Project Duchess
Duke Dynasty Series - Book 1

By Sabrina Jeffries
Zebra Books - July 2019
Historical Romance


Fletcher Pryde, Duke of Greycourt, had distanced himself from his family. As a child, his step-father's career had meant they had lived abroad, but he had been sent back to live in England. However, when the rest of the family had returned to England, Grey had continued to maintain the emotional distance from them. When word arrived that his step-father was dead, and his mother wanted him to come for the funeral, there was no question that he would be there for her, and his siblings.
When Grey arrived at Armitage Hall, he wasn't greeted by the expected servants. Instead, there was a young lady who had no compunction of speaking her mind and telling him exactly what she thought. Grey was intrigued by the cousin of his younger half-brother, the new Duke of Armitage, Sheridan, but Beatrice Wolfe would not be his focus while he was there, and he didn't intend to stay long.
Or so he had planned. Sheridan was certain that his father had been murdered, and possibly the previous Duke as well. His only suspect was Beatrice's brother. Also, his mother wanted to give Beatrice, and his sister, a Season, and he was the one with the most experience in society. He would teach her to dance, talk with her, learn about her brother.
And most unexpectedly, find himself falling in love with her.
Project Duchess was an exceptional introduction to Sabrina Jeffries' new Duke Dynasty series. First, there is the ironic situation of Grey's mother having been widowed by, and giving heirs to, three Dukes. I loved the vast cast of siblings, and the complex relationships they all have. Certain to come to the aid of each other, however, they still each have issues with one another that will be fascinating to see resolved in the upcoming stories. I adored Beatrice and her defense of her brother, and enjoyed watching the romance between her and Grey. I am really excited for this new series and seeing what Sabrina Jeffries does next.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I wish I enjoyed this book more than I actually did - unfortunately I found it to be suffering a little under the weight of trying to plan out a whole series and establish a series' worth of characters rather than focusing on the romance. The dialogue and distrust between the two main characters in the beginning felt a bit tedious.

In summary: Duke Greycourt has two step-brothers who are also Dukes. He comes home when his third step-father dies, thus making his step-brother Duke. He's there to support his mother and angst about his terrible childhood. He gets roped into staying longer by his mother who guilts him into it for her sake and for the sake of our heroine, the not-blood "cousin" Beatrice who has never come out into society officially and now needs to be "trained."

There's an unnecessary "was my step-father murdered?" mystery, and lots of Hero brooding that didn't really land for me. I can't put my finger on why, but overall the book didn't really stand out for me.

Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? Project Duchess kicks off a brand new series by one of my (few) favorite authors, Sabrina Jeffries with quite the mixed/blended family. And at first had me a little confused when it came to the romance. There isn’t any blood ties between Beatrice and Grey but they are family through Grey’s half siblings.

Let’s see if I can sort this out quickly. Grey has four half siblings, and one cousin who all share blood connections with him. His half siblings from his mother’s third marriage have cousins who do NOT have a blood connection to Grey. That’s where the heroine, Beatrice comes from. She’s cousins with Grey’s half brothers, Sheridan and Heywood.

I enjoyed Grey and Beatrice’s road to romance. They were both so stubborn but at the same time these two were made for love, family, and friendship, which made Grey’s estrangement from his family so heartbreaking once he revealed his reason for being aloof with them.

But as much as I enjoyed Grey and Beatrice’s romance, Project Duchess was as much a story about reconnecting with family as it was about falling in love and Sabrina Jeffries balanced both in a way that was charming and heartwarming. I fell in love with Grey’s blended family and I can’t wait for more from them. I have high hopes for Beatrice’s brother Joshua’s story. I do love a wounded, grouchy character.

Click It or Skip It? Click It. Sabrina Jeffries excels at creating strong family bonds while also crafting a believable romance.

Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt sealed his heart against feelings years ago when his family sent him away. Things are about to change when he’s summoned to Armitage Hall when his stepfather dies.
Beatrice “Bea” Wolfe has lived at Armitage Hall then at its Dower House since her father passed when she was 10. Her uncle Armie the late duke took her and her brother in. He was a nasty and vile man who tried very hard to damage Beatrice’s self esteem.
From the moment Bea and Grey meet sparks fly. Bea has the habit of telling the pompous Grey exactly what she thinks of his actions and words. Grey finds Bea very appealing and needs to get to know her. They both fight their attraction. Grey will not allow his heart to be broken again and Bea’s not meant for London she like tramping through the woods with her dogs. But one thing leads to another and feelings start budding they find themselves questioning everything they believe to be true. With the possible murder of Grey’s stepfather and Bea’s uncle things start to spiral down and if they can’t trust and be honest with each other they don’t have a chance.
I love Sabrina Jeffries books. She has a way to spin a tail and you are drawn in to it and you cheer, cry and laugh for all the characters in the story. I like how her secondary characters play such a big roll also.
This is the first book in the Duke Dynasty series and I can not wait for the next book.

