Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries
From New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries comes a sparkling new series about an oft-widowed mother’s grown children, who blaze through society in their quest for the truth about their fathers . . . and in the process find that love just might conquer all . . .
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 . . .
- File Name:project-duchess-by-sabrina-jeffries.epub
- Original Title:Project Duchess
- Creator:Jeffries, Sabrina
- Language:en
- Identifier:2921265534
- Publisher:Headline
- Date:2019-06-25
- File Size:1.024 MB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Copyright Page
- 3. Contents
- 4. About the Author
- 5. Praise for Sabrina Jeffries
- 6. By Sabrina Jeffries
- 7. About the Book
- 8. Dedication
- 9. Prologue
- 10. Chapter One
- 11. Chapter Two
- 12. Chapter Three
- 13. Chapter Four
- 14. Chapter Five
- 15. Chapter Six
- 16. Chapter Seven
- 17. Chapter Eight
- 18. Chapter Nine
- 19. Chapter Ten
- 20. Chapter Eleven
- 21. Chapter Twelve
- 22. Chapter Thirteen
- 23. Chapter Fourteen
- 24. Chapter Fifteen
- 25. Chapter Sixteen
- 26. Chapter Seventeen
- 27. Chapter Eighteen
- 28. Chapter Nineteen
- 29. Chapter Twenty
- 30. Chapter Twenty-One
- 31. Chapter Twenty-Two
- 32. Chapter Twenty-Three
- 33. Chapter Twenty-Four
- 34. Chapter Twenty-Five
- 35. Epilogue
- 36. Be seduced by the Sinful Suitors
- 37. Meet the Hellions of Halstead Hall
- 38. Find out more about Headline Eternal
Side Note: Taking note of the Family Tree that the author graciously provided, take note that there is a bit of a discrepancy in the lineage of the Duke of Greycourt's family. It lists Eustace Gertrue Pryde. However, in the final book Undercover Duke, Gertrude's name was changed to Cora. Throughout the series, Vanessa's mother was mentioned as Cora, but never as Gertrude.
Project Duchess, Book 1 of the Duke Dynasty series, was about His Grace Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt, and the Honorable Miss Beatrice "Bea" Wolfe, cousin to His Grace Sheridan Wolfe, the Duke of Armitage, Grey's step-brother. Side Note: The verbiage, etiquette, and mannerisms of this book were way too modern for 1808. It was more like 1980s speech than the 1800s. Upon hearing about the death of his stepfather, Grey returned to the family estate to attend the funeral where he met Beatrice for the first time. When Grey's stepbrother, the new Duke of Armitage, tells him of his suspicions of Beatrice's brother, it put him on his guard with her and her motives for being kind to his family. Beatrice had family secrets she didn't want to be revealed to Grey or his family...secrets that could be her undoing. All she wanted was to make her debut, find a gentleman interested enough to marry her, and settle her own. She wasn't interested in the likes of Grey, for she had seen enough of his ilk to make her wary of him. Grey's brother talked him into helping get his sister, Gwyn, and Beatrice ready for a belated debut, which gave him all the impetus he needed to get closer to her. While he had no intention of marrying for love, he could not help but to sneak the odd kiss or touch from Bea. The storyline, while not a totally new concept, was definitely well-written with a firm foundation and plot. Although there were some questionable twists and turns, it was, for the most part, a decent story. The characters, though, needed a little more development and fleshing out as they tended to wax a bit false at times. All of them, not just the two main characters, had been damaged in some way growing up (as I'm sure will be revealed in the sequels of the series), and all of them had many flaws that were questionable. Some of it made sense while still others caused a quirked eyebrow of consternation from this reader. Emotions ran the gamut in this book. Angst, drama, and intrigue were the most prominent, while humor, fear, and anger ran a close second. The attraction between the two main characters was apparent from the first meeting, but the passion seemed a bit stymied and lackluster. The intrigue of the story seemed a bit rushed and not very well thought out. It was a jumble of thoughts and ideas that fell flat for the most part but, in the end, it was left as a bit of a cliffhanger. While it was a decent story, it left much to be desired and lacked a certain finesse. Perhaps it warranted a three-star rating, but that's about all it earned.