Sparks fly when a guarded, conventional duke meets a spirited, unconventional lady unimpressed with his position in Project Duchess. Sabrina Jeffries kicks off her Duke Dynasty series with an engaging romance filled with likeable characters and a mystery that’s bound to keep this series interesting.

Until age ten, Fletcher “Grey” Pryde had an idyllic life with his mother, stepfather, and four siblings. But when he was taken back to England by his uncle, Grey’s life changed forever. Though he clearly loves his family, he keeps them at arm’s length and has walls around his heart. But when his stepfather dies, he doesn’t hesitate to go to his mother’s side. He’s prepared for memories to bombard him, but what he’s not prepared for is his mother’s newest “project”: preparing the lovely Beatrice Wolfe for her debut. Beatrice is his half-brother’s cousin and she is a breath of fresh air to Grey. She is forthright and sees value in people, not titles. Beatrice knows all-too-well that being a duke doesn’t make a man a gentleman. The two of them come from very different circumstances, yet it’s clear they’re made for each other from the start. I loved watching Beatrice and Grey fall in love. They’re unfashionably honest with each other, which helps break down some of the walls around their hearts. I enjoyed their dialogue and the chemistry that sizzled between them. Ms. Jeffries makes it incredibly easy to root for them because they’re such a likeable, well-matched couple.

Love, however, may not be enough for Beatrice and Grey to get their happily ever after. It isn’t a difference in station that makes things difficult, but rather a mystery. Was Grey’s stepfather murdered? The possibility seems increasingly likely and in his search for answers, Grey is forced to delve into Beatrice’s family’s secrets. Both Grey and Beatrice are pulled by duty, loyalty, and love and their burgeoning relationship may not survive the answers they find. How things work out, I’ll leave readers to discover on their own.

Grey and Beatrice are the heart of Project Duchess, but their families add depth to the world and make the book stand out. Grey’s mother has been married and widowed three times, all to dukes, and I adored her and Grey’s brothers and sister (the bright and vivacious Gwyn especially). The family dynamics were every bit as engaging as the romance. Between the overarching series mystery and the delicious tension between Gwyn and her future hero, I am on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happens in the next Duke Dynasty book.

A new series? Yes, please! A new series by Sabrina Jeffries? Yes, yes please! An enemies to lovers historical romance? Yes, please! This is one of my favourite tropes.
Project Duchess is the first in the new series Duke Dynasty by Sabrina Jeffries. This series is about the children of an oft-widow's grown children, three of which are now Dukes.
Fletcher Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt, gets news that his mother's latest husband has died. He hasn't been close to his family in many years, since he was sent to live with his greedy Aunt & Uncle back in England. He wants to be there for his mother even though their relationship is strained. His half-brother believes that his recently deceased father didn't die by accident and enlists Fletcher, "Grey", in helping him discover if it was indeed foul play.
Beatrice Wolfe, niece to Grey's recently deceased step-father, lives in the Dower House with her brother who has not been the same since his return from the war. She is used to dealing with death and helps her aunt in arranging the funeral of her uncle. Her aunt has taken her under her wing and is preparing her for her debut in London. Beatrice is keeping secrets though and the more time she spends with Grey, the more the secrets get harder to keep.
I've been a fan of Sabrina Jeffries for a while and really liked this new series. I can't wait to learn more about all of Grey's siblings and their fathers...most importantly...was it foul play??
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries is the first book in what looks to be a tempting new series the Duke Dynasty series. Fletcher “Grey” Pryde the 5th Duke of Greycourt has a very interesting family, his mother married 3 times each time to a duke and so he has 2 half brothers also dukes. The sudden death of his stepfather brings him to the estate of his youngest brother and there he meets Beatrice Wolfe the cousin of his younger siblings. Grey prides himself on his lack of emotion but Beatrice is going to knock down all his walls and along the way there is mystery, intrigue and a murder or two to solve. I very much enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Medium Steam Publishing Date June 25, 2019 #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley #ProjectDuchess #SabrinaJeffries