Wow! there are more than enough dukes to go around in this one. One woman has married and outlasted 3 dukes and has 3 children who are now dukes. Grey as the oldest is wealthy, entitled, disillusioned and a rake. The perfect role model of a regency romantic hero. While he has distanced himself from his family for a variety of reasons he shows up in time for his latest step brother's funeral and meets that perfect regency heroine who's heard all about him and hates him sight unseen.
Compelled to stay at his step brother's request to investigate the death of his step father which appears suspicious he can't help but cultivate a relationship with his mother's latest project Beatrice. Not only is Bea's brother chief suspect but Grey has a surprising attraction towards her.
I found the story slow with a lot of different characters vying for attention. I understand that this is a the first book in a trilogy and the author is trying to convey her story arc to the readers. I have really enjoyed Ms. Jefferies writing style and story telling in the past but this one did not do it for me.

This is a great start of the series. The characters have lots of story going on both good and bad. I love the Beatrice and Grey on how they get to know each other and finally falling for each other.
This book has everything you want in a romance, both Beatrice and Grey are likeable, a mystery, steamy love scenes......I can't wait for the next book

Sabrina Jeffries latest new series The Duke Dynasty series begins with Project Duchess released on June 25th. I was lucky to receive an eARC from NetGalley just prior to its release and really enjoyed the book.

The Duke Dynasty series will focus on a family of grown children of an often widowed mother. She married well three times, and provided heirs to each Duke she married. Project Duchess follows the story of Fletcher “Grey” Pryde the fifth Duke of Greycourt and Beatrice Wolfe, a cousin through marriage that he meets at the funeral of his stepfather.

Grey had a dark childhood and trusts no one with much of anything really, let alone his heart, but he is also immediately drawn to Beatrice because she is different from the ladies that were brought up politely in the Ton. Beatrice raises and trains dogs, walks through the woods in sturdy boots, and most importantly, doesn’t let Grey win his way in an argument easily.

Though in mourning Grey helps Beatrice and his sister prepare for their coming out parties and along the way falls for Beatrice. Though their feelings are mutual, neither fully trusts each other for most of the novel, refusing to share their past traumas with each other.

I found this a delightful read with the right amount of danger and romance. I can’t wait for the next installment of the series to come out!

Happy reading 🙂

I’m pretty excited about this one because it’s the first one I requested to read and got approved for. The other’s I’ve requested I got rejected for, so this feels like a milestone for me. And the story was a pretty good milestone one as well. It would’ve sucked if my first approved book wasn’t great.
Luckily it was good!
A scoundrel who isn’t a scoundrel. An innocent who isn’t so innocent. A murder that’s possibly not a murder. There were a few different layers to this book that I found really engaging. Although there were a couple of moments where I wasn’t sure which story was meant to be more prominent. The romance or the murder?
The story is written in third person from either Grey’s or Beatrice’s point of view. However, there were a few points where we seemed to shift mid chapter. Mostly it only switched characters at the end of a chapter. Or if it did change mid-way through there was an obvious break in the chapter to show the change. Which made it a bit weird when it swapped part way through.
I quite liked this, but for those wanting a pure romance, you should be prepared for the murder investigation aspect. Unfortunately, I was left hanging at the end. I didn’t get the closure I wanted as to who murdered who and why.
On the romance front, however. The ending was very satisfying. So much so that I’ll be keeping an eye out for the sequel which is due for release in February 2020.

How I loved this story! Beatrice is strong and smart. She's a wonderful protagonist who will steal yours and Greycourt's heart. She's fiercely loyal and easy to connect with. Greycourt is totally swoon-worthy. Even though he's determined to have a proper Duchess he can't seem to stay away from Beatrice. With many twists and turns this story will have you enthralled from beginning to end.

