As the fourth book in the Duke Dynasty series about the children of a three-time Duchess, absolutely do not start here. You won’t have a clue what’s going on in the overarching mystery plot about who murdered Lydia’s husbands, and both hero and heroine have been introduced (and struck sparks off each other) in earlier books. This is a series you REALLY need to read in order.

With that said, it’s a series I have absolutely devoured and this fourth (and pretty final, though there is a novella upcoming which ties off a side character’s story, oh and there was another novella for Heywood’s story I haven’t read - so maybe it’s actually 6 in total) installment lives up to the promise of the earlier books. We get a great romance between Sheridan and Vanessa, and we finally get the answers to the mystery we’ve been tracking all along.

The last third of the book does suffer a little from having too much to do; we have to find out the who and why of the mystery, tie off a bunch of storylines AND get the conclusion of Sheridan and Vanessa’s romance arc. I think it’s the romance arc which loses out a bit, and I’ll be honest that the sex scene where Vanessa was just completely clueless about what to expect in bed did not ring true. She’s not an ingenue, she’s in her mid-twenties, she’s got a bunch of friends who are married. The whole ‘what’s THAT?’ schtick just made her looks stupid, which she isn’t. And then there’s a VERY weird scene afterwards with the hero’s mother basically inspecting the blood on the sheets of the marital bed which made me cringe. That was wildly unnecessary.

Overall, this is such a superb series. I really like the mystery which played out across all the books and tied them together so strongly; I liked that all the players were on the scene from early on (except Olivia, but there was good reason for that). The red herrings and false trails were beautifully laid, with plenty of not very nice people as perfectly valid suspects, the actual murderer there from early on, and just the motive being the final puzzle piece needed to understand what was happening. As an entire series, I would definitely give it five stars… BUT… this last book had weak points the others didn’t, and those wedding night scenes were cringeworthy enough I’m afraid I’m going to mark it down a star. I’m not disappointed with the conclusion of the series, but the romance here was the weakest link in the chain. Four stars.

This is the last full book in the Duke's Dynasty series, and I am so sad to see it end! I've enjoyed each story, even though the family tree can be somewhat confusing at times.

This book centers on the last of the unmarried Dukes - Sheridan Wolfe. He and his siblings are convinced their fathers have all been murdered, and try to investigate as best as they can. Sheridan is tapped to question Lady Eustace, who happens to be the mother of Vanessa Pryde - the object of Sheridan's very reluctant affections.

Through the typical historical romance tropes they end up falling in love (although neither realizes it at the time) and getting married. Once that happens, the investigation into the deaths of the forefathers picks up pace, and leads to a surprising conclusion. I must admit I was surprised by the identity of the perpetrator.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and while some of the others are better, it definitely holds up. While you could read this one on its own, I recommend starting at the beginning, only because the family connections can be confusing otherwise.

This was a great series, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

This was absolutely awesome. If you haven't read the whole series do! This book kept you guessing and you really believe you knew what happened. This author will keep you hooked until the end! Just didn't want it to end

The fourth and final book of the Duke Dynasty series was really middle of the road for me. There was an okay romance. An okay mystery. But nothing truly stood out.

The ending of the mystery was over very quickly, and pretty anti-climactic (since there was a build up to the "whodunit" for at least four books.)

There wasn't as much action as the previous book, and the hero, Sheridan Wolfe, was hard to get to know and even harder to like.

I wish we saw more of Grey, Wolfe's older brother and Vanessa's brother figure. I feel they needed some time together.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions were freely given.

Siblings and their wives are determined to find answers to the deaths of the Dowager Duchess' husbands. The focus is on three Duchesses, one as the suspect and the motive(s). .Jealousy may be one of them. . Parallel to this plot is the development of the relationship between Vanessa and Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage. Sheridan refuses to fall in love, but he can't stop his strong attraction to Vanessa., who already loves him. Clues to the murderer are through the book, but you have to connect the dots. Entertaining and a nice ending for Vanessa and Sheridan and solving the murders.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

It''s complicated...

Sebastian is now a duke. He's looking into his thrice married mother's husbands' deaths. She married three dukes and has five children. Hey, she was busy.

What I liked is that Sebastian is reserved, he been burned before and as a few issues.
Vanessa is a bit of a schemer, hence a play to make Sebastian jealous works a little too well and they end up compromised.

While I enjoyed this last book in the series (must be read in order, obviously) I found I liked The Bachelor the best. This might be my second favorite.
I think the plotting got a little in the way of the connection between Vanessa and Sebastian.
I did enjoy Sebastian, of all three dukes, as he was the most developed in character and motivations.
Recommend.

