorn has shared with him. It was fun to see Joshua thwart Gwyn's attempts to get around him. I loved seeing them grow to trust each other and the boost that trust gave to the feelings that grew between them. I ached for Gwyn as her love for Joshua grew because she was afraid that if he knew everything about her past, he would reject her. The ending was great, as all the secrets were revealed and dealt with, and love conquered all.

The storyline with Captain Malet was excellent. His history with Gwyn created a lot of tension. There was Gwyn's fear that he would expose their past, not just ruining her, but also affecting her entire family. This wasn't his only run-in with Gwyn's family, as he also made an appearance in Seduction on a Snowy Night, Heywood and Cass's story. To complicate matters further, Joshua was also tasked with looking into Malet by the War Department. The final confrontation with Malet was intense. I loved how it worked out - Gwyn made me grin over what she did.

One of the best things about this series is the complexity of the family dynamics. One woman who has had three different husbands, all dukes. Five children by those three men, three of them now dukes in their own right. I loved the teasing and evident love among the family members and the way they support each other. The relationship between Gwyn and her brother has been strained, and we finally find out why. There are also ongoing questions and suspicions about the fathers' deaths that seem to run across the series. Looking forward to how that will play out.

 

Project Duchess - Sabrina Jeffries (Zebra - June 2019)

Series: Duke Dynasty (Book 1)

A series of stepfathers and a difficult childhood have left Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, with a guarded heart, enviable wealth, and the undeserved reputation of a rogue. Grey's focus on expanding his dukedom allows him little time to find a wife. But when his mother is widowed yet again and he meets the charmingly unconventional woman managing his stepfather's funeral, he's shocked to discover how much they have in common. Still, Grey isn't interested in love, no matter how pretty, or delightfully outspoken, the lady . . .

Beatrice Wolfe gave up on romance long ago, and the arrogant Duke of Greycourt with his rakish reputation isn't exactly changing her mind. Then Grey agrees to assist his grief-stricken mother with her latest “project”: schooling spirited, unfashionable Beatrice for her debut. Now that Beatrice is seeing through Grey's charms to his wounded heart, she's having trouble keeping him at arm's length. But once Grey starts digging into her family's secrets, she must decide whether her loyalties lie with her family . . . or with the man whose lessons capture her heart . . .

Good opening to the new series. These are the stories of the children of Lydia, a duchess who has been married three times, each one a duke. She has five grown children, four sons, and one daughter. The oldest son, Grey, was with her first husband, twins Thorn and Gwyn, with her second husband, and Sheridan and Heywood with her third husband. Three of those sons are now dukes, themselves. This is the story of Fletcher Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt.

Grey had a relatively normal life until he was ten years old. His father died when Grey was young, and his first stepfather not long after that. His second stepfather was a kind and loving man for them all. When Grey was ten, his uncle, who was named guardian by Grey's father, came to claim him. This set in motion a chain of events that left Grey alienated from his family and determined to always be in control of his emotions. The book opens as Grey receives word of his stepfather's (the Fourth Duke of Armitage) death and his mother's plea for him to come for the funeral. He doesn't want to, but despite everything, he still loves his mother, so he goes, but plans only a short stay. Those plans get derailed when he arrives and meets Miss Beatrice Wolfe, his half-brother's cousin.

Beatrice is the granddaughter of a duke, but the poor relation in this family. She and her brother, Joshua, were the wards of the Third Duke of Armitage and occupy the dower house. Joshua is a veteran of the Peninsular War, where he was badly wounded before coming home to become the estate gamekeeper. He is a grouchy loner who avoids people whenever he can. Beatrice loves her family and helped Lydia and her family learn the ropes when Maurice became the fourth duke. She stepped in to help with the funeral arrangements and is engaged in that process when Grey arrives. He does NOT make a good impression.

I loved the first meeting between Grey and Beatrice. He is very much the top-lofty, arrogant duke, and Beatrice doesn't put up with that attitude. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her stand up to him. Grey is taken aback at first, but then intrigued and captivated. It's evident that there are sparks between them, but neither one wants to admit it. Beatrice knows that there is too big a gap between them for anything to become of it. Grey wants nothing to do with anything that threatens his control over his emotions.

I enjoyed the development of Grey and Beatrice's relationship. Their plans to avoid each other are complicated by Lydia's plans to take both Gwyn and Beatrice to London for the Season. Lydia recruits Grey to assist in teaching both women what they need to know to survive a London Season. It doesn't take long for Grey and Beatrice to discover that they have much in common, from unpleasant events in their pasts to their preference for straight talk. I loved their pledge to each other that they don't hold back when speaking to each other. Both of them are very quick-witted, and I liked the banter and teasing between them. The more time they spent together, the greater the sparks between them grew, providing both sweet and steamy encounters.

However, the possibility of a future between them has complications and obstacles. Sheridan believes that his father was murdered and that Joshua is the most likely suspect. He recruits Grey to help him investigate, which puts Grey in an awkward position as his feelings for Beatrice grow. Can he discover the truth without endangering his relationship with her? There are some heart-wrenching and amusing moments as Grey, Beatrice, and Joshua work their way through this dilemma. Grey also ends up the attempted victim of his selfish and greedy aunt as she tries to manipulate him into an engagement with his cousin. The timing was especially bad, but Grey comes through with the perfect solution. In both cases, Grey and Beatrice had to decide whether they were able to trust each other. I liked that they overcame by talking to each other - once the initial hurt and anger faded. The ending was great, and I loved their big moment at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire family. It is obvious that there is a great deal of love between all the members, even though some have a harder time showing it. The teasing indicates that they don't take themselves too seriously. When there are problems, there is always someone available to help with support or advice. That's not to say there are no problems. Joshua's attitude is a prime example and makes it easier for him to be suspected of murder. At the same time, Sheridan's focus on Joshua was a bit irritating as his suspicions had no evidence to support them. The sniping and arguing between Thorn and Gwyn appears to be caused by something in their past, which I hope will be addressed in a later book. It looks like the question of the murder may be a continuing theme through the series. I am intrigued to see how that develops.