Lydia, the 4th Dowager Duchess of Armitage has married either very well or very badly, depending on your prospective. She has married three dukes, all who have left her widowed, the first two in a three year time span. The third duke had at least hung around for 30 years. From those marriages Lydia has produced three dukes, one spare and one daughter.
It will be these adult children who are at the center of Sabrina Jeffries new series-the Duke Dynasty. Jeffries is getting off to a stellar start with her first entry, Project Duchess
Those who know Lydia have no doubt that at least the second and third marriages were love matches. The very recent death of the 4th Duke of Armitage leaves her heartbroken. To help her grief Lydia has taken on a two projects. The first is the rapprochement with her oldest son, Fletcher Pryde the 5th Duke of Greycourt. The second project is the simultaneous launch into society of her daughter Gwyn along with a niece she never really knew, Beatrice Wolfe. Since it is a long time until mourning ends and the launches launch, Lydia has time to remove all of the rough edges from Beatrice. There are many since she grew up roaming the estate when she wasn’t serving as companion to the late Duchess or reluctant hostess to the widowed (and now late) 3rd Duke of Armitage.
To help with this grand project, the Dowager Duchess has enlisted to help of Greycourt. After meeting the acerbic Beatrice, Greycourt has found himself less resistant to this idea than he would have first supposed.
Although Beatrice is the grand-daughter of a duke, fate has ordained that she and her war damaged brother, Joshua, reside in the Dower house. Joshua holds the job of head gamekeeper on the Armitage estate; a job far below his status but one suiting the reclusive Joshua just fine.
Beatrice had made herself useful in other ways, being an efficient manager of estates, homes, and people, if they lose their residency in the dower house they will be homeless and destitute, so Beatrice does her best for the Armitage estate.
In Project Duchess Duke Dynasty #1, Jeffries introduces all of the adult children who will be starring in the forthcoming books with teasing glimpses that perfectly whet the appetite.
Fair warning though, rough seas ahead, with Project Duchess tackling dark issues; a serial killer, physical, mental, sexual abuse, and PTSD. These threads don’t overwhelm Project Duchess but make it deeper and more absorbing than the usual HR.
I’m greedy; I wish authors could just stream books as do so many of the cable and internet channels with their series. Especially with a series that starts out so wonderfully.
There are heartbreaking back stories, intricate plots, and characters whose stories one can’t wait to read; and that’s just with the first, Project Duchess.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Project Duchess is the first book in Sabrina Jeffries Duke’s Dynasty series. Fletcher Pryde, Duke of Greycourt, gets an urgent message from his mother informing him of his stepfather’s death. Grey was sent away to live with his Aunt and Uncle when he was younger. Ever since then he has a tense relationship with his parents. So tense that Grey has started calling his stepfather by his given name. There is more to it, but I don’t want to give the whole book away.

Despite the bad feelings, Grey loves his family, and is devastated by the loss of his stepfather. Traveling to his family estate, the first person he encounters is Beatrice Wolfe. Beatrice is the cousin of Grey's younger brother Sheridan. The family dynamics is kind of confusing at first but by the end of the story it's easy to figure out whose who and how they are related. (Grey’s mother had been married multiple times and bore three Dukes).
There is instant attraction between Grey and Beatrice, but they both have reasons to stay away from each other. It doesn’t help things that Sheridan thinks that Beatrice’s brother killed their stepfather.

This is not my first Sabrina Jeffries, and once again she has yet to disappoint me. I love this story. I liked how the murder mystery was written in this story. At the end of the story we don’t find out who the murderer is. Which is fine with me, I hate when authors write a murder mystery. Because usually two things happen. Either they spend most of the book building up the plot and then there is a really rushed conclusion, ruining the entire plot all together. Or they place the blame on the most predictable character. I’m liking how Sabrina Jeffries is taking her time with this plot and we are going to learn more about the Killer in the next upcoming books in this series. Another thing I love about this book was the pairing of Grey and Beatrice. I liked how the plot focused more on them instead of getting caught up in this murder mystery. I love that both Grey and Beatrice can be their true selves around each other and not have to put on false airs around each other. One of my favorite scenes was when Grey made a truce with Beatrice that they would always be honest with each other. Not only that, but Beatrice would stop apologizing for everything little thing she says and be herself. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait for the next book in this series.. For any romance readers out there I highly recommend adding this to your TBR!