Ms. Jeffries never disappoints! I loved this one and can't wait to read more in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The story begins with a duchess who’s third duke-husband has died. Duchess had a son per husband, so there are 3 grownup Duke-sons who are called home after hubby #3, Maurice, croaks.

Grey is the hero, and he keeps his family at a distance. He’s persuaded by one of his brothers to stay because they think Maurice may have been killed.

The Duchess has taken on Cousin Beatrice as her latest project. She’s going to polish her up for society so she can catch a husband. Bea ends up catching Grey’s eye.

Joshua is Beatrice’s cranky, reclusive brother. Naturally, the Dukes suspect him of murder. At his brother’s suggestion, Grey tries to get closer to Bea so he can find out more about her weird brother. He flirts and ends up being the one with a crush.

This is Grey:
“Hmm...Beatrice is lovely, interesting, and intelligent. Too bad I don’t like her. I was abandoned as a boy, so I can never let anyone into my heart again.”

That lasted for about three days. Instalove. Lots of boring sex. She won’t marry him because he’s only doing his duty. Grey has an instant epiphany and shouts his love for Bea from the rooftops!

Never mind about solving that pesky murder mystery, because true love eclipses all. Blah! 2 stars.

Excellent book from an excellent author.
Review to appear on sonyaheaneyblog.com and Goodreads very soon.

I’m a big historical romance fan and have really enjoyed all of Sabrina Jeffries’ past books. Project Duchess was no exception and was a delightful intro to a new series! I love a strong heroine and Beatrice was perfectly witty and outspoken. Romance series centered around large families are my favorite so I can’t to read more! I’m looking forward to getting Grey’s siblings’ stories next!

Heat Factor: I need a tall glass of milk, because this one is on FIRE.
Character Chemistry: He’s an upstanding dreamboat with a bad boy reputation, she never stood a chance (and neither did I).
Plot: A young duke meets up with his family of half-siblings and his mother when his step-father dies unexpectedly. The penniless cousin of his half-brother sweeps him off his feet. But, MURDER! But, INTRIGUE! But, SEXY WOODLAND ROMPS!
Overall: Pretty much crossed my fingers this would be a series by the close of the first chapter because I hope it never ends.

I re-entered the world of regency romance after taking a pretty sizeable hiatus and chose Project Duchess. This one did not disappoint.

Grey is a very successful and put-together dreamboat who has a reputation as a bad-boy. I was probably 80% on board the moment I realized that. Yes, please. Beatrice is witty, loyal, even-keeled, and interesting. They have these moments I can’t get into without spoiling the plot for you (and I just can’t do that when you’re going to read it, and you are), but imagine that Grey made a call that perhaps would have been an insult to Beatrice’s sense of pride. Normally you’d expect a big blow up to result, but Beatrice is nothing if not even-keeled, so like normal people they get a mildly heated and then talk it out rationally and then are “otherwise occupied” for a good while. Which is just win-win-win, in my opinion. Their relationship is just deliciously solid and it suits their characters perfectly.

Plus, Jeffries sets up the series perfectly. I’m intrigued by the secondary characters. I can see the plot thickening surrounding Grey’s step-father’s mysterious death. I have some inkling that Grey’s mother has some interesting depth and perhaps some surprises in store. I can’t wait for the next installment. I want to know if Grey and Beatrice start their own kennel of puppies. I want to know if I can come over for tea sometime. I’m kidding. Kind of.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Fletcher Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt, is estranged from his family. He hasn't forgotten that his mother let his cruel uncle raise him. Now she needs him. Her 3rd husband's death has left her broken. Reluctantly he goes to her. Suddenly he finds himself facing a spirited beauty who speaks her mind and a murder investigation. What happens next is a romantic adventure. Can he help find the truth and get Beatrice to be his? Grey is a bitter man. His fears haunt him. I wanted him to find love. He deserves to be happy. Beatrice has suffered. What she endured angered me. It's an all to familiar occurrence. I wanted her to realize that she's a beautiful woman who deserves to be treated with respect. She and Grey have powerful chemistry. I hated that their circumstances make a relationship difficult. Their flirtation pulled me into their romance. The dialogue is sharp and sassy. Each of their encounters are interesting especially since he considers her brother a suspect. Grey's interaction with his mother and siblings add more drama. The setting and the death of his stepfather kept me reading. I wanted resolution and a HEA, but I wasn't sure I would get it. I enjoy the writing of Sabrina Jeffries. She never disappoints. I can't wait to see what happens next in The Duke Dynasty series.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

A very interesting concept of a family of brothers that are Dukes. A little far fetched that one woman would marry that many Dukes, but if you set that aside it's definitely a new spin on the genre.
We follow the eldest Duke in this story in which he must assuredly is not looking for a wife. He comes to console his mother after the death of her most recent husband. And the mystery surrounding the recent deaths still remains unsolved.