4.5

Sheridan Wolfe the new Duke of Armitage has two half-brothers who are also Dukes. He’s begin wondering his mother married three Dukes and all three step-fathers who died unexpectedly from illness or strange accidents. The last Duke his father, helped to raise his children and hers, five children in all. A captivating story as Sheridan, his in-laws and his siblings try to solve the murder/accidents of his father and the two previous husbands. Vanessa Pryde has been attracted to Sheridan Wolfe for as long as she can remember, but he only sees her as a little sister. That will not do so with a little scheming Vanessa sets out to capture his attention and love for herself. I love the attraction, mystery and romance between them its make an excellent story I’m voluntarily reviewing.

The book is full of secrets, mysteries and yet really steamy and romantic!
You can't put it down till the end!
And I'm not a fan of mystery romance, but I liked it!

This is 4th book in the series, I haven't read other one's but I could follow the story. At first I was a bit confused about so many characters but it soon came all to one place.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Vanessa is attracted to Sheridan, but due to a loss in his past he is resisting his own attraction. She creates a scheme to flirt with someone else and Sheridan finds himself drawn in. The story was fun, flirty and romantic and it held my interest. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Good book. I liked the romance between Vanessa and Sheridan and how it tied into the investigation of the murders. This is the final book in the series, and the family's determination to solve their fathers' murders comes to a satisfactory conclusion. In the first book of the series, Project Duchess, Sheridan is the one who suspects that the deaths were neither natural nor accidental. Eventually, they conclude that three aristocratic ladies had the means and motivation to carry them off. Sheridan finds himself tasked with investigating Lady Eustace, mother of Vanessa Pryde. Sheridan is unwillingly attracted to Vanessa and doesn't look forward to spending time in her company.

Vanessa is in love with Sheridan and has been for months. Unfortunately, he doesn't appear to see her as a woman instead of his half-brother's cousin, so she sets out to gain his attention. To do so, she fakes an interest in playwright Juncker in hopes of stirring Sheridan's jealousy.

I liked both Sheridan and Vanessa. Sheridan never expected to become the duke and trained for a diplomatic career. He is kind, honorable, protective, and a bit on the serious side, which gained him the nickname of "Saint Sheridan" within the family. He spends much of his time trying to figure out how to save the estate from bankruptcy due to his uncle's profligate ways, and he faces greater than usual challenges in doing so. Sheridan also closed himself off to any idea of marriage after the death of his fiancée. Vanessa is intelligent, independent, and willing to go after what she wants. She spent her life watching her parents fight their way through their marriage. Her mother is selfish and cruel in her treatment of Vanessa, currently pushing her toward marriage with an older peer.

I liked watching the development of the relationship between Vanessa and Sheridan. Vanessa's interest in Juncker irritates Sheridan though he doesn't know why and he becomes determined to show her what a poor choice he is. While looking for a way to get closer to Lady Eustace, he agrees to pretend to court Vanessa so she can stir Juncker's jealousy (?!) and he can prove to her that Juncker is a cad. The convolutions of their schemes lead to some interesting verbal battles and the growing realization that each has misjudged the other. I loved seeing them engage in their verbal fisticuffs around their families, who can see the truth about their feelings, while Sheridan and Vanessa remain oblivious. I ached for Vanessa when a moment of uncontrolled passion led to a hasty marriage because she never wanted him forced into marriage with her. Her hopes take a hit when she finds out what brought them together. Meanwhile, Sheridan continues to fight his feelings for her until a comment by his half-sister opens his eyes: "You don't choose love; love chooses you. ...resistance is pointless." That revelation nearly comes too late, but in the end, both Sheridan and Vanessa admit their feelings for each other. I loved the epilogue with all of the couples from the series.

I felt mysteries were addressed in this book. The first was Sheridan's battle with the estate's finances and how they got to be in such bad shape. My suspicions on that subject focused on one person, and I wasn't surprised to discover I was right. The second mystery dealt with the deaths of the dukes. This was somewhat more convoluted. I was fascinated with how the men focused on the aristocratic women, while Vanessa pointed out that they completely overlooked the servants who also had motive and opportunity. When the truth came out, the link between the two mysteries didn't surprise me, but the motivation did. The final confrontation was intense and had me glued to the pages until it was over.

In this book, the reader discovers who the murderer is. The family are working together to narrow down the suspects. Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage is tasked with questioning Vanessa Pryde’s mother. To enable him to do this he spends more time with Vanessa. However, Vanessa has her reasons for spending time with Sheridan. Vanessa and Sheridan find their feeling for each other deepening but will Sheridan ever realise it! There is a past love, the mystery to solve and the perpetrator to bring to justice. I found this an entertaining read, with plenty of banter between the siblings. There are a number of characters in this book and if you haven’t read any of the previous books, you will find the family tree at the beginning, very useful. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and could not believe it when I got to the end. I had finished it in one sitting. I could not stop reading. It moves along at a great pace which made for an easy read. The characters are so real that you feel as though you know them personally and you want to be there for them. The story will grab you and keep you reading until the end and then you need more. This book is a must read, there is no doubt about it.