Fletcher 'Grey' Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, is the eldest son of Lydia Fletcher, his father died when he was a baby & his mother went on to marry two other dukes. Lydia’s third husband Maurice Duke of Armitage has recently died after falling from a bridge late at night. Grey travels to Lincolnshire to be with his grieving mother & agrees to assist her with her latest 'project' - schooling spirited, unfashionable distant cousin Beatrice for her debut.
Sparks fly when Grey & Beatrice first meet & continue to fly each time they meet as well as their lively banter their attraction grows. Greys younger half brother, Sheridan thinks his father, Maurice may have been murdered so the pair begin to look at likely suspects. A captivating start to a new series, there are lots of new characters to meet, I especially liked the family tree at the start, so the start of the book was slow so that it enabled me to fit who was who into place. The mystery surrounding Maurice’s death isn't solved, so this is obviously going to run through the series, which by the way I'll definitely be reading. I love the authors books & this didn't disappoint. A well written, well paced book with strong characters. Both Grey & Beatrice have had difficult childhoods, the closer they came the more we learned about this. I also particularly liked the attention to detail & the historical facts the author gave about funerals.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I do love Sabrina Jeffries' books and this was no exception. Wonderfully romantic - characters interesting and enjoyable. Can't wait for more!

4.5 stars, rounded up

When Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, Duke of Greycourt’s cousin Vanessa comes to visit him he learns two things, one his aunt is still intent on him marrying Vanessa, much to his and Vanessa’s disgust and two his mother has been widowed yet again. At his mothers’ request, he immediately leaves London and heads out to Armitage Hall.
Beatrice Wolfe, is cousin to Sheridan Wolfe, the new Duke of Armitage. She is at the hall helping with the funeral arrangements for her uncle Maurice when Grey arrives and immediately sets her temper off. For his part, Grey is intrigued by the plain speaking Beatrice and would love to argue with her, but he needs to see his mother and get some answers from Sheridan. Beatrice and her brother Joshua live in the dower house, they were orphaned when Beatrice was only 10 and they were taken in by her grandparents, soon after Joshua joined the army and only returned a few years ago, injured and much changed. Beatrice had tried to be helpful to her aunt Lydia (Grey’s mom) and the duchess has decided that Beatrice needs a season and Beatrice hopes to find a husband and finally some security in her life. She is surprised by her reaction to Grey, but is cautious, she has heard rumors of his debauched life and knows better than to pine after a man so far above her in station.

His mother is overcome with grief and very happy to see Grey, she wasn’t sure he would come as he has ignored his family in the months since they returned to England from Prussia. His step-father was an ambassador in Prussia and only returned to London when his brother “Armie” died and he inherited the duchy. His mother was married three times and had five children, three of her sons are dukes – Grey, the Duke of Greycourt is her eldest, Marlowe is the Duke of Thornstock and Sheridan is now the Duke of Armitage, she also has a daughter Gwyn (Marlowe’s twin) and Heywood (Sheridan’s younger brother) – with the exception of Heywood who is in the military, they are all at Armitage for the funeral. Grey is happy to see his siblings, but is guarded, he left Prussia when he was only ten to go live with his aunt and uncle in England and the experience left him changed, he doesn’t want love, as it has only ever caused him pain and as much as he would like to embrace his family, his past holds him back. He soon learns that Sheridan doesn’t believe Maurice’s death was an accident and thinks that Beatrice’s brother Joshua killed not only him, but possibly Armie as well. He wants Grey to investigate Joshua, but Grey argues that he would probably get more answers from Beatrice – especially since their mother is grooming her and Gwyn for a debut, Grey says he would get more information helping their mother prepare the girls as he is familiar with the London season.