Historical romances are a relatively new genre for me (especially mass market romances), so I’m not familiar with all of the popular authors. Unsurprisingly, this is my first Sabrina Jeffries book. Also unsurprisingly, I’ll now be adding her to my must-read list.

This is the first title in a new series that weaves together stories of an extended family of siblings, primarily. There’s misunderstandings, repressed emotions, murder, laughter and love. Jeffries creates strong females who are unique for the time period, but not egregiously out of place. Her men are proud, wounded and strong, unafraid to eventually show a little vulnerability.

I would compare the feel of this world to Grace Burrowes’ Windham’s or Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton’s, except it totally stands on its own merit. I cannot wait to read the next book!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Fletcher Pryde, the 5th Duke of Greycourt, has been summoned to the country to help his grieving mother whose third husband has just died. Grey's mother has married three different dukes and given birth to five children. Grey is her eldest child, and the one estranged from the family as he was sent to live with his paternal relatives when he was ten.  When his brother seeks his help with the strange circumstances surrounding the recent death, he reluctantly agrees. 

Beatrice Wolfe is no stranger to death and funerals. When her aunt asks her to assist with the funeral of her husband Beatrice agrees. When she meets her aunt's firstborn son, she knows as a poor relation, she has no business feeling attracted to him, even if she is the granddaughter of a duke they can never be together. 

Sabrina Jeffries is one of the best wordsmiths in her genre, and this book is the start of another brilliant series. A beautiful blend of mystery, romance and steamy hot sex scenes. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

1808

Lydia Fletcher has been married to, and widowed by three Dukes. They are the 4th Duke of Greycourt. the 2nd Duke of Thornstock, and the 3rd Duke of Armitage, who has just passed away. Lydia has been able to give children to each of these men.

London

Fletcher (Grey) Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, age 34, has returned to his London home to find his cousin, Vanessa Pryde, waiting to see him. She is a lovely woman whose mother, Grey's Aunt Cora, would like to see the two of them marry and won’t even hear of Vanessa marrying anyone else. But Grey and Vanessa disagree with this. They are just friends and wish for their relationship to stay that way.

Grey learns that his stepfather has just passed away and his mother needs his help with assisting his stepbrother, Sheridan, age 28, as he takes up the mantle of the 4th Duke of Armitage.

Lincolnshire

Miss Beatrice Wolfe has not cared for the Duke of Armitage as he always tried to make passes at her. She is supposed to help her cousin, Sheridan, as he deals with his grief at losing his father. Beatrice and her brother, Joshua. live in the former dower house on the Armitage estate. He aunt Lydia had promised to give her a debut in London. She looks upon Beatrice as her project.

Sheridan has inherited an estate with debts whereas Grey’s estate is very wealthy. When Grey arrives and he and Beatrice meet, she feels he acts arrogant and she doesn’t care for him. But as Grey and Beatrice get to know one another, they spark an attraction.

Sheridan thinks his father had been murdered and he thinks that Beatrice’s brother, Joshua, may be the guilty one.

This book was complicated and confusing. Too many characters to keep up with. The first part of the book throws lots of characters at the reader, slows down in the middle, and picks up in the end. The attraction between Grey and Beatrice was so fast and sexual that it was huge turn-off.

Sabrina Jeffries is a prolific and popular author. I have read several of her books, some of which I enjoyed, and others not so much. I’m not sure that I will stay with this series as it just isn’t my cup of tea. However, I’m sure that others of her fans will love it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fletcher Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt, is called to the country after his stepfather dies quite suddenly. He meets Beatrice Wolfe visiting Lincolnshire helping her Aunt (Grey’s Mother) plan her husband’s funeral. Beatrice gave up on romance long ago, and the arrogant Grey with his rakish reputation isn’t exactly changing her mind no matter how attracted to him she is. He agrees to help his mother and the hoyden and unfashionable Beatrice for her debut. He can’t help but be attracted to her, but they have wounded hearts to heal. I loved this romance story of two wounded souls I voluntarily read and reviewed this excellent book.