I really liked the premise of this story because it highlights the inequity of the era. I often think the double standards and the confined lives women had to live are lost in these stories by glossing over what were terribly restrictive rules. Not so in this. The heroine Gwyn made a mistake in trusting the wrong man when she was young. Her twin brother not knowing the full extent of her relationship with the guy pays him off to leave her. He does. Gwyn's secret weighs on her for years, she's no longer a virgin and in a society where that is the only value the woman brings to the table, she's ruined. This jerk comes back in to her life to blackmail her but the hero Joshua comes in to chase the guy away. Gwyn has to find the money to pay this guy off, and she of course, because of the times, doesn't have access to much. Her twin doesn't know what is going on, but thinks she's in danger because this guy is back. I think Gwyn keeping this secret from Joshua went on a little longer than it needed to be, but once it came out, Gwyn's self worth was explored well within the confines of the society she was raised in.

This book reminds us that while it might be fun to read these stories, it couldn't have been very fun to live in the actual time (which is why I can not stand time travel stories that strand women in the past, where are the stories that bring a lady from that time and strand her in the present and watch her blossom with all the freedoms and opportunity she could have).

Great addition to the series. I enjoyed the story very much, though a female character of thirty years old, to me was a bit of a stretch but it was an interesting premise. Will be handselling this one for sure.

I really, really, really wanted to read this. The main reason I gave the prequel Project Duchess 3 stars instead of 2 (or possibly less?) was Major Joshua Wolfe. The second very close runner up? Lady Gwyn Drake. The third reason? The two interacting in any way. "omg Major Joshua Wolfe and Lady Gwyn Drake" was basically my review for the first book.

So did it live up to my expectations?

✓s: Super awesome characters; killer chemistry; I liked the whole concept as a whole and its execution for the most part; I appreciated the disability rep for Joshua for his physical limitations as far as his leg and how he has anger and impulse issues with his PTSD; and as far as the family went, I really enjoyed the dynamics, the Duchess, and (view spoiler).

✘s: I had two main dislikes. On the minor side, I wish the pacing with the romance had been different ((view spoiler)) But mostly, I wish the mystery/blackmail plot(s) had played a larger part in the plot, especially given Joshua's role.

tl;dr: Like a 4-4.25 - I enjoyed this in an awesome, "binge it a night and stay up until 2 AM on a worknight" kind of way. I'll definitely reread it in the future and I'll probably tune in for Book #3 because, hi, Lady Chemist ftw.


Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the free ARC, with no incentive or coercion on your parts.

Sabrina Jeffries has written The Bachelor, which is the newest and second book in the Duke Dynasty series. The book follows a mismatched family with three Dukes and their siblings. Some being wealthy and others not so wealthy. The link that ties them all together is Lydia Fletcher who married three times. This book focuses Gwen Drake and Joshua Wolfe.

Gwen is the sister of a duke and is out on the marriage mart at the age of 30. She has many secrets from her past that she has kept from her family. Unfortunately, the secret is enough to have her being blackmailed by a man from her past.

Joshua is the third son of a duke. He was seriously hurt during the war and took a long time to heal. He was offered a job as a gamekeeper on her brother’s estate. He is curt, brusk and usually blunt. He knows that Gwen is keeping secrets and has been offered a job protecting her while she is in London.

Joshua and Gwen have fabulous chemistry and I really enjoyed reading about them in the prior books, so I was quite happy to read this novel. Secrets and lack of honest conversation is almost always the cause of problems. Too bad Joshua and Gwen had to work through all that, but that is what made the book so good. The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries was a great read.

I was given the book by Net Galley to read and review with my opinion. I was disappointed that when I first downloaded the book, it was only the first chapter. Especially since it was already offered at the end of the Project Dutchess. Sabrina Jeffries put a link on her website with the entire book once it had been corrected on Net Galley! I was quite happy to redownload and read the entire ARC.