I really enjoyed this story, yes, there are a lot of characters and yes, there is a lot going on, but it is really well done and even with the multitude of characters, it stays on point and Beatrice and Grey are definitely forefront in the story. I loved watching them fall in love and slowly overcome the hurts of their past and learn to trust each other, even when things are not what they seem. The book is filled with witty dialogue, secrets, heartache, steamy love scenes, mystery and a very hard won HEA. The book nicely sets up the series with hints of the other siblings backstories as well as the ongoing mystery of Maurice’s death. I am happy to recommend this book and am eagerly awaiting the next story!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Sabrina Jeffries is a skilled author. She can bring characters to life so that they breathe air on the page. Her dialogs are always entertaining and she is usually spot on with her research of the era. Thanks to a family tree illustration at the beginning of the book, I could easily follow who all the characters were and their relationship to one another. But the reality of Regency mourning rituals are easily glossed over in this book. Practices of the time would have the family being quiet, sitting with the dead, attending to rituals, not schooling debutantes for a come-out and certainly not dancing. Grey continually voices complainants of his lack of control when around Beatrice. The reader wants to shout “Just say 'no'.”. And Beatrice for all her spinsterish ways seems a bit slutty at times. The mystery is not fully solved, so I believe this may be an ongoing thread in a future book.
I was disappointed in this book but I am a fan of this author and I hope that future books in the series correct the irksome issues I found presented in this one.

The story of Grey and Beatrice is a good start for a new series. I love Beatrice. She is so likeable, lovable, so sweet except when she is bickering with Grey and then she is fun. I like the suspense in the story. A very well written book with a lot of dialogue that does move along at a good pace. I like the big family with all of the siblings with all the different family lines due to Grey's mother.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t my favorite from this author. There was just something missing! Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

After recently reading all of Sabrina Jeffries books I was eagerly waiting for her new series. Project Duchess introduces a family whose mother has just been widowed for the third time. The oldest son, Grey, is summoned home to his mother after being sent away at the age of ten to live with an uncle and aunt. He meets Beatrice, the cousin of his two youngest brothers. Sound complicated? It is! I found myself referring to the family tree at the front of the book to remind myself whose father was an uncle to so and so making that one a cousin but not a blood relation when in matters. Grey and Beatrice have childhood emotional trauma to overcome before finding happiness. There is also an unsolved murder mystery that will obviously continue with the series. The book has enjoyable characters who were not developed very deeply. I look forward to their upcoming stories.

I appreciated the family tree at the start of the book; I reverted to it several times to remind myself how the characters are related. What is rather unique and refreshing is the age of the young ladies - later twenties - to be introduced to London society.
Grey has been a loner and rather bitter for many years and the pragmatic and sensible Beatrice is just the one to set him straight. A very entertaining romance with some mystery surrounding the deaths of two dukes.
I'm interested in seeing how the stories of the other siblings develop as this series continues.
I read an advance review copy from Netgalley and voluntarily post this review.

Project Duchess is the start to a promising new series. The story between Grey and Beatrice was full of tropes but Jeffries made up for it with enigmatic characters that left you begging to know more. While this first installment was enjoyable, the overall series shows even more promise. The cast of surrounding characters are witty and hint of interesting backstories. The series mystery is fascinating so far.

Got my Sabrina fix and what a great story to start off her new series. I know I say this for every Sabrina Jeffries book I read, but her stories flow so well. Lots of dialog (which I happen to love) that makes time fly. The writing is witty and compelling. I really like that she went back to a mystery through the series (which I assume this will be) ala The Hellions of Halstead Hall. Who killed Maurice, who killed Armie? There is something about reading Sabrina’s stories that make me smile. Okay, who is with me? Grey is yummy. He and Beatrice make a very cute couple (I especially liked “Jenny’s Market”).

Next up, Joshua (brooding, yay!) and Gwyn. I can see the sparks flying.

Even if vanilla regencies are your thing, Project Duchess is not worth your time to read. Duke Dynasty has a unique concept for a family series: half-siblings connected by one mother widowed by 3 dukes. Fletcher Pryde is the Duke of Greycourt. He is rumoured to be licentious but he is the complete opposite - he doesn't even have a mistress. He's a respectable landowner called to his stepfather's funeral, landing himself back into the arms of his estranged family. Beatrice Wolfe, the poor relation of Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Thornstock and half-brother of Grey, is concerned about where she and her brother, Joshua, a soldier that became lame in one leg due to war, will live as Sheridan is now the acting patriarch of the family. Upon Grey's return, he is tasked by Sheridan to find out if Joshua murdered his father and Uncle and potentially also another uncle too. To do that, Grey decides to get close to Beatrice.

