A Duke for Diana by Sabrina Jeffries
Designing Debutants #1
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
Historical Romance

Diana is one of three sisters who run Elegant Occasions, a consulting business for the ton. Geoffrey just unexpectedly inherits a Dukedom and requires the ladies of Elegant Occasions to help with his sister’s debut in society. Diana sees that the Duke could use a little help himself and with their clashing personalities sparks begin to fly.

The concept was a fresh take on women not accepted by polite society but not completely rejected either. I liked that the sisters were enterprising and figured out how to navigate the waters their own way.

The Duke started off as very unapproachable and it took me a little while to warm up to him. Once I did I thought the tension between Diana and the Duke and the will or won’t they was beautifully time and balanced.

However, this book left me wondering if the sex scenes were as awkward for this author to write as it was for me to read them. This is my first Sabrina Jeffries novel and judging by her considerable backlist I’m kind of surprised how uncomfortable they were. There were a number of weird metaphors constantly being applied. At one point, Diana referred to the sex as earthy and I have no idea what that means but I just read the Runaway Duchess where a botanist has sex with a duchess on a bed of moss and never once was it described as earthy. There were metaphors about pencils and explanations on the euphemism of saddling and I just wanted those scenes to end. It just gave weird juvenile and awkward vibes to a degree that I don’t think was intended.

This cover is stunning and kind of gives similar vibes to the new covers for the Bridgerton novels which I like. They are clean and simple looking and the cover is what first drew me to the story.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It has been quite a couple of years since I have read a Sabrina Jeffries novel and was delighted to have an opportunity to read “A Duke for Diana (Designing Debutantes #1). The description and author are what captured my attention and this was a likeable and comfy story.

Lady Diana Harper and her sisters are coming from an upscale family in the ton, to one of scandal and disgrace when her mother runs off with her lover and the father sues her for divorce. This placed the sisters in a very bad light amongst the ton and must secure their futures the best way they can…forming “Elegant Occasions”. Then there is the Geoffrey Brookhouse, the new Duke of Grenwood, who has been raised in a trade environment but now comes into the inheritance at no fault of his own nor does he want the title. Because he has a duty not only to the title but to his sister, he enlists Lady Diana to help him with her debut to the Queen as well as society. From the description, there was an anticipation of how Ms. Jeffries would intertwine switching the backgrounds of both characters in this read…in the end, it worked very well.

I loved the MCs of this story, their insta-attraction, the angst between them and the idea of a business working for the sisters. Although the sister’s relationship did not quite fit together for me, I did like their interactions with one another and their sole purpose of being successful in their business and taking care of themselves. I also like that both MCs knew the art of working for a living. As with HRs, I do like a bit of steamy and there was a moderate amount in this story. My only drawback was Geoffrey’s secret that was drawn out a bit too long for me…I believe close to the ending. I thought it should have come much sooner.

This was a first that I’ve read of a Duke and his sister being guided or tutored in the ways of society and not already knowing much about it. I truly liked the read and thought it was entertaining, delightful, witty with a welcoming host of characters. There were some parts that did fall flat but did not detract from me liking what I was reading. The plot was well-written, but I think the “secret” could have been more developed into the mystery proclaimed in the story. A nice welcome back from a hiatus, and thank you Ms. Jeffries for the opportunity. 4-Star Recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

“And on that night, Elegant Occasions was born”
“And have I ever said how much I hate the term ‘fallen females’?”
“But she couldn’t help it - she wanted to be naughty with the duke”
This romance was great !!!!
Three sisters, hunted by scandal before two of them could actually marry or have their season, because their mother betrayed their father, running away with a captain, start up an organisation to help young girl having her debut in society… an uncommon duke who wants to help his sister have a great match and goes to them … only to find himself completely captivated by the middle sister, a goddess, Diana … but nothing can come out of it … Right??
I loved it !!!!
This is just the first book in a series and the second one still has to created.
But I can’t wait already !!!!
As much as this first one was about Diana, I truly hope the others will be centred on the other two sisters, Eliza and Verity, because they’re something else!!
And the Duke !!! Oh Geoffrey was just amazing !!!
Yes, he still pissed me off sometimes but oh boy how did he apologise!!!!!
Apart from the romance, the secrets, the scandal and the incessant trying to prove that society standards put women in horrible situation they didn’t even deserved and fair were what caught my attention most !!!!
But the enemies to lovers just did the trick !!!!
Go and read this book !! Now !!!!
“You steal my breath. You weaken my resolve. You are more dangerous to me than a bridge crumpling”
“And you, my dear goddess, taste like heaven”
“You’re a bit of a tease, aren’t you, my lady?”