In this wonderfully written romance, Sheridan and Vanessa fight their love for each other. One is in denial, and the other is afraid of rejection. This book has humor, intrigue, drama, and romance all in one. I loved it, but I wish I would have read the previous books in the Duke Dynasty series first so I could get the entire picture of the intriguing story line. This is definitely a series to read.

I loved the final book in the Duke Dynasty series, The books should be read in order. Sheridan is investigating the suspicious deaths of his mothers three husbands all Dukes. Sheridan has know heart ache and doesn't want to fall in love again. Vanessa has a crush on the duke, and goes about flirting with another to make him jealous. I loved Vanessa a sassy heroine going opposite a stuffy duke. We do find out who did it in the end. A very delightful and entertaining read.

I truly loved this book!

If you have not read the previous books in this series (like me), it definitely is easy to be lost in the number of characters at play and the twist/turns of the plot initially.

Was I able to catch up on the series plot I n this book? Yes.

Do I feel like it probably would have been a better experience reading the series from start to finish instead? Yes.

I loved the pining between the hero, Sheridan, and the heroine, Vanessa. I also loved Juncker’s role in their relationship and the jealous itch that Sheridan had as a result. (Sigh.)

Read this book (but also read the series like I am because I love these characters!)

*I received this as an ARC and above is my honest review.
#UndercoverDuke #NetGalley

Thank you to Kensington Books for access to an early ARC of this book!

FINALLY we come to the end of the mystery of who keeps murdering all the dukes. I picked up the 2nd and 3rd of this series a couple of months ago and I had honestly forgotten that the mystery existed, but I'm glad I read them because otherwise, the mystery elements of this book would have been distracting and frustrating. Do I really care who has taken out all of these people? Not really. I feel like it was a better vehicle in some of the other books in this series than in this one.

So let's focus on the romance because that's really why I kept going. I loved how the author keeps bringing Junker into the story when he could have really been a one-off and how she used him to really push the main couple to get together. At times it felt like we just needed to take for granted that Sheridan loved Helene SO MUCH that he could never love Vanessa and I wish we had gotten more on that. But in the meantime, I liked Sheridan and Vanessa together and loved that she could match him in the ballroom AND the bedroom. Their fake dating was kinda ridiculous (did anyone actually believe he was courting her), but honestly who cares? They were fun and that's what I wanted. Plus it was great to see Sheridan interact with his siblings from previous books.

In the end, this was a nice bit of a romp and the perfect thing to read on my first plane ride in 14 months. Funny, romantic, a bit of intrigue, a great finish to the series.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Before reading this title, I would recommend reading the previous titles in the series as there is an overarching mystery around the possible murder of the husbands of Lydia, the mother of the siblings as well the Duchess of Armitage. This book features Sheridan, the Duke of Armitage and Vanessa, who is the cousin of Sheridan's eldest half-brother who is a duke in his own-right. Vanessa has been interested in Sheridan since they met several years ago, but feels that Sheridan doesn't see her as anything than his brother's younger cousin. In an attempt to make him jealous, Vanessa has been pretending to be interested in the playwright Juncker and in fact convinces Sheridan to help her make Juncker jealous by pretending to be interested in her. He is convinced that he can make her see that Juncker isn't the man she thinks he is; additionally, it can help him get closer to her mother who is one of the suspects in the death of his father.

Of course, the more time the two spend together, the more Sheridan realizes he might have misjudged Vanessa and that there is more to her than what is apparent on the surface. I really enjoyed the banter between the two and way that Vanessa didn't let Sheridan get away with anything. I did wish that the romance was a little more developed between the two, but overall found it to be satisfying. On the mystery side of things, that was nicely wrapped up; I was able to narrow the culprit down to two individuals, but wasn't sure of which one until the reveal. The motive behind the deaths made sense unlike some stories. Overall, this was a fitting end to the series. I look forward to see what Ms. Jeffries comes up with next.

Arghhhh! I can hardly bear to think Undercover Duke is the last full book (I’m holding out for the novella or a Christmas collection story) in the delightful Duke Dynasty. Well, except for the murder part, I shouldn’t refer to murder as delightful.
Imagine if you would a world where one lovely woman marries three times, each time to a duke, bearing a future-actually in two cases not so much future- duke, plus two other children.
In the first book, Project Dynasty, the penny dropped for Sheridan, the current and unexpected Duke of Armitage and his two half brothers. Sheridan finally realized too many dukes had died unexpectedly from illness or strange accidents. Sheridan never expected to be a duke, with an uncle and his father between him and a dukedom. Eventually the shocking idea of murder became the only reasonable explanation.
These dukes and one of their in-laws are truly amateur detectives, going off on tangents and suspecting everyone; everyone except the most obvious but the one with the most obscure motive.
Which is fine, because at least they are smart enough to begin to investigate and most importantly to fall in love with women who match them, or more accurately, sometimes outmatching them.
I’ve enjoyed all of the books in this series, but I will admit to have anxiously been awaiting Sheridan and Vanessa’s story. They aren’t star-crossed but common sense crossed; there were a few times I just wanted to shake them. Snap out of it! One was deeply in love and resorted to subterfuge, the other refused to love again after his fiancée died from consumption.
Jeffries does banter so well, snappy and amusing although at times I thought the comments were a bit too modern. Sometimes I think authors include such comments as a wink and a nod to modern readers.
I think Jeffries historical research is impeccable, with the settings and details of dress, and mores etc drawing me into the story.
I am invested in all her characters and pleased they did not disappear from one book to the next. From female scientist to gamekeeper’s sister the women were never caricatures or empty-headed. They were a match for the men in every way, with Vanessa no exception.
Sheridan may have been the most stubborn, prideful and hardheaded of the three dukes, making Vanessa his perfect match.
Undercover Duke was an enjoyable romance on every level, and the murder mystery had a satisfying ending; I was wrong in many of my conclusions.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sabrina Jeffries for the ARC.

In the last book of the Duke Dynasty series, we start to heavily get into the mystery of the deceased husbands of the family matriarch, the Dowager Duchess. In Undercover Duke we are in full blown mystery mode!

Sheridan has been heavily affected by the strange deaths within his family and he is taking the lead to get to the bottom if it… too bad that his investigation is going to make his get pretty cozy with the frivolous Vanessa, his brother’s cousin, in order to find out what her mother can tell them about some key events in the mystery timeframe.

Vanessa Pryde doesn’t know why Sheridan is finally paying attention to her, but she will do anything to keep it up! She has loved him since they met, but the feelings has seemed completely one sided until now. Using the idea that she is trying to get another suiters up to scruff, she and Sheridan hatch a deal to start a fake courtship…

Soon the lines between fake and real are blurred and a real marriage ensues! Now as part of the family, Vanessa is in danger and Sheridan and her need to come out with all their secrets for her safety and in order to make this marriage work!

I am a sucker for a good fake dating plot, and this one where both parties have their own secret agenda was really fun to see play out. The chemistry and attraction between These two really explodes and I didn’t expect that form up tight Sheridan! Very hot!

Another great thing about these characters is that they start off with very skewed perspectives of each other, as they continue to interact and the relationship develops, it was really sweet to see the or true selves revealed and appreciated by each other. As their true selfs, Sheridan and Vanessa make. Perfect pairing- thankfully this investigation Brough them together to see just that!

Also, we finally resolve the mystery of the murdered husbands and relatives! I wound give it away, but I liked how it turned out.

This book had plenty of continuing aspect, like the mystery and the family dynamics, but I feel that Sabrina Jeffries gave enough back story for those wanting to jump into the Duke Dynasty at this book.

Undercover Duke by Sabrina Jeffries is scheduled to release May 25th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zebra, Kensington Book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#UndercoverDuke #SabrinaJeffries #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

We finally get Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage's story. Sheridan and his family are getting closer to figuring out who killed all three of their mother, Lydia Fletcher's husbands. When Sheridan is given the task to question Cora Pryde (Lady Eustace) who they believe is a suspect, he never would have believed that her daughter, Miss Vanessa Pryde would catch his attention. Sheridan finds himself attracted to Vanessa, but because of the death of his fiance a few years ago he doesn't want to pursue another possible heartbreak again.

Vanessa may be pretending to flirt and want Konrad Juncker, but in reality she really is interested in Sheridan. As these two play a cat and mouse game, real feelings start to emerge. As things start to escalate with the investigation, so does Vanessa and Sheridan's relationship. Vanessa hopes she is getting everything she wished for, now she just hopes that Sheridan feels the same way.

In a surprising twist, we finally find out who the murderer is. This revelation brings everything to a nice happy ending where Vanessa and Sheridan will finally get their happy ever after.

I really enjoyed this story and am sad that the series is over. It was fun trying to figure out who the murderer was. I really liked Sheridan and Vanessa too. Sheridan was all businesslike but quickly realized that he wasn't living his fullest life until he was with Vanessa. I also loved how Vanessa was finally able to find the one thing she always hoped for....unconditional love! Overall another great book from Sabrina Jeffries.