I have a soft spot for the Swanlea Spinsters by Sabrina Jeffries and while I didn't love/finish other books by her, I was hopeful about this but this didn't click. I got the impression of a new author going through the motions. It was lifeless because it was so predictable both in terms of the mystery at the heart of this plot and the romance. At one point, I suspected <spoiler> Sheridan was the murderer mastermind </spoiler> but nothing was resolved in this story. It is not steamy. There is one kiss, one dance and one scene in bed. No passion or conflict. Grey is arrogant and Beatrice is the heroine that speaks her mind - there should be a push-pull dynamic but nothing interesting happens between them.

The Big Misunderstanding is something a romance can live or die by. If it is used well, the reader will successfully suspend their disbelief to enjoy the fiasco ahead, but if it is not, it is an empty threat of no consequence. In Project Duchess, there is a moment when it seems Grey and Beatrice will be separated but Grey quickly resolves the issue and upon his return, Beatrice just *knows* he is coming back to marry her. In this case, the Big Misunderstanding served no purpose but to pad the word count. The hero and the heroine never felt uncertain about their future together. To be clear, I'm not asking for an epic adventure but a bit of the skin in the game. This book tried so hard to not make me feel anything. It didn't want to offend me or shock me. It merely wanted to assure me, like an afterschool special, everything will be all right, but in the worst pollyanna way.

Grey's backstory is a good example of this. From the very beginning, there are throwaway lines about his childhood trauma. It turns out that Grey was sent to his uncle to be trained as a duke, away from his loving family, but his uncle wanted him to sign over un-entailed property to him. He did not do this, and his uncle would employ evil tactics to get him to sign from physical to psychological means such as starvation to being nice then being mean. You read a few bodice-rippers and you think, if this hero is not getting tortured by the heroine's father, is it really abuse? I am being incredibly cavalier but that's the sting of heavy foreshadowing - the pay-out better be worth it.

I spend a lot of time reading newer regencies in the hopes that I may find something good, but each time I dedicate the few hours I can to leisure reading seems to reinforce the value of older works. This one is a big pass for me.

A good start to a new series, mixing romance with mystery and creating a thread that I'm sure will be followed in future novels.

Sabrina Jeffries is back with a new historical romance “Duke Dynasty” series, revolving around a family with an oft-widowed mother who wedded - and birthed - Duke(s) and their heir(s). “Project Duchess” brought forward the eldest of the lot: Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, the Duke of Greycourt. Having been through a couple of stepfathers followed by difficult childhood, he grew up a wary and hardened man. Moreover, he kept quite a grudge to his parents that made him a bit estranged.

With the picture of dynasty of dukes in one family and backstory of the siblings, I had a pretty high expectation of this book. While I generally liked this author’s writing, I wasn’t all that dazzled by this pilot of the series. For one thing, Grey’s resentment of his family seemed overplayed given the rather impassive way he went about it and the ease with which the fractured kinship mended. Even then, the camaraderie between the siblings felt a bit off to me.

The same applied for the poor Wolfe’s relations. I liked Bea and her quirkiness, but for all the worries she had of his brother, the issue (of what actually wrong with him besides the obvious) was a bit murky. Besides, the shifted feeling she had toward Grey felt rushed.

I’d like to also note one thing: Greycourt was not a silver-tongued sort of Duke. It was said that dukes could get away with anything, but Grey struck me as having a penchant to put his foot in his mouth, and I didn’t say it fondly, too. Between the swinging mood the two MCs had, the story lost the appeal to me.

This is a lukewarm start to the series. Fortunately, Grey’s other siblings sounded intriguing enough that I’m still game to follow this series. Here’s hoping the following installment would be more captivating to read!


Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I though I would, I liked the characters and Sabrina Jeffries always writes so well.
The only thing that did bother me about this is that the mystery wasn't solved at the end but I enjoyed this so much thst I'm happy that the story will continue!
I recieved an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful, fun, entertaining start to what looks like a super promising series by Sabrina Jeffries.

I loved the story - which had some lovely surprises- the straight spoken heroine, the smitten hero, the entire support cast - who I can't wait to find out more about in the upcoming books.