Sabrina Jeffries is a favorite and she doesn't disappoint here. A newly minted Duke needs to launch his nervous sister into a successful season. He hires three sisters to plan and manage every aspect of his sister's upcoming season. He doesn't anticipate falling for the headstrong and Diana along the way. I love this and highly recommend it! I can't wait for the rest of the series.

A Duke For Diana is about a three sisters who started their own business as party planners and one sister Diana fall for one of her clients. It’s a very sweet book, the main characters Diana and Geoffrey have great chemistry and it’s very fast paced- it’s so good you’ll read it fast! Definitely a must read book!

4 stars

Three sisters were badly treated by society when their mother ran off with a soldier and their father then sued for divorce. They decided to start a business preparing debutantes for the marriage mart. They are very successful at this. They take on Rosy and her awkward brother, who is both a duke and a civil enginner. He's avoiding marriage and we don't really know why.

Diana is anoyed and intrigued by Geoffrey and as she's decided not to marry fancies finding passion with the Duke.

I thought it was an OK read. We have a slight romance between Rosy and Diana's cousin and there's potential for further romances with Diana's single sister Verity and her widowed sister.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book, though I liked it more than I loved it. Geoffrey and Diana have a very sweet chemistry with each other that bounces off the page, and I really enjoyed scenes with Geoffrey and his mother and sister. I wish that there had been more between them after a certain secret is revealed, but it comes so late in the book that it is easy to see why that did not happen.

While I liked Diana's sisters, sometimes scenes between all of them didn't quite work for me. Verity and Eliza on their own worked, but when combined, it felt a little too much like they were being clever for cleverness' sake rather than speaking like they would as real sisters. The concept was really entertaining, I liked that both the hero and heroine worked for a living and didn't quite fit into society anymore, but I would've enjoyed seeing them in more social settings and interacting with people other than just each other. Overall, I think this book just didn't have enough drama for me to love it, but it's entertaining and lighthearted (for the most part).

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely delightful! Diana was a joy to read—driven, independent, clever, strong, and quite feminist given the time period. The idea that the sisters are women of rank and also are businesswomen was so fresh and worked really well for the story.

Geoffrey is exactly the type of love interest that I adore: large and surly, but inside just an absolute cinnamon roll.

A Duke for Diana gets a 4.5/5 from me! This was a perfect regency romance story with a little spice.

If you love historical romances, and all the tropes therein, then this will be a solid read. An enterprising young woman who has sworn off men due to family drama finds herself smitten with a Duke who would rather be anything other than a member of the ton. I don't need to review the plot, you know what it is, and what will happen, and what all the obvious “secrets” are within the first 20 pages. I say that as a positive. There are some historicals you read because they are comfortable classic romances and that is great. If you want something in this vein, this is a five -star read.

However, for me it just felt a little flat. None of the characters felt well developed or like they acted "in character" (the entire underpinning story is about a shy wallflower who proceeds to act 100% out of character for every minute past the first introduction) and the main couple had nothing that I would call chemistry. I really liked the idea of a “ladies business” that helped secure the futures of other women, and that aspect was really interesting and well researched, but after that…nothing really happens? Add in my current pet-peeve of romance heroes who’s entire personality is “I do what I want and think I am the smartest even though I am literally the only person with no clue what is going on” and this series proves to just not be my jam.

A Duke for Diana is a historical romance by Sabrina Jeffries with an heroine, Diana, from a family full of scandal who finds herself making a living for herself by guiding young women through the season. She faces a challenge when she takes on a newly christened duke, who wishes his younger sister to make an advantageous match. The two of them find themselves in insta-attraction...and I as a reader was lost to see why. Diana is uptight and a killjoy, which is thrown into relief by both of her sisters, who are both much more interesting characters. The duke is intriguingly a civil engineer, but he too is a killjoy, and his eccentricities telegraph "I need to be interesting, therefore I will have no social graces." It made him seem less intelligent as opposed to intriguing. Suffice to say, this was not my cup of tea, and it was disappointing, since the premise was so what attracted me to the novel..

