May 1, 2019
After his stepfather's death, a duke with complicated family ties must face his difficult past, especially if he hopes to win the special woman he meets when his mother summons him to the funeral. The Duke of Greycourt doesn't know how to feel when he learns that his stepfather--his mother's third husband, who'd recently inherited a dukedom and returned to England after years serving abroad as a diplomat--has died. Maurice was the closest thing to a father he'd ever had, but his relationship to him, his mother, and his four half siblings was strained when Grey was sent back to England to be raised by his father's brother when he was 10, a painful, tense situation that Grey is still working through. Spending time with his loving but challenging family makes Grey reconsider his feelings, but meeting Maurice's niece Beatrice is truly life-altering. Immediately attracted to her, he offers to help her prepare for a long-delayed season and soon is completely smitten, though it takes him a while to figure it out. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Maurice's death wasn't an accident, and his son--Grey's half brother and Beatrice's cousin Sheridan--is increasingly convinced her brother Joshua was responsible. Grey and Beatrice seek the truth and fall in love, but the road to happiness has a few bumps along the way. Jeffries begins a new series with a large, charming cast and a unique backstory plus subtle hints at future pairings. Readers will love Grey and Beatrice, and the nicely paced, intriguing plot will keep them engaged, though the core conflicts lack bite and the intensity and immediacy of the couple's sexual awareness feels slightly modern for the rest of the story. An appealing historical romance from a fan favorite.
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May 20, 2019
Jeffries’s riveting first Duke Dynasty Regency has a little bit of everything: an independent, forthright woman; a handsome duke with trust issues; and a mystery. The Honorable Beatrice Wolfe is living with her brother, Joshua, at the dower house at Armitage Hall, where Joshua is the gamekeeper, when the Duke of Armitage dies. The duke’s stepson, Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, Duke of Greycourt, comes to Armitage for the funeral at the request of his mother. Sparring between Beatrice and Grey becomes foreplay, which leads to a discourse on friendship and night of passion. But Grey and his brother, Sheridan, think Joshua might have killed Armitage, and Joshua doubts that Grey is serious about his intentions to marry Beatrice. Complex, intense characters heat up the pages with scintillating love scenes amid the intrigue. Jeffries (the Sinful Suitors series) continues to impress, and romance fans will eagerly await the next book. Agent: Pam Ahearn, Ahearn Agency.
June 1, 2019
Fletcher Grey Pryde, the fifth Duke of Greycourt, fears that rumors of his wickedness have been greatly exaggerated. Contrary to popular belief, Grey does not lead a secret cabal of licentious bachelors wrecking societal havoc. Truth be told, Grey spends most of his time working to ensure that his ducal estates are kept in tip-top financial shape. This leaves Grey with nary a spare moment to look for a suitable wife for himself, let alone keep a harem of mistresses happy. However, when his mother loses her latest husband, Grey has no choice but to come home for the funeral. Once there, he meets Beatrice Wolfe, who has become his mother's latest project. Grey never expected he would offer to help his mother school Beatrice for her for her societal debut, but then again, he never expected he would encounter a woman he could actually consider marrying. Best-selling Jeffries brilliantly launches her new Duke Dynasty series with another exemplary Regency-set historical brilliantly sourced from her seemingly endless authorial supply of fascinating characters and compelling storylines.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)