Project Duchess

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. (July)