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased (and sometimes too honest) review.

A Duke for Diana feels like a return to roots for Sabrina Jeffries. Her last few series have included plotlines that spread over several books of the series, meaning that while the romances felt full and complete, the plot could feel unfinished. In this book, Geoffrey is a civil engineer who's recently ascended to a dukedom. Diana and her sisters are members of the aristocracy who were affected by scandal in their past, but who have embraced independence by providing party planning and Society guidance to members of the ton. Diana and Geoffrey are immediately attracted to each other. Although they start off on the wrong foot, they are soon making assignations and slipping away from ton affairs to meet each other. (On one particularly fun occasion they actually hook up at Almack's!)

If you like old school Sabrina Jeffries - with sexy characters who help each other solve their relationship problems and plots that don't rely on miscommunication - then you'll be pleased with this one!

Lady Diana Harper comes from a disgraced family once her mother runs off with her lover and her father sues for divorce. While ostracized as young women, Diana and her sisters secure themselves and make a name for themselves advising hostesses on their fashion and the details of their social events.

A few years later, the new-and-from-trade Duke of Greenwood, Gregory Brookhouse, goes to Elegant Occasions with his mother and sister. They are outsiders to London society and need to launch his insecure sister when they would all rather stay at home and he would rather engineer bridges.

Predictably, Diana and Gregory don’t don’t make the best first impressions on one another, despite each finding the other attractive. Diana decides the boorish Duke needs some help as well and they strike a bargain that his sister will have 5 suitors a day for a week or he won’t pay their fee.

‘Almighty Greenwood’ and ‘Lady Disdain’ are off to a great start. Verbal sparring ensues and their attraction is challenged by his family secrets and her family scandal.

Both are strong and relatable characters with believable arcs. I liked their chemistry and I liked that there were no miscommunication tropes or drawn out drama for the sake of drama.

This was my first Sabrina Jeffries book and a solid start to a new series. I would continue reading this series to see what happens with Eliza and Verity.

I received an arc from NetGalley

**Review of eARC courtesy of NetGalley**

A new Sabrina Jeffries series! Yay!

I LOVED this book! I love the premise of how Elegant Occasions came to be, and the interactions other the three sisters. I loved the family dynamics of Geoffrey, Rosy, and their mother. I loved how both families mixed well together. And, of course, Diana and Geoffrey are ADORABLE together! And they discuss things together like adults (after steamy-times, of course 😁) Lovely couple, might be in contention for one of my favorites in romance.

I was also glad to see that there’s not an overarching mystery in this series. I didn’t mind it so much in Duke Dynasty, but it was a little frustrating to have that drag out without resolution until the last one. Especially since the next book in Designing Debutantes doesn’t come out for another YEAR (stupid TradPub release schedules…)

All in all, a solid start to a new series and one that I will be watching for new releases with great anticipation.

Oh my goodness! A Duke For Diana is one of Sabrina Jefferies' finest! The story flows magnificently. Diana and her sisters Eliza and Verity have a bond that resulted in family scandle that they didn't allow to destroy them. Instead their business of Elegant Occasions was born. Geoffrey, the Duke engages the sisters to orchestrate his sister, Rosabel's debut to find a husband. Diana and Geoffrey's chemistry is swoonworthy. The dialog is wonderful and entertaining. I read this in one day and I am looking forward to Eliza's story.

This is Diana and Geoffrey’s story. Geoffrey has inherited a Dukedom. He needs to plan his sister’s debut. Diana and her sisters run a service to help people with society events. Diana and her sisters were shunned by society because of her parents behavior. Geoffrey hires them to help his sister. Geoffrey and Diana develop feelings and have an affair. Geoffrey wants to marry but has many secrets. Sabrina Jeffries didn’t disappoint.

An engineer elevated in rank to a Duke. A young woman forced to 'lower herself' to working due to the folly of her parents. They seem so far apart in status...but are they?

