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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun but I do not but the family structure does not ring true
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is historical romance at its finest. It truly has all the things I love. There is a wonderful family dynamic, an emotionally aloft Duke, a mystery and a sassy heroine. It always takes a good woman to bring a Duke to his knees and Bea was the perfect match for Grey.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fine but forgettable. I appreciated that Beatrice wasn't a raving beauty and also that she didn't like being called Bea. Grey I just wasn't really convinced by. Mostly I kept reading because it was inoffensive and because I wanted to see whether the questionable deaths got resolved (they didn't). I am mildly invested in the romance between Gwyn and Bea's brother (who's name I've already forgotten, gg) but probably not enough to seek out the other books in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Incest, Murder
When Fletcher "Grey" Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt, is called to his family's home after the untimely death of his stepfather, Grey is full of apprehension. He was sent away as a young boy in order to learn, at the hands of his uncle, what it takes to run a dukedom. Unfortunately, Grey's aunt and uncle do not provide a caring and loving household and, unwittingly, Grey forms some resentment towards his mother and siblings for it. Luckily when he arrives in a foul mood, Beatrice Wolfe is around to ground him a little bit.
Beatrice has long ago given up on love and romance. After the death of her parents, and the fact that it's only her and her brother, she's never had a proper coming out. When Grey's family agrees to help Beatrice she's over the moon, well except for the part that she will be working closely with Grey, despite the fact that she's terribly attracted to him. When she's with Grey, Beatrice doesn't feel like she has to worry about being proper, and definitely doesn't feel like she has to guard her words. But, Beatrice is keeping a family secret close to the chest and she's afraid that Grey would be the one to unknowingly pry the secret from her. This doesn't bode well when the cause of Grey's stepfather's death comes into question and Beatrice's brother is the prime suspect.
I really enjoyed this first book of a new series by Sabrina Jeffries. I loved the added bit of intrigue where the death of Grey's stepfather is concerned. Everyone likes a good mystery and this one will definitely be and overarching storyline that will, at least, follow through into the next book.
I really enjoyed Beatrice's spirit and most of all I loved that her family wasn't looking to change who she was, just maybe refine her a little for social events which was an interesting commentary as Grey has his own reputation that he contends with but being in the position of Duke grants him more leeway. It was interesting seeing the contrast of these two similar personalities and how society views them because they are of the opposite sex. I loved all of Grey and Beatrice's interactions. Sabrina Jeffries wrote some wonderfully steamy almost minimalistic scenes (especially during the dance lessons) that build up the chemistry and tension between Grey and Beatrice.
Project Duchess speaks a lot about family and siblings in particular. I'm hoping that as the series continues that we'll build more upon this because I didn't feel exactly satisfied in the interactions and / or the closure between the siblings. Grey has kept himself separate from his brothers and sister always reminding them, and himself, that they are half-siblings (as their mother married three different times). As mentioned before, a lot of this stems from his childhood away from the family and the resentment he carries, and while this is acknowledged by the end on Grey's part, I still wanted to see the family get closer. But, as I say, this is very much something that could be ongoing, in which case I will reserve final judgement until later.
Overall, I think Project Duchess is a wonderful start to a new series. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Grey's siblings and seeing what other kind of escapades this family can get into.
*Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Beatrice has long ago given up on love and romance. After the death of her parents, and the fact that it's only her and her brother, she's never had a proper coming out. When Grey's family agrees to help Beatrice she's over the moon, well except for the part that she will be working closely with Grey, despite the fact that she's terribly attracted to him. When she's with Grey, Beatrice doesn't feel like she has to worry about being proper, and definitely doesn't feel like she has to guard her words. But, Beatrice is keeping a family secret close to the chest and she's afraid that Grey would be the one to unknowingly pry the secret from her. This doesn't bode well when the cause of Grey's stepfather's death comes into question and Beatrice's brother is the prime suspect.
I really enjoyed this first book of a new series by Sabrina Jeffries. I loved the added bit of intrigue where the death of Grey's stepfather is concerned. Everyone likes a good mystery and this one will definitely be and overarching storyline that will, at least, follow through into the next book.