Reeling from his elevation to the Duke of Greenwood, Geoffrey is terrified that secrets surrounding his father's death might bring his newfound title crashing down around him. He is keeping those secrets from his mother and sister so they don't have to worry. He wants his sister settled with a husband before the secrets are revealed.

After Lady Diana Harper's parents blow their reputations, and those of their three daughters out of the water by divorcing, the sisters Harper learn that society can be very cruel! After disagreements with their father, the daughters are forced to work in trade to make ends meet. They choose to be the premiere party and coming out purveyors for 'The Season', and are quite good at their endeavor. Elegant Occasions is born.

Geoffrey chooses Elegant Occasions to help his sister navigate The Season. The air between Geoffrey and Diana vibrates with tension when they meet. Will Diana be able to work with Geoffrey? Will Geoffrey's sister be able to make a suitable match? Will more reputations be ruined? Will love be able to work its magic between these two headstrong people?

I love the magic Ms. Jeffries works into her books. This book was no different. Lots of heart, heat, and a fabulously crafted story. I can't wait for the other books in this series.

I was gifted an e-copy of this book by the publisher. The review is my own.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I love a strong historical romance with characters who are both from a different era and also relatable as people, and Geoffrey and Diana were both.

Diana is a proper lady with a reputation that has been spoiled by the actions of someone close to her that she had nothing to do with, but the world in which she exists is incredibly unforgiving about that sort of thing. Geoffrey had no idea when his father died that it meant he was in line to become a Duke...and, suffice to say as he had no idea, he also is rather ill prepared for the expectations now placed upon him by society.

Watching both of them deal with one another, both attracted to the other but also annoyed by the things that make them who they are, was a lot of fun. The connection between the 2 of them is strong, and you believe in their actions as they try to navigate the relationship they want to explore within the constraints placed upon them by society.

I enjoy historical romance for the glimpse into another world that they provide. But, sometimes in the midst of creating that world, the fun of the world is lost in the details. I thought the idea of the the Duke and his sister being guided through their first season was a clever way to not only make sure the reader wasn't lost in the story, but to also add in a little more of the Regency world than is common as it could be explained without making it feel like you are reading a textbook.

I enjoyed the sisters and the extended family as well, and I am looking forward to the next title in the series.

Another solid book from Sabrina Jeffries, who always knows how to deliver! A Duke For Diana was a quick-moving book with a truly fun plot--3 sisters, stuck with the scandal of their parents, starting their own party planning/dress design/lifestyle makeover business. I loved our heroine Diana, who remained strong and steadfast throughout. I always enjoy a relationship that is open and frank from the beginning, so I loved the way Diana never shied in front of Geoffrey -- their sparks were fantastic. Would have loved a little more of the "I'll turn you into a proper Duke" story line--I think more of that would have been so fun! But any book with a steamy carriage ride is a win for me!

When Geoffrey, Duke of Grenwood hires Elegant Occasions to help his sister’s debut, he doesn’t anticipate falling in love with one of the sisters who run the business. Lady Diana Harper doesn’t know what to do with this exasperating civil engineer/Duke, but as she chases his sister’s happily ever after, could she get one too?

I liked this book! (3 stars is a “liked” rating on my scale - so if numbers deter you, this one shouldn’t). This is surprisingly my first Sabrina Jeffries (I was shocked) and I really enjoyed it. Clearly Jeffries is at the top of her craft and knows how to tell a well-paced regency romance!

I loved the characters - particularly the Harper sisters who, instead of disappearing from society as expected, make careers for themselves in a way that felt authentic. I loved that they were competent entrepreneurs who could not only run a great business, but also donate to charity. Plus, their dialogue was a lot of fun.

Geoffrey as a civil engineer was great - the floor plans he gave Diana to identify a tryst location SENT ME. Cause if you’ve ever known an engineer, that is exactly what they are like. I laughed out loud.

Great amount of steam, but would have loved a little more drama. That being said, I’m excited for the sequel and would recommend it to those looking for a fun regency read. It’s clear that it will be an Earl for Eliza, and hopefully a Viscount for Verity? I hope?? I’m excited to see what’s next for the Harper sisters.

TW: overdose (off-page)