I really enjoyed Beatrice's spirit and most of all I loved that her family wasn't looking to change who she was, just maybe refine her a little for social events which was an interesting commentary as Grey has his own reputation that he contends with but being in the position of Duke grants him more leeway. It was interesting seeing the contrast of these two similar personalities and how society views them because they are of the opposite sex. I loved all of Grey and Beatrice's interactions. Sabrina Jeffries wrote some wonderfully steamy almost minimalistic scenes (especially during the dance lessons) that build up the chemistry and tension between Grey and Beatrice.
Project Duchess speaks a lot about family and siblings in particular. I'm hoping that as the series continues that we'll build more upon this because I didn't feel exactly satisfied in the interactions and / or the closure between the siblings. Grey has kept himself separate from his brothers and sister always reminding them, and himself, that they are half-siblings (as their mother married three different times). As mentioned before, a lot of this stems from his childhood away from the family and the resentment he carries, and while this is acknowledged by the end on Grey's part, I still wanted to see the family get closer. But, as I say, this is very much something that could be ongoing, in which case I will reserve final judgement until later.
Overall, I think Project Duchess is a wonderful start to a new series. I'm looking forward to spending more time with Grey's siblings and seeing what other kind of escapades this family can get into.
*Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
'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 . . . '
____________________________
Project Duchess is the first book in Sabrina Jefferies' Duke Dynasty series and is a historical romance with a touch of murder mystery.
I have just finished reading the fourth book in the series and the family connections in the series are complex enough that each book has a family tree at the beginning. Plus I had somehow only ever read this and the fourth book, despite having always intended to go back and read the series from the beginning. Either way though, I was left feeling that maybe there were some family details that I was forgetting and so here I am starting the series and reading the books I missed! I think I'll reread the second book as well though because it's been a year and I want to make sure I have all the details for this mystery.
I'm going to be entirely honest, I wasn't crazy about this book. Beatrice jumps to conclusions about Grey's character and wavers between sticking to those ideas and thinking that she may have misjudged him while fighting an attraction to him. And Grey suspects Beatrice and her brother of conspiring to commit/cover up a murder while also fighting an attraction to her. It just left me not really able to care much about their becoming more of a team when there was still this lurking sense of distrust. Then when they worked through that enough to be more trusting of one another, it felt a bit sappy to me because I just wasn't able to embrace it after their earlier behavior.
But that being said, it wasn't bad. But I am glad that I read other books in this series first because if this was my first exposure to the series, I'm not certain I would have continued on with the series. I remember really enjoying the second book when I read it a year ago, so perhaps this book just fell into the pitfall of a shaky first book to introduce a new series.
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 . . . '
____________________________
Project Duchess is the first book in Sabrina Jefferies' Duke Dynasty series and is a historical romance with a touch of murder mystery.
I have just finished reading the fourth book in the series and the family connections in the series are complex enough that each book has a family tree at the beginning. Plus I had somehow only ever read this and the fourth book, despite having always intended to go back and read the series from the beginning. Either way though, I was left feeling that maybe there were some family details that I was forgetting and so here I am starting the series and reading the books I missed! I think I'll reread the second book as well though because it's been a year and I want to make sure I have all the details for this mystery.
I'm going to be entirely honest, I wasn't crazy about this book. Beatrice jumps to conclusions about Grey's character and wavers between sticking to those ideas and thinking that she may have misjudged him while fighting an attraction to him. And Grey suspects Beatrice and her brother of conspiring to commit/cover up a murder while also fighting an attraction to her. It just left me not really able to care much about their becoming more of a team when there was still this lurking sense of distrust. Then when they worked through that enough to be more trusting of one another, it felt a bit sappy to me because I just wasn't able to embrace it after their earlier behavior.
But that being said, it wasn't bad. But I am glad that I read other books in this series first because if this was my first exposure to the series, I'm not certain I would have continued on with the series. I remember really enjoying the second book when I read it a year ago, so perhaps this book just fell into the pitfall of a shaky first book to introduce a new series.
This book has it all...murder, mystery, romance and sex! It was hard for me to put this book down. I loved Beatrice. She was smart, opinionated and kind. I look forward to reading more about this family of